As we have seen in the first three parts of this Nighttime Encounter, Jesus had much to share with Nicodemus. Jesus began by telling him that he needed to be “born again,” which was not a physical “rebirth,” but a spiritual one. And then Jesus took him back to the Old Testament in order to connect what the Israelites experienced in the dessert with deadly snakes to what was coming as Jesus would later be “lifted up” on the cross, just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on a pole. And then Jesus said, 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him” (Jn. 3:16-17). 

As we saw last week, Jesus wanted Nicodemus to know that God’s intention for sending His Son was not to judge or condemn, but to demonstrate God’s love and draw all men to Himself so that they can be saved from the penalty and power of sin. Jesus continued by saying,

“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment, that light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:18-19).

He was calling all men to believe that He is indeed the Son of the living God, and that by putting their personal faith and trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins, they would be saved. Judgment is based upon their lack of belief in Jesus, for who He is, and for what He has done on the cross. Furthermore, those who are bent on doing evil love the darkness so that their deeds will not be exposed. The light that has come into the world is in a person whose name is Jesus.  

The last words that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus during this nighttime encounter were these,

“But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (Jn. 3:21).

Jesus spoke of those who “practice” the truth, not just those who just “know” the truth. Years later when He stood before Pilate, Jesus said to him, 

“…for this reason I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth, hears My voice” (Jn. 18:37).

Then Pilate asked Him a very insightful question, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38). Earlier in the Gospel, John recorded Jesus as saying,

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (Jn. 14:6).

Jesus provided His disciples the answer to Pilate’s question – Jesus is Himself “THE TRUTH.” He embodies the full extent of all spiritual truth. All spiritual truth is found in and through Him. 

All those who know spiritual truth must realize that such truth must ultimately come from a trusted authority, and that is God Himself. And then, because spiritual truth is intangible and unseen, it must be revealed to us. And that revelation of truth comes through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus then revealed spiritual truth to His disciples, which was then recorded in the gospels, and in the letters of Paul, who also received spiritual truth through a revelation from God. 

So, let’s look at the first of three sequences regarding the issue of spiritual truth: 

1. Jesus embodies all spiritual truth in His very being;
2. This truth about Jesus must first be “believed”;
3. And then it must be practiced and lived out in our daily lives.

Later in his first letter, John spoke of this same issue to his readers, saying

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:6-7).

In these two short verses, the Apostle John pulls it all together in the second sequence regarding truth: 

1. Truth is something to be believed as well as practiced;
2. If we don’t practice the truth, we do not have fellowship with Christ;
3. And if we walk in the light by practicing the truth, we have fellowship with Christ and with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

Interestingly, knowing and acknowledging Jesus as the Truth does something radical in our lives, as Jesus said,

“If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (Jn. 8:31-32).

Here we have some more information about truth that forms our third and final sequence:  

1. If we abide in His word, then we prove to be His disciples;
2. If we abide in His word, we will know spiritual truth;
3. And if we know spiritual truth, it will set us free from the penalty and power of sin.

Let’s check out our own lives with regard to the truth. It begins with a Person, Jesus Christ, and then it is received by those who acknowledge Him. I pray that you will experience Him, and practice the truth He gives us.