John 3:1-21

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

April 22, 2012

*
*

*(From JOHN #6 - 3:1-21)*


 D. 3:1-21 NEW BIRTH, ATONEMENT AND JUDGMENT EXPLAINED

1. 3:1-15 NICODEMUS! ATONEMENT IS BASIS FOR BIRTH FROM ABOVE

a. 3:1-2 NICODEMUS IS ARRESTED BY SIGNS OF JESUS

*Now there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a ruler of the
Jews:*

*E*n de ANthr*o*-pos ek t*o*n Pha-riSAI*o*n, NiKOd*e*-mos Ono-ma auT*O*,
ARch*o*n [758] t*o*n IouDAI*o*n:

2 *the same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi,*

HOUtos *E*Lthen pros auTON nukTOS, kai EIpen auT*O*, 'RabBEI [4461],

*we know that you are a teacher come from God;*

OIda-men HOti aPO TheOU eL*E*lu-thas [2064] diDAska-los [1320];

*for no one can do these :signs which you do, except :God be with him.*

ouDEIS gar DUna-tai TAUta ta s*e*MEIa [4592] ha su poiEIS, eAN m*e* h*e* ho
TheOS met' auTOU.


 b. 3:3 NATURE AND NECESSITY OF REGENERATION

*Jesus answered and said to him, Amen, Amen, I say unto you,*

a-peKRIth*e* I*e*SOUS kai EIpen auT*O*, A-M*E*N [281], aM*E*N, LEg*o* soi,

*Except one be born from above,*

eAN M*E* tis gen-n*e*TH*E* [1080] An*o*-then [509],

*he cannot see the kingdom of :God.*

ou DUna-tai iDEIN t*e*n ba-siLEIan [932] tou TheOU.


 c. 3:4 NICODEMUS CAN ONLY SEE NATURAL BIRTH - THE LETTER

*:Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born being an old man?*

LEgei pros auTON ho NiKOd*e*-mos, P*o*s DUna-tai ANthr*o*-pos gen-n*e*TH*E*nai
GEr*o*n [1088] *o*n?

*can he enter a second time into the womb of his :mother, and be born?*

m*e* DUna-tai eis t*e*n koiLIan [2836] t*e*s m*e*TROS auTOU DEUte-ron
ei-selTHEIN, kai gen-n*e*TH*E*nai?


 d. 3:5 BIRTH FROM ABOVE IS BY WATER AND SPIRIT, NOT NATURAL BIRTH

*:Jesus answered, Amen, Amen, I say unto you,*

a-peKRIth*e* ho I*e*SOUS, A-M*E*N, aM*E*N, LEg*o* soi,

*except one be born of water and Spirit,*

eAN M*E* tis gen-n*e*TH*E* ex HUda-tos kai PNEUma-tos,

*he cannot enter into the kingdom of :God.*

ou DUna-tai ei-selTHEIN eis t*e*n ba-siLEIan tou TheOU.


 e. 3:6 FLESH AND SPIRIT CONTRASTED

*What is born of the flesh is flesh; *

to ge-gen-n*e*MEnon ek t*e*s sarKOS SARX es-tin;

*and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.*

 kai to ge-gen-n*e*MEnon ek tou PNEUma-tos PNEU-MA es-tin.


 f. 3:7* Marvel not that I said to you, You must be born from above.*

m*e* thauMAs*e*s [2296] HOti EI-PON soi, Dei huMAS gen-n*e*TH*E*nai An*o*
-then.


 g. 3:8 BIRTH BY THE SPIRIT IS INWARD AND INVISIBLE

*The Spirit breathes where he wills, and you hear his :voice,*

to PNEUma HOpou THElei pnei [4154], kai t*e*n ph*o*N*E*N [5456] auTOU
aKOUeis,

*but do not know from where he comes, and where he goes:*

alLA ouk OIdas POthen ERche-tai, kai pou huPAgei:

*so is every one :born of the Spirit.*

HOUt*o*s esTIN pas ho ge-gen-n*e*MEnos ek tou PNEUma-tos.


