CHAPTER 3

John 3:1-2
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee.
It's not specifically stated in Scripture, but some believe him to have been a member of the Sanhedrin. That is partially due to the statement in John 7:50.

Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus "by night?"
Was it because he wanted cover of darkness so that no one would know he had come?
Or, was it simply because he was a very busy man; and, there was no other convenient time?
No one knows; but, Nicodemus obviously was magnetized to Jesus.

Nicodemus tendered genuine respect to Jesus by calling Him "Rabbi." He also said he knew that Jesus was "a teacher come from God."
In other words, he believed Jesus taught truth according to Scripture.
He also believed Jesus was empowered of God because of the miracles Jesus performed.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

It seems rather abrupt that Jesus would turn the conversation so quickly to the essence of salvation and regeneration.
However, Jesus was not being rude. He was being very perceptive about Nicodemus.
Jesus knew that Nicodemus believed Him; but, was not yet ready to surrender to Him as Lord.
And here, in a nutshell, is the doctrine of salvation: Without surrender to Jesus as Lord, there is no salvation!
For, without a spiritual change wrought by God, man cannot "see" (comprehend) or receive the "kingdom of God."

When we are born, physically, we are able to see the light of the world.
Unfortunately, that light brings us into sin.
When we are "born again" (regenerated), we are able to see the "light" of the gospel.

Jesus was not speaking outside of Nicodemus' understanding.
Even in that era, when Gentiles were converted to Judaism, they were baptized and called "born again."
However, Nicodemus (a Jew) never considered the fact that he must be regenerated.
Therefore, he responded with a question that exhibited his physical sight: "How can a man be born when he is old?"

As a Pharisee, Nicodemus did not understand that ALL men are continual sinners ( Romans 3:23).

Many people, even today, do not understand the concept of being "born again."
Some think because their dad was a preacher, they are automatically saved.
Some think because they believe in life after death, they are automatically accepted by God.

However, what God wants us to know (as evidenced by Jesus' speech to Nicodemus) is that ALL/EACH/EVERY ONE must come to Christ and surrender to Him as Lord before regeneration can begin!

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Patiently, tenderly Jesus explains the concept of two births.
Man is naturally born to a physical state of being.
But he is born agin to a spiritual state of being which is more important than the physical state of being. Born once, die in sin. Born twice, die saved to sin no more.

Yes. We are all born by "breath of God." (See Genesis 2:7)
That means we HAVE our life as a courtesy from God.
The right of living was GIVEN by Him!
Being born "breath of God" also means we are created to exist for ETERNITY!
AND, it means we have the privilege of CHOOSING where we shall exist.
There are only two places of eternal existence: heaven and "the lake of fire" (Rev. 19:20, 20:10, 20:14, 20:15).

By NOT choosing Jesus as Lord, one CHOOSES the eternal "lake of fire," a place of corruption!
By CHOOSING Jesus as Lord, one receives eternal heaven, a place of INcorruption!
"Flesh and blood CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God" (1Cor 15:50).
Regeneration begins at the point of God's Holy Spirit entering our souls.
And, that only happens when we surrender to Jesus as Lord.

Jesus is the One who baptizes men "with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (Matt 3:11)
The wind blows and you HEAR it.
But unless you see evidence of it upon trees, clouds, or weather vanes, you cannot tell where it comes from, or where it is going.
Because you cannot SEE the wind itself.
Jesus said, "so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
When a person is born again by the miraculous power of God's Holy Spirit, you can SEE the evidences of God's leadership in their life.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

Is it incredulous that Nicodemus does not NOW understand after Jesus' explanations?
No. It is normal.
So very very often, men refuse to believe what they cannot comprehend!
This is one of the reasons men reject the gospel today.
The truth of God is not something one can SEE without faith!
Even then, it is not fully understood!

But Jesus reminds Nicodemus there are OTHER things which he takes by faith.
And, Jesus asked, "...knowest not these things?"
Yes...that question about the wind.
Nicodemus KNEW, but DIDN'T know!

The wind sometimes rages and tears apart houses and buildings.
Sometimes the wind brings turmoil on the sea and sinks great ships.
And, sometimes the wind is gentle, cool and refreshing on our cheek.
Even though I cannot SEE it, or explain it, I KNOW it is there because I SURRENDER to the FACT of it!

That, my friends, is the manner in which we come to learn of salvation.
Though I cannot SEE Jesus, and certainly cannot explain Him, I KNOW He is because I surrender to the FACT!

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Now Jesus is coming to the MAIN reason why Nicodemus, a Pharisee, cannot fathom the spiritual truth of Jesus Himself.

Nicodemus had come to Jesus saying, "Rabbi, WE know...."
He was including himself among others.

Jesus now answers Nicodemus in the same vain. "WE," referring to the disciples with Him...and, also to all who came later to be His disciples.

"We speak that we do KNOW!"
Any child, who first rides a bicycle, can tell you of that experience.
Any Christian should be able to speak from his heart about his EXPERIENCE with Jesus!
It is something you KNOW!

A person will readily receive the witness of a person about an automobile accident, or a heart attack.
Why should we not readily receive the witness of a Christian?

No man has "ascended up to heaven" to SEE the things there...only JESUS!
And the only way we can explain the things of the kingdom of God is to KNOW JESUS!

Moses lifted up the "serpent in the wilderness" for Israel to believe a promise God made.
That promise was that if they would "look to the serpent," believing God would heal them, they would be healed. ((See Numbers 21:7-8)

And, this is the thing which hindered Nicodemus the most.
As a Pharisee, Nicodemus believed Messiah would come on a great white horse, conquer the world, and turn it over to the Jews.

