Jesus has a very tumultuous start to his ministry. Now all eyes are on him. His rampage through the temple did more than raise eyebrows. During that week at Passover, Jesus did many signs and miracles (we're not given the details). Through it all, a lot of people come to believe that Jesus is who he says he is but there was no repentance or transformation of the heart and Jesus saw right through that.
One might be led to believe that this is the character of Nicodemus but I'm not so sure. Nicodemus definitely isn't the perfect soul, and Jesus calls him out on it, but Nicodemus is at least willing to dig deeper. He is trying to understand. Imagine how the conversation would go if you were in Nicodemus' sandals? Christ has not yet died on the cross. We have the benefit of hindsight. Nicodemus is living between his expectations (as wrong as they are) and the reality of Jesus before him. He's trying to connect the dots. Jesus is trying to help him. Let's not judge Nicodemus. I'm not so sure he was lost... confused maybe but lost?
While it didn't make it into the podcast, a lot of thought went into the last three verses of John Chapter 2 and the discussion around Nicodemus. After hours of wrestling with the text, I came to this as an approach, and I think it is worth adding to our Berean Filter. 1. God's grace was for ALL. (He doesn't pick and choose).
2. God draws people to him through the Word of God.
3. Each person, with the power of free will can choose to step into the light or stay in the dark.
Those basic tenets may sound simple but the A.I. system wanted to insist on Reformist doctrine of predestination. "Born AGAIN" is enough to refute that concept. This isn't my first confrontation with T.U.L.I.P. and I have rejected it. That was a long road. I can only point you to a book by John Lennox : Determined to Believe for greater clarity on the subject. As for me, I let my heart decide. I hope in all cases that I'm being led by the Holy Spirit and I'm finding that as I simplify and stick close to the text (like the Bereans), I stay on the right side of Jesus.
Notes to The Light in the Darkness
https://www.rabbitholes.faith/e/the-light-in-the-darkness-jesus-talks-to-nicodemus/
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