John 3 (plus John 4:1-3)
David H. Linden Action International Ministries
In John 1:13 the apostle said that those who became children of God had been born of God. John 3 elaborates on that teaching as it tells of the visit from Nicodemus. This chapter is perhaps the most familiar part of the entire Gospel, yet it contains a number of verses, such as 22-35, that have been neglected. It is regrettable that the beginning of John 3 suffers from a chapter break that keeps people from reading it as closely tied to 2:23-25. John 3 also promotes simple faith in Christ as the needed response to the gospel, resulting in eternal life, and warns of unbelief.
John the author did not always indicate when he was no longer quoting Jesus or John the Baptist, and when he was adding his own comments. I think this chapter switches twice from historical narrative to comments added by the apostle.
3:1-15
Nicodemus visits Jesus – narrative
3:16-21
An elaboration by the apostle
– comment
3:22-30
John the Baptist’s declining
ministry – narrative
3:31-36 An elaboration by the apostle – comment
Nothing about Nicodemus is mentioned in the Synoptics. The material about Jesus baptizing more people than John is also unique to this Gospel. The reaction by the Baptist to the changed situation, in which he would have less influence and a smaller following, shows what a humble man he was. Though the second part of John 3 is not a continuation of the Nicodemus narrative, the apostle does have a purpose in putting them together. In both parts he makes believing in Christ a matter of urgency. He drew attention to faith in chapter 2, in both parts of John 3, and again by examples of people believing in chapter 4. Thus the evangelistic appeal continues. He did more than merely say people need to believe in Christ; throughout this Gospel he gave examples of both faith and unbelief.
John 3 is rich in doctrine. It emphasizes the necessity of the Spirit’s work in hearts that otherwise would never believe. Apart from God’s intervention, no one would accept the gospel (v.32). This is a truth greatly neglected in our time; it needs to be emphasized again. John 3 mentions Jesus’ coming death on the cross (without using the word crucify), and John adds that it is the Father’s love that prompted Him to give His Only Begotten Son. The entire Trinity appears here.
3:1,2 2:25 ends by mentioning man twice. For 3:1 to begin with “there
was a man …” maintains the thought of the end of chapter 2. John could have
written, “There was a Pharisee...” but he wrote, “There was a man of the
Pharisees…”. Jesus “needed
no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man” (2:25). So of course He knew what was in Nicodemus too
as the conversation reveals. Thus the theme of Jesus knowing people’s hearts in
1:47,48 continues in chapter 2, is seen here in chapter 3 with Nicodemus, and again
with the Samaritan woman in 4:16-19. Some think Nicodemus is an example of a
man to whom the Lord did not entrust Himself. I think the text shows that Jesus
did open up to Him. Yet all Nicodemus had to form his view of Christ was the
signs in 2:23.
How do we
understand Nicodemus? As a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus was a
member of the ruling council, the Sanhedrin. Jesus spoke of him as “the teacher
of
In John 3, Nicodemus gives no indication of being a believer. In fact
the record shows he was ignorant of things it was his duty to know. The last
word in this chapter about him is that he did not believe (v.12). Yet he never
contradicted Christ. I conclude that he spoke sincerely when he said that God
was with Christ. He called Jesus “Rabbi,” a term of respect for Him,
undoubtedly sincere. He could not call Jesus “Lord,” because at that time He
did not know that. When the Lord scolded him for not understanding the
Scriptures, there is no recorded negative reaction. A proud man would not
accept that kind of reproof from a young Rabbi. With those supposed believers
in 2:24 the Lord did not respond to them as if they were true believers. On the
other hand, with Nicodemus Jesus gave more than mere explanations. He went much
further by stating that He is the Son of Man. He also revealed to Nicodemus
that He must go to the cross (v.14) and that those who believe in Him will have
eternal life (v.15). The Lord responded to him with a remarkable openness.
3:2 Many think Nicodemus’ visit at night was so that he would not be seen. The Scripture does not say. I personally think that was not the reason. To visit Jesus at night would give a much longer uninterrupted opportunity to talk. Thus perhaps it was a measure of his seriousness, not cowardice. It is unclear whether Nicodemus came alone. In this verse he said “we know” and in v.7 Jesus spoke to him with both singular and plural pronouns. Nicodemus could say we and be speaking of others with similar thoughts of Christ who were not present. Nicodemus stated a fact that was true. Jesus really was associated with the true God of Israel. This is less than saying He is the Messiah. He spoke to Christ knowing something about Him, but looking for more.
