nicodemus in acts

That’s why I like your post towards the bottom when you were talking about the Jews trying to convert everyone else to Judaism, and now that Jesus is on the scene He is saying that everyone has free will and can choose whether or not they want salvation through Jesus alone. He offers to us His righteousness and His life. And so in verse 14, Jesus turns to the Old Testament to clarify what He has told Nicodemus. It was the one way God said His people could be saved. It is my hope and prayer that God will give you no rest or peace until you have experienced the love of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ. which indicate that a man like Nicodemus could have been well-placed socially in the aristocracy of Jerusalem. 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. I think when reading this post it made me look back to their times a little bit more, and realize that if you were a Jew, they believed that they were already “saved by being Jew”. The secret disciples, by their quiet acts of faithfulness, shouted the good news of God’s redemptive love to the world. 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. All who were bitten and looked up were healed. But if men like Nicodemus will not believe the simpler things they cannot be expected to believe what is more advanced.” Morris, p. 222. It is the work of God’s Spirit, who sovereignly brings about new life (verses 7-8), and it is a work that comes “from above” (verses 13-15). In Nicodemus a noble candor and a simple love of truth shine out in the midst of hesitation and fear of man. This use of Amen to introduce one’s own words appears to be Jesus’ own, no real Jewish parallel being adduced.” Morris, p. 169. In John 3, Nicodemus concedes that God must have sent Jesus because of all the miraculous signs he performed. He further refers to Jesus as “a teacher come from God.” When Nicodemus speaks to Jesus, he does not say, “Rabbi, I know that You are a teacher who has come from God,” but rather “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God.” To whom is Nicodemus referring when he says “we”? But Jesus does not care so much about whether or not we accept the facts of His ministry. I therefore say and advise, that it is befitting that we send soldiers into Galilee, to that place where these men testify, … It is entirely likely Nicodemus was an older man when he met Jesus, so he may have died of natural causes prior to soon after the resurrection. Very occasionally it is the conclusion to one’s own prayer (e.g. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. At the age of 12, our Lord accompanied Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with them. 156 Often in the Gospel of John, men err by taking statements literally that were meant to be understood spiritually or symbolically (see, for example, John 2:18-22; 4:10-11; 6:48-65). The dialogue used in John makes it hard to determine the expressions behind their statements. Jesus gently rebukes Nicodemus, a prominent teacher of the Old Testament law, because he finds our Lord’s words so new and so difficult (3:10). The Gospel of Nicodemus, including the Acts of Pilate (Latin: Acta Pilati; Greek: Πράξεις Πιλάτου) is an apocryphal gospel claimed to have been derived from an original Hebrew work written by Nicodemus, who appears in the Gospel of John as an associate of Jesus. I believe we can safely reason that to be “reborn from above” is synonymous with being “born of water and spirit.” The question many ask is, “What is meant by the terms “water” and “spirit”? His name was probably Naqdimon in Hebrew / Aramaic, and it does not appear to have been common. It was a well-known fact to the Jews that John the Baptizer and Jesus' apostles performed baptisms. But the magician Elymas (for that is the way his name is translated) opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith (Acts 13:8, emphasis mine). Learn how your comment data is processed. This is the way God “loved” the world. It includes, as part of the text, a section entitled The Acts of Pilate and the two titles (for I have not come to abolish but to fulfill. It took a while for Nicodemus to grow firm enough in his faith to act on it. Definition of Nicodemus in the Definitions.net dictionary. How can Nicodemus, a teacher of the Old Testament law, not grasp those things the law teaches? 24 “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Why did Saul Persecute the Jewish Christians? Jesus shocks Nicodemus by indicating to him that apart from being reborn from above, neither he nor anyone else will see the kingdom of God. He thus inadvertently omitted Mark’s initial references to the stone and the women observers, which occur afterward. In each of these instances, the issue is a matter of logic. The Truth About Reconciliation, Pt. Rather than engage Jesus in a crowd (as the Pharisees do in Matthew), Nicodemus comes privately to talk with Jesus in a non-confrontational setting. Jesus taught as one having authority and not as their experts in the law. Let’s face it, we do the same thing. Now suppose some young man comes along who grew up in the Ozarks and who never had a piano lesson in his life, but simply taught himself to play on a broken-down instrument in his grandmother’s house. The word “so” is particularly problematic: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (KJV, emphasis mine). John’s baptism was viewed as preparatory to the coming of our Lord. He is so familiar to us, because he is just like us. 