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John 3:1-36

The following record is a continuation of the events which began in John 2:23 while Jesus was in Jerusalem in the Passover in the feast. Even though at that time many people believed into his name viewing-with-attention the signs that Jesus was doing, Jesus himself did not trust himself to them because he knew all-people and because he did not have a need in order that someone may witness concerning man, for he knew what was in man.

However, in this chapter we will read about one man who was genuinely wanting to know more information from Jesus, and in response Jesus trusted him with particular details regarding God's kingdom and that God by means of Jesus himself would make it available at a future time to receive holy spirit-life on a permanent basis.

John 3:1 and 2:
3:1But there was a man from the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Judeans; .2this (man) went towards him of night and said to him, "Rabbi, we knew2 that from God you came2 - a teacher, for not-one-person is able to do these signs which you do except God may be with him."

During that past time there was a man from among the Pharisees, and the name given to/for him was Nicodemus. He was a ruler over Judeans (a chief, he was in a dignified hierarchical or first-placed position relative to other Judeans).

Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the supreme or ruling religious council of the Judean/Israeli nation located at that time in Jerusalem. It was composed of 70 members (including Pharisees and Sadducees), besides the chief/high priest(s), which were selected from former chief/high priests and the heads of the 24 courses of priests.

This man, Nicodemus, approached Jesus during the nighttime and said to him...

[Reference: John 1:38, 2:23, 7:50, 19:39; Acts 2:22, 10:38.]

Verses 3-12:
.3Jesus answered and said to him, "With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you, except someone may be born from-the-top he is not able to know the kingdom of God."
.4Nicodemus says towards him, "How is a man able to be born being old? He is not able to go into the womb of his mother and to be born a second-time, is he?" .5Jesus answered, "With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you, except someone may be born from water and spirit he is not able to go into the kingdom of God; .6the-thing having been born2 from the flesh is flesh, and the-thing having been born2 from the Spirit is spirit; .7you must not marvel that I said to you it is necessary (for) you to be born from-the-top; .8the Spirit blows where He intends, and you hear its sound but you did not know2 from-where it comes and where it goes - thus is every-person having been born2 from the Spirit."
.9Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How are these-things able to come-to-pass?" .10Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not know these-things! .11With-certainty, with-certainty I say to you that that-which we knew2 we utter-forth and that-which we saw2 we witness, and you do not receive our witness; .12if I said the earthly-things to you and you do not believe - how if-ever I may say to you the heavenly-things will you believe?"

Jesus judicially replied to Nicodemus' statement recorded in verse 2 above because Nicodemus wanted to know the full extent of his mission, what he was in the process of accomplishing, his purpose, his objective. Jesus said to him...

The kingdom of God refers to God's spirit realm, which of course is holy and spiritual because God is Holy and He is Spirit - Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God includes all that is contained within God's sovereignty, His kingly or royal dominion and government and rule and territory and power, etc - it is the kingdom belonging to God.

At that time Jesus was living within the sphere of action of God's spirit realm with its ability and signs being evidenced among the people in the physical realm - because God had given spirit to Jesus (refer to John 1:32 and 33).

Nicodemus' next questions show that he wanted to know more details about what he would need to do so that he could definitely know (see, perceive) the kingdom of God.

His questions also show that he understood what Jesus said to mean that above all else someone must be born - the start or commencement of this process is to be born. Nicodemus had been born many years previously and he was now an old man, and he continued trying to understand what Jesus was talking about - which seemed to him to indicate that he must be born all over again - the commencement of his life for a second time. He says towards him (with a purposed reference to Jesus)...

Jesus did not give the expected answer, but instead he judicially replied to the questions by further explaining to Nicodemus about going into the kingdom of God and specifying 2 different kinds of birth with their associated kinds of life - he answered...

Jesus is referring to the future availability for a member of mankind (a human-being) to be able to receive holy spirit-life on a permanent basis from God (which occurred on the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2).

Every person who will become born from God by receiving spirit life within him/her on a permanent basis will not be able to see it, but will be able to know (see, perceive) the evidence of the spirit in the physical realm. That person will know the truth that he/she is definitely alive in the spirit category, because of hearing the manifestation or evidence from the spirit within him/her. However, that person will not know all the details concerning the spirit but that it works very effectively, just as breathing does in the physical category which evidences soul/breath life.

Nicodemus answered and said to him...

Nicodemus wants to know the details of what Jesus was talking about in the last part of verse 8. Jesus answered and said to him...

