The following is an excerpt from my 300-page book Study Notes on the Gospel of John which will be available for purchase by the end of the month.
John 3
Jesus and Nicodemus
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.
The first four words connect us back to the end of the previous chapter (2:23-25). The way Christ dealt with Nicodemus illustrates that He knows all men. The Pharisees were one of the major sects among the Jews. They were religious fundamentalists, but self-righteous hypocrites. They loved the traditions of their fathers more than the pure truth of God. Religion cannot change the corrupt human heart. Nicodemus (means “ruler of the people”) was one of the seventy ruling elders of Israel (the “Sanhedrin”). There were few among the Pharisees, especially the rulers, who believed in Christ, but it seems that Nicodemus eventually did (Jn. 19:38-39).
Nicodemus is mentioned in three passages (Jn. 3, 7, 19), and each time it is pointed out that he came to Jesus by night. He was interested in what Jesus had to say, but he came to Him secretly because of his position as a ruler of the Jews (Jn. 7:45-52; 12:42-43).
There were many that believed Jesus was “of God” because of His miracles but did not truly believe He was the Son of God (Jn. 7:31). Nicodemus believed that Jesus was from God and that God was with Him, but he did not yet believe that He was God. By the way, he was wrong to think that a man can only do miracles if God is with him (cf. Deut. 13:1-5; 2 Thess. 2:9).
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.
The phrase “Verily, verily” (i.e., amen, so be it, doubled for emphasis) is found 25 times in the Bible, all by Christ in the book of John (“verily” 103x’s in the Gospels).
How did Christ answer Nicodemus since he didn’t ask a question? He already knew what Nicodemus wanted to know. He had evidently been thinking about the kingdom God promised Israel (the miracles were signs of the kingdom). By saying that a man must be born again to see the kingdom of God, Christ was telling Nicodemus that his religious works were not sufficient. Being a physical Jew would not get him into the kingdom (Matt. 3:9; Jn. 1:11-13; 6:63).
There is a distinction between the kingdom of heaven (limited to earth) and the kingdom of God (broader, includes the spiritual realm), but they can be used interchangeably since the kingdom of heaven will be the kingdom of God established on the earth (Mk. 9:1; 14:25; Lk. 13:28-29). If the kingdom of God is always spiritual, as some claim, how can a man SEE it? The Body of Christ is spiritually translated into the kingdom of God upon salvation (Col. 1:13), but we have yet to SEE it (1 Cor. 15:50-52).
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?
Nicodemus was thinking as a natural man (1 Cor. 2:14).
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.
The exact phrase “born again” is used just three times in the Bible: twice by Christ in His conversation with Nicodemus and once by the apostle Peter in his first epistle (1 Pet. 1:23). It is a common phrase in the religious world, but most people who use it are ignorant of what it really means in the doctrinal context of how Christ and Peter used it. The apostle John referred to being “born of God” (5x) and “begotten of God” (2x) in his first epistle. James also mentioned it in his epistle to the twelve tribes scattered abroad (Jam. 1:1, 18).
In these three verses, Christ explains what He means by being born again. Every man is born of the flesh, but he must also be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God.
The water in verse 5 is not a reference to water baptism, but to physical birth (v.6 explains v.5). Water is not of the Spirit and therefore could not possibly produce a spiritual birth. The water could possibly be a reference to the word of God (Jam. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23-25).
The bottom line is there is absolutely nothing that a man can do in his flesh to be born again of the Spirit (Job 14:1-4; 25:4; Jn. 1:11-13; 6:63). The new birth is only possible because of the cross (Jn. 3:14-16).
Nicodemus, being a ruler of the Jews, represented his people. The “Ye” in verse 7 refers to ISRAEL. They were born as a nation when God delivered them out of Egypt and put them under the old covenant (Ex. 4:22). They failed under that covenant and in their apostasy God testified to them, “ye are not my people” (Hos. 1:9). Israel will be born again as a nation when God delivers them from the Antichrist and brings them under the new covenant (Isa. 66:8; 1 Pet. 1:3; 2:9-10). When Israel is born again, they will be filled with the Holy Ghost, and God’s law will be written in their hearts (Ezek. 36:24-28).
Some say that the term “born again” can only refer to Israel as a nation. Yet, of the three times it is used in the Bible, it applies to individuals twice (“A MAN”). Everyone is born in this world of the flesh, but we must be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50, 8x’s in Paul’s epistles). In this present age, the Spirit of God regenerates sinners (Titus 3:5) the moment we believe the incorruptible seed (1 Cor. 3:6) of the gospel of the grace of God, which was first revealed to Paul (Gal. 1:11-12; Eph. 1:13). All who are born into this world are born of the flesh. All who are saved by the blood of Christ are born of the Spirit. In that sense, we too are born again. How do we become children of God without being born of the Spirit (Rom. 8:16; Gal. 3:26; 4:28-29)? There are some doctrinal and dispensational differences between what it means to be born of God in this age and what it means for Israel (e.g., 1 Jn. 3:9).
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.
Christ used the wind to illustrate being born of the Spirit. Just as we cannot see the wind or control it, so it is with being born of the Spirit. We cannot see the wind, but we can hear it and see its effects. Again, a man cannot bring about this birth by the efforts of the flesh.
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?
Once again, Nicodemus is thinking naturally. Christ rebuked him for being a master of Israel (Rabbi) and not knowing these things. By the way, it is interesting to contrast the abrupt way Christ deals with Nicodemus with the patient way He deals with the Samaritan woman in the next chapter. That Nicodemus should have known these things means that what Christ was talking about can be found in the OT scriptures (Isa. 66:8; Ezek. 37:1-14).
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?
The “we” in verse 11 is the Godhead (vv.31-34), and the “ye” are the rulers of the Jews.
What Christ teaches in this passage concerns the “earthly things” of Israel’s prophetic kingdom program. If Nicodemus could not understand the earthly illustrations of birth and wind, there was no need for Christ to go any deeper and teach the basis of the new birth (vv.13-16).
The Apostle John’s Commentary
Red-letter Bibles have Christ talking to Nicodemus all the way down to verse 21, but the conversation ends in verse 12. If you are going to use a red-letter Bible, you need to keep a couple of things in mind.
- Red-letter Bibles are man’s idea, and nothing man does is perfect.
- The words Christ spoke on earth to Israel (Rom. 15:8) are not more important than the rest of scripture (2 Tim. 3:16). The epistles of Paul are also the words of Christ (1 Tim. 6:3).
How do we know Christ stopped talking in verse 12 and that it is John who is commenting in verses 13-21?
- Christ told Nicodemus (v.12) that He was not going to speak to him of heavenly things (the basis of the new birth, vv.13-17) since he did not believe the earthly things (the need of the new birth). Christ did not even speak to His apostles about His death, burial, and resurrection until the end of His ministry, and they didn’t understand what He was saying (Lk. 18:31-34). Therefore, we know Christ was not telling Nicodemus about the cross, especially this early in His ministry. The Jewish apostles only understood the sufferings of Christ regarding the redemption of Israel after His resurrection (Lk. 24:44-48).
- The past tenses indicate completed events (v.13, 16). Since Christ is God, He could have said verse 13 while on earth.
- The expression “only begotten Son” is never used by the Lord of Himself but only by the apostle John (J 1:14, 18; 1 Jn. 4:9).
- There are other examples of John interjecting explanatory remarks in the narrative (e.g., Jn. 1:15-19).
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.
The Son of God, who came down from heaven to become the Son of Man and ascend back to heaven, is the one who reveals heavenly things. John was not saying that there were no saints in heaven at the time he wrote this book. The souls of the OT saints that were in paradise in the heart of the earth before the cross (Lk. 16:19-31; 23:43) are now in heaven (Heb. 12:22-23). The point is that Jesus Christ is the only one who has ascended BODILY into heaven (Acts 2:34-35).
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.
Since sinners MUST be born again to enter the kingdom of God, the Son of Man MUST be lifted up on the cross to make the new birth possible (Jn. 8:28; 12:22-23). Christ came DOWN from heaven to take on flesh to be LIFTED UP on the cross, but people will not know that unless He is also lifted up through preaching.
