John Chapter 3:1-21 by Mark Dunagan

The Gospel Of John Chapter 3:1-21

I. Outline: I. Jesus And Nicodemus: 3:1-21 A. The New Birth: 3:3-13 B. Believers And Unbelievers: 3:14-21 II. John’s Testimony Of Jesus: 3:22-36

II. Commentary On Chapter 3:1-21: John 3:1 ‘Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;’ ‘Now there was a man’-Nicodemus was a real person, this chapter isn’t some kind of allegory. Nicodemus, like many others in Jerusalem had beheld the miracles that Jesus had been performing (John 2:23).

‘of the Pharisees’-The word ‘Pharisee’ means ‘separated’. This religious party among the Jews had arisen during the period that preceded the Maccabean wars. Apparently it was a reaction to the secular ideas being introduced among the Jewish people through Greek culture. Hendriksen writes, ‘During the second century B.C. those people who abhorred the idolatrous customs of the Greeks and who, during the fierce religious persecution led by the monstrously wicked Antiochus Epiphanes, stood firm and refused to abandon the faith, were called “hasidhim” (Pietists or Saints). They were the forerunners of the Pharisees (Separatists), who began to appear under that name during the reign of John Hyrcanus (135-105 B.C.).’ (pp. 130-131) Points To Note: 1.

Of all the various Jewish parties, the Pharisees probably taught the most truth (Matthew 23:3; Acts 23:8). 2. This party produced some very fine individuals (Gamaliel, Paul, Nicodemus). 3. But they made a wrong turn, when they began to exalt oral and written traditions over what the Word of God had prescribed (Matthew

15:1-9). They started to externalize many things, and place a greater emphasis on the religious act, than the attitude behind the act (Matthew 6:1-5). They forgot to work on their own motives, and while they looked righteous, inwardly they had many moral problems (Matthew 23). Some of them became very self-righteous, for they were keeping human rules that others were not keeping (Luke 18:9-14). 4. Some people erroneously think that the Pharisees were wrong because they stressed obedience to the Law of God. No, Jesus stressed the same thing (Matthew 7:21-23; 24-27; John 14:15). 5. Unfortunately, people often accuse the person who just teaches what the Bible says, of being a Pharisee. Actually, the following are examples of acting like a Pharisee: a. Exalting human traditions over the Word of God (like infant baptism, church choirs, calling the preacher, “reverend”). b. Placing all the emphasis on observing religious ceremonies, those caught up in a religion that consists on nothing more than observing external rites. c. Looking down upon people that don’t keep the human rules (looking down on people who don’t have their children christened, congregations that don’t have instrumental music, preachers who haven’t graduated from a seminary, congregations that don’t have a special Mother’s Day, Easter or Christmas program). d. Feeling that we have an automatic ticket into heaven (once saved, always saved). e. Placing confidence in our lineage (every congregation with ties to the ‘Our Restoration Heritage’ is OK). (Matthew 3:7-9).

‘Nicodemus’-(nick oh DEE mus) (conqueror of the people).

He appears to be a honest man (John 7:50-51). And a man of some means, for he purchased about 100 pounds of spices for the preparation of Jesus’ body (John 19:39). ‘The Pharisees had no vested interest in the temple (which was rather the prerogative of the Sadducees). A Pharisee would, accordingly, not have been unduly perturbed by the action of Jesus in cleansing the temple courts. Indeed, he may possibly have approved it, partly on the general principle that anything that put the Sadducees in their place was laudable and partly in the interests of true religion.’ (Morris p. 210)

‘a ruler of the Jews’-Which means that he was probably a member of the Jewish High Court which had jurisdiction over every Jew in the world, which was called the ‘Sanhedrin.’ Under Roman rule the powers of this court had been limited, but it was still very powerful. And one of it’s duties was to examine and deal with anyone suspected of being a false prophet.