The time had not arrived yet for the full details regarding the spirit category in relation to mankind to be revealed by God. At the time when Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus - no member of mankind, no human-being, not even Jesus himself - was born from water and spirit. Jesus was a man made of flesh (refer to John 1:14) just the same as Nicodemus, and he had received spirit from God on a temporary basis just the same as Nicodemus. However, Jesus was prophesying to him regarding the future time of the giving of holy spirit to/for mankind on a permanent basis, which John the baptizer had also prophesied that Jesus would make available at a future time (refer to John 1:33).

In verses 6 and 8 above, God is referred to as Spirit to emphasize the truth that He is Spirit - God is Spirit and He is Holy, His essence is holy spirit - and that His realm of power, authority, and action is in the holy spirit category. References: Matthew 1:18 and 20, 12:32; John 4:24; Acts 1:16, 28:25; I Corinthians 2:11; Hebrews 3:7, 9:8, 10:15.

[Reference: Genesis 2:7; Deuteronomy 29:29; Matthew 3:11; John 1:9-13, 33 and 34; Acts 2:2-4, 17:24 and 25, 22:15; Romans 1:3 and 4; I Corinthians 4:20, 15:40-50; Ephesians chapter 3; Philippians 2:10; James 1:17, I John 1:1-4. Also refer to the articles on Adam and Eve, Hope and Resurrection, and Pentecost and holy spirit.]

In the following verses (13-21), John - who wrote this writing many years after the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ - explains about the "heavenly-things" which Jesus referred to but did not elaborate on above when speaking with Nicodemus.

Verses 13-21:
.13And not-one-person ascended2 into the heaven except the (one) out-from heaven having descended - the son of man; .14and according as Moses heightened the snake in the desert-place, thus it is necessary (for) the son of man to be heightened .15in order that every-person believing may have eternal life in him; .16for thus God loved1 the world so-that He gave the son, the only-begotten (son), in order that every-person believing into him may not destroy-himself but may have eternal life; .17for God did not apostle the son into the world in order that he may judge the world but in order that the world may be saved by means of him.
.18The (person) believing into him is not judged, but the (person) not believing already was judged2 because he did not believe2 into the name of the only-begotten son of God; .19but this is the judgment: that the light came2 into the world and the men rather loved1 the darkness than the light, for their works were evil; .20for every-person practicing slight-things hates the light and does not come towards the light in order that his works may not be refuted, .21but the (person) doing the truth comes towards the light in order that his works may be manifested that they are being caused-to-work2 in God.

Nobody (not anyone, none of mankind) has already ascended and continues ascended (remains mounted, stays gone up) into the heaven (literally referring to anywhere above the earth, the sky above, but figuratively referring to God's spirit realm - God's location - not one man/woman has been resurrected and is alive today with God in heaven)...

...and...

God has already heightened His son (refer to Acts 5:31). The present time is after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and after his ascension into heaven and after the day of Pentecost when God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ made the gift of holy spirit available to people of the Judean/Israeli background and other backgrounds. Every person who believes regarding God's son receives eternal life. 

Verse 14 references what occurred during the old covenant times when the children of Israel spoke against God and Moses, against their deliverance from Egypt, and against the bread which God had given to them for their sustenance to keep their physical bodies healthy, and they also accused God of not supplying them with any water to keep the life in their bodies (both the bread and the water were necessary).

They were against God and against the Christ whom they were to look forward to because he was to be their true spiritual bread and water, their future means of supply of new bodies which would not be liable to death, and their means of supply of the life of their new bodies which would be holy spirit life and it would not be taken away from them. They would then live with and for God being in constant communication and enjoying God’s blessings by means of the Christ.

In verse 15, the Greek word aionios may be translated “eternal” or “agelong”. In this context, the life being referred to will not end. It is eternal, agelong, lifelong, everlasting. It lasts throughout all durations of life, all ages from the time a person receives it. This life can only be received from God by God's giving of holy spirit by means of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, all holy-people (Christians) have received holy spirit-life within us, which is the spirit of Christ in us; it is the deposit, token, earnest of what we will receive at a future time. This holy spirit-life will remain for the duration of God's life which will not end. The full completeness for us will come to pass when our Lord Jesus Christ will come to gather all holy-people together with him giving us new spiritual bodies, the life of which will be holy spirit-life, like the body he has already received from God, his Father and our Father, when God raised him up alive from-among the dead-people.

In verse 16, John continues to explain:

...for God did not apostle the son into the world (the ordered-arrangement that God created)...

...but on the contrary - God apostled the son into the world (God sent forth/away His son on a specific mission or assignment)...