But Nicodemus threw out the Scriptural references to a SUFFERING Messiah (Isaiah 52:13, Isaiah 53:5-12).

Who else can pay for man's transgressions but GOD?
It is the one who FORGIVES that pays the price of forgiveness!

And, what Jesus is telling Nicodemus is that HE is that ONE!

God must come, in the form of man, and be crucified!
The Messiah came, suffering, bleeding, dying to become "the lamb of God!"
He came so that all who look to Him and believe, shall be SAVED!

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God "SO" loved the world.
He loved the world in THIS manner...that he "GAVE His ONLY begotten Son!"
He was given so that we could be saved and have "everlasting life!"

There's a very interesting thing about that word "believeth."
It is the Greek word pisteuo, which is a verb.
As you know, a verb is a word of ACTION.
You see, Jesus was not implying that simple mind-belief would bring salvation.
(("The devils also believe" James 2:19).
Jesus was stating that faith WITHIN a person causes them to LIVE in committed trust to Him. And the end result of that faith action is "everlasting life."

The word pisteuo (verb) comes from the noun pistis.
Pistis is usually translated "faith" in your Bible.
Nouns show OWNERSHIP.
Owning a committed trust in God does not come with birth.
Faith cannot be earned or purchased.
It is a "gift" of God (See Ephesians 2:8-9)
Faith can only be received when a person surrenders to Christ as Lord.

But once having received faith, the causative action of continual "believeth" demonstrates that faith.

And that's why Jesus stated the following.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus, God's "only begotten Son," came into the world to provide the ONE and ONLY thing which allows us to have forgiveness and salvation.
He came to offer His body on the cross to PAY for our sins.
Jesus became the "propitiation," or atonement for our sins, and the sins of the whole world (See 1John 2:2)).

Jesus is the ONLY means of forgiveness for mankind (See John 14:6).

Therefore, the world is not condemned because Jesus came.
The world is OFFERED everlasting life in and through surrender to Jesus.
Those who do not make a personal commitment to Christ cannot be forgiven and saved.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Jesus is "the light of men" (John 1:4).
He is the Revealer!
He reveals God's "life": perfect, holy, sinless.
He also reveals man's character: sinful, headed for eternal death, and in desperate need of salvation.

THIS is the condemnation of mankind: that they refuse to come to Jesus!

Those who love self more than Christ will try to hide from the "Light."
Those how love Christ more than self will come to the "Light!"

Hear ALL that Jesus explained to Nicodemus:
1) A person cannot be saved unless He is "born again": surrendered to Christ.
2) We don't know HOW God does it, but we know when we surrender to Jesus, God DOES it!
3) When a person is genuinely saved, the causative action of faith IN that person will make faith known to others.

22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

Jesus' teaching and preaching was most often accompanied by miracles: healing lepers, causing the blind to see, the lame to walk, etc.
Great crowds came to hear Jesus, and many surrendered to Him.
Since this was the case, Jesus paused His ministry in Judaea, and many were "baptized."
((See also John 4:2))

This happened before John was thrown in prison, and while He was still preaching.

Because of this, some of John the Baptist's disciples were concerned.
Perhaps they thought Jesus' ministry would take away from, or reduce, John's ministry.

This shows that some people are more concerned for their denomination than for the advancement of Christ.

Please note John's answer!

27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist's call to preach came "from heaven," from God Himself.
Before Jesus came from heaven to earth, He had called John the Baptist to prophecy of His coming.

John had already told his disciples "I am not the Christ."
He was sent to "prepare the way" (See Malachi 3:1)

John was content to be the "friend of the Bridegroom."
It was his "joy" to hear Jesus and to know Jesus had come.

John knew that his ministry would "decrease" and even cease!
But he also knew that the ministry of Jesus would INCREASE, and CONTINUE!
Here's why.

31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

Jesus is God's Son Who came to earth.
John is God's prophet who came to testify of Jesus' coming.

Any ministry of Christ should give way TO Christ!
No denomination is perfectly right!
The goal of ALL denominations is to point to Christ, and exalt Him as LORD!

32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Jesus testified (taught, preached) in PERFECT truth!
John said, "no man receiveth His testimony."
In saying this, John is demonstrating grief that so few would come to Christ.
Many of those who came to Jesus wanted His miracles, but not necessarily His TRUTH!
(See John 2:23-24)

Those who HAVE received Jesus "set to his seal that God is true."
The words "set to his seal" means to openly announce and proclaim.

Those who truly receive Christ openly announce and proclaim their faith in Him.
They also openly proclaim that ALL of the Word of God is true!
ALL the promises of God IN Christ are "yea and amen!" (See 2Corinthians 1:20)

God has given His Spirit by measure to all believers.
But Jesus had the fullness of God's Holy Spirit TOTALLY!
His words were and are TRUTH; truth from God Almighty!

ALL THINGS of heaven and earth are in the capable hands of JESUS (vs 35 above).
He is the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end!" (Rev. 22:13)
By His WORD, He flung the worlds in space and began creation ("And God SAID" Gen. 1:3).
By His WORD, He is upholding creation today (Heb. 1:3)
By His WORD, He will defeat all enemies (Rev. 2:16, 19:21).

And there's that WORD again: "believeth!"
He who "believeth" (commits to, clings to Jesus) "HATH everlasting life."
Jesus is the OWNER of everlasting life; and, man can RECEIVE it!

Have you?

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.