John 3:2 ‘this man came to Him 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.”’ ‘came to Him by night’-Which may suggest caution or fear on the part of Nicodemus, generated by what his fellow Pharisees might think. ‘But there may be another reason. The rabbis declared that the best time to study the law was at night when a man was undisturbed. Throughout the day Jesus was surrounded by crowds of people all the time. It may be that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night because he wanted an absolutely private and completely undisturbed time with Jesus.’ (Barclay p. 112) 2

‘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’-‘We’-Nicodemus may be speaking for Himself and some other Pharisees (John 12:42-43). ‘these signs’-Nicodemus had been a careful observer. The miracles had achieved their intended purpose in the life of Nicodemus, they were objective evidence that Jesus was being accredited by God (Acts 2:22).

‘we know’-Others, besides Nicodemus had reached the same conclusion. There is no caution on the part of Nicodemus here, he plainly expresses his belief that Jesus is, without a doubt, a prophet sent from God.

John 3:3 ‘Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”’ ‘Jesus answered’-It appears that Jesus knew what was on the mind of Nicodemus, that is, questions concerning eternal life. Questions also entertained by others (Mark 10:17; Luke 10:25; Mark 12:28-34).

“Truly, truly”-Jesus speaks with absolute certainty, the language of absolute truth. So much for the idea that Jesus didn’t know who He was or the true nature of His purpose on the earth. Let us be impressed that Jesus is giving Nicodemus an answer, before Nicodemus was able to ask any questions. ‘as soon as Nicodemus had paid his compliments to this unprofessional Rabbi, Jesus cut-away from under his feet all ground for self-satisfaction. No-one, Jesus told him, can experience the reign of God, no matter what his race or his degree of piety may be, apart from the experience of the new birth…’ (Tasker pp. 66-67)

“unless one”-This applies to all people, this is a universal requirement. We find the same requirement restated in the Great Commission (Mark 16:16).

“born again”-The word translated “again” can have a couple of different meanings: 1. It can mean “from above”. 2. Or, “anew, again”. 3. Barclay adds the word can also mean “from the beginning, completely, radically”. While the new birth is a birth that originates from God, and is to involve a radical change, the primarily emphasis in the above verse is probably upon the idea of “again”. “he cannot see”-“See”, in the sense of experience or participate (Luke 2:26; 9:27; Acts 2:27; Heb. 11:5). ‘Thus, any man who is not born again has no part in God’s promised Kingdom. Physical lineage will not do…His circumcision as an Israelite was useless in the new kingdom (Galatians 6:15)….Jesus’ answer undoubtedly startled Nicodemus. That any descendent of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob should be excluded from the kingdom of promise was absolutely foreign to the Jewish thinking.’ (Butler pp. 95-96) Point To Note:

And nothing has changed. Even to this day the common assumption in the denominational world (and even some among professed members of the Church) is that God will save anyone who professes to follow Jesus. This is much like the thinking of first century Jews, who argued that God would save every physical descendant of Abraham. Just as ancestry is meaningless (Matthew 3:7-9), Jesus and the apostles also pointed out that a mere profession of faith is equally useless (Matthew 7:22; John 12:42-43; James 2:14-26).

“the kingdom of God”-The Kingdom promised by the prophets (Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 2:2-4). The Kingdom spoken of as ‘at hand’ by both John and Jesus (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). The Kingdom that would come within their lifetime (Mark 9:1). Points To Note: 1.

It should be clear to the reader that this ‘kingdom’ isn’t a physical empire or some Millennial reign of God upon the earth. This kingdom is inherently connected with being born again. But we find people being born again in the first century! (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 1:23). Therefore, the kingdom of God came in the first century. 2. The Kingdom of God is the same relationship which is also known as the Church (Acts 20:28; Revelation 1:5-6). And, faith and baptism are conditions associated with entrance into both(Acts 2:38,41,47). The Kingdom of God is also another name for the body of Christ (compare John 3:5 with 1 Corinthians 12:13). The phrase ‘in Christ’ is the same relationship (compare Galatians 3:26-27 with John 3:5). 3. While God rules everything, the ‘Kingdom of God’ includes everyone who has submitted to the rule of God, those in subjection to His rule. And we might add, the people receiving the full benefits of His rule, especially all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3).

