John — Chapter 3

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1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.

2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”

3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

4“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.

7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’

8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?

11Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.

12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

19And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.

20Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

21But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

22After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.

23Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.

24(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

25Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.

26So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

27John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.

28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’

29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

30He must increase; I must decrease.

31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.

32He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.

33Whoever accepts His testimony has certified that God is truthful.

34For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

35The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands.

36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

23And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

24For John was not yet cast into prison.

25Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.

26And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

28Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

29He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

30He must increase, but I must decrease.

31He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

32And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

33He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

35The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2the same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.

3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4Nicodemus saith unto 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?

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!

6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew.

8The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things?

11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

12If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?

13And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, [even] the Son of man, who is in heaven.

14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;

15that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

17For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.

18He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.

21But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.

22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

23And John also was baptizing in Enon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

24For John was not yet cast into prison.

25There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John`s disciples with a Jew about purifying.

26And they came unto John, and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

27John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven.

28Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him.

29He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom`s voice: this my joy therefore is made full.

30He must increase, but I must decrease.

31He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaketh: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

32What he hath seen and heard, of that he beareth witness; and no man receiveth his witness.

33He that hath received his witness hath set his seal to [this], that God is true.

34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not the Spirit by measure.

35The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

36He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

1Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council,

2came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.”

3Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?”

5Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’

8The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9Nicodemus replied, “How can these things be?”

10Jesus answered, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?

11I tell you the solemn truth, we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony.

12If I have told you people about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

14Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

16For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

18The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

19Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

20For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed.

21But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.

22After this, Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing.

23John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was plentiful there, and people were coming to him and being baptized.

24(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)

25Now a dispute came about between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew concerning ceremonial washing.

26So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you testified—see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”

27John replied, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.

28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’

29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete.

30He must become more important while I become less important.”

31The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to all.

32He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.

33The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful.

34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly.

35The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority.

36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him.

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

2The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

3Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”

4Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

5Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom.

6That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’

8The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things?

11Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness.

12If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

13No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.

14As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

15that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

17For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

18He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

19This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

20For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.

21But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”

22After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them, and baptized.

23John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came, and were baptized.

24For John was not yet thrown into prison.

25There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification.

26They came to John, and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, the same baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”

27John answered, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.

28You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’

29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full.

30He must increase, but I must decrease.

31He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

32What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.

33He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true.

34For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure.

35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

36One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Jesus tells the Pharisee Nicodemus that no one can see or enter the kingdom of God without being born again — born of water and the Spirit, not merely of the flesh (vv. 3-7). He compares the Spirit's work to the wind, unseen but unmistakable in its effects (v. 8), then explains that just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, the Son of Man must be lifted up so that everyone who believes in Him receives eternal life (vv. 14-15). Verses 16-17 summarize the gospel: God sent His Son not to condemn the world but to save it, out of love for the world. The chapter closes with John the Baptist's disciples growing jealous of Jesus' rising popularity, and John responding that his own role must now diminish as Jesus' increases (vv. 25-30).

