|
|
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
|
|
|
The Gospel of John; Chapter 3
Brian Culliton
You Must Be Born Again
1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
Nicodemus was not an ordinary Pharisee; he was a ruler of the Jews. He was very knowledgeable and probably highly respected as a teacher. After witnessing Jesus teach and perform signs, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, probably incognito so as not to be detected by the other religious leaders who obviously had contempt for Jesus.
3Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see 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?"
Nicodemus was no different than anyone else, he had no clue what Jesus was talking about. Notwithstanding his confusion, Nicodemus knew Jesus was making a definitive true statement regarding salvation. Nicodemus' answer is indicative of a common theme running through John's Gospel; Spiritual mindedness verses carnal (worldly) mindedness. Nicodemus, for all his knowledge, was not able to understand Jesus spiritually.
5Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again.' 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Here Jesus breaks it down. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Nicodemus asked how a person could be born a second time Jesus informs him that the second birth is not like the first birth. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." This is our physical birth. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that we are not born a second time like we were the fist time. The second birth is completely different. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Jesus explains that the second birth is a spiritual birth.
When we are born in the flesh our nourishment is for the flesh. We start on breast milk or formula, move on to baby food and finally on to solid foods. As we do this we grow and mature. When we are born in the spirit our nourishment is for the spirit. We begin our spiritual nourishment with the simple belief that Christ died for our salvation. After we truly believe in our hearts that this is so, we begin to grow and mature. As we continue to learn more and more about our Savior, we begin to understand His ways. As we begin to understand, God gives us more understanding and uses us for His will. As we grow and mature as Christians, we move on to solid food, spiritually speaking.
The Apostle Paul said the following concerning spiritual birth:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2Cor. 5:17)
By telling Nicodemus not to marvel, Jesus was saying that Nicodemus couldn't understand these spiritual things because he was not born again. It wouldn't be possible for anyone to be born of the Spirit until Jesus ascended to the Father after His resurrection. This fact will become apparent later in John's Gospel.
9Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?" 10Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
It is clear here and elsewhere in the Gospels, that the Jews should have recognized Christ's coming; after all, the prophecies of the Old Testament have everything to do with His coming. So Jesus questions Nicodemus, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?" Jesus of course wasn't being inquisitive; He knew exactly what Nicodemus knew and thought. Jesus wanted to make it clear that Nicodemus should have understood what He was saying.
When Jesus says, "We speak what We know and testify what We have seen," He is likely talking about Himself and the prophets of old who Nicodemus should have understood. The Old Testament prophets along with Christ testified of the truth yet the Jews didn't receive the truth because of pride. The prophets were the witnesses of Gods truth and bore witness to the Jews. But the Jews killed the prophets of God and made for themselves false prophets who would tell them what they wanted to hear.
13No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Herein lie the two natures of Christ. Jesus is fully divine: "He who came down from heaven." Jesus is fully human: "the Son of Man." And Jesus is both simultaneously: "who is in heaven."
In verse 14 Jesus refers to a historical event that signified His crucifixion: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." To understand this, refer to Numbers 21:4-9 below.
4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread." 6And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
God was leading the Israelites through the wilderness. God sustained them by giving them bread from heaven called "manna." The people were tired of eating the same thing day after day and started to complain. Many of them actually said that they would rather go back to Egypt and live as slaves than to go through this hardship. The Israelites were getting angry with God and began to curse Him. So the Lord caused them to repent by sending a plague of poisonous serpents among them.
7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." And Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said unto Moses, "Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live." 9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
So once again, Jesus told Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." There are two things we need to realize concerning this bronze image. 1) The image was that of a fiery serpent which represents sin. 2) It was made of bronze, which is the metal that represents judgment in the Jewish culture. Jesus identifies Himself with this image, which represents sin and judgment. The serpent was lifted up on a pole, and Jesus was lifted up on the cross. When the people looked to the serpent they were healed of the snakebites. When people look to the sacrifice of Christ they can be healed of their sin. The serpent represented Christ because Christ took our sins, placed them on Himself and was crucified. The Apostle Paul put it best when he said, "For He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Cor. 5:21)"
The image was a serpent (representing sin), the metal was bronze (representing judgment), and it was lifted up in the wilderness (representing the crucifixion of Christ, which was the means by which sin was judged). And by the finished work of Christ on the cross, we can be healed because our sin was already judged! Only through Christ can we be healed of our sins. If we say that heaven is obtainable without Christ, we fool ourselves and must confess that the crucifixion of Christ was for nothing.
16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Among Protestants, John 3:16 is probably the most quoted verse in the entire Bible. The reason it's quoted so much is because it is essentially contains the whole Gospel message. The word gospel means "good news." John 3:16 is the good news! Verse 16 says how eternal life is obtained, and verse 17 identifies verse 16 as the only way salvation is obtained. The only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. Jesus will say this again in a much clearer way in verse 18.
18"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This is a very definitive statement. There is only One begotten of the Father, meaning there is only One who came from the Father. The very essence of God, who as John said in chapter one, was with God and was God. When people say Jesus was anything less, like our spirit brother, they are preaching another gospel. The Apostle Paul put it very bluntly when he said, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8-9)
Jesus continues His conversation with Nicodemus regarding the state of men.
19And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
The light that has come into the world is Christ. John said in chapter one, "The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not."
It is evident from Jesus' words that people, when compared to God, are wicked. All people will one day come into the light, either by coming to Christ by believing in Him whereby they are justified and their sins are taken away, or on judgment Day where their evil deeds will become manifest before God and all of heaven, and they will be condemned because of their works of evil. It's important to understand that only through Christ can our sins be wiped away. So when we come before Christ on Judgment Day, He will say, "Well done My good and faithful servant, enter into the Joy of the Lord!"
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 24For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
Jesus Himself baptize anyone, His disciples did. I think John mentions this later.
25Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. 26And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified--behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"
27John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, "I am not the Christ,' but, "I have been sent before Him.' 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.
John the Baptist was obviously quite happy with the role God gave him. His job was to prepare the way for Christ.
30He must increase, but I must decrease. 31He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins, but probably never spent more than a few minutes together during their adult life. Jesus said that "we" testify of the truth. The "we," as I mentioned before, was Jesus and the prophets. Here we see the words of the last prophet of the old covenant, John the Baptist, speaking in complete harmony with the words of Christ.
|
|
|