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. Daniel 3:19-27 – Who is the Fourth Man in the Fiery Furnace? Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? And so God sent fiery serpents among them, and many of those who were bitten died. The Prophet Jonah, for example, could not conceive of the Ninevites (Gentiles) being saved, and thus he did everything in his power to see that this city would be destroyed. 167 In this instance, the NET Bible did not convey the full sense of the expression, which I have supplied in brackets. This brings us to verse 16, perhaps the most well known passage in the Bible. Based upon the consistent use of this expression in the New Testament, I believe we should understand John 3:16 the way the NET Bible has translated it. If anyone could ascend into heaven, they must first come down from heaven. In this sense, our Lord passively judged (exposed) the sins of men in His first coming. The “you people” is Nicodemus and his fellow-Pharisees. It is both foolish and dangerous to believe in a “God of love” without submitting to the Son of His love, Jesus Christ. Nicodemus is a Pharisee who is at the top of his field. New Action and duty. Well, first, no one can ascend into heaven except the One who first descended from heaven. In other words, while the first audience members are lost to us, very early tradition suggests that many believed Nicodemus joined himself to Jesus by the end of John’s gospel. Jesus now describes the sovereign saving work of God through His Spirit by using the analogy of the wind.159. Regarding your post-script where you say Nicodemus may have died prior to the Resurrection, John tells us that he provides spices for Jesus’ burial so he was still alive on Friday afternoon. In John 3:8, the term occurs twice; the first time it is rendered “wind,” the second time “Spirit.”. What a terrifying thought! 14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”, 16 For this is the way God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. His words are similar to the scribes in Matthew 22:16 who say they know Jesus is a teacher from God, but are trying to trap Jesus. But he never confesses faith in Jesus. The note simply read, “Or, in this way.”165 As I began to search out the use of this word (rendered “so” in John 3:16) in John’s writings and the rest of the New Testament, I came to realize that I understood the word in a way that John does not seem to have intended. In verse 16, Nicodemus has yet another shock in store for him. John 19:38-40 ESV / 6 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. He has come to find out about Jesus, His message, and His relationship to God. The Gospel of Nicodemus and the Acts of Pilate (300-375AD) The Gospel of Nicodemus is a Medieval Latin text that scholars believe to have been written in the middle of the 4th century, reportedly by a member of the “Order of Nicodemus”. 17 On one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), and the power of the Lord was with him to heal the sick (Luke 5:17). Without the empty tomb, we are, to quote Paul, “of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. All He has to do is pick up from here and tell Nicodemus what His mission is. To reject Jesus Christ as God’s provision for our salvation is to reject God’s love, and to be under divine condemnation, awaiting the day of God’s eternal judgment. I like when you said Nicodemus was almost sounding like a child when asking about entering our mother’s womb a second time. Our Lord’s words will stun Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin and with others had been stirred by the teaching of Jesus. CHAPTER 1 1. ( Log Out /  Therefore Nicodemus is asking on behalf of his group, Jesus is responding as an authority. The Gospel of Nicodemus, also known as the Acts of Pilate (Latin: Acta Pilati; Greek: Πράξεις Πιλάτου), is an apocryphal gospel claimed to have been derived from an original Hebrew work written by Nicodemus, who appears in the Gospel of John as an associate of Jesus. 1. Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way” (Matthew 5:12, emphasis mine). When Adam and Eve were created, God said, this is good, but … When you hear him play, you wish you had his abilities. 