You Must Be Born Again

John 3:1-21

Key Verse 3:3

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

This is Jesus’ 1:1 Bible study with Nicodemus. He straightforwardly teaches the gospel message which reveals the love of God who gave his one and only Son to save us. May the Lord fill our hearts with the knowledge of his glory and love for us as we look at this gospel proclamation.

I. Jesus teaches Nicodemus (3:1-15)

1. Read verses 1-2.  

ANSWER:

Jn 3:1-2  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.  2  He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

Who was Nicodemus (1, 10)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:1  Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council.

Jn 3:10  "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council (Sanhedrin) and a teacher of the law (10). He was wealthy (Jn 19:39).

He seemed to have everything that most men strive to get -- wealth, education, a position of esteem and power.

Nicodemus means “victorious among his people”. So, even his name meant, ‘Mr. Success’.

He was a religious man. He was a well-disciplined Pharisee and seemingly in control of his life.

Why do you think such a “successful” man as he came to Jesus at night?

ANSWER:

The author John probably had multiple meanings or associations in mind here, as he often does:

Possibly Nicodemus was afraid of public association with Jesus (especially after Jesus angered his colleagues by cleansing the temple).

He may have wanted a lengthy discussion without interruptions.

The fact that Nicodemus came to Jesus at “night” may signify that he was in spiritual darkness. Out of the darkness of his life and religiosity Nicodemus came to the Light of the World. (The word “night” is also used symbolically in Jn 13:30.)

What did he know about Jesus (2)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:2  He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

He believed that Jesus was “a teacher who has come from God”. 

What was the basis of his knowledge (2)?

ANSWER:

Jn 3:2  He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

It was from the miracles he saw Jesus perform at the Passover feast (2:23-25). When the people in Jerusalem saw the signs Jesus performed, they “believed in his name” but Nicodemus did not. Rather, he thought that Jesus was only a great rabbi sent from God. 

2. Read verses 3-4. 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:3-4  In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."  4  "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

According to Jesus, how can anyone see or enter the kingdom of God (3, 5)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:3  In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Jn 3:5  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

Through being “born again” (= from above).

Nicodemus’ greeting is answered by Jesus as if it were an inquiry about entering the kingdom of God. 

What does it mean to be born again?  

ANSWER:

It is an inward change by which we be are cleansed of sin and set free from it and made a new person ruled by God’s Spirit (Col 2:11; Gal 2:20; Ro 8:9; 2Co 5:17). 

How did Nicodemus respond to what Jesus said (4)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:4  "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

He asked, “How can a man be born when he is old?”

Nicodemus could not understood Jesus’ words because he was in darkness (Jn 1:5, 8:43; 1Co 2:14).

He over-literalized Jesus’ words and thought he was talking about a second physical birth, when Jesus was in fact referring to new spiritual birth.

What do you think was Nicodemus’ spiritual problem?

ANSWER:

He was not born again yet; he was not alive spiritually. So he couldn’t see the kingdom of God. 

All his efforts to live righteously did not give him the kingdom of God. Rather, sin and death were victorious over him (Ro 8:23-24). He was highly respected as a holy man but he was inwardly dead (Mat 23:27-28). 

3. Read verses 5-8. 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:5-8  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  6  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  7  You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.'  8  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

How can we be born again (5)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:5  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

Through being born of water and the Spirit. This spiritual birth is something that we cannot make happen, just as a baby cannot be born by his own effort or decision (Jn 1:13; Mat 19:26; Ro 8:7).

The new birth is promised to those who believe and repent in response to the Gospel message (Act 2:37-39). The necessity of believing in Jesus is taught in verses 14-16. The necessity of repenting is explicitly taught in verse 21.

What does ‘born of water and the Spirit’ mean? 

ANSWER:

Since Jesus’ ministry came shortly after that of John the Baptist, Jesus may have been referring to John's preaching, which dealt with the baptism of water, signifying repentance, and with the coming Messiah who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Mat 3:11).

"Water" could be a symbol of the Holy Spirit too (Jn 7:37-38). Therefore, water and the Spirit could represent the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit as a whole (Tit 3:5; Eze 36:25-27).

