Answers Bible Curriculum Year 3 Quarter 2 Lesson 1
This week in Sunday school, we return to our Answers Bible Curriculum and our study of the New Testament. This week, we consider Jesus’ primary mission as expressed in John 3 in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. What point did Jesus make about the need to be born again? Why did Jesus come into the world? What must man do to be saved? And what will happen to those who embrace a salvation that is not Jesus? We’re going to be talking about some very fundamental and poignant salvation truths.
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I guess we can get started right now.
So, all right. Good morning. Good morning, Calgary. It’s good to see you.
Thanks for being here. Welcome back to Sunday school. I hope you’ve enjoyed our brief survey on the Reformation and our in the end of the summer. But the Reformation was all about the word of God. So, it’s appropriate that we return to study the word ourselves. And that’s what we’re going to do as we resume our answers Bible curriculum Sunday school from Answers in Genesis. We’re now in the second quarter of the third year of our curriculum. For those of you who are new, the answers Bible curriculum is a survey study of the Bible with an apologetic emphasis. The study moves chronologically through the Bible following the order of the events of the Bible rather than the books of the Bible themselves. Though sometimes the chronological order is the order of the books in the Bible. At this point, we’ve surveyed the entire Old Testament and we’ve seen God’s unfolding plan of redemption culminating in the anticipated coming of God’s Messiah.
In our last quarter, the Messiah arrived. We saw how God brought the son into the world and also prepared the son for the son’s earthly ministry. And now Jesus has begun that ministry. Our theme for this quarter is the authority of Jesus.
Here are lesson titles for this quarter’s 13 lessons.
Roughly the first six weeks, we’ll be focusing on Jesus’s divine authority demonstrated in miraculous signs. While in the latter six weeks, we’ll look at Jesus authoritative teaching and his authoritative claims.
But we start today with an examination of Jesus mission. In John chapter 3, Jesus has a conversation with a certain teacher of the Jews in which Jesus explains some of the most basic yet profound truths regarding salvation, including why Jesus came. Now, as we examine this passage, we’ll once again be utilizing our three step inductive Bible study method. Now, this is not super special to answers in Genesis. In fact, if you go to any basic Bible hermeneutics class, you’re going to you’re going to see this method. This is how we study the Bible. We first observe. We second interpret. We third apply. For observe, we simply observe the details of the passage, trying to um come to any interpretive conclusions just yet. Just noting what’s there. In the second step, we ask questions and bring together the details of the passage that we have observed into careful interpretation conclusions.
And in the third step, we consider how our conclusions should be worked out in our lives, how we can apply God’s word.
Now, Jesus has some critical words for us to hear this morning. So, let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us.
Our God, I pray that you would give me ability to explain your word, God. God that you would open our eyes and our minds to see them and to understand them and God to let them impact us. This word is meant to change us. It’s meant to affect us. It’s meant to get into our hearts and convict us of sin and encourage us and embolden us. So I pray that you would accomplish all those things.
Spirit, please work in your people or work among the church. Jesus be with your people. And in your name I pray.
Amen.
All right. Well, please open your Bibles to John 3.
Our main passage today is going to be John 3:es 1-21.
And if you’re using the Pew Bibles, you can turn to page 160.
160.
Before we read, let’s orient ourselves to the context of this passage.
It’s about AD 27. Jesus has already been baptized. He was tested in the wilderness. He’s also already called some of his disciples. James, John, Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Nathaniel.
They are all with Christ at this point.
Jesus performed his first public miracle also at Canaa in Galilee where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding.
Soon after, Jesus traveled with his disciples to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. And when he was there, he saw the temple full of corrupt business practices and just business in general.
And he drove out the merchandisers. He drove out the money changers. He cleared the temple and he cleansed it. Now, at these first actions, if you just glance at the very end of chapter 2 in John, John tells us in verse 23 that many believed in Jesus as they observed the signs he was doing.
But then notice verses 24 and 25.
How did Jesus respond to those who believed in him? Verse 24 says, “But Jesus on his part was not entrusting himself to them, for he knew all men and because he did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for he himself knew what was in man.” That’s very interesting statement.
Remember there is much in the gospel of John about belief but also about true belief versus false belief. There is a belief in Jesus that does not go far enough. And we see that in John. With these thing with these things in mind, let’s now read our text. So John 3:es 1-21.
Please follow along as I read.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher. For no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again.
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going.
So is everyone who was born of the spirit.
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.
If I told you of earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes will in him have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.
This is the judgment that the light, the light has come into the world. And men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
But he who practices the truth comes to the light so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.
All right. Having read our passage, we now proceed to our Bible study method.
Step one, observe. What do we notice in the passage?