3:3 Conversations in all the Gospels are very condensed. The apostles give
brief summaries. Here in Jesus’ reply there is a mention of the
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born
again he cannot see the
Born Again This expression has
become part of our vocabulary. The Greek word often translated “again” in 3:3,7
is anothen (aνωθεν). However, the other legitimate translation is
“from above”, as in 3:31. When Nicodemus
said a man cannot enter his mother’s womb and so be born a second time, he responded
without grasping what Jesus meant. The confusion of Nicodemus should not decide
for us the meaning of the word. Christ
did not mean another birth of the same kind, or a second one.
John uses anothen in 3:31; where it means “from above”, “He who comes from above is above all”. In 19:11 anothen appears again: Pilate could have no authority unless it had been given from above. At the cross Jesus had one garment that was one piece from top to bottom. The Greek word for “from top” (Mark 15:38) is the same word. It does not mean again or a second time. While “born again” in 3:3,7 is very familiar; born from above more clearly means from God. In vv. 5,8 Jesus is more specific when He taught that this new birth is by the Holy Spirit. In 1:13, those who receive Christ have been born of no other cause. The only explanation was that they had been “born of God.” Jesus told Nicodemus he needed a birth from a different source, namely God Himself.
3:4,5 Nicodemus’ question shows he misunderstood what kind of birth Jesus had
in mind. He knew another physical birth was impossible. The Scriptures never
taught such a thing. He expected Jesus to agree with him. So Jesus explained
what He did mean, a birth of water and spirit. (In Greek, the earliest
manuscripts had no upper and lower case letters. I think water refers to the Spirit.) Some wonder if Jesus meant a birth of
two kinds – the one of water is physical and the other is of the Spirit. In
v.10 Jesus admonished Nicodemus that as a religious teacher in
Old Testament
Promises of the Spirit
The Spirit was active in creation (Genesis 1:2). It should be no surprise that He is active in
the new creation. Scripture had many rituals of cleansing with water, as in
Numbers 19. In Psalm 51:10 David spoke of the cleansing of the heart. The prophets
emphasize a future work of the Spirit in terms of cleansing. The Lord was the
fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13) and His Spirit would be poured
out like water on dry ground (Isaiah 32:15; 44:3-5; Joel 2:28,29). The most
emphatic prophecy is Ezekiel 36:25-29. God will sprinkle clean water on them to
cleanse them, give a new heart, and remove their hardness of heart. He
promised, “I
will put my Spirit within you.” This is the kind of transformation needed so a
person can enter the
Is It by Water
Baptism? Was
Jesus saying we enter the kingdom by baptism? If we must be born of water and
the Spirit, does God use baptism as the means of bringing us in? I offer the
following reasons for saying No.
1. Jesus was speaking of one thing, not two. The
birth was not by water and then also by something different, namely a birth by
the Spirit. One preposition in Greek covers both nouns. Jesus did not say, “of
water and of the Spirit.” The texts in the box above Old Testament
Promises of the Spirit show that water refers to the Spirit’s cleansing
work. The Spirit’s work is not ritual but salvation itself. The person who has
not been baptized with water but has been born of the Spirit already has the
cleansing transformation.
2. If the Apostle John intended to tell us that
we are saved by means of water baptism, he never refers to it in any other part
of this Gospel. He always stresses believing.
3. We are not saved by baptism but by the
cleansing that baptism points to by means of washing by water. It points to,
but is not the same as, a change of heart. External washing and a spiritual cleansing
within are different. Sadly, in the history of the church there has often been
confusion between the sign (water baptism done by men) and the reality (a new
heart given by God). For example, we all
know the difference between a photograph of and the reality of a friend.
4.
In Titus 3:5 either: a) regeneration is the spiritual washing intended, or b) external
washing in the sacrament of baptism brings regeneration.
The first (a) says
that the Spirit’s internal work is the cleansing that renews or transforms. The
second (b) is that the external washing with water brings about the new birth
(or regeneration). The Bible never teaches that we are changed by mere water.
To show the limitation of his ministry, John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11
contrasted his baptizing with water (a ritual) with Jesus’ baptizing with the
Spirit and fire. Water to our skin makes no permanent change, but fire does
(Luke 3:16). A life changed from slavery to sin, brought by the power of the
Spirit, is what it means to be born from above. Those who advocate salvation by
means of a ritual turn the faith of sinners away from the Savior Who gives the
Spirit of life. This faith is then a false dependence on a ritual, or the
church that gives it, or the one performing it.