 h. 3:9 * Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?*

a-peKRIth*e* NiKOd*e*-mos kai EIpen auT*O*, P*o*s DUna-tai TAUta geNESthai?


 i. 3:10 JESUS QUESTIONS NICODEMUS

*Jesus answered and said to him, *

a-peKRIth*e* I*e*SOUS kai EIpen auT*O*,

*Are you the teacher of :Israel, and do not understand these things?*

 Su ei ho diDAska-los tou Is-ra*E*L, kai TAUta ou giN*O*skeis?


 j. 3:11 NICODEMUS DID NOT RECEIVE JESUS' SIMPLE WITNESS

*Amen, Amen, I say unto you [that], We speak what we know, and witness what
we have seen;*

aM*E*N, aM*E*N, LEg*o* soi [HOti], ho OIda-men laLOUmen, kai ho he-*o*RAka-men
mar-tuROUmen;

*and you receive not our :witness.*

kai t*e*n mar-tuRIan h*e*M*O*N ou lamBAne-te.


 k. 3:12 A PENETRATING QUESTION

*If I told you the earthly things and you believe not, *

ei ta ePIgei-a [1919] EIpon huMIN kai ou piSTEUe-te,

*how shall you believe if I tell you :heavenly?*

p*o*s eAN EIp*o* huMIN ta e-pouRANni-a piSTEUse-te?


 l. 3:13 ONLY THE SON OF MAN HAS SPOKEN FROM HEAVEN

*And no one has ascended into the heaven,*

kai ouDEIS a-naBEb*e*-ken [305] eis ton ou-raNON,

*except he that descended out of the heaven, the Son of :man.*

ei m*e* ho ek tou ou-raNOU ka-taBAS [2597]*,* ho huiOS tou anTHR*O*pou.


 m. 3:14-15 THE BRAZEN SERPENT: A TYPE OF CHRIST

*And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,*

kai kaTH*O*S M*o*-uS*E*S HUps*o*-sen [5312] ton Ophin [3789] en t*e* eR*E*m*
o* [2048],

*so must the Son of :man be lifted up;*

HOUt*o*s hu-ps*o*TH*E*nai dei ton huiON tou anTHR*O*pou;

15* that whoever believes have in him eternal life.*

HIna pas ho piSTEU*o*n en auT*O* Ech*e* z*o*-*E*N ai*O*ni-on.


 2. 3:16-21 ATONEMENT: GOD'S PURPOSE - JUDGMENT: PENALTY FOR REJECTION

a. 3:16 THE LOVE OF GOD IN GIVING HIS SON FOR MAN

*For :God so loved the world,*

HOUt*o*s gar *e*GAp*e*-sen [25] ho TheOS ton KOSmon [2889],

*that he gave his :only begotten :Son, that whoever*

H*O*Ste ton huiON ton mo-no-geN*E* [3429] Ed*o*-ken, HIna pas ho

*believes unto him perish not, but have eternal life.*

piSTEU*o*n eis auTON m*e* aPOl*e*-tai [622], ALla Ech*e* z*o*-*E*N ai*O*
ni-on.


 b. 3:17 THE END FOR WHICH GOD SENT HIS SON

*For :God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world;*

ou gar aPEstei-len ho TheOS ton huiON eis ton KOSmon HIna KRIn*e*
[2919]ton KOSmon;

*but that the world be saved through him.*

all' HIna s*o*TH*E* [4982] ho KOSmos di' auTOU.


 c. 3:18 BELIEF: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALVATION AND JUDGMENT

*Who believes unto him is not judged: who believes not has been judged
already, *

ho piSTEU*o*n eis auTON ou KRIne-tai: ho m*e* piSTEU*o*n *E*d*e* KEkri-tai,

*because he has not believed unto the name of the only begotten Son of :God.
*

HOti m*e* pePIsteu-ken eis to Ono-ma tou mo-no-geNOUS [3439] huiOU tou
TheOU.


 d. 3:19 REJECTION OF LIGHT: BASIS OF JUDGMENT

*And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world,*

HAUt*e* DE es-tin h*e* KRIsis, HOti to ph*o*s [5457] eL*E*lu-then eis ton
KOSmon,

