You Must Be Born Again
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named hNicodemus, ia ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus1 jby night and said to him, k“Rabbi, lwe know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do munless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is nborn oagain2 he cannot psee the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus 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?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born qof water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6rThat which is born of the flesh is sflesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.3 7tDo not marvel that I said to you, ‘You4 must be born uagain.’ 8vThe wind5 blows wwhere 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.”
9Nicodemus said to him, x“How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel yand yet you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I say to you, zwe speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but zyou6 do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13aNo one has bascended into heaven except che who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.7 14And das Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man ebe lifted up, 15that whoever believes fin him gmay have eternal life.8
For God So Loved the World
16“For hGod so loved ithe world,9 jthat he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not kperish but have eternal life. 17For lGod did not send his Son into the world mto condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18nWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not obelieved in the name of the only Son of God. 19pAnd this is the judgment: qthe light has come into the world, and rpeople loved the darkness rather than the light because stheir works were evil. 20tFor everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, ulest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever vdoes what is true wcomes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and xwas baptizing. 23John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24(for yJohn had not yet been put in prison).
25Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over zpurification. 26And they came to John and said to him, a“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, bto whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and call are going to him.” 27John answered, d“A person cannot receive even one thing eunless it is given him ffrom heaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, g‘I am not the Christ, but hI have been sent before him.’ 29iThe one who has the bride is the bridegroom. jThe friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, krejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30lHe must increase, but I must decrease.”10
31mHe who comes from above nis above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and ospeaks in an earthly way. pHe who comes from heaven nis above all. 32qHe bears witness to what he has seen and heard, ryet no one receives his testimony. 33Whoever receives his testimony ssets his seal to this, tthat God is true. 34For he whom uGod has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit vwithout measure. 35wThe Father loves the Son and xhas given all things into his hand. 36yWhoever believes in the Son has eternal life; zwhoever does not obey the Son shall not asee life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Footnotes
- 1 3:2 Greek him
- 2 3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7
- 3 3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- 4 3:7 The Greek for you is plural here
- 5 3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- 6 3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12
- 7 3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven
- 8 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15
- 9 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world
- 10 3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36
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John 3:1–21 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 50:46 • ID: 2809
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The Present Kingdom — Part One
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“Truly, Truly, I Say to You…”
Twenty-Five Divine Declarations from John’s Gospel John 1:1–21:25 Series • ID: 29001
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.