God apostled Jesus his son to carry-out a specific assignment so that it would be available for people to be saved to God upon completion of that assignment. After God raised Jesus up alive from being dead and after his ascension into heaven and sitting on the right-hand side of God - God again apostled His son into the world via the giving of the gift of holy spirit on the day of Pentecost making redemption and salvation available to all of mankind (refer to Acts 2:33 and 3:26; I Peter 1:12; I John 4:9-14). All holy-people (true Christians living today) have received the gift of holy spirit which is the spirit of Christ in us – he is our life while we live in the present world. The time of final judgment on those in the world by God via His son will not occur until the day of the Lord, which will begin with the Lord gathering all holy-people together with him away from the earth. 

John continues: The person who is presently and actively believing into him (the believer regarding God's son, as verse 16 above) is not judged (a decision is not presently being made, sentence is not being pronounced on the believer)...

...but this is the judgment (the action of pronouncing sentence, the process of making a separating decision, the passing of judgment, the decision being made at the present time in judgment of/from God):

...for all/every-person practicing slight-things (habitually, repeatedly doing and in the process of accomplishing things which are lacking any substance in connection with God and therefore can be blown away as trivia)...

...but the person who is doing the truth (performing, making, producing the actions and activities in accordance with the truth, which is what God says, the essential reality, God’s inherent verity)...

In verses 16 and 18, the word translated as “only-begotten” is taken from the Greek word monogenes which literally means: an only genus born (the sole kind begotten, the only descendant born), as an only child of the parent(s), the single/unique offspring of its kind/genus, because the parent(s) have no other children. The only child is loved with deepest love, affection and tenderness by his/her parent(s), and that child would have the attributes, characteristics, etc, given to him/her by the parent(s). Regarding Jesus Christ – he is the monogenes son relative to God his Father because Jesus is the only kind/genus of being who truly is: the son of God. Jesus is the MONOGENES. This word emphasizes genus/kind. Refer to Luke 9:38; John 1:14 and 18, 3:16; Romans 1:3 and 4; Hebrews 11:17; and I John 4:9.

In verses 16 and 19, the verb "to love1" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will by any member of mankind (refer to I Corinthians chapter 13 and I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.

[Reference: Genesis chapter 1-3; Numbers 21:5-9; John 1:14 and 18, 5:36-38, 6:29-35, 12:30-33 and 47; Acts 2:33, 3:26, 5:31 and 32, 13:41, 17:30 and 31; Romans 2:3, 3:6, 5:8 and 17, 8:32, 10:6-10; I Corinthians 3:9, 5:13, 10:9, 15:45-47, 16:10; Ephesians 4:4-12, 5:11-14; Philippians 2:13; II Thessalonians 1:5-10; I Timothy 1:15 and 16, 2:3-6, 4:10; II Timothy 1:10, 4:1 and 8; Hebrews 3:1; James 3:16; I Peter 1:12; I John 1:1-6, 3:12, 4:9-14, 5:13. Also refer to the articles on Love in I Corinthians Chapter 13 and Hope and Resurrection.]

Next, John the writer of this book returns to what Jesus did following verse 12 above, and also what John the baptizer was doing at that time:

Verses 22-30:
.22After these-things Jesus went and his learning-disciples into the Judean land and there he spent-time with them and baptized; .23but John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim because many waters were there, and they arrived and were baptized, .24for John was not-yet thrown2 into the prison.
.25Therefore a seeking came-to-pass out-from John's learning-disciples with a Judean concerning cleaning, .26and they came towards John and said to him, "Rabbi, he-who was with you (on the) other-side of the Jordan, whom you bore-witness2, look!, this-one baptizes and all-people go towards him." .27John answered and said, "A man is not able to receive not-even one-thing except it may be given2 to him out-from heaven. .28You yourselves bear me witness that I said that I am not the Christ but that I am having been apostled2 in-front-of that-one. .29The (person) having the bride is a bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, the (friend) having stood2 and hearing him, joys with joy because-of the sound of the bridegroom; therefore this joy, my (joy) was fulfilled2; .30it is necessary (for) that-one to increase, but (for) me to be made-less."

After the things described in verses 1-12 above which had taken place in Jerusalem during the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus went (came) and his learning-disciples (students) into the countryside of Judea from the city of Jerusalem, and in that location he spent time (as wearing through time, like rubbing his time away) in company and association with them and baptizing during that past time. Refer to John 4:2 where it states that Jesus himself was not baptizing anyone, but it was his learning-disciples who were baptizing others with water like John the baptizer.

Also, after the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, John was continuing during that same past time, historically, to be baptizing in Aenon close to Salim because a lot of waters were there (referring to the springs in that location on the west side of the Jordan river, south from the Sea of Galilee, and north from the land of Judea).