3:6 The Lord in this verse applies the principle found in all of life: nothing can produce a life different from itself. Humans bear humans, and cats have kittens. Flesh is simply a word here for human life, as in 1:14. Flesh produces its own human flesh and blood, never another kind. So it is with the new birth. Only the Spirit can produce His kind of life. Nicodemus raised the question about a second human birth. Jesus was speaking about a birth from the Spirit. Thus the new life has in it the quality of God’s holy life. The birth from above does not mean we are born to be God, but we are born to be godly – God-like in a moral sense. In 2 Peter 1:4, to be a “partaker of the divine nature” is to have a moral transformation. That means we will love what He loves and hate what He hates. It means His word is welcome in our heart, His promises are trusted, His commandments obeyed, and His truth believed. It means we are made to love and worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Human flesh can never produce such a result, and the Holy Spirit cannot fail to produce any other kind of life.
3:7 If Nicodemus, as an expert in Scripture, really knew what the Lord had promised for the Messianic day, he would not be surprised that the Lord would actually bring about the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) He had promised. (See above “Old Testament Promises of the Spirit.”) Deuteronomy 29:4 was a solemn word about the human condition, “But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.” God then promised it would not stay that way. On the same day as those words, the Lord said, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live,” (Deuteronomy 30:6). Genuine spiritual life is not a new concept. Nicodemus should not have marveled to hear of it. Jesus was simply teaching a truth that had been there in the OT for centuries.
Many suppose that Jesus’ word, “You must be born again” is an imperative. If it were, He would be telling Nicodemus what to do. The words sound like an order, such as “You must be out of here in five minutes.” Though the words are extremely serious, they are not an imperative. Jesus was saying it is necessary that one be born from above. If a teacher says, “You must carry oxygen with you to live on the moon,” he is not giving an order; he is stating a necessity.
More teachers lately are arguing that what one needs to enter the kingdom is to be in covenant with the Lord, and that we are in covenant with Him when we are baptized with water. They neglect the necessity of conversion. Jesus did not teach that we need to be in covenant in order to enter the kingdom, but that a change of heart is needed. When born from above, one believes in Christ and is therefore accepted as a child of God (1:12). This believing is generated by God (1:13). It is the spiritual reality which brings us into a true covenantal relation to our God. Since we judge ourselves by the results of the new birth, we should be very diligent whether we have genuine faith in Christ (2 Peter 1:10, 1 Corinthians 11:28,32). True faith always results in a life that loves God in obedience (14:15,21). Many have been in covenant with the Lord externally by circumcision or baptism, and yet they have rejected the God they once professed as their own. Such souls are an apostate Esau or Judas lacking a new life from above.
3:8
The Analogy of Wind for the Spirit In Greek the same word is used for spirit, breath, and wind. Thus the
movement of the wind is an analogy for the unseen and unpredictable activity of
the Holy Spirit. We cannot predict the way paper may be blown about by the wind.
Jesus was teaching that the movement of the Spirit to bring life to sinners is
not predictable to us. Which ones will be born of God? The Father chooses
(1Thessalonians 1:4); the Son chooses (5:21); and the Spirit like wind moves
where and when He wishes, saving those He chooses to save. Since the will of
each Person in the Trinity is the salvation of the same sinners, this shows the
true unity of God. The salvation of the sinner begins in the will of God, not in
the will of the sinner.
More on the New
Birth John 3 does not give us all
the teaching in the Bible on this subject. Other Scriptures teach us that we
are born by hearing the word, the gospel. Faith comes by hearing (Romans
10:17), but hearing is not possible for those who cannot hear (8:43) unless God
intervenes to change our hearts. Not to all individuals but to His own, God has
given the blessing of knowing the secrets of the kingdom (Matthew 13:11). Those
not born from above cannot even see (3:3). Their hearts are dull (Matthew
13:15) but “Blessed are your ears for
they hear,” (Matthew 13:16). “Of his own will he [God] brought us
forth by the word of truth … ” James 1:18. God causes this new birth (1 Peter 1:3)
by His word (1 Peter 1:23-25). In 1 Peter 1:3 & 23 the Greek verb does mean born again. Except for Titus 3:5 the
Bible does not use the word regeneration to describe the new birth. In later
theology regeneration
has become a commonly used word to express the Spirit’s creation of spiritual
life.
