John 3
3
Jesus and Nicodemus
1There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader. 2One night he went to Jesus and said, “Sir, we know that God has sent you to teach us. You could not perform these miracles, unless God were with you.”
3Jesus replied, “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above#3.3 from above: Or “in a new way”. The same Greek word is used in verses 7,31. before you can see God's kingdom!”
4Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?”
5Jesus answered:
I tell you for certain that before you can get into God's kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. 6Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. 7Don't be surprised when I say that you must be born from above. 8Only God's Spirit gives new life. The Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the wind, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going.
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10Jesus replied:
How can you be a teacher of Israel and not know these things? 11I tell you for certain that we know what we are talking about because we have seen it ourselves. But none of you will accept what we say. 12If you don't believe when I talk to you about things on earth, how can you possibly believe if I talk to you about things in heaven?
13No one has gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from there. 14And the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert.#3.14 just as that metal snake was lifted up by Moses in the desert: When the Lord punished the people of Israel by sending snakes to bite them, he told Moses to hold a metal snake up on a pole. Everyone who looked at the snake was cured of the snake bites. See Numbers 21.4-9.#Nu 21.9. 15Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.
16God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! 18No one who has faith in God's Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn't have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God's only Son.
19The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light. 20People who do evil hate the light and won't come to the light, because it clearly shows what they have done. 21But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light, because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.
Jesus and John the Baptist
22Later, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea, where he stayed with them for a while and was baptizing people.
23-24John had not yet been put in jail. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was a lot of water, and people were coming there for John to baptize them.#Mt 14.3; Mk 6.17; Lk 3.19,20.
25John's followers got into an argument with a Jewish man#3.25 a Jewish man: Some manuscripts have “some Jewish men”. about a ceremony of washing.#3.25 about a ceremony of washing: The Jewish people had many rules about washing themselves and their dishes, in order to make themselves fit to worship God. 26They went to John and said, “Rabbi, you spoke about a man when you were with him east of the Jordan. He is now baptizing people, and everyone is going to him.”
27John replied:
No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. 28Surely you remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him.#Jn 1.20.
29At a wedding the groom is the one who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom's voice. That's why I am so glad. 30Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
The one who comes from heaven
John continued:
31God's Son comes from heaven and is above all others. Everyone who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all others. 32He speaks about what he has seen and heard, and yet no one believes him. 33But everyone who does believe him has shown that God is truthful. 34The Son was sent to speak God's message, and he has been given the full power of God's Spirit.
35The Father loves the Son and has given him everything.#Mt 11.27; Lk 10.22. 36Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life. But no one who rejects him will ever share in that life, and God will be angry with them for ever.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
John 3
3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was one of the Jewish rulers. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. We know that God is with you. If he weren’t, you couldn’t do the signs you are doing.”
3Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. No one can see God’s kingdom unless they are born again.”
4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “They can’t go back inside their mother! They can’t be born a second time!”
5Jesus answered, “What I’m about to tell you is true. No one can enter God’s kingdom unless they are born with water and the Holy Spirit. 6People give birth to people. But the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised when I say, ‘You must all be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wants to. You hear the sound it makes. But you can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born with the Spirit.”
9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus. “Don’t you understand these things? 11What I’m about to tell you is true. We speak about what we know. We are witnesses about what we have seen. But still you people do not accept what we say. 12I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you do not believe. So how will you believe if I speak about heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven. He is the Son of Man. 14Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. In the same way, the Son of Man must also be lifted up. 15Then everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. 17God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him. 18Anyone who believes in him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. They have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19Here is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light. They loved darkness because what they did was evil. 20Everyone who does evil deeds hates the light. They will not come into the light. They are afraid that what they do will be seen. 21But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light. They live by the truth with God’s help. They come into the light so that it will be easy to see their good deeds.
John the Baptist Is a Witness About Jesus
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the countryside of Judea. There he spent some time with them. And he baptized people there. 23John was also baptizing. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water. People were coming and being baptized. 24This was before John was put in prison. 25Some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew began to argue. They argued about special washings to make people “clean.” 26They came to John and here is what they said to him. “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River is baptizing people. He is the one you told us about. Everyone is going to him.”
27John replied, “A person can receive only what God gives them from heaven. 28You yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah. I was sent ahead of him.’ 29The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become more important. I must become less important.
31“The one who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above everything. 32He is a witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says. 33Anyone who has accepted it has said, ‘Yes. God is truthful.’ 34The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words. That’s because God gives the Holy Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands. 36Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not believe in the Son will not have life. God’s anger remains on them.”
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