There are many prophetic pictures of Christ in the OT (e.g., Matt. 12:40). The literal and historical event of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness was a prophetic picture of salvation in Christ (Num. 21:4-9).
When the children of Israel spoke against God and Moses (as they often did), the Lord brought judgment by sending fiery serpents among them. After many died the people confessed their sin and pleaded with Moses to make intercession for them. In mercy God instructed Moses to make a fiery serpent of brass on a pole. All that were bitten needed to simply look upon that serpent to live.
- Why a serpent? The serpent symbolizes sin and on the cross Christ was made sin for us (Ps. 22:6; Isa. 53:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24).
- Why a serpent made of brass? In the Bible brass represents judgment (e.g., brazen altar). On the cross Christ was being judged for our sins (Rom. 8:3, Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 3:18).
- Why lifted up? Moses was to lift up the serpent for all to see. Christ was lifted up on the cross to “draw all men” unto Himself.
- Why did they have to look upon it to live? The work of the cross is applied by the look of faith (Isa. 45:22; Zech. 12:10; Jn. 3:15).
That the dispensational context of this passage concerns Israel does not mean it has no application today. Of course, there are important differences. We receive the atonement Christ made by the blood of His cross the moment we believe (Rom. 5:11), and we are justified by faith without works (Rom. 4:5). Israel will receive the atonement as a nation at the second coming of Christ (Rom. 11:26-27), and they will be justified by faith and works (Jam. 2:19-24).
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.
This verse is further evidence that the apostle John is commenting in this passage because he emphasized the themes of love, the world, and believing in his Gospel and epistles (1 Jn. 3:16). The love of God is so great it caused Him to make the greatest sacrifice.
This is the most well-known verse in the Bible. It has been called “The gospel in a nutshell” and “The greatest verse on salvation.” While it is indeed a great verse, in this present age a sinner cannot get saved by believing it ALONE because it is too general. We must keep in mind that in the dispensational context in which this verse is given believing in Jesus meant to believe He is the Christ, the son of God (Jn. 20:30-31). Also, under the gospel of the kingdom those who believe must prove their faith by their works (Jn. 5:28-29).
However, we may certainly apply John 3:16 in light of Paul’s gospel. After all, the word “gave” not only refers to the incarnation of Christ but also to His crucifixion (vv.14-15). Everything this verse says is also true in this present age.
The modern versions are in error by saying “one and only Son” in John 3:16. Jesus Christ is the “only begotten Son” but God certainly has other sons (Jn. 1:12). The phrase “only begotten” is used six times in Scripture, five times of Christ, once of Abraham’s son (Heb.11:17). Isaac wasn’t Abraham’s only son, he wasn’t even his firstborn son, but he was the only son God recognized, through whom all the God’s blessings would flow, and so is Christ.
This simple verse refutes several heresies:
- Calvinism – Christ died on the cross (vv.14-15), not only for Israel, but also the whole world (1 Jn. 2:2).
- No hell – To “perish” is just as literal and everlasting as life (Matt. 25:46).
- Universalism – Only those who believe have everlasting life. The next two verses also refute this false doctrine.
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.
The purpose of Christ coming into the world was to provide salvation for the world, but salvation must be received by faith (Jn. 5:24). Notice the word “might” which signifies a contingency.
Salvation is not automatic but is only “through him.” Those who do not believe on Christ are condemned already (Rom. 3:9, 19). This refutes the popular idea that where people spend eternity will be determined after they die based on whether their good works outweigh their bad works. Notice again that the issue is not believing on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but believing “in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
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.
Even though Christ did not come to condemn the world, condemnation came on those who rejected His light. These verses reveal the root reason that the unbelieving Jews rejected Christ. They loved darkness and therefore hated His light because He exposed their evil deeds (Jn. 7:7; 15:18-25). That is still the problem with many today (Rom. 1:18-21). God is light and Satan has the power of darkness (Acts 26:18). People have a CHOICE to stay in darkness or come to the light.
