John 3
3
Jesus and Nicodemus
1There was a man from the Pharisees#Mk 7:3 named Nicodemus,#Jn 3:4,9; 7:50; 19:39 a ruler#Lk 8:41; 12:58 of the Jews. 2This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi,#Jn 11:8 we know that you are a teacher#Mk 4:38; Eph 4:11 who has come from God,#Mk 1:45 for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”#Ex 3:12; Jn 15:24; Ac 10:38; Rv 21:3
3Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,#3:3 Or from above, also in v. 7#1Pt 1:3; 1Jn 2:29 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” #Mk 1:15; 9:1
4“How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”
5Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born#Mk 9:43 of water and the Spirit,#Ezk 36:25–27; Ac 22:16; Ti 3:5 he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6Whatever is born of the flesh#Php 3:3 is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit#Jn 1:33 is spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born#1Pt 1:3 again. 8The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.#Jn 8:14 So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”#1Co 2:13–16
9“How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.
10 “Are you a teacher # 3:10 Or the teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. 11“Truly I tell you,#Jn 1:51; Rv 22:21 we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended#Jn 20:17 into heaven#Dt 30:12; Jn 6:62; Ac 2:34; Rm 10:6; 1Co 15:47; Eph 4:8–10; Rv 11:12 except the one who descended from heaven#Jn 6:38; 8:23 — the Son of Man.#3:13 Other mss add who is in heaven#Mk 2:10
14 “Just as Moses #
Ps 77:20; Mt 8:4; Heb 3:2 lifted up the snake in the wilderness,#Nm 21:4–9 so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15so that everyone who believes in him may#3:15 Other mss add not perish, but have eternal life.#Mk 10:17; Jn 12:25; Ac 13:48 16For God loved#Jn 12:43; 1Co 13:1; Gl 2:20; Col 1:13; 3:12; 1Th 1:4; 2Th 2:13,16; 1Jn 4:7–12; Jd 1 the world in this way:#3:16 Or this much He gave#3:16 Or For in this way God loved the world, and so he gave, or For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only#1Jn 4:9 Son,#Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2 so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.#Jn 12:25; Rm 5:8; 1Jn 3:16; 4:9–10 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn#Jn 8:11 the world, but to save the world through him. 18Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned,#Mt 12:41; Mk 16:16 because he has not believed in the name#Jn 10:25; 1Jn 3:23 of the one and only Son#Jn 5:19 of God. 19This is the judgment: The light#Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46 has come into the world,#Jn 18:37; 1Jn 2:8 and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates#Lk 6:27; 19:14 the light and avoids it,#3:20 Lit and does not come to the light so that his deeds#Mk 14:6; Gl 3:10; Jms 2:14–26 may not be exposed. 21But anyone who lives by#3:21 Lit who does the truth comes to the light, so that his works#Jn 5:36 may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
Jesus and John the Baptist
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent time with them and baptized.
23John#Mk 1:4 also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized, 24since John had not yet been thrown into prison.#Mk 1:14
25Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples#Mt 9:14; 11:2; 14:12; Mk 2:18; 6:29; Lk 5:33; 7:18–19; 11:1; Jn 1:35,37; 6:3 and a Jew#3:25 Other mss read and the Jews about purification.#Lv 13–14; Heb 1:3 26So they came to John and told him, “Rabbi,#Jn 11:8 the one you testified about, and who was with you across the Jordan,#Mk 10:1; Lk 3:3 is baptizing — and everyone is going to him.”#Mk 1:45
27John responded, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,#Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2 but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’#Lk 1:17 29He who has the bride#Rv 21:2 is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly#3:29 Lit with joy rejoices at the groom’s voice. So this joy#Jn 15:11 of mine is complete. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.”
The One from Heaven
31The one who comes from above#Jms 1:17 is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms.#3:31 Or of earthly things The one who comes from heaven is above all.#Jn 8:23; 1Jn 4:5–6 32He testifies#Jn 15:26; Ac 26:5 to what he has seen and heard, and yet no one accepts his testimony. 33The one who has accepted his testimony has affirmed that God is true.#1Jn 5:20 34For the one whom God sent speaks God’s words, since he#3:34 Other mss read since God gives the Spirit#Jn 1:33 without measure. 35The Father loves the Son#Jn 5:20; 10:17; 1Co 13:1 and has given all things into his hands.#Jn 5:19 36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son#3:36 Or refuses to believe in the Son, or disobeys the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.#Mk 16:16
Currently Selected:
John 3: CSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
John 3
3
1 NOW THERE was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (a leader, an authority) among the Jews,
2 Who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonderworks, these miracles–and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with him.
3 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born?
5 Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. [Ezek. 36:25-27.]
6 What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above).
8 The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered by asking, How can all this be possible?
10 Jesus replied, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet do not know nor understand these things? [Are they strange to you?]
11 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, We speak only of what we know [we know absolutely what we are talking about]; we have actually seen what we are testifying to [we were eyewitnesses of it]. And still you do not receive our testimony [you reject and refuse our evidence–that of Myself and of all those who are born of the Spirit].
12 If I have told you of things that happen right here on the earth and yet none of you believes Me, how can you believe (trust Me, adhere to Me, rely on Me) if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And yet no one has ever gone up to heaven, but there is One Who has come down from heaven–the Son of Man [Himself], Who is (dwells, has His home) in heaven.
14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], [Num. 21:9.]
15 In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!
16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
18 He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation–he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name.]
19 The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil. [Isa. 5:20.]
20 For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved.
21 But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are–wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him].
22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the land (the countryside) of Judea, where He remained with them, and baptized.
23 But John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, for there was an abundance of water there, and the people kept coming and being baptized.
24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Therefore there arose a controversy between some of John's disciples and a Jew in regard to purification.
26 So they came to John and reported to him, Rabbi, the Man Who was with you on the other side of the Jordan [at the Jordan crossing]–and to Whom you yourself have borne testimony–notice, here He is baptizing too, and everybody is flocking to Him!
27 John answered, A man can receive nothing [he can claim nothing, he can take unto himself nothing] except as it has been granted to him from heaven. [A man must be content to receive the gift which is given him from heaven; there is no other source.]
28 You yourselves are my witnesses [you personally bear me out] that I stated, I am not the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), but I have [only] been sent before Him [in advance of Him, to be His appointed forerunner, His messenger, His announcer]. [Mal. 3:1.]
29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the groomsman who stands by and listens to him rejoices greatly and heartily on account of the bridegroom's voice. This then is my pleasure and joy, and it is now complete. [S. of Sol. 5:1.]
30 He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.] [Isa. 9:7.]
31 He Who comes from above (heaven) is [far] above all [others]; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and talks the language of earth [his words are from an earthly standpoint]. He Who comes from heaven is [far] above all others [far superior to all others in prominence and in excellence].
32 It is to what He has [actually] seen and heard that He bears testimony, and yet no one accepts His testimony [no one receives His evidence as true].
33 Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal of approval to this: God is true. [That man has definitely certified, acknowledged, declared once and for all, and is himself assured that it is divine truth that God cannot lie].
34 For since He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaims God's own message], God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit! [Deut. 18:18.]
35 The Father loves the Son and has given (entrusted, committed) everything into His hand. [Dan. 7:14.]
36 And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him. [God's displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.] [Hab. 2:4.]
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation