John 3L1-17
In today’s passage in the Gospel of John, we see all three Persons of the Trinity at work. The word “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible. Still, the actions of the Trinity do, and this passage describes that action, and speaks of the persons of the Trinity in a particularly memorable way.
This story from the Gospel of John has sometimes suffered from having one verse (John 3:16) pulled out of it and cherry-picked as “the” gospel. John 3:16 is, indeed, at the heart of the gospel message, but the whole story, as we listen to Nicodemus’s questions, gives us a much more detailed picture of how we come to be born “from above” (v. 3), to know Christ, and to be brought into the family of God. And the whole Trinity is involved: the Father sends the Son (vv. 13-17), the Son redeems the world, and the Spirit is actively at work midwiving the new birth of those who enter the kingdom of God (vv. 5-8).
In addition to making it clear that the whole Trinity is involved in the work of redemption, reading the entire passage and not just John 3:16 helps us to see that the whole world, not just isolated individuals, represents the focus of redemption. Often when we think of the Scripture promises (Jeremiah 29, for instance), we’re used to thinking of these promises for our personal lives and our own walks of faith. However, they are actually promises made collectively to the people of God. So too with John 3:16. We are individually called to be born of water and the Spirit (v. 5), but that call comes against the background of a Son sent into the world to save it and in the context of a community.
We know very little about Nicodemus in the Gospels, but the scarce mentions made of him are intriguing. He shows up in John 7:50 as a member of the Sanhedrin, making a brief defense of Jesus’s controversial teachings by saying that Jesus is entitled to a hearing. He then appears again in John 19:39 after the crucifixion, bringing spices to anoint Christ’s body: “Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.” Had Nicodemus been born from above, come face to face with his Savior, redeemed, and brought into the community of Jesus’s followers? We may never know. But we do know that the Spirit blows where the Spirit wills.
As you reflect on this passage, where do you see the Persons of the Trinity active and moving in your life? In the life of our Christian community? Let us pray that we will see the actions of the Trinity in our community and keep steadfast in our faith and worship. For His eternal glory!

Romans 5:1-2: "1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
 
The first verse of this passage expresses a cause-and-effect relationship. The cause is “since we have been justified through faith,” and the effect is “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This discusses the rich effects of the grace of justification.
 
The term “justification” presents a picture of a sinner being declared not guilty in a courtroom, which reminds us of God’s righteous judgment in the earlier chapters: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people” (Romans 1:18); “Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth” (Romans 2:2); “We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19). Justification means that the supreme Judge of the universe has declared us to be righteous and not guilty!
 
The term "have peace" means reconciliation, harmony, and tranquility, referring to the reality of our relationship with God. It is particularly worth noting that the phrase “have peace with God” uses the present tense, indicating that our relationship of reconciliation, harmony, and peace with God is something we possess now and will have forever!
The second verse of Romans 5 further clarifies the breadth of the blessing of justification, encompassing our past, present, and future.

First, the word “have gained access” is in the past perfect tense, meaning that we have already entered into the grace of reconciliation with God and continue to remain in it. Second, “this grace in which we now stand” is in the present tense, signifying an ongoing, unchanging state. We now stand firmly in the grace of
reconciliation with God, enjoying all its blessings, and this will never change or diminish. Third, “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” refers to the present moment of rejoicing in anticipation of God's glory. However, since it is a hope, it points to the future. In other words, on “that day” we will behold God’s exceedingly rich glory and enter into it, sharing in His glory! There are many promises in the Bible regarding this hope. Jesus Himself said: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). He also said: “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).
 
Dear brothers and sisters, from the moment of your conversion, you have been eternally justified by God in Christ Jesus and reconciled with Him! Now, at every moment in your life, you are standing securely in this grace, without exception and without failure! In the future, you will surely go to be with the Lord Jesus and sit at table with Him at His glorious banquet! Your past, present, and future are firmly established in God’s plan of salvation! As the Bible says: “And those He predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). Let us praise Him!