--Legalism and Philosophies/ John 3:1-36 --

-John 3:1-36
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-Situation:
Nicodemus belonged to the highest governing body of the Jewish people, the Sanhedrin. Many of these Jewish leaders were bound by tradition and legalism.

-Observation:
Jesus came to free men and women from slavery to sin and from the chains of legalism.

-Inspiriation-
The meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus was more than an encounter between two religious figures. It was a collision between two philosophies. Two opposing views on salvation.

Nicodemus thought the person did the work; Jesus says God does the work...

These two views encompass all views. All the world religions can be placed in one of two camps; legalism or grace...

A legalist believes the supreme force behind salvation is you. If you look right, speak right, and belong to the right segment of the right group, you will be saved. The brunt of responsibility doesn't lie with God; it lies within you.

Spirituality, Jesus says, comes not from church attendance or good deeds or correct doctrine, but from heaven itself. Such words must have set Nicodemus back on his heels. But Jesus was just getting started...

Salvation is God's business. Grace is His idea, His work, and His expense. He offers it to whom He desires, when He desires. Our job in the process is to inform the people, not screen the people.

The question must have been written all over Nicodemus's face. Why would God do this? What would motivate Him to offer such a gift? What Jesus told Nicodemus, Nicodemus could never have imagined. The motive behind the gift of new birth? Love.
"For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Nicodemus has never heard such words. Never. He has had many discussions of salvation. But this is the first in which no rules were given. No system was offered. No code or ritual. "Everyone who believes can have eternal life in him," Jesus told him. Could God be so generous?
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-Application
Are there religious "rules" you observe but do not understand? Did God command them, or did mere people create them? Do they help you feel close to God? If so, keep them. Are some confusing to you? Ask your pastor to explain them to you.

-Exploration-
Legalism
--Matthew 5:17,21,22; 12:9-12; 1 Corinthians 10:25-27 -
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'And as the hands of Jesus opened for the nail, the doors of heaven opened for you.'
--Max Lucado (He Chose the Nails)