John 3:4 ‘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?”’ “How….”-While Nicodemus was evidently a learned man, and a man who could perceive spiritual realities (3:2), it is obvious that he is stuck. For the moment he can’t think of any other birth, than a literal, physical birth. ‘This is not mere unspiritual denseness that is unable to rise above the idea of physical birth; nor rabbinical skill in disputation that tries to make Jesus’ requirement sound absurd….nor hostility to the requirement of Jesus. Nicodemus simply puts the requirement laid down by Jesus into words of his own; and by doing this in the form of questions he indicates where his difficulty lies. He thus actually asks Jesus for further explanation and enlightenment, and Jesus gives him this.’ (Lenski p. 235)

John 3:5 ‘Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”’

“born of water”-Which is not a reference to one’s physical birth, for who doesn’t possess that requirement? Campus Crusade actually makes the following arguments in the attempt to avoid the obvious, that the water of this verse refers to water baptism: 1. At best the verse is unclear, this is their first argument, the verse is too obscure. Actually, this was Nicodemus’ complaint (3:5,9), and Jesus rebuked him! (3:10,12) 2. The water in the above verse refers to our physical birth. But that is what Nicodemus thought (3:4). In addition, how could being born physically ever be a condition for salvation, seeing that everyone already possesses that condition? 3. Then they argue that water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. So why didn’t Jesus say so? Then the verse would be saying that one must be born of the Spirit and the Spirit. The truth is that even the denominations can see that water in the above verse refers to water baptism. The Westminister Confession Of Faith states, “all the Greek and Latin Fathers without one single exception agreed that John 3:5 refers to baptism’ 1 Many other passages place water baptism prior to salvation and a relationship with God (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-12; 1 Peter 3:21).

“and the Spirit”Points To Note: 1.

At this point many writers jump on the Calvinistic bandwagon and claim that the Holy Spirit’s role in the new birth is to remove our inherited sinful and depraved nature. 2. But Nicodemus, while not born again, wasn’t manifesting a depraved nature. He could see spiritual truths (3:2), he wanted to learn, he was trying to live a godly life. 3. The blood of Christ removes our sins and they are not removed by a mysterious operation of the Spirit (Matthew 26:28). 4. Carefully note how this whole section actually undermines and contradicts Calvinism: A. The obligation to be born again rests upon the individual (3:5). Man has a freewill. B. The obligation to be born again rests upon every person (no predestination in these verses) (3:5). C. This text doesn’t have the Spirit operating on people randomly, while passing over the rest of mankind. D. The Holy Spirit isn’t overwhelming Nicodemus.

In comparing this passage with other passages we find that water is water baptism, and the role or work of the Spirit in the new birth is accomplished through what the Spirit has revealed, that is, the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). The Word of God is preached (Mark 16:15); faith is produced in an honest heart, which moves that person to repent, confess and submit to water baptism for the remission of their sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:37-38). Thus, one is born again.

SPIRIT ‘Believeth’ ‘Renewing Holy Spirit’ ‘Seed-Imperishable’ 1

WATER ‘Baptized’ ‘Washing of Regen.’ ‘baptism now saves

KINGDOM OF GOD ‘Saved’-Mark 16:16 ‘Saved’-Titus 3:5 ‘purified souls’

Campbell-Rice Debate, p. 456. 5

‘by the word of truth’ James 1:18 ‘Through faith’

you’ 1 Peter 3:21

1 Peter 1:22-23

‘buried in baptism’

‘having forgiven’ Colossians 2:12-13

John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” “flesh is flesh”-Not as some erroneously contend, ‘the sinful nature can only produce the sinful nature.’ John uses the word ‘flesh’ without any association with sin (John 1:14). Rather, a physical birth (what was on the mind of Nicodemus) can only generate physical life. A physical birth cannot impart salvation. ‘even if it were possible (a physical rebirth), a rebirth in the flesh would reproduce only flesh.’ (Lenski p. 239)

“born of the Spirit is spirit”-Since man has a soul when he is born (James 2:26), the second ‘spirit’ in this verse must refer to a condition of salvation or spiritual life. The Holy Spirit, through His revelation can bring about spiritual life to those who have sinned (James 1:18; Romans 1:16; Romans 10:17).