Verse one introduces us to a person named Nicodemus. And notice what we’re told about him. Nicodemus is a Pharisee and remember who the Pharisees are. They are strict sect within Judaism which the adherence sought to totally conform their lives the law of Moses and the tradition of the rabbis. They were thought to be super righteous people and were well respected by the people of uh Israel. Many Pharisees or rabbis themselves. But Jesus, for his part, unleashed his worst condemnations on the Pharisees. He exposed and rebuked them for their hypocrisy and their elevating the traditions of men over the word of God. They never dealt with the heart.
But Nicodemus is one of these Pharisees, but he’s also a ruler of the Jews. By this time, Judea is under the administration of a Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. But there’s another ruling body of the Jews of which Nicodemus is a part. Many of you may know what is the name of that ruling body.
The Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a council of 71 Jewish priests, elders, and rabbis, the most respected Jews in the nation. And the Sanhedrin governed many Jewish affairs. And they were responsible along with the priests with the teaching and application of God’s word in Judea. So Nicodemus is both a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.
Now verse two says that Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. H that’s out of the ordinary. Jesus is apparently still in Jerusalem having attended for the Passover. And Nicodemus and Jesus have a conversation.
Notice how the conversation begins.
Nicodemus calls Jesus rabbi or teacher.
And he declares, “We know you have come from God as a teacher.” Now, he says, “We.” Who’s this we? Well, we’ll come back to that. We’re still observing for now. He does say we. But how does this we that he refers to know that Jesus has come from God?
Nicodemus says, “Because of your signs.
No one could do the signs that you do unless God is with him.” Now, what signs is Nicodemus referring to?
Turn the water into wine.
That’s the only sign that’s been mentioned so far in John. But yes, turning the water into wine. Perhaps he also refers to the cleansing of the temple. Even though that wasn’t miraculous, that certainly was a righteous act, a courageous act. It’s possible there were other miracles, too.
But the only one that’s been mentioned is turning the water into wine.
Nevertheless, the actions of Jesus have caused him and others to come to this conclusion. Danny, were you going to say something?
Yeah. It says in chapter 22 that those at the feast, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. Must have done something even if it was just the cleansing of the temple some some sign there he did yes that’s a good observation at the end of chapter 2 it does mention the people who believed in him saw the signs so John has recorded a few things for us and may have been been more but cleansing the temple turning the water into wine those were certainly part of that but anyways Nicodemus makes this admission and this is quite an admission it says Jesus is from God and what therefore what Jesus teaches is true.
It’s from God.
Now, notice Nicodemus doesn’t actually ask a question. He’s still in his introduction. But then Jesus steps in and he answers Nicodemus. And notice what Jesus says. Truly, truly. Now, we see that a lot in the New Testament with Jesus. That’s a preface to a statement that Jesus makes that where he knows the listener or the listeners are going to find what he says hard to believe, but it’s nonetheless true.
Truly, truly, this is true. I know you’re going to think this is crazy, but this is true. So, listen up. And he also says, I say to you, so he’s emphasizing his own personal authority in the declaration. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. You will not get into the kingdom of God unless you have been born a second time.
Born again.
This is new language. You don’t see this kind of phrasing in the Old Testament, though there were similar concepts. But certainly the Old Testament spoke at length about God’s kingdom, the kingdom of God, the coming kingdom. Every Jew has been looking forward to the coming of the kingdom of God. For them, the kingdom of God is synonymous with salvation.
And we’ve seen this ourselves in our previous lessons. The Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of a future kingdom to Israel. A kingdom of justice and prosperity and glory. An eternal kingdom. A kingdom in which the curse on the earth would be lifted. A kingdom that would dominate all the gentile kingdoms of the earth. A kingdom in which God’s coming one would rule and even God himself would rule.
Every Jew wanted to be part of this kingdom. Who wouldn’t? But remember what Malachi and the other prophets warned.
They said that not every Jew would be part of this kingdom. Which Jews were going to enter God’s kingdom according to the prophets?
Can you say that more loudly?
That’s right. A remnant that is characterized by righteousness. It is a righteous remnant that is going to inherit the kingdom.
Malachi was the most explicit about this, but other prophets said that too.
What happens to those who don’t inherit the kingdom? Those Jews, it’s not that they simply don’t inherit, but they are judged severely by God.
Remember, a lot of the Jews are like, “Wow, we can’t wait till God judges our enemies.” But God says, “If you don’t turn from your sin, I’m going to judge you when my kingdom comes. My kingdom will come with judgment.” Nevertheless, every Jew wanted to be part of God’s coming kingdom. But Jesus here says, “If you want to enter that kingdom, if you want to see it, you must be born again.” Now, notice Nicodemus doesn’t miss a beat. doesn’t ask uh where did that statement come from? No, he immediately engages with Jesus’s declaration by asking questions. Nicodemus seizes on this idea of being born again and he says, “How can a man be born again once he has grown up? Obviously, he cannot enter his mother’s womb again. That would be ridiculous.” So, for what is Nicodemus asking?