*and :men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their :works were
evil.*

kai *e*GAp*e*-san hoi ANthr*o*-poi MALlon to SKOtos *e* to ph*o*s; *e*n gar
auT*O*N po-n*e*RA ta ERga.


 e. 3:20 PRACTICERS OF EVIL HATE THE LIGHT

*For every one that practices evil things hates the light,*

pas gar ho PHAUla [5337] PRASs*o*n [4238] miSEI [3404] to ph*o*s,

*and comes not unto the light, that his :works be not reproved.*

kai ouk ERche-tai pros to ph*o*s, HIna m*e* e-legchTH*E* [1651] ta ERga
auTOU.


 f. 3:21 DOERS OF TRUTH COME TO LIGHT

*But who does the truth comes unto the light,*

ho de poi*O*N t*e*n aL*E*thei-an [225] ERche-tai pros to ph*o*s,

*that his :works be manifested that they have been worked in God.*

HIna pha-ne-r*o*TH*E* [5319] auTOU ta ERga HOti en The*O* es-tin
eir-gasMEna [2038].


 *NOTE**: *3:1-15 - Nicodemus was high up as a ruler in Jewish affairs -
yet he was completely ignorant concerning true spiritual concepts. Still -
the “signs” Jesus performed were so authentic, that they drew this man - by
night - to search Jesus out and find answers to his questions.


 It is in the Gospel of John that the author again and again emphasized the
importance of Jesus' words by the double “Amen, Amen” emphasis. Each time
we run across this introduction to one of Jesus' statements, the importance
is so great that it will pay us to memorize each of these statements, and
spend time in meditating upon them.


 Note too that it is one thing to “see” the kingdom of God - and it is *
another* thing to enter it. The birth from *above* with water (the living
word) and *Spirit*, are the conditions for this entrance. How many “see”,
but do not press on to enter? *He that hungers and thirsts after
righteousness, shall be filled!”* The reward is *not* to the passive
person, but to the earnest seekers.


 In 3:8 we learn of the mysterious and inexplicable workings of the Spirit.
His comings are unexpected, and often *sudden*. And - when a person is *
totally* committed to God and His ways, like Oswald Chambers -
*abandoned*to the Spirit, - then like George Muller, Rees Howells and
Chambers - their
movements *also* become inexplicable and strange like those of the Spirit.
One of Chamber's interesting quotes is, “*Consistency is the hobgoblin of
little minds.” * I have found this concept to be freeing.


 3:14-15 brings out an aspect for Jesus' first coming that makes a great
deal of sense. Jews have had difficulty and stumbled over the two comings
of the Messiah. His first coming was designed by the Godhead to make the
Son of Man the “Suffering Servant or Messiah” - as the one to bring
Redemption and Reconciliation to the lost race of Adam. It fits in with
Isaiah 53, which Jewish rabbis usually bypass. But His next coming will be
as Lord of lords and King of kings - and though the Jews expected this at
His first coming - they will be shocked at the Reality of His Second
Coming. They will *then* realize that in their ignorance, they rejected Him
as a whole at His First Coming. Zechariah depicts their deep mourning when
they discover the wound-marks in hands, feet and side - that they helped
give Him at His first coming.


 Yet God in His wisdom used even this to make room for the coming of
Gentiles into the Church, the One New Man - along with a remnant of
believing Jews, the Messianic believers.


 Some scholars have wondered if 3:16-21 is also a part of Jesus' words to
Nicodemus; or whether they stopped at verse 15, and are general words that
follow. Up till now I have had no opinion on this - but today as I looked
closely at the Interlinear Greek text, I have tentatively concluded that
they *also* are a part of Jesus' words to Nicodemus. What do you think?
J.A.Watt


 P.S. - The complete manuscript of the “Outlined Interlinear NT” is now in
the hands of the Printer. Much of it has already been processed and
proof-read for printing. In the very near future it can be in your hands -
plus an E-book copy for those preferring this. The above format has already
been adjusted to a 6x9 page - for ease in transferring to the E-book
format. J.



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