JHN 3

Jesus and Nicodemus

1 There was a man belonging to the party of the Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, who held the position of a ruler among the Jews, a member of the Sanhedrin.

2 This man came to Jesus by night, under cover of darkness, and said to Him, "Rabbi, we recognise and know that You are a teacher who has come with a commission from God, for no one has the ability to perform these miraculous signs that You are performing unless God is present with him and empowering him."

3 Jesus answered and said to him, "I tell you with absolute certainty and truth: Unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see or perceive or enter the kingdom of God."

4 Nicodemus said to Him in confusion, "How is it possible for a man to be born when he is already old and advanced in years? Surely he is not able to enter into his mother's womb for a second time and experience birth again, is he?"

5 Jesus responded with this explanation: "I tell you with absolute certainty and truth: Unless a person is born of water and Spirit, experiencing spiritual rebirth, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh, through natural human generation, is flesh and remains flesh in its nature. That which is born of the Spirit, through supernatural regeneration, is spirit in its nature.

7 Do not be amazed that I declared to you, 'You must be born again from above.'

8 The wind blows wherever it chooses to blow, and you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it is originating from and where it is travelling to. This is the way it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit—the Spirit's work is sovereign and mysterious."

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things possibly come to pass?”

10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the distinguished teacher of Israel, one who instructs others, and yet you do not understand or know these fundamental truths?

11 I tell you with absolute certainty and truth: We speak authoritatively concerning what We know with certainty, and We testify to what We have personally seen and witnessed, but you people do not accept or receive Our testimony as true.

12 If I have told you about earthly things, matters that occur on earth, and you do not believe what I say, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things, spiritual realities?

13 No one has ascended into heaven to bring back divine truth, except the One who descended from heaven to reveal it—the Son of Man.

14 Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on a pole in the wilderness for the healing of the people, so it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up on the cross,

15 so that everyone who believes in Him and trusts in Him may possess eternal life that lasts forever."

16 For God loved the world and its people with such tremendous love that He gave His unique Son, so that everyone who believes in Him and places his trust in Him shall not perish in eternal destruction, but instead possess eternal life.

17 For God did not send the Son into the world with the purpose of condemning the world to judgment, but rather so that the world might be saved and rescued through Him.

18 The one who believes in Him and trusts in Him is not condemned to judgment. But the one who does not believe in Him has already been condemned, because he has refused to believe in the name and person of the unique Son of God.

19 Now this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world to illuminate truth, and people loved the darkness and preferred it rather than the light, because their deeds were evil and wicked.

20 For everyone who practises evil and engages in wickedness hates the light and refuses to come to the light, so that his deeds may not be exposed and shown to be evil.

21 But the one who practises the truth comes to the light willingly, so that his deeds may be clearly made visible, demonstrating that they have been accomplished in God and through His power."

Jesus and John the Baptist

22 After these interactions, Jesus and His disciples travelled into the Judean countryside, and there He spent time with them and was engaged in a baptising ministry.

23 Meanwhile, John was also continuing his baptising ministry at Aenon, which was near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming to him and being baptised—

24 for John had not yet been arrested and thrown into prison by Herod.

25 A dispute arose between some of John's disciples and a Jewish individual concerning the subject of ceremonial purification.

26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the One who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, the One to whom you bore testimony—look, this man is baptising, and all the people are flocking to Him!"

27 John answered them and said, "A man is able to receive not a single thing, no authority or ministry, unless it has been granted to him as a gift from heaven.

28 You yourselves are witnesses to me and can bear testimony that I stated clearly, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent ahead of that One to prepare His way.'

29 The One who has the bride as His own is the bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands nearby and listens for him, rejoices greatly and is filled with joy on account of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy that belongs to me has now reached its full measure.

30 He must increase in prominence and influence, while I must decrease in significance and visibility."

The One Who Comes From Above

31 The One who comes from above, from heaven, is above all others in authority and dignity. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth in origin and speaks from an earthly perspective and understanding. The One who comes from heaven is above all others in every respect.

32 What He has personally seen and heard in heaven, this He bears witness to, yet no one receives His testimony as truth.

33 The one who does receive His testimony has confirmed that God is true and trustworthy.

34 For the One whom God has sent as His messenger speaks the very words of God with divine authority, for He gives the Spirit without any measure or limitation.

35 The Father loves the Son with infinite love and has placed all things into His hand and under His authority.

36 The one who believes in the Son and trusts in Him possesses eternal life at this present moment. But the one who does not obey the Son and refuses to submit to Him will not see life or experience it, but the wrath of God remains resting upon him continually.

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JHN 3: AFINT

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