3:9-13 The Certainty of Jesus’ Knowledge The Lord had been explaining the basics: a new birth
is necessary; without it we cannot see; it is of the Spirit; it comes from the sovereign
initiative of God. These things are all found in the Old Testament. Nicodemus
knew from Jesus’ miracles that God was with Him (3:2), but after hearing Christ
he was puzzled (v.9). The Lord admonished him for his dullness. Even though
Nicodemus was a prominent clergyman in
In
v.11 the prophetic ministry of Christ is evident. He speaks, He knows what He
is saying and knows it is truth. He did not invent His message. He was a
witness sent by the Father to speak all that the Father had said. The notion
that “we mainly witness by our life” is a twisted view of what witness means.
Here and elsewhere Jesus witnessed by what He said. Proper living never
replaces witness; it supports it.
Nicodemus had trouble understanding (vv.4,9). He had another problem; he did not believe. Not accepting the things of God is natural for the “natural man” (1 Corinthians 2:14). No one can believe what he does not understand, and no one can believe if he has not been born from above. The new birth opens the heart and mind to God, but at this point Nicodemus still did not understand his problem. He thought of himself as a God-fearing Jew. He felt he was surely a citizen of God’s future kingdom, but since he had not been born of God (1:13), he had no part in it. Nicodemus was not receiving the testimony Jesus had been giving him. The man who supposedly taught others the Word of God did not receive it even when God was speaking His word to Him face to face.
It
is puzzling to read that Jesus spoke of “earthly things”. This does not refer
to earthly things as opposed to “things above” as in Colossians 3:1,2. The Lord
had spoken of being born from above, so how could He call that something within
the realm of “earthly things”? They were not earthly in their source.
Jesus witnessed to what He had received from above (8:26,27). I think the earthly things of v.12 are simply what
God had previously revealed to men on earth in Scripture. Nicodemus may have
been looking for additional things, “hidden things” from this new Prophet
Jesus. Perhaps that is what Christ spoke of as “heavenly things” in v.12 – the secrets
of God not revealed to man. (We are often sinfully eager to know what God has
withheld from us! Deuteronomy 29:29) Jesus spoke of things that had been the
possession of God’s people on earth for centuries, yet Nicodemus had not
accepted the word already given through Israel’s prophets (Luke 12:48). Nicodemus
would not receive more from God if he refused what was already revealed in
Scripture (Matthew 13:12).
3:13 John 3 does not report whether Nicodemus asked more about who Jesus
was. He probably wondered when the young man (Jesus) spoke with great authority
to the older master. (Note Matthew 7:28,29 and 1Timothy 4:12.) Thus there is
another reason why Nicodemus should believe. First he had the Scriptures; they
came indirectly from God through human writers He has chosen. On this night,
the majestic Son of Man from heaven was teaching him directly. No one has ever
gone to heaven to bring back any information. The One with Nicodemus that night
is the One Who came from heaven. He knew what He was talking about and where He
had come from (8:14).
Either Jesus was that exalted Son of Man He claimed to be or He was deceitful. Nicodemus heard Jesus claim that He had descended from heaven. Good Pharisees recoiled in disgust when mere men claimed to be God. They were sensitive to blasphemy, a charge others often laid on Christ (10:33; Matthew 26:65). That fact that all we see of Nicodemus after this is openly supportive of Christ makes me conclude that Nicodemus eventually became a true believer. I hope so, and if so, then Nicodemus too at some point had been born from above.
3:14,15 What follows is more than evangelism. It is an unusual degree of
opening up to Nicodemus. First, it is filled with gospel. The Lord spoke of His
coming death. Whether Nicodemus grasped immediately that being “lifted up” was
a reference to the cross, I cannot say. It is unbelievable that he would hear
that from Christ and not see the meaning later when the crucifixion happened.
Here Jesus connects the gospel action of God (His sacrifice) with the gospel response
of faith. Jesus was lifted up so that all might receive by believing. Thus if there was
no lifting up, there is no gospel for faith to rest on. In the history of
Jesus
said more than this. Just as He declared in 3:7 that men MUST be born from
above, He told Nicodemus that He Himself MUST be lifted up. The cross is not
one possible way among others whereby God could save man. Jesus’ death met an
unchangeable requirement of God. God declared death for sin (Genesis 2:16,17).