How did Jesus help Nicodemus to understand the work of the Spirit (6-8)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:6-8  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  7  You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.'  8  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Verse 6: There are two distinct realms: one is of fallen man (the flesh) and the other is of God (the Spirit). A fallen person cannot regenerate himself; he needs a divine operation. Only God's Holy Spirit can regenerate a human spirit.

Jesus asserted that the entrance into the kingdom of God that Nicodemus desired could not be achieved by legalism or outward conformity. It requires an inner change and is given only by the direct act of God.

Verse 7: When Jesus said, “You must be born again,” the word “you” is plural. So this means everyone must be born from above. The necessity is absolute and is universally binding.

Verse 8: The wind blows in a variety of directions -- we hear its sound, perceive its operation in the motion of the trees, etc., and feel it on ourselves -- but we cannot discern the air itself; we only know that it exists by the effects which it produces: so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit: the effects are as discernible and as sensible as those of the wind; but the Spirit himself we cannot see. 

The Greek word “pneuma” means both wind and Spirit.

The work of the Spirit is invisible and mysterious like the blowing of the wind. Man controls neither one. The Holy Spirit is sovereign and works as he pleases to give life.

4. Read verses 9-15. 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:9-15  "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.  10  "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?  11  I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  12  I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?  13  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven -- the Son of Man.  14  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,  15  that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Why did Nicodemus and the people of Israel not accept Jesus’ testimony?  

ANSWER:

Because they were in darkness (verse 20; Jn 1:5; Deut 29:4).

Jesus was not saying something new. The new birth was spoken of long ago by the prophets (Deu 30:6; Psa 51:10-12; Eze 11:19-20, 18:31, 36:25-27; Jer 31:33-34; 1Sa 10:6; 2Ki 5:14, etc.). As a teacher of the law, Nicodemus should have known about these things. But he (and his colleagues) refused to believe and repent in response to what God had said through his prophets and to what Jesus was now saying. They loved darkness (verse 19).

Why was Jesus’ testimony trustworthy (13)?  

ANSWER:

Jn 3:13  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven -- the Son of Man.

Because of his credentials: He came from heaven. He therefore knows the divine mysteries (Jn 8:38, 3:32). 

Why did Moses put the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness (Nu 21:8-9)?  

ANSWER:

Num 21:4-9  They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;  5  they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"  6  Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.  7  The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.  8  The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."  9  So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

It was lifted up for all of them to see so that they might look and be saved from the venomous snakes.

Background of Num 21:8-9: The 40 years’ wandering was almost over. These people were 2^nd generation Israelites and were on their way to Canaan. But they repeated the sin of their parents by grumbling against God. In response, God sent poisonous snakes into their midst and many of the people were bitten and died from the snake bites. 

This way God provided for their deliverance was so unusual. God did not take the deadly snakes away as they had asked and expected but provided a bronze snake instead. 

They had to trust in God’s way of salvation. Anyone who was bitten would naturally respond by trying to extract the deadly poison. But they were urged to look up at the bronze serpent in order to receive life. And surely many perished because they thought it was too foolish a thing to do.

How does this event foreshadow Jesus on the cross (14-15)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:14-15  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,  15  that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

To deliver the Israelites from God's punishment for their sin, Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole. In the same way, Jesus would be lifted up on a cross for people's sin, so that a look of faith gives eternal life to those doomed to die.

The lifting up manifestly pointed to the cross (Jn 12:32-33).

The serpent was the reminder and emblem of the curse. It was through the agency of that old Serpent, the Devil, that our first parents were seduced, and brought under the curse of a Holy God.

And on the cross, the Holy Son of God, incarnate, was made a curse for us (Gal 3:13; 2Co 5:21).

What does this event teach us about faith and salvation? 

ANSWER:

It teaches that faith in Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sins is necessary for receiving the gift of salvation.

II. God so loved the world (3:16-21)

5. Read verses 16-18. 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:16-18  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

How did God reveal his love for the world? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:16  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God's love was expressed in the giving of his most priceless gift -- his one and only Son -- to save us by suffering and dying in our place on the cross.

God's motivation toward people is love.

God's love is not limited to a few or to one group of people but his gift is for the whole world.

Who can have eternal life?  

ANSWER:

Jn 3:16  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Whoever believes in Jesus, God’s one and only Son.

The presentation of the good news of God's love offers only two options: to believe or to perish.