He wants Jesus to explain explain more clarify. What are you talking about? And Jesus does do as he asked. He expands on his previous declaration again beginning with truly truly I say to you and then he says unless one is born of water and the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Now this is another arresting statement.
You are not getting into the kingdom of God without a special birth. You must be born of water and the spirit. Now, what does it mean to be born of water? Well, we’ll come back to that. That’s will be an interpretation question. But Jesus also says that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.
Now, this additional statement from Jesus is revealing in at least two ways.
First, Jesus asserts that spiritual birth is just like physical birth. You need something of a particular kind kind to produce something of that same kind in birth. Flesh produces flesh just as spirit produces spirit.
But along with this, Jesus also shows that only the spirit can produce spiritual birth. One kind cannot produce another. We see this in our in our own world. A dog doesn’t give birth to a cat. A human being doesn’t give birth to a chicken. Similarly, flesh cannot give birth to spirit.
Only the spirit can give birth to spirit. And spiritual birth is required to enter God’s coming kingdom.
Jesus then tells Nicodemus not to be amazed at this. That is, don’t be perplexed.
Don’t be confused about this need for rebirth. Now, what does this indicate about Nicodemus?
Probably confused.
Yeah, he probably was becoming confused or at least he has Jesus senses that he might be confused. He might just be flabbergasted.
Then Jesus gives an analogy to further help Nicodemus, the analogy of wind. And notice what Jesus points out about the wind. He says, first, the wind blows where it wishes. No person controls it.
It does its own thing. It’s almost like it has a mind of its own. Second, he says, you know that the wind exists even though you can’t see it. How do you know?
It’s true. You can feel the wind, though that’s not what he highlights here.
He says specifically, you hear it. You hear the sound of it.
You can hear the sound of the wind even though it’s not visible. And third, Jesus says you can never identify just where the wind comes from or where it is going.
But wait, you say, wait, can’t we do that? Can’t we use meteorology to identify wind patterns? We can know where the wind is going and where it’s coming from. Okay. Yes, to some extent we can. But let’s step back into the sandals of our original audience. They didn’t have Doppler radar or any of our modern technology.
Jesus is making the point to them, you may feel the wind moving past you in a certain direction, but you do not ultimately know where it is coming from or where it is going. And even when you think you know, the direction of the wind changes.
Even today, wind and weather continue to mystify us. We create models to tell us what likely will happen with the weather. But then the wind and rain does something unexpected and our prediction turns out to be false. If you’ve ever feared or anticipated a snow day, you know what I’m talking about.
So though the wind obviously exists and can be heard and felt by man, it’s independent of man, it is invisible to man and it is ultimately inscrable.
Jesus then says, “So is everyone who has been born of the spirit.” Not that those people are in independent, invisible, or inscrable.
That wouldn’t make any sense. But the their birth by the spirit is those things.
But Nicodemus still doesn’t understand.
And he asks, “How can these things be?” And we can appreciate Nicodemus slowness. Can’t we consider who he is?
He is a Pharisee who has worked all his life to make sure he gets into the kingdom of God by strict adherence to God’s law and the tradition of the elders. He’s even taught many others about entering the kingdom. But Jesus says, “You need to be born of the spirit to enter. Without that birth, you have no chance.” At Nicodemus question though, how can these things be? Jesus responds with surprise. He says, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do you not understand these things?” Now, notice as I’m reading that, you may hear my emphasis. The definite article next to teacher is significant. You are the teacher of Israel. By saying that, what is Jesus demonstrating?
What does he reveal to us about Nicodemus?
Yeah, Danny.
Well, Nicodemus, who is the teacher, doesn’t get it.
Imagine the rest of Israel.
I’m sorry. Say that a little bit more loudly.
If uh Nicodemus, who is the teacher in Israel, doesn’t get this and he’s teaching Israel, they don’t get it either. So, yeah.
Unbelief everywhere.
Yeah, that’s a good point. We could not only mention that he is a teacher, but he’s one of the most important teachers.
He’s the teacher. Singular. When you think about, oh, who’s one of our greatest teachers? You think Nicodemus.
Jesus says, Nicodemus doesn’t understand. And you’re right. What does that say for the rest of Israel?
He’s a Nicodemus after all. He’s a Pharisee. He’s a supposed expert in the law. He’s a Sanhedrin member. He’s responsible for teaching God’s word. And yet he doesn’t understand.
And then we get another truly truly in verse 11. Jesus says, “We speak of what we know and we testify of what we have seen and you do not accept our testimony.” And there’s another we here. Jesus says, “We.” Who’s the we? Well, we’ll come back to that. But Jesus says he and at least another at least one other person have been speaking about what they know and testifying what they have seen with their own eyes. But you and that’s a plural you. We don’t see that in English translation, but it’s one of the things that Greek does indicate. You plural do not accept our testimony.
Okay. Who’s the you? Well, it’s at least Nicodemus and one other person. And perhaps this was related to the we that Nicodemus mentioned earlier. Remember, he said, “We know that you have come from God.” But Jesus says you, you all, y’all do not accept our testimony.