John 3:7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” “Do not marvel”-‘Jesus must have seen astonishment in the face of this learned teacher.’ (Butler p. 99) says.

Instead of marveling, Nicodemus needs to accept what Jesus

‘You’-Nicodemus needed to be born again, as much as any other person. Morality, by itself couldn’t save him, and neither could keeping religious traditions, or even the commands of God. Nicodemus had sinned, and all the religious activity in the world couldn’t make up for that fact. The Jewish people didn’t have an automatic ticket into the Kingdom of God. ‘must’-There is no other way. The only way into the Kingdom of God is through the new birth. Which only confirms the truthfulness of other passages that baptism stands between one and being lost or saved (Mark 16:16). Those who argue that baptism is unnecessary, must contend that Jesus was mistaken, or bound something that the Father didn’t bind.

John 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”’ Points To Note:

Jesus is not saying that the Holy Spirit works mysteriously or without any sort of plan. For the wind, while unseen, doesn’t operate at random, definite laws do govern the movements of the wind. 2. Rather, the point of the illustration is that while we might not be able to see the wind, we can see the effects that the wind is having. In like manner, we can see the effects when the Holy Spirit’s message is penetrating the heart of the sinner (Acts 2:37; 16:14-15). A changed life, a new life is something that we can see (Romans 6:1-5; Ephesians 4:17-32). 3. Note how Jesus is trying to help Nicodemus. He is saying, ‘Take the wind for an example, you can’t see it, but you can see its effects. You can’t literally see the heart being opened, but you can see the effects.’

John 3:9 ‘Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”’ Nicodemus is honest. And please note that Nicodemus doesn’t walk away. ‘He does not rise and leave saying, “I have made a mistake in coming”.’ (Lenski p. 236)

John 3:10 ‘Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?”’ “the teacher of Israel”-‘Nicodemus was one of the esteemed teachers in Israel…The Pharisees were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the nation---they were supposed to be the experts in the Scriptures.’ (Butler p. 107) ‘The article (“the”) may indicate that Nicodemus held some official position, but if so we do not know what it was.’ (Morris p. 221) Points To Note: 1.

Jesus isn’t being unfair with Nicodemus, for the Old Testament Scriptures had often spoken for real inward change, a true renewal of one’s attitude and heart (Deut. 30:6; Psalm 51:10-12,17; Isaiah 1:16-20; 57:15; Jeremiah 24:7; Micah 6:6-8; Ezekiel 18:31; 36:26). 2. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, ‘Well, we all see this differently’, or, ‘this is too complicated for you to understand.’

John 3:11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and you do not receive our witness.” “we speak”-Various views exist concerning the “we” of this verse. 1. Jesus and the Old Testament prophets? 2. Jesus and John the Baptist? 3. Jesus and His disciples? Woods writes, ‘the plural “we” indicates that Jesus associated with himself all those who did “know” and who should receive his teaching.’ (p. 64)

“that which we know….bear witness of that which we have seen” -In other words, Jesus knew what He was talking about. 7

“you do not receive our witness”-Notice that Nicodemus believed that Jesus was sent from God, but that degree of faith isn’t enough. Jesus expects Nicodemus to understand and accept what He taught (John 12:48). You cannot separate Jesus from His teachings. God doesn’t accept the excuse, ‘But I don’t get it’. ‘The two great witnesses to Israel at this moment were Jesus and the Baptist.’ (Lenski p. 246)

John 3:12 “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” “If I told you earthly things”-The new birth is an earthly thing, in the sense that it is something that happens upon this earth. People are born again here, in this lifetime and not in the afterlife. In addition, Jesus had used an earthly thing (the wind) to illustrate the point He was making. ‘If he were unable to comprehend matters illustrated by material experience….’ (Tenney p. 88)

“you do not believe”-which means that as long as we are asking, ‘but how could that be’, we are not truly believing what is said. It is sometimes easy for unbelief to mask itself under the guise of, ‘but I am only trying to understand this better.’

