It is possible to know a great deal about God without truly knowing God. That may be one of the most uncomfortable lessons in the story of Nicodemus. He wasn’t an atheist or a skeptic standing outside the faith. He was a Pharisee, a respected religious leader who knew the Scriptures, believed in God, and had devoted much of his life to religious things. If anyone appeared spiritually secure, it was Nicodemus. Yet something was missing, and he knew it.

So, under the cover of darkness, Nicodemus went looking for Jesus. He began the conversation by acknowledging that Jesus must have come from God because of the miracles He performed. But Jesus quickly moved beyond the religious discussion and went directly to Nicodemus’s greatest need: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

I’ve spent virtually my entire life around the church. I grew up hearing the Bible, and much of my adult life has been spent in ministry and Christian education. I am incredibly thankful for that heritage, but Nicodemus reminds me that being surrounded by Christianity is not the same as being transformed by Christ. We can know the language, believe the right doctrines, attend the services, and become very comfortable with religious activity. None of those things can substitute for personally knowing Jesus Christ.

Jesus did not tell Nicodemus that he needed more religion. Nicodemus already had plenty of that. He told him, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). Nicodemus needed more than information about God. He needed transformation by God.

That is still the heart of the Gospel. Christianity is not primarily about becoming a little nicer, cleaning up a few habits, or adding religious practices to our lives. Through Christ, we can be forgiven and made new. God changes the heart, and that inward transformation begins changing the way we live.

Jesus then gave Nicodemus words that have become some of the most familiar in all of Scripture: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). The answer to Nicodemus’s spiritual need was standing directly in front of him.

Perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves today is not how long we have attended church, how much Scripture we know, or how Christian our surroundings have been. The question is much more personal: Have I been born again? Has Jesus Christ truly changed my heart and life?

Nicodemus reminds us that religion is not enough. We don’t simply need to know more about Jesus. We need to know Him personally and experience the transforming grace that only He can give.

And that is where every genuine encounter with Jesus begins.