You do not accept our testimony.
So notice that Jesus is asserting that this is not a matter of inability.
There is willful rejection here. You do not accept, you will not accept, you reject the knowledge and the testimony given to you.
And Jesus makes this point more explicit in the next verse. He says, “If I told you of earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” Now, what are the earthly things here? Now, surely they must be whatever Jesus spoke, whatever Jesus just spoke about. And certainly Jesus doesn’t mean what he said about the wind. Nicodemus surely concedes Jesus’s point about the behavior of the wind. So, we can’t be referring to that.
What must Jesus be referring to? Then the only other thing that Jesus has talked about is entry into the kingdom of God by new birth. Jesus considers this an earthly thing. This is a basic fact about the world and God’s kingdom. How will you believe the more exalted and heavenly truths that Jesus has to declare if you will not believe this most basic truth?
Notice that this is the first time that belief has entered into the conversation. The beginning it was about birth, but now we’re talking about belief.
Verse 13, Jesus goes on further to say, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the son of man.” Now, you might feel an objection.
Wait a second. Wasn’t there at least one other human besides Jesus who ascended into heaven.
Think of that person.
Elijah.
Elijah and perhaps Enoch.
But Jesus’ point is not simply about ascending into heaven, but also coming back from heaven. No one has ascended into heaven and come back down to reveal earthly and heavenly truths except one person, the son of man. And who’s the son of man?
That’s Jesus. That’s the title that he used to refer to himself. That’s his favorite title. It’s one of the most frequently used. But as we’ve seen before, remember that is not a mere declaration of humility or humanity.
Where is this phrase most notably used in the Old Testament?
Daniel, Daniel chapter 7, the son of man comes on a cloud of glory to receive the kingdom from the ancient of days. And in that passage, it’s clear that the son of man is the Messiah and he’s also God.
So Jesus says the son of man is the only man to come from heaven to earth to reveal truth.
And why why did he come?
Verse 14 elaborates as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up. Ah here’s an illusion to the old testament here. And that’s illusion with an a. A l l u s i o n.
Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. To what event is Jesus referring here, Israelites were being bitten by snakes and they had to look upon the the serpent placed on a cross.
That’s exactly right. Right. So in Numbers 21, Israel complained against God and against Moses as they were moving through the wilderness. And God sent a judgment of fiery serpents.
serpents that were biting the people and killing them. The people confessed their sin to Moses. They asked him to intercede. And then Numbers 21:es 8-9 says this. Numbers 21 8-9.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard, and it shall come about that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard. And it came about that if a serpent bid any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
So, as you were just alluding in your answer, notice there are two parallels between this Old Testament event and what Jesus says is going to happen to the son of man. Just as the serpent was lifted up above the people on a pole or on a standard, so would the son of man be lifted up. But on what would the son of man be lifted? It’s not mentioned here, but we know from the rest of the gospels cross.
It’s the cross on a cross. So, there’s a veiled foretelling of his death on the cross.
But also, just as people in Moses day looked really by faith to the raised standard and were saved from the serpent’s bite, what must people now do with the Son of Man?
look to him. Look to him and his work on the cross by faith to save them.
And this is what verse 15 goes on to say precisely.
Jesus will be lifted up in order that whoever believes will in him have eternal life.
Now notice the whoever. There’s no qualifier to this. Jew, Gentile, notorious sinner, secret sinner, young person, old person, male, female, slave, free, doesn’t matter. Whoever believes, whoever believes will in Christ in Jesus have eternal life, everlasting life, unending life, life in the age to come.
Death will have no power over him. The serpent’s bite will be healed. that person will enter God’s kingdom.
But notice that this is accomplished in him, in the son of man. There’s a limitation introduced here that continues in the preceding verses.
And then we arrive at John 3:16, the well-known verse. It starts with four.
That indicates the verse is presenting a reason for what was just said. A reason for the son of man being lifted up and saving whoever believes. And what is the reason?
God loved the world.
God loved the world. And this is how he determined to show it. God so loved the world. God loved the world in this way.
What way? He gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in that son shall not die but have eternal life.
So why will the son of man be lifted up?
Because of God’s love and because of God’s design to save.
God sent his son to save.
And notice the description of Jesus in this verse. He’s called God’s only begotten son.
What does this phrase Jesus and John didn’t have to use this phrase, but what does using this phrase emphasize about Jesus?
If he’s the only begotten son of God, does it indicate about him?
How does God view him?
Just as like like a earthly father, he has only one son. He puts all his joy and hope in his one son. It’s the same thing with God the father and God the son.
Yeah. There’s a preciousness here. If he’s the only begotten son of God that he’s precious to the father.
You exactly Rob pointing out even human relationships a one and only son for a father. How much would he love that son?
How much would he value that son? But also you see there’s a uniqueness to this son. He’s the only one, the only begotten. He’s special.