“if I tell you heavenly things”-more advanced teaching? Woods says, ‘details of the divine nature, the atonement, the plan of salvation, the nature of the kingdom, and eternal life.’ (p. 65) Harkrider notes, ‘If Nicodemus rejected these truths which occur within the sphere of man’s experience, how could he expect to comprehend or accept those matters which transcend man’s experience?’ (p. 19) Be impressed that Jesus views this section as elementary teaching. Keep that in mind when people try to argue that John 3:5 is an unclear verse, at best. There are arising certain voices within the Church who are arguing that one doesn’t have to understand the purpose of baptism to be saved. It seems like they are saying, that we don’t even have to understand basic Christian teaching to become a Christian. People need to take note of what Jesus and the apostles placed in the elementary teaching category (Hebrews 6:1-2).

John 3:13 “And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man.” “no one has ascended into heaven”-Which means that individuals like Elijah or Enoch (Genesis 5:24; 2 Kings 2:11), although they ascended into heaven, did not ascend into the immediate presence of God. Like Lazarus, they found comfort in Paradise or Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:19-31).

“but He who descended from heaven”Points To Note:

Obviously, Jesus then can speak with absolute certainty, for He has been in the immediate presence of the Father, a position that no mortal has ever occupied. This answers the question, ‘Who should we believe and trust?’ The opinions of finite and fallible men? Our own fallible and limited thinking? Or, the words of One who stands in the presence of the Father? The One who as access to all truth and all mysteries? 2. In contrast to men who cannot raise themselves to heaven or penetrate divine truths, Jesus has come from heaven. 3. Jesus was not a confused individual, rather He knew exactly who he was and from whence he had came. 4. At the end of this verse some later manuscripts add, ‘who is in heaven’ (see your side reference). These words are absent from some of the most reliable manuscripts, which is why most translations either omit them or place them in the side reference. But they do make us realize that the incarnation did not diminish the functions of Jesus, but were simply an additional task that the Word assumed.

John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;” “And as”-Jesus doesn’t give up on Nicodemus. And Jesus hasn’t really embarked on a new topic. For the faith needed to bring about the new birth, faith produced by the revelation from the Spirit (3:5), is being described in 3:14-16. Jesus goes back to the Old Testament and picks out an event which Nicodemus would be familiar. And compares that event to what will happen in His own life. The new birth will be something inherently connected to His own death.

“Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness” -Which means that the event recorded in Numbers chapter 21 was a real historical event! The people really did speak against God and Moses, God really did send fiery serpents among them, God really did command Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard (flag-staff), and the people who looked at it after being bitten, did survive.

“even so”-Jesus is saying that His death upon the cross, and the brazen serpent on the pole have many things in common. Points To Note: In both cases: 1. This was the only cure available! Jesus is the only cure for our sins. 2. Faith was necessary, and faith had to do something, even if it was nothing more than ‘looking’. 3. Man couldn’t provide his own remedy. 4. The cure was accessible to all, God did not require the impossible. 5. One has to be very stubborn or very foolish to reject the cure. 6. The cure is understandable, the language is clear. 7. God didn’t give the Israelites a detailed medical explanation of how looking at the serpent could cure them. God doesn’t answer every ‘how’ (Deut. 29:29). Nicodemus was saying, ‘how, how, how’, ‘Did they demand an explanation of the scientific and medical relationship between a bronze serpent and cure of snake bite?’ (Butler p. 109) 8. There is a warning here to the person who won’t obey God, until they have all their questions answered. People with that attitude would have died in the wilderness! 9

“must the Son of Man be lifted up”-Carefully note that this is said right at the beginning of His public preaching. God didn’t change His plan, from the beginning it was clearly stated that Jesus ‘must’ die. And Jesus has already told Nicodemus who the Son of Man is (3:11-13). “lifted up”-that is lifted up like the serpent (John 12:32).