The punishment of sin is not optional but necessary for God’s glory. His forgiveness
is more than canceling a penalty of sin; instead, He transferred that penalty
to our Mediator. It was necessary for a righteous Substitute to die so that
God’s threat would be fulfilled concerning the sinner. Jesus took the sinner’s
guilt and sentence of death. The gospel is that God has graciously acted to
satisfy His own justice. He did not suspend it. Thus, Jesus did not merely say
He would die some day; He was saying He must.
“Lifted up” in the
Gospel of John This
verb appears four times: 3:14; 8:28; 12:32 & 34. It always has refers to
Christ being lifted up on the cross. This exaltation has the double sense of being
lifted up in shame and lifted up in glory. By being lifted up He would not only
die, He would be effective to draw all to Himself (12:32), the devil would be
defeated (12:31), and the Father glorified (12:28). By that lifting up, men
would learn Who He is, and all of His teaching would be vindicated (8:28). John
combines lifted up on the cross with
the sense of being raised from the dead. The One lifted up in death will be
lifted up in glory. In Isaiah 52:13 the same Greek verb is used, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high
and lifted up, and shall be exalted.” Because Christ in
perfect submission to the Father was lifted up on the cross, He has been highly
exalted by His Father. On the day when God makes Jesus’ glory to be universally
recognized, our Lord will be exalted in the eyes of all intelligent life
(Philippians 2:5-11).
A
Summary of 3:1-15 The new birth is better
expressed as being born from above, rather than the more common “born
again”. It is a birth generated by the Spirit of God. Without this necessary
transformation, no one can enter the
3:16 Christians find 3:16 very attractive. One reason is its profound simplicity. It is a statement that says so much, yet is so simple and clear it is one of the first verses in the Bible Christians want their children to memorize. It speaks of love – not in the abstract, but love that acted. It catches the great moral surprise that God could ever love a world so evil. It surprises us with grace that He would give His Son for our salvation. It then follows such loftiness by making the very simple demand of faith in Christ. Then, finally, it connects all eternity – good or horrid – to that simple response.
3:16
is such a well-designed statement. For all of us born since the time of Christ,
there are four time periods related to salvation. 3:16 spans from eternity to
eternity and gives them in order.
Eternity Past
|
The Coming of Christ |
Our Lifetime |
Eternity Future |
God loved in the past |
That He gave His Only Begotten Son |
That whoever believes now |
Will never perish but will have everlasting life |
|
There
is no time in human history when God began to love the world He had decided
to save. That love preceded creation (Ephesians 1:4). There was an eternal
agreement that Jesus would be the sacrifice (John 17:4,5; Revelation
13:8). |
There
was a time in human history when Jesus came (Galatians 4:4). On a certain day
He appeared (Luke 2:11), sent by the Father (10:36). He was coming (1:9), was
in the world (1:10) and came to His own (1:11). |
Believing
in Christ happens in our history, even though believers were chosen before
creation and even though they were redeemed by the blood of Christ shed 2000
years ago (Luke 1:68). We believe now to be saved forever (Acts 16:31). |
The
life promised is secure (5:24; 10:28). The promise is stated both ways:
(negatively) will never perish, and (positively) will have
everlasting life. There is no danger in the Judgment Day (5:24) for the
believer. We are assured of the presence of Christ (17:24). |
The
Apostle John aimed for a brief yet comprehensive statement. As a preacher of
the gospel, he had many opportunities to quote what Jesus had said in vv.14,15.
One might wonder in such a carefully composed gospel summary as 3:16 why John
does not mention the death of Christ. V.14 had just mentioned Jesus’ death, so
when 3:16 says God gave His Son, we know from that context that the
purpose of His giving was to send His Only Begotten to the cross.
Does God Love What He Tells Us not to Love? A greater puzzle is how 3:16 can say that God loved the world when in 1 John 2:15,16 we are told: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world.” Both texts are from the pen of the Apostle John! In 3:16 the Lord loves a sinful humanity whose morals are repugnant to Him. He sent His Son not to condemn the world (3:17) but to save it. Thus God had in mind a world He would rescue, save, and transform (16:8). He does not approve of the world or retract His curse (See John 7:7). Salvation is motivated by love to save from evil. In 1 John 2 the apostle warns us against the attraction of the world, approving its ways, sharing its desires, joining it in its sin. God’s love for us was, and Christ’s death for us came, while we were still guilty sinners (Romans 5:8). He died only for ungodly people (Romans 5:6). We believed and were justified while in an ungodly condition (Romans 4:5). It is not that we have improved so that God’s wrath could be withdrawn from us. While we were not righteous (Romans 5:7) and still under His wrath because of our sin, God loved the world and through Christ saved us from the wrath we deserve (Romans 5:9).