He’s unique. There’s no one like him.
God sent this son, this precious, this unique son into the world to save man.
He came to save the people of the world from death.
And notice a qualifier again in this verse about who will be saved. Not merely whoever believes, but whoever believes in him.
Such who believe in him will not die but have unending life.
Another reason for the son of man being lifted up appears in verse 17. Another sentence, another verse that starts with four. For God did not send the son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Sounds like what we just read, right? But said a little bit differently. God’s design in sending Jesus was not for judgment but for salvation.
Through him, through Jesus alone, God determined to give salvation to the world, to all people. Now, this doesn’t mean that judgment isn’t attached to Jesus coming. Jesus does say later in the Gospel of John actually that judgment comes upon the world because Jesus came.
John 9:39 Jesus says John 9:39 for judgment I came into this world so that those who do not see may see and that those who see may become blind. So there is an aspect of judgment to Jesus coming but that’s not really what he came to accomplish in his first coming.
In a sense, that judgment was initiated with his first coming, but that’s not going to be uh really accomplished until his second coming. His first coming was not about judgment. It’s about salvation. It’s about saving men. Jesus’ primary mission. And there we can say other reasons why Jesus came, but so emphatic in this passage and in other scriptures that Jesus first coming was about accomplishing salvation for the world.
Now the judgment aspect of Jesus coming is explain more in the next verse. John 3:18. Notice again the qualification.
Only those who believe in the son escape judgment. They will not be judged. If you believe, if you simply believe in Jesus, you will experience no judgment.
But if you continuously do not believe, you have already been judged. Perfect tense here. Accomplished in the past effects continue into the present.
You’ve already been judged. And notice the restatement for the reason for this judgment at the end of the verse. That special description of Christ appears again. He has not believed in the only begotten son of God.
That is to say, if you reject God’s unique, precious, exclusive son of God, you are under deserved condemnation.
We’ll get more in verse 19. Jesus says, “This is the judgment.” That is, this is the process of determining good and evil, punishment and reward in in a situation. The light has come into the world. Ah, another definite article here that’s significant. Not a light has come into the world or light, but the light, God’s special, precious, unique light has come into the world. This light is plainly God’s son. But how did men react to this light? They love the darkness rather than the light. They chose worthlessness, evilness, and ignorance instead of God’s special light.
And why? Because their deeds were evil.
Why should evil deeds keep men from the light? Verse 20 explains, “Those who practice evil, that which is bad and worthless, they hate the light. They actually despise God’s precious light.
They love worthlessness so much they can’t help but hate what is actually good.
Moreover, they refuse to come near the light, lest their evil deeds be exposed for what they really are. They don’t want God. They don’t want people. They don’t want the universe to know all the evil that they actually do.
And why or I’m sorry, verse 21 presents a striking contrast. There’s a why to it. We’ll see in just a second. Verse 21 presents a contrast. Unlike those who practice worthlessness, there are those who practice or do the truth and they don’t stay away from the light, but they come to the light. And here’s the why.
There’s a why for this one as well. And it’s direct contrast to what was just stated. Worthless ones won’t come because they don’t want their worthless deeds exposed. But truthdoers want to come and do come precisely so that their deeds will be exposed. Though exposed is the wrong word. Their deeds will actually become manifest.
Showing what? Not that those people were innately righteous, but that their truthdoing was actually wrought. That is, it was actually accomplished in God.
God was responsible for their truth deeds, for their good deeds, and they want their universe to know about that.
So, they gladly come to the light. They gladly come to God’s son that what is really true about what God has accomplished will be manifest.
And this sounds a little bit like what Jesus was saying in the beginning, right? And the conversation comes full circle and ends.
There’s no mention of Nicodemus reaction to all of this.
At least here Nicodemus apparently remains sympathetic to Jesus as Jesus continued to minister and at some point he fully believed because later when Jesus is crucified Nicodemus appears with Joseph Joseph of Arythea to richly prepare Jesus’s body for burial.
Nicodemus put his stock in the son of man.
So, we’ve worked our way through the passage noting details. And now that we’ve made these observations, let’s now turn to interpretation questions and try to assess the author’s main points.
First, why does Nicodemus come to Jesus at night?
I guess he probably doesn’t want other people to see him.
That’s the most likely explanation.
Yeah, he doesn’t want certain other people to see him. Yeah, it could be he wanted a private conversation or, you know, some have tried to make this symbolic like, oh, he’s a man of darkness and he’s coming to the light.
Well, Jesus does say something about darkness and light later on, but probably the the most likely explanation is that this is practical. He’s a member of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees. They are very hostile to Jesus throughout his ministry. And he probably doesn’t want them to know that he’s coming to Jesus.
You going to say something, Danny?
Yeah, there’s probably less people around Jesus at night also. So, yeah, that’s possible. There are fewer people around Jesus and he can have a more private conversation. We don’t know actually if this was private. It sounds like it’s private. Nobody else jumps in.