John 3:15 ‘that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life” “that whoever believes”-The purpose for His death is that the believer in Him can have eternal life. Carefully note that sin is so awful that faith in and obedience to God (part from the sacrifice of Christ) have no value for the sinner. The penalty of sin had to be paid, someone had to pay the price for our sins. Please note that people argue that all the obedience in the world can’t save you---but the same is true for all the faith in the world. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is just as much a condition for salvation (not the means of our salvation) as is repentance, confession or baptism. The person who refuses to believe in Jesus can’t be saved. ‘Though Christ is lifted up in the sight of all, he does not save all.’ (Hendriksen p. 139) For some will refuse to believe. Like those who died in the wilderness, some mock the cure, some say it doesn’t make any sense, some resent the fact that only one cure exists, others stubbornly refuse to ask for help, and so on.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” “God”-obviously we can’t harmonize humanism or atheism with the sacrifice of Jesus. “so loved”-which contradicts Deism and all Eastern religions. God has emotions, God feels, God can ‘so love’, God is immensely concerned about what happens upon this earth. (Romans 5:6-8) Let no one argue that God is cruel, unfair and insensitive. God has more love than the whole human race combined.

“the world”-No predestination or limited atonement (Jesus only died for the predestined) in this verse. Jesus died for all men, therefore God wants all saved (1 Tim. 2:4-6). It is amazing that Calvinists and the advocates of faith-only who have proclaimed John 3:16 to be their verse, don’t even believe what the verse teaches. It is also clear that God is not the world. God is not inherently in every person.

“that He gave”-hence how selfish to say, ‘But what has God done for me?’ To God love is not a concept, it is a way of life, love to God is a daily practice.

“His only begotten Son”-the best that He had to offer. 1. Jesus is of the same nature as the Father, which contradicts Unitarianism. 2. This statement also contradicts Oneness Pentecostalism, for it demonstrates that the Father and the Son are two distinct persons. 3. It also contradicts all claims that Jesus was merely one in a long line of prophets (Islam). 10

“that whoever believes in Him”-Another statement that strikes at the heart of Predestination and the whole doctrine of Calvinism. Our salvation or damnation hasn’t been locked in from eternity. Rather, there exist conditions for salvation, which all can meet if they so chose, one of those conditions is ‘faith in Him’.

“believes in Him”-Contrary to the claims of some, the faith that saves in this verse isn’t faith-only. For that type of faith never saved alone (John 12:42-43; James 2:14-26). The person who truly believes will obey and submit to whatever conditions are necessary for salvation, including repentance, confession and baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9-10). Faith will naturally TRUST God’s way of saving us (Colossians 2:1112). ‘in Him’-only faith in Jesus will save.

“should not”-it says ‘should not’, not ‘will not’. If I cease to believe, I will perish. “perish”-There is a place where people do perish. This verse contradicts the idea that God will save everyone. John 3:16 affirms that hell does exist. everyone who doesn’t believe in Jesus will perish.

The verse infers that

“but have eternal life”-Only two destinies exist, eternal life or eternal destruction (Matthew 25:46). The verse also contradicts agnosticism and the ‘doctrine of denominational creeds which allege that Jesus died that God might love us whereas this teaches that Jesus came to the earth and made salvation possible because God loved us.’ (Woods pp. 66-67) For God So Loved The World That He Gave His Only Begotten Son That Whosoever Believeth In Him Should Not Perish But Have Eternal Life

The Greatest Being The Greatest Measure The Greatest Need The Greatest Act The Greatest Gift The Greatest Scope The Greatest Provision The Greatest Deliverance The Greatest Reward

John 3:17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.” “to judge the world”-Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, for it was already in sin (Romans 5:6-8; 3:23). Jesus came to deliver men and women from destruction. But the verse doesn’t mean that Jesus never will condemn the unrepentant sinner (2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2 Peter 3:7).

“the world should be saved through Him”-Jesus is the only avenue of deliverance (Acts 4:12). 11

Carefully note how Nicodemus is gradually faded out of this narrative. Nothing is said about whether he finally got the point or not. John realizes that others will read this account. What Jesus is saying here applies to all of us and not just Nicodemus.

John 3:18 “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.” “is not judged”-The only way to escape the condemnation coming upon sin is to believe in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1).

