1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees namedhch. 7:50; 19:39 Nicodemus,iSee Luke 24:20 a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesusj[ch. 12:42] by night and said to him,kSee ch. 1:38 “Rabbi,l[ch. 9:29; Matt. 22:16] we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you domActs 10:38; [ch. 5:36; 9:33; Acts 2:22] unless God is with him. ” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one isnSee ch. 1:13 borno[2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23] again1Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7 he cannotpver. 36 see the kingdom of God. ” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? ” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is bornq[Ezek. 36:25-27; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5; Heb. 10:22] of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 r1 Cor. 15:50 That which is born of the flesh issch. 6:63 flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 tch. 5:28 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be bornuSee ver. 3 again. ’ 8 v[Eccles. 11:5; Ezek. 37:9] The wind blowsw1 Cor. 12:11 where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. ”
9 Nicodemus said to him,xch. 6:52, 60 “How can these things be? ” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israely[ch. 9:30] and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you,zSee ver. 32 we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, butzSee ver. 32 you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 aProv. 30:4; [Acts 2:34; Eph. 4:9] No one hasb[ch. 7:34] ascended into heaven exceptcver. 31; ch. 6:38, 42, 62; 1 Cor. 15:47; [Rom. 10:6] he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 AnddNum. 21:9 as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Manech. 8:28; 12:32, 34 be lifted up, 15 that whoever believesf[ch. 15:4; 16:33; 1 John 5:12, 20] in himgver. 36 may have eternal life.
16 ForhRom. 5:8; Eph. 2:4; 2 Thess. 2:16; 1 John 3:1; 4:9, 10 God so lovediSee ch. 1:29 the world,1Or For this is how God loved the worldjRom. 8:32 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should notkch. 10:28 perish but have eternal life. 17 Forlch. 5:36, 38; 6:29, 57; 7:29; 8:42; 10:36; 11:42; 17:3; 20:21; Rom. 8:3; 1 John 4:9, 10, 14 God did not send his Son into the worldmch. 5:45; 8:15; 12:47 to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 nch. 5:24; [Mark 16:16] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has notoSee 1 John 5:13 believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 p[ch. 9:39] And this is the judgment:qSee ch. 1:4, 5, 9 the light has come into the world, andr[Isa. 30:10; Jer. 5:31] people loved the darkness rather than the light becausesch. 7:7 their deeds were evil. 20 t[Job 24:13; Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:13] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light,uEph. 5:11, 13 lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But whoeverv1 John 1:6 does what is truewPs. 139:23, 24 comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God. ”
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them andxver. 26; ch. 4:1, 2 was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (fory[ch. 5:35]; See Matt. 4:12 John had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew overzch. 2:6 purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him,aver. 2 “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan,bSee ch. 1:7 to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, andcch. 12:19 all are going to him. ” 27 John answered,d1 Cor. 4:7; Heb. 5:4 “A person cannot receive even one thingech. 6:65; [James 1:17] unless it is given himfSee Matt. 21:25 from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said,gSee ch. 1:20 ‘I am not the Christ, buthMal. 3:1; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:17; Acts 19:4 I have been sent before him. ’ 29 iSee Matt. 25:1 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.jJudg. 14:20; Song 5:1 The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,kMatt. 9:15 rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 lMatt. 3:11 He must increase, but I must decrease. ”
31 mch. 8:23 He who comes from abovenRom. 9:5; Eph. 1:21 is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth ando[1 John 4:5] speaks in an earthly way.pSee ver. 13 He who comes from heavennRom. 9:5; Eph. 1:21 is above all. 32 qver. 11 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard,r[ver. 19; ch. 1:11; 5:43; 12:37] yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimonys[ch. 6:27; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; Rev. 7:3-8] sets his seal to this,t[1 John 5:10] that God is true. 34 For he whomuSee ver. 17 God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spiritv[Ezek. 4:11, 16] without measure. 35 wSee ch. 5:20 The Father loves the Son andxSee Matt. 28:18 has given all things into his hand. 36 yver. 15, 16; ch. 5:24; 6:40, 47, 54; 1 John 5:12, 13; [ch. 11:25, 26; 20:31]; See Matt. 19:16 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;z[Rom. 2:8; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6] whoever does not obey the Son shall notaver. 3 see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.