Authorship & Background

Author: The Apostle John (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Classification: Gospel — Narrative and Discourse
Key Themes: A ruler who comes at night, birth described as something that happens to a person, a bronze serpent read as a foreshadowing, the most quoted verse in Scripture, and a forerunner content to decrease
Historical Context: Chapter 3 contains one of the most famous conversations in Scripture — Jesus and Nicodemus — and one of the most quoted verses in the Bible (John 3:16). Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council of 70 men. He came to Jesus at night, likely to avoid public scrutiny from his peers. The chapter also records John the Baptist's final testimony about Jesus, including his famous statement "He must increase, but I must decrease" (v.30) — a model of humility and God-centered purpose.
Nicodemus Comes by Night (vv.1-8): A Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the council of seventy, comes at night, which the Gospel mentions without explaining and most readers take as caution. He opens with a compliment and gets an answer to a question he did not ask: except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. The Greek can mean again or from above and probably means both. Nicodemus's literal objection about entering the womb is answered with wind — you hear it and cannot tell where it comes from.
The Serpent Lifted Up (vv.9-15): How can these things be, asks a man whose profession was knowing such things, and the reply is pointed: art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things? Then the image from Numbers 21 — as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up. Israel looked at a bronze snake on a pole and lived. Lifted up becomes this Gospel's word for the crucifixion.
For God So Loved the World (vv.16-21): The best-known verse in Scripture sits in a paragraph most people do not read past. God's motive is stated as love and the scope as the world, in a Gospel written to a community inclined to draw boundaries. Verse 17 rules out condemnation as the purpose; v.18 states that judgment is already settled by response. Then the reason given for unbelief is moral rather than intellectual: men loved darkness because their deeds were evil, and hate the light lest their deeds be reproved.
John's Final Testimony (vv.22-30): John's disciples come to him with a complaint that amounts to losing market share, and his answer refuses the premise. He calls himself the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices to hear his voice, which is a role with no ambition attached to it. Verse 30 is his last recorded word in this Gospel and the most quoted line about humility in it: he must increase, but I must decrease.
He That Cometh from Above (vv.31-36): Whether these verses are John the Baptist still speaking or the writer's own commentary is genuinely unclear, and translations differ on where the quotation ends. Either way the content escalates — he that cometh from above is above all, and God giveth not the Spirit by measure. The chapter closes with the two outcomes stated plainly, everlasting life for the believer and the wrath of God abiding on the one who does not.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.1): Nicodemus came to Jesus in Jerusalem — he was a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin.
  • Aenon near Salim (v.23): John was baptizing at Aenon ("springs") near Salim, because "there was much water there." The exact location is debated — possibly in Samaria or the Jordan Valley.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • SamariaSebastia, West BankOmri bought a bare hill and built a capital on it, which gave the northern kingdom a fortress with no prior claim on it, the same calculation David made with Jerusalem. It commands the pass west toward the coastal plain. The name later spread to the whole region between Galilee and Judea. Wikipedia
  • Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik provides excellent analysis of "born again" (Greek: anothen — meaning both "again" and "from above"), the bronze serpent typology in v.14, and John the Baptist's response to his disciples' jealousy in vv.26-30.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Abide Overview - Joshua 15-24, Judges 1-4, John 1-4, 1 Corinthians 14-16
David Guzik

John 3 | You Must be Born Again | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

God the Son Revealed in Secret - John 3:1-21
David Guzik

God the Son Revealed as Greater - John 3:22-26
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org The most quoted verse in the Bible, read in the conversation with Nicodemus that surrounds it.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org What Jesus claims about himself in verse 13, and why it is easy to read past.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org Whether being born of water in verse 5 refers to baptism.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of John -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Born Again (v.3) — Jesus told a religious expert that his knowledge and moral effort couldn't get him into the kingdom — he needed an entirely new birth. Have you experienced that kind of spiritual transformation, or are you relying on your own goodness?
  • The Spirit's Unseen Work (v.8) — Jesus compares the new birth to wind: invisible, but unmistakable in its effects. What evidence of the Spirit's work would someone else see in your life right now?
  • Lifted Up to Heal (v.14) — Just as those bitten by snakes in the wilderness were healed by looking at the bronze serpent Moses raised, Jesus says He too must be lifted up so people can be saved by looking to Him. Is looking to Christ a one-time decision for you, or an ongoing posture?
  • The Motive Behind the Cross (v.16) — This may be the most familiar verse in the Bible, but its claim is anything but ordinary: God so loved that He gave His only Son. What does it mean to you personally that this gift was for you by name?
  • Loving Darkness Over Light (v.19) — People stay in darkness not from ignorance but because they don't want their deeds exposed. Is there an area of your life you're keeping hidden because you don't want it brought into the light?
  • He Must Increase (v.30) — John the Baptist's response to losing followers to Jesus was joy, not jealousy, because he knew his purpose was to point to Christ, not build his own name. Where in your life — career, family, reputation — are you being asked to decrease so He can increase?