John 3:9-10, 9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
Jesus’ response prompted Nicodemus to ask more questions. He asked, vs. “9…HOW can these things be?” These lines of questions proves why understanding through knowledge is key in salvation, vs. “10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?“ Nicodemus had a zeal but not according to knowledge (Rom 10:1).
If he could not know Christ as a teacher of the law, how come we hear claims of people getting saved without hearing or believing in Christ? That is impossible because the key is “understanding” that unlocks the mystery of the gospel (faith comes by hearing the word of God) by which God opens hearts through the preaching of the gospel. Rom 10:14-15 “14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?…” A teacher became a student of the real Teacher who possessed the truth that saves.