Doesn’t actually say that, but it could have been.
Another question, one we mentioned earlier, who is the we about whom Nicodemus says, we know you have come from God. Well, considering what we just mentioned, the Pharisees and Sadducees were very hostile to Jesus in the gospel. So, he probably doesn’t mean them. We Pharisees or we not I said Sadducees, Sanhedrin, we at the Sanhedrin know you’re from God. In a sense, that’s true. In their heart of hearts, they know, but they’re not going to acknowledge that. So, likely Nicodemus means the Jewish people in general. And that’s the what the end of chapter 2 actually said, right? Many people believed in Jesus because they saw the signs. And Nicodemus says the same thing. We the Jewish people know you’re from God.
Third question, what does it mean to be born of water? And how is such birth necessary for entrance into God’s kingdom?
H this phrase is a bit puzzling. Perhaps the most obvious answer would be baptism since baptism is mentioned later in the chapter as it is in chapter 1 of John where we see John the Baptist baptizing.
Moreover, the New Testament often links baptism with salvation. Just think of the great commission. Go out, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them.
However, saying one must be born of baptism to enter God’s kingdom sounds like baptism is a necessary work for salvation, which is clearly not what the New Testament teaches. Such would contradict Paul’s whole letter of Galatians where he says there is no work necessary for salvation. and it contradicts the latter point of this section which is all about belief and faith.
So there’s good reason for us not not to say baptism here. A more creative solution is to see water as referring to human birth. There’s water associated with human birth, but being born physically or being human hardly seems a very significant limiting criteria for salvation.
as if to say, “Oh, sorry. You got to be spiritually born and you have to be physically born. Make sure you get that first one.” That doesn’t seem very significant. So, probably the best way to understand this statement, birth from water, is along the lines of what the John MacArthur Study Bible says. The water here is mo most likely a reference to cleansing from sin. You need to be cleansed from sin in order to enter the kingdom of God. And that is part of what baptism illustrates, is it not? I think of that passage in first Peter where he says uh making a reference to the flood in the same way baptism now saves you not the removal of dirt from the flesh but the confession of a good conscience before God the person must be cleansed and as part of that born by the spirit to enter God’s kingdom fourth question now who is the we Jesus refers to when he says we speak of what we know but you again connecting that with the first verse or the first section. You Jews do not accept our testimony.
Jesus could be referring to the trinity.
Nicodemus does mention God at the beginning of this section and Jesus talks about the spirit. So the trinity is in the passage. Moreover, we know the father and the spirit did testify on Jesus’ behalf at his baptism.
Jesus repeatedly further says in the gospels that he speaks and does only whatever the father directs.
So in a way the father is speaking through Jesus but Jesus could also be referring to himself and John the Baptist again as we noted John appears later in this passage and he’s already appeared in chapter one and what was he doing in chapter one? He was testifying on Jesus’ behalf, not only of what John knew about Jesus, but also what he saw regarding Jesus. He saw the spirit descend on him like a dove.
John gave this testimony to the Jews, but they did not accept it. I mean, a few did, but we know from the other gospels and what we’ll see later, I think even in John, the people reject the testimony of John.
So, which understanding should we go to go with here? I lean toward the latter view that it’s Jesus and John because of the phrase we testify of what we have seen. That seems to fit human experience better than divine. Does the Holy Spirit or the father really testify of what they have seen? That seems to fit Jesus.
Jesus has come from heaven. He testifies of what he has seen. That seems odd to apply to the father and the spirit. But I wouldn’t be too dogmatic about this.
Certainly, we know that both the triune Godhead and John the Baptist sent by God, they all gave testimony on Jesus’ behalf, and they were all ultimately rejected by the Jews.
Next question. And now we’re getting to more what are the main ideas of our passage. What does Jesus reveal about salvation by describing it in terms of spiritual birth?
What do you think?
Earlier on you said that the kingdom of God is equivalent to salvation. Uh and if one cannot enter into kingdom God without being born again, therefore spiritual birth will be a prerequisite for salvation.
That’s right. And if spiritual birth is a prerequisite for salvation, what does that mean for people?
What can they do to be saved?
Say that uh more loudly, please.
We must be born again. We must undergo a spiritual birth.
Okay. So, how does one accomplish his own spiritual birth?
You can’t, right? That’s the whole point. And this is kind of striking and alarming. This is probably what’s got Nicodemus thrown for a loop. It’s not simply that Jesus uses the metaphor of being born again, but he’s claiming you can’t do anything to save yourself. You can’t just on your own work your way into the kingdom of God. And there are two ways of understanding this or rather two uh applications of this. One is that Jesus clarifies to Nicodemus this Pharisee that good works, heritage, rituals, any other human endeavor, they will not merit person salvation or entrance into the kingdom of God. Such entrance must come as Jesus explains later merely from what God has provided. He has to give the birth as we see later in the passage. That’s by faith. You cannot work for it. You can only enter into the kingdom by faith. But even that faith is a work of God’s spirit. Salvation is totally of God. For truly, and I hope this isn’t lost on you, what person ever brought about his own conception or birth? It’s impossible. Person doesn’t even exist and after he’s conceived doesn’t have any ability to think or affect anything.