People used to arrive (they were continuing to approach and come beside them) and they were being baptized (water was John's type of baptism; refer to John 1:26-34)...

Following-on logically from what is written in verses 22-24 above...

...and they came towards John and said to him...

However, instead of getting all upset as a result of the wrong information that they told him about Jesus' activities - John judicially replied to their statement by saying...

John continues to explain to them why there was no problem with Jesus doing what he was doing, while John was doing what he was doing, by using an example:

These are the last words spoken by John the baptizer (baptist) that John records in this writing telling others that Jesus would increase with what God would give to him to receive/take so as to use it (refer to verse 27 above).

[Reference: Matthew 4:12, 14:3-12; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:20; John 1:6, 15, 20 and 26-34, 2:6; Acts 5:39; I Corinthians 4:7.]

In the following verses (31-36), John the writer explains to the readers of this writing the fullness of how Jesus increased as prophesied by John the baptizer in verse 30 above.

Verses 31-36:
.31The (one) coming from-the-top is over all-people: the (one) being out-from the earth is out-from the earth and utters-forth out-from the earth; the (one) coming out-from heaven is over all-people.
.32That-which he saw2 and heard he witnesses this, and not-one-person receives his witness; .33the (one) having received sealed his witness that God is (the) True-One, .34for whom God apostled utters-forth the spoken-matters of God for He gives the spirit not out-from a measure; .35the Father loves1 the son and He gave2 all-things in his hand.
.36The (person) believing into the son has eternal life, but the (person) being un-persuaded by the son will not see life but the wrath of God remains on him.

The one who is presently in the process of coming from-the-top (from the place that is above, upwards, figuratively referring to heaven which is God's location - and also including the truth of the start or commencement of the process of his coming, first promised by God recorded in Genesis 3:15)...

That-which God's son...

...he witnesses this (no-one else - it is God's son who continues attesting with information of what he saw and heard, he gives the declaration of knowledge that he personally has and therefore he states and confirms what he saw and heard on the strength of his own authority),

The one who has already received (it was the Lord Jesus Christ who took what was given to him from/by God so as to use it - how did he use this witness?)...

...the Father (emphasizing the truth that God is the Lord Jesus Christ's Father, there is a Father/son relationship between them) loves the son with His kind of love (Godly-love) and...

The person (man, human-being) who is presently believing into the son (having faith, trusting regarding the son whereby he is the object of belief - the person who is believing directed-to him)...

...but the person who is actively unwilling to be persuaded (not convinced) by/with the son (who is the Lord Jesus Christ)...

God's son is the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ was dead but now he is alive. God marked Jesus Christ out as the son of God by raising him up from among the dead-people giving him his spiritual body. God gave him the name that is above every other name, designating the resurrected Jesus being Lord and Christ, and his name includes the name – SON – God’s son; he inherits everything that the firstborn son should inherit from his Father, the only true God. The word ‘son’ emphasizes origin, quality, and essence. The spirit of holiness is the spiritual essence of the resurrected Christ Jesus. Refer to Matthew 3:17, 17:5; John 17:1; Acts 2:21 and 38, 3:6 and 16, 4:7-12 and 30, 9:20, 13:33, 26:23; Romans 1:3, 4 and 9, 5:10, 8:3, 29 and 32; I Corinthians 1:9, chapter 15; II Corinthians 1:19; Galatians 2:20, 4:4 and 6; Ephesians 1:19-23, 4:13; Philippians 2:9 and 10; Colossians 1:13 and 18; I Thessalonians 1:10; II Thessalonians 3:6; Hebrews 1:1-8, 3:6, 4:14, 5:5-10, 6:6, 7:3, 21 and 28, 10:29; II Peter 1:17; I John 1:3 and 7, 2:22-24, 3:8 and 23, 4:9, 10, 14 and 15, 5:5, 9-13 and 20; II John 1:3 and 9; Revelation 2:18.

[Reference: Matthew 4:4, 28:18; John 1:14 and 18; Acts 1:5 and 8, 2:33; Romans 1:3, 4 and 8, 2:5-8, 3:4; I Corinthians 2:10, 15:45-50; II Corinthians 1:21 and 22; Ephesians 1:13 and 19-23, 4:13 and 30, 5:6, 6:17; Colossians 1:19, 2:9 and 10, 3:6; Hebrews 1:5; I John 1:3, 4:14 and 15, 5:6-13; Revelation 1:5, 3:14, 22:17-20. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

John Chapter 4


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