You Must Be Born Again
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named ch. 7:50;19:39Nicodemus, See Luke 24:20a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus3:2 Greek him[ch. 12:42] by night and said to him, See ch. 1:38"Rabbi, [ch. 9:29;Matt. 22:16] we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do Acts 10:38;[ch. 5:36;9:33;Acts 2:22]unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is See ch. 1:13born [2 Cor. 5:17;Gal. 6:15;1 Pet. 1:3,23] again3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7he cannot ver. 36see the kingdom of God."4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born [Ezek. 36:25-27;Mark 16:16;Acts 2:38;Eph. 5:26;Titus 3:5;Heb. 10:22]of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 1 Cor. 15:50That which is born of the flesh is ch. 6:63flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit7 ch. 5:28Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You3:7 The Greek for you is plural heremust be born See ver. 3again.’8 [Eccles. 11:5;Ezek. 37:9] The wind3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spiritblows 1 Cor. 12:11where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9 Nicodemus said to him, ch. 6:52,60"How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel [ch. 9:30]and yet you do not understand these things?11 Truly, truly, I say to you, See ver. 32we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but See ver. 32you3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12do not receive our testimony.12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13 Prov. 30:4;[Acts 2:34;Eph. 4:9] No one has [ch. 7:34] ascended into heaven except ver. 31;ch. 6:38,42,62;1 Cor. 15:47;[Rom. 10:6]he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven14 And Num. 21:9as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man ch. 8:28;12:32,34be lifted up,15 that whoever believes [ch. 15:4;16:33;1 John 5:12,20] in him ver. 36may have eternal life.3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15
For God So Loved the World
16 "For Rom. 5:8;Eph. 2:4;2 Thess. 2:16;1 John 3:1;4:9,10God so loved See ch. 1:29the world, 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world Rom. 8:32that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not ch. 10:28perish but have eternal life.17 For ch. 5:36,38;6:29,57;7:29;8:42;10:36;11:42;17:3;20:21;Rom. 8:3;1 John 4:9,10,14God did not send his Son into the world ch. 5:45;8:15;12:47to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18 ch. 5:24;[Mark 16:16] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not See 1 John 5:13believed in the name of the only Son of God.19 [ch. 9:39] And this is the judgment: See ch. 1:4,5,9the light has come into the world, and [Isa. 30:10;Jer. 5:31] people loved the darkness rather than the light because ch. 7:7their works were evil.20 [Job 24:13;Rom. 13:12;Eph. 5:13] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, Eph. 5:11,13lest his works should be exposed.21 But whoever 1 John 1:6does what is true Ps. 139:23,24comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and ver. 26;ch. 4:1,2was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for [ch. 5:35]; See Matt. 4:12John had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over ch. 2:6purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, ver. 2"Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, See ch. 1:7to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and ch. 12:19all are going to him." 27 John answered, 1 Cor. 4:7;Heb. 5:4"A person cannot receive even one thing ch. 6:65;[James 1:17] unless it is given him See Matt. 21:25from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, See ch. 1:20‘I am not the Christ, but Mal. 3:1;Mark 1:2;Luke 1:17;Acts 19:4I have been sent before him.’ 29 See Matt. 25:1The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. Judg. 14:20;Song 5:1The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, Matt. 9:15rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 Matt. 3:11He must increase, but I must decrease."3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36
31 ch. 8:23He who comes from above Rom. 9:5;Eph. 1:21is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and [1 John 4:5] speaks in an earthly way. See ver. 13He who comes from heaven Rom. 9:5;Eph. 1:21is above all. 32 ver. 11He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, [ver. 19; ch. 1:11;5:43;12:37]yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony [ch. 6:27;2 Cor. 1:22;Eph. 1:13;Rev. 7:3-8] sets his seal to this, [1 John 5:10]that God is true. 34 For he whom See ver. 17God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit [Ezek. 4:11,16]without measure. 35 See ch. 5:20The Father loves the Son and See Matt. 28:18has given all things into his hand. 36 ver. 15, 16;ch. 5:24;6:40,47,54;1 John 5:12,13;[ch. 11:25, 26;20:31]; See Matt. 19:16Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; [Rom. 2:8;Eph. 5:6;Col. 3:6] whoever does not obey the Son shall not ver. 3see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.