And just as we did not initiate or bring about our spiritual birth, so also we do not initiate or bring about our spiritual birth. God’s spirit must do it all. Yes, salvation’s by faith, but even that faith has to come from God.
We can’t work our way in.
Verses 14 to 21 give further fundamental truths regarding salvation. For instance, and you heard me emphasize this, God’s design in sending his son was for salvation.
Jesus came to save. But what other salvation truths do we see in the latter part of our passage?
What’s one of them?
Yeah, Danny, you see that the natural man loves his sin and because he loves his sin, he will not come. It’s one of the reasons he won’t come to the light.
Yeah, that’s a great observation, Danny.
There’s the mentioning of why men reject the savior. They love the darkness as because their deeds are evil. And so we see the need for spiritual birth. Salvation does have to be holy of God because man is evil. What else do we see comparing comparing yourself to the lifted up by Moses. We have to look up to Jesus to be saved.
Say that last part again.
We have to look up to Jesus to be saved.
Yes, we have to look up to Jesus to be saved. And that’s one of um we connected that with faith in the Old Testament.
There was really faith being exercised by the Israelites when they looked to the serpent, the statue of the serpent to be saved. It’s the same thing in the New Testament. You have to look to Jesus. You have to believe in Jesus. You have to exercise faith in Jesus. And that’s one of the things that the second part of the passage emphasizes a lot.
Notice the word belief comes up again and again. Whoever believes will be saved. Why do you not believe?
Yeah. And you also pointed out, Bill, that it’s belief in Jesus. Notice the exclusivity, the striking exclusivity of the latter part of this passage. Only Jesus saved. No other saviors, no other ways of salvation are acceptable to God or will help any person enter the kingdom of God. Jesus is the only way.
Only in him will one person will a person receive eternal life. And yet with this exclusivity there is an inclusivity.
How so? Well Jesus salvation is available to everyone.
In one sense salvation is exclusive. In another sense, it’s inclusive. The whole world has received the savior. Salvation is available to the whole world, to all men. Doesn’t matter who they are.
We also see that those who reject God’s salvation are condemned and will be judged. And this is kind of interesting, right?
Because when people I’m not sure if Philippians 4:13 or John 3:16 are the most well-known or popular verses in the Bible. And John 3:16 is beautiful, right? It’s because of God’s love that he sent his savior. And that’s another truth, by the way. Salvation is motivated by the love of God. And we can also say the glory of God that’s going to be manifest in the saved people. What God has accomplished, he will get glory.
But we forget with John 3:16 and the verses that follow, there is a stern warning of judgment here. Those who reject God’s savior will be judged. And why is such severe judgment justified?
There’s an aspect of the passage that really emphasizes why God must judge so severely.
What is that reason?
Because the light has come into the world.
That’s right.
And they didn’t believe.
Go say that last part again.
And they didn’t believe.
They didn’t believe. That’s right. But I want to seize on that definite article.
The light. And remember the other description, the only begotten son of God.
God’s provided way of salvation is so gracious and precious. If you reject that, you have committed the most heinous offense possible.
It’s like what the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 10 of his book. Hebrews chap 10 28-31.
Hebrews 10:28-31.
Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve, who has trampled underfoot the son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he is sanctified and has insulted the spirit of grace.
For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, and again the Lord will judge his people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
There is no greater ingratitude, rebellion, pride, or sin than to reject the only begotten son of God.
What a salvation.
But what a heinous act of transgression to reject such a salvation.
So we see a number of things in this passage. Salvation has to be holy of God. Salvation is by faith in Jesus. One must simply believe. Salvation is motivated by God’s love and his glory.
God sent Jesus to save. Jesus is the only savior and those who reject this only way will be condemned. unjustly judged.
And you may be thinking to yourself, wait a second. First part of the passage emphasizes that salvation is all of God and a man can do nothing. He can’t even work about his own fate. But the second half of the passage emphasizes the availability of salvation for all men and man’s responsibility to respond appropriately in belief. How can these both be true? God does it all, but man is responsible to believe.
Well, we’ve seen this tension many times in the scriptures, haven’t we? Right?
And they’re both true. We cannot ignore one side or the other. God does it all, but you have to respond.
God’s gracious salvation invitation is not fake.
You really can take hold of salvation if you will only believe.
Repent and believe. If you won’t, God has the right and his character demands that he damn you forever for the heinous choice you’ve made.
At the same time though, every good deed you do, even your faith in Christ, is a gift of God brought about unilaterally by God’s spirit. You can claim no credit. Salvation is holy of the Lord.
