“Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:9-12)

By this point, Nicodemus is probably standing there with his mouth hanging open in complete confusion. He is hearing things from Jesus that sound so foreign to his system of religion. And he is right.

The doctrines of sovereign grace cannot be mixed with the doctrine of the Pharisees or any other works or will-based system of salvation. It must be grace and grace alone!

However, Jesus is not saying anything new. Nor has he said anything that is difficult for men to understand. Jesus is saying the same things that John the Baptist said and the same words of God found throughout the Old Testament.

The theme of Israel's disobedience and God's merciful restoration is all over the Old Testament. He has also used metaphors such as birth that are easy for Nicodemus to understand. Nicodemus is confused because he cannot reconcile what Jesus is saying with what he has always believed and taught.

But it is only going to get worse!

Jesus is about to really take up His doctrine several notches. He is going to basically declare to Nicodemus that He is the Messiah, Who is the Son o God. He is going to describe how Jesus will die for the sins of all of God’s people. And He will show how Christ came not only for the elect among the Jews but also the Gentiles.

It is no wonder that the ministries of John and Jesus were prophesied this way;

“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:" (Isaiah 40:4)

The doctrines of grace turned the religious world upside down!

And we should preach them so they do it again!