Eternal life, which is accepted by believing, is a gift of God (Eph 2:8) and brings with it the fullest blessings God can bestow. To perish does not mean to cease to exist; it means to experience the wrath of God for eternity (verse 36; Mat 25:46).

Why is it important to know that God loves us? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:16-17  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Nicodemus, who thought he was good enough for heaven, was just told that he was on death row, like the people in Num 21:4-9. This was a shock. So, people in darkness can get the wrong idea that Jesus came to condemn them. That's because Jesus reveals the dreadful truth about how evil they are and the punishment awaiting them. But the truth is really given them out of love to save them. Those who believe his love will open the door of their heart to the message of salvation.

Why do those who do not believe stand condemned already (18)?

ANSWER:

Jn 3:18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

For the believer there is "no condemnation" (Rom 8:1), because Christ was condemned in his place.

But the unbeliever is "condemned already." By nature, he is a "child of wrath" (Eph 2:3, verse 36). He enters this world with the curse of a sin-hating God upon him. 

If he hears the Gospel and does not receive Christ, he incurs a new and increased condemnation through his unbelief.

6. Read verses 19-21. 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:19-21  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  20  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  21  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

What is the verdict (19)? 

ANSWER:

Jn 3:19  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

This is the reason why Jesus is so unpopular and why so many reject him (Jn 7:7).

Why do people love darkness instead of light?  

ANSWER:

Jn 3:19  This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Because their deeds were evil.

This is the cause of men’s unbelief. They love darkness, and therefore they hate the light (Ro 8:7). It is not only that they are in the dark, but they love the darkness. They are so sin-sick that they love their sickness (Jn 5:6).

They prefer ignorance, error, superstition, to the light of truth. And the reason why they love the darkness and hate the light is because their deeds are evil habitually (they are slaves to it, Jn 8:34).

What is the way to come into the light (21)?

ANSWER:

Jn 3:21  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

To live by the truth. This means to repent – to turn with faith to Jesus who has been lifted up on the cross and adhere to the truth in Jesus and leave dark ways. 

Jesus is like a magnet. His people are drawn to him and welcome his revelation even though the light rebukes their sin.

They do not prance forward into the light by the power of their superior moral character but rather they come into the light “through God” (by his power, Jn 1:12) and they make this to be “seen plainly” (with praises, 1Pe 2:9).

This was the final word of Christ to Nicodemus, addressed to his conscience. Nicodemus came to Jesus “at night” secretly but later he publicly defended our Lord in the Sanhedrin (Jn 7:50-51) and came out openly to honor Jesus by burying him (19:39).

 Source: James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, 1890.

 The NIV text note on verse 3 reads, “Or born from above; also in verse 7.” This is because the Greek word “anothen” in this verse has dual meaning. Note: One objection that can be raised against the double meaning of anothen is that the actual conversation with Nicodemus was possibly in Aramaic. D. A. Carson argues against this idea, saying, “In any case it would be wrong to conclude that because this conversation took place in Aramaic, which does not (so far as I know) boast a word parallel to anothen in ambiguity, Jesus must have used a term meaning ‘again’ for Nicodemus to respond in this way. We cannot even be certain that the conversation took place in Aramaic: there is very good evidence many people in Palestine were trilingual. But if it did take place in Aramaic, the report in Jn. 3 is doubtless in condensed form and decidedly Johannine in style, so that Nicodemus’ apparent misunderstanding over anothen may in fact have developed in more extended and prosaic form...” (D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, Pg 191)

 The NIV text note on the word “you” in verse 7 reads, “The Greek is plural”

There is a word in Aramaic with the same double meaning. “The Aramaic word rokha, "spirit," also means "wind."” (George Mamishisho Lamsa, New Testament commentary from the Aramaic and the ancient Eastern..., Pg 453) Again, this is relevant since the actual conversation with Nicodemus was possibly in Aramaic.

 “Possibly the double meaning of "lift up" in John 3:14; 12:32-36, i.e. hang and exalt, alludes to an Aramaic rendering (zeqaph) of Isaiah 52:13, which carries both meanings; the terminology is clarified in the Synoptic Gospels where Jesus prophesies that he is to "be killed and rise" (Mark 8:31; cf. Luke 18:33).” (Bruce Corley, Biblical Hermeneutics: A Comprehensive Introduction to Interpreting Scripture, Pg 76)