God must cleanse you. God must give you birth.
Jesus has no problem declaring both of these truths right next to each other.
And throughout the gospels, we see this repeatedly. Jesus declares confidence, declares his confidence that everyone that the father has given to the son will come to him. But at the same time, he’s constantly inviting and with a genuine heart pleading with the people to repent and believe the good news of the kingdom of God. And it’s the same for the apostles. They’re confident in God’s saving choice and God doing it all, but they plead.
I think of second Corinthians, we beg you on behalf of God, be reconciled to him.
So these things are both true.
So what what are the takeaways from this? How is all this relevant to us?
Now proceed to our third step of study application.
For one thing, from this passage and others, we can counter those who mischaracterize Jesus mission on earth.
What do some today say was the point of Jesus’s coming and his ministry to make our lives better, more money?
Yeah. Yeah. This is the prosperity message, right? He came to make your life fulfilled, make it more comfortable, give you what you want.
That’s not that’s not true. What else?
Like how to have a better relationship with your husband, wife, with your children, and the community, right? Yeah. And that’s kind of like the soft prosperity gospel. He’s going to make your life better. He’s going to help your relationship. All those types of things. What else?
Came to be a good example. Social He came to provide. Yeah, exactly. He came to provide a good and moral example. This is very popular among liberal Christianity. It’s not about atonement. It’s about a good example. He came to spread wise teachings. He came to overturn social ills.
It is true Jesus is a good and moral example. He does teach wisdom. He does bring joy and peace to his followers. He does show how to live a wise life. And his embraced word will have a positive effect on society. But he did not come for these reasons. He came to save sinners. He came to reconcile rebels on their way to hell. He came to reconcile those rebels to God.
Mankind’s greatest need has always been for salvation by the spirit of God. And God in great love provided for this need in the most extravagant way possible by sending his only begotten son.
We can also see from our text today that the passages emphasis on God’s unilateral work in salvation and man’s responsibility to believe, they inform and protect our evangelism from two dangerous excesses.
On the one hand, for those who ignore repentance based on God’s sovereignty, well, I’ll believe whenever God enables me to believe, we can show them that they have a dreadful responsibility to believe and that they dare not ty in turning to God. God will justly hold them responsible for rejecting his precious son. There is no time to waste.
You’ve got to be reconciled to God. Your choice matters.
On the other hand, lest we or others despair of seeing certain hard-hearted individuals saved, we can remember that new birth must be accomplished by God’s spirit. Without that birth, no one will believe. But when God’s salvation win moves, nothing can stop that person from turning to Christ.
This should encourage us to keep sharing, to pray persistently, and to not flag in our faith.
These truths should also prevent us from altering the gospel to make it more acceptable or popular. Having someone accept an incomplete gospel is useless if there’s no new birth. And that won’t happen unless God’s spirit moves. And what is the means of God’s spirit acting? His word tells us it is by the simple proclamation of his word. The word declared and explained to people.
So let us not be unfaithful in our duty as God’s heralding means of salvation.
Just mention as we wind down today two two or three other applications.
If we’re in Christ this morning, if you are in Christ, then bless the Lord as you meditate on what God has accomplished. You were desperately in need of spiritual birth of a savior to save you, and God’s love provided it.
You have been saved. You’ve been made into a new creation. And now you display God’s grace and righteousness as a trophy to the whole world.
But let us beware, let us not claim this comfort of the comfort of this passage if we’re not truly walking with the Lord. If we’re not really testimonies of God’s saving power, if we if people look at our lives and they can’t see what God has accomplished, that is a very serious state to be in. There is such a thing as John tells us, there is such a thing as false faith and sham assurance.
So if we are in that state, we need to lay aside that hypocrisy and plead with God for mercy.
But if there any of you who don’t know Christ this morning, you know that this word in John is both the gladdest tidings and the worst warning. Because if you have not believed in the only begotten son of God, you stand condemned. Your works profit you or the your works don’t profit you. Your heart is ugly and repulsive to God. You have spurned his precious son. So repent while you have time. Turn from your sin.
Take on Jesus as your Lord and as your substitute for sin and follow after him with your whole life.
If you have any other comments or questions based on today’s lesson, please email me. But that’s it for this week. Next week we look at the authority of God or the authority of the son of man as demonstrated over nature. Let’s close in prayer.
God, we thank you for this word.
It is so precious. Your son is so precious and your salvation is so unfathomable. It’s exactly what we needed. There’s no way we could have come unless you gave us spiritual birth.
Thank you for being so gracious. But God, we know our responsibility and we know the responsibility of others. Lord, let us not fail in believing in you, believing in your son with all of our hearts, living the way that you’ve called us to live, and calling others to turn to you so that they might be saved, they might have eternal life, and they might escape condemnation in Jesus name.
Amen.
All right, I’ll see you next week.
Thanks.