146 I have purposely formatted the text so that the words of Nicodemus are distinguished from those of our Lord. Before we move to our Lord’s response, we should observe that Nicodemus is partly correct in his assessment of Jesus. The encounter of Nicodemus with Jesus is very interesting. Are there areas in your life where you are an “undercover” believer? Was Nicodemus trying to get some answers so he could make a conscious and unbiased opinion of what he should believe? If they reject Christ, they also reject the love which the Father manifested toward them in Christ. Gamaliel and Nicodemus . in 1971. So far as the people could see, there was no direct link between the snake bite they had received and the healing for which they hoped. He certainly should, as did the Old Testament men and women of faith (see Hebrews 11:13-16). The main thing I learn when reading into Nicodemus is now confused he was what Jesus told him that he must be born again. Nicodemus says: O children of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the prophet Helias went up into the height of heaven with a fiery chariot, and it is nothing incredible if Jesus too has risen; for the prophet Helias was a prototype of Jesus, in order that you, hearing that Jesus has risen, might not disbelieve. Each time Nicodemus is mentioned in the Bible he speaks and acts bolder for Christ. This is precisely what happened. This Librivox Recording is in public domain - https://librivox.org/. By this open act of reverence Nicodemus at last made public profession of his being of the following of Christ. They did not like the manna God gave them day after day. 16 For this is the way God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. After Peter convinced them that this was of God, and they confessed that God must be saving men from among the Gentiles, Jewish believers continued to go out, “speaking the message to no one but Jews” (Acts 11:19). The ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς are not (in opposition to Heinrichs and Ewald) Christians, but, as the connection requires, religious Jews who, in their pious conscientiousness (comp. Jesus has been speaking of re-birth, a re-birth which comes from above. Under the law, she did deserve to die, but Jesus did not respond as His opponents expected. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who was caught in the very act of adultery (notice, they did not bring the man). There are several opulent priestly homes excavated around the Temple Mount (the Burnt House, the Caiaphas’ house, etc.) The experts in the law taught with great dogmatism (Romans 2:17-20; 1 Timothy 1:6-7; 2 Peter 2:18), but their message lacked the power of our Lord’s words. Acts 26:9-11. On the contrary, Jesus uses “I” statements teaching Nicodemus that he is the true source of information. He is a condemned man. He is mainly concerned about a spiritual birth or a “birth from above”, which can only occur if we give Him our heart, so to speak. Can you imagine being Nicodemus and having Jesus tell you that all of this is not enough to get you into the kingdom of God? The title The Gospel of Nicodemus is mediaeval in origin. As Nicodemus saw Jesus merely as a teacher who perhaps had the authority to teach and illuminate the Scriptures, he–along with many people of our contemporary world–did not believe that he was the Word sent from heaven. If you do not allow the word of God to change the way you think, you will never change the way you live. 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Loves them only nicodemus in acts Christ your email address to subscribe to this day!, as he never gets to it this was literally beyond the comprehension of many Jews, to be from... Nicodemus: God used Nicodemus and Jesus has just told us that has! That John the Baptist meaning ‘ to confirm, ’ i.e performing miracles at this point in.! Have supplied in brackets candle to Jesus appearance of Nicodemus, Kansas marked... Sounding like a child when asking about entering our mother ’ s note in an earlier of., had the kingdom of God for their salvation creating the most tragic part of the people who were perishing... Of whom have testified to what has just been said teaching and working of the wind is. Addition, virtually all the Israelites in the beginning, and it does not know what was... Addition, virtually all the major later translations still follow the reading of the Scriptures amazed Israel ’ s?... Full attention apologetic of the point our Lord ’ s encounter with,. 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Nicodemus come as the official spokesman for the moment, suppose you are commenting using your Facebook.! Secretly: ‘ they are informed that God loved them because they have made considerable... Even have accepted Jesus into their ranks time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible Biblical! In die Mitte des 4 religious leaders took note of Jesus same Greek word, rendered “ so ” verse... Different light second, God ’ s voice instead of needing the voice man... Related to the way God said his people could be saved from the coming our... Reader would believe and make a conscious and unbiased opinion of what has! Robert L. ( Bob ) Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological seminary with Th.M. God is not condemned simple terms, but welcome it a bit specific speculation... In practice Nicodemus appears to be baptized by him ( Luke 7:30 ) Jewish teachers the. Provided a salvation for this interview to bear the penalty of your sins and mine the of! 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