“has been judged already”-Notice how Jesus jumps from the love of God to the wrath of God. Both are placed side by side in this section (Romans 11:22). ‘God does not need a special day to determine a man’s destiny—that is determined by the man’s own will and sealed at death. Notice that Jesus places all of mankind in only two categories.’ (Butler p. 113) Jesus places the unbeliever into a category of no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). I have always liked the following illustration: ‘A visitor was being shown around a famous art gallery by one of the attendants. In the gallery were masterpieces beyond all price, works of genius and fame. At the end of the tour the visitor said: “Well, I don’t think much of your pictures.” The attendant answered, “Sir, I would remind you that these pictures are no longer no trial, for they are masterpieces, but those who look at them are.”’ (Butler p. 113) In like manner, Jesus has already proven Himself and so has the Bible. Your whole character is judged by the simple fact, do you believe in Jesus or not.

John 3:19 “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil.” “this is the judgment”-‘and the basis of the judgment is this’ (Gspd); ‘The ground of his condemnation is this’ (TCNT). God is demonstrating that His condemnation of the unbeliever is just. ‘He further reveals the inner moral wrong which makes this condemnation deserved….Unbelief stems from a moral wickedness and not from ignorance!’ (Butler p. 114)

“that the light is come into the world” -not only God’s truth, but Jesus Himself the true light (John 1:8-9; 8:12).

“men loved the darkness rather than the light”-Jesus came and revealed all the wonderful things about God and His truth. The light includes everything good, wholesome, noble, true, pure and so on. But on the whole, most people preferred the darkness. ‘men loved’-people have freewill. Mankind can see the light, they can see what Jesus offers, they can see what God requires. God requires honesty, but many people prefer various forms of deception, whether it is gossip, lying, or so on. Note that unbelief itself is an admission of sin, it is an admission that you are hiding something.

“for their deeds were evil”-People are not as ignorant of spiritual things that they often claim. They know what serving God will mean. Unbelief has a tremendous amount of selfishness behind it. Unbelief is often a convenient way of justifying one’s participation in something which is wrong, but which one doesn’t want to part with.

John 3:20 “For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” “For everyone who does evil”-This is a universal principle which applies to people of all races and cultures. All unbelievers are basically the same.

“hates the light”-This is why some people resent Christians or the Bible. While they are doing wrong, they don’t want to be disturbed. People often complain about Christian’s “preaching to them”, but I have found that such people “preach” just as much as any Christian. Everyone preaches something.

“lest his deeds should be exposed”-Which means that becoming a Christian is for people with courage. ‘To come to the light means to have one’s darkness shown for what it is, and to have it rebuked for what it is. No one likes this uncomfortable process, persistent wrongdoers least of all. The fear of salutary reproof keeps them away from the light. There is a moral basis behind much unbelief.’ (Morris p. 234) Point To Note: We are always faced with the temptation to tone down the Gospel message so that sinners will feel comfortable. In view of the above verse, I don’t think we can do that without destroying the message. In coming to the light, our sinful attitudes and conduct will naturally be exposed. We are doing people a great disservice if we tone down the message, in essence, we are preventing them from coming to the light. An message which says in effect, ‘God loves you just the way you are’, is obviously false.

John 3:21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” “practices the truth”-inferring that the faith mentioned in this section is an obedient faith. The lover of truth doesn’t fear the light and neither does he or she resent it! If you are uncomfortable when the Bible is presented or when Biblical truths a discussed, then you need to do some growing.

“comes to the light”-an honest people wants to see their flaws, they want bad attitudes and actions exposed in their life, for they simply desire to be right with God. ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart…..And see if there be any hurtful way in me’ (Psalm 139:2324). Such a person wants to be freed from bad attitudes by which they could hurt others, even those they love. The honest man or woman doesn’t want to be selfish, arrogant, 13

envious, jealous, manipulative or prejudiced. ‘The idea is not that this light will find nothing to convict in him. It will show up sins, weaknesses of faith, and faults enough. But this man wants to be rid of these and gladly submits to the….light.’ (Lenski p. 278)

“that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” -such a person wants his life examined. He or she isn’t looking for personal glory, rather they love the light, because they are in love what the lifestyle of which God approves. ‘He desires to show that his deeds, though by no means perfect, were, nevertheless, wrought with God’s approval.’ (Hendriksen p. 144)