The World God
Loved Sometimes in the Bible the word “world” has the
sense of geography – the earth God created. Since the present world (Galatians
1:4) or present age (1 Corinthians 1:20) will pass away (1 John 2:15-17),
“world” may refer to time. It may also refer to the nations (Luke 12:30), as in
the “kingdom of this world” (Revelation 11:15). John 1:10 uses it for both
place and people. (The apostle John uses world
more than any other NT writer.)
When we are warned not to be worldly (Titus
2:12), it is clear that there is a moral aspect to this word in the Bible.
Since the world is sinful (John 16:8) and under the power of the devil (1 John
5:19), it needs a Savior (1 John 4:14; John 3:17). It is polluted (James 1:27)
and under God’s judgment (1 Corinthians 11:32; Romans 3:19). Its rulers
crucified the Lord of glory! (1
Corinthians 2:8), yet God sent Christ so that He could reconcile Himself to the
world and the world to Himself (2Corinthians 5:19,20). The world is hostile to
God and His people (Hebrews 11:38; James 4:4). It is in darkness needing light
(Matthew 5:14; John 8:12).
Though believers are in the world, the word
is sometimes used to distinguish it from them (Luke 12:30; 1 Corinthians
1:18-31; John 17:9). We live in the world, but our life is not from it (John
17:15,16); our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
When John 3:16 says that God loved the world
(the verb is in the past tense), it gives the motivation for His determination
to give His Son. God does not approve the world. His love is for sinners before
they believe. The emphasis John makes is that the world God has loved is evil
and is under His wrath (3:36). It needs to be saved from sin (3:17). To meet
that need He has acted in love by sending His Only Begotten Son to be lifted up
to die (3:14). It is not necessary to suppose that John 3:16 means that God has
loved each and every soul in the world in the same way. He has not acted to
save every soul in the world. Jesus “loved his own who were in the world”, and “loved them
to the end”
(13:1). It would create a difference of
purpose in the Father and the Son if we suppose that the Father loved all
individuals in the same way but that Jesus specifically loved His own in a way
that distinguished them from the rest of the world. In the end God will have a
world that pleases Him and a world where all love Him in return (1 John 4:19).
This is the world now being saved by the Son He sent – sent because God loved
the world. He has not loved because we are good, but because He is good and
gracious. Jesus did not pray for all the
world (17:9). He had not decided to save every human being, but John shows that
the world God loved is greater than
Individual or Corporate? Note that 3:16 speaks of both individuals (whoever) and the larger picture
(the world). The scope of God’s salvation is the world, not just
3:17 “God sent” means the same as “God gave” in v.16. His purpose in the incarnation was not to condemn. Further condemnation would just be repetition. God had already condemned all of Adam’s descendents in Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12-19). The mission of Jesus was to save. The things Jesus will do in His Second Coming, such as judge all mankind (5:22,27-30), did not happen in His First Coming because the Father had sent Him to save. The gospel is that the Lord God Who had already condemned sinners, invites those under His holy wrath to come to Him for eternal life. He sincerely offers a full pardon to them.
3:18 The way to have condemnation relieved is to believe in the Lord Jesus sent by the Father for this very purpose. Whoever believes will be condemned no longer (5:24). God has sent a “Condemnation Remover”, Christ! But whoever does not believe in Him keeps his condemnation and adds to it by rejecting the provision God has made for its removal. Unbelievers: 1) were all condemned in Adam’s sin, 2) continue condemned for their own sins, and 3) are locked into their condemnation eternally by rejecting the divine pardon. To perish (v.16) is to have condemnation never removed. Eternal life is always combined with the immediate and final removal of condemnation (Romans 5:1 and 8:1). The one who refuses to believe rejects the majestic Son God has sent, His Only Begotten, the One Who came to make the Father known (1:18), the One Who is the Way to Him (14:6). Rejecting Christ is rejecting God. Rejecting Christ means the one already condemned is disobeying God’s gospel call to faith in Christ. As a result, he will face God the Judge in his sins: without hope (Ephesians 2:12), without a Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), and without a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26).
3:19-20 Since John’s aim is to promote faith in Christ, he is very serious
about unbelief. Here he explains it. (See 12:37-43.) The Light is Christ Who
has appeared in the world (1:4,5). THE Light has come (1:9). The reason men
will not believe is within them. Their problem is not that Jesus did not do or
show or say enough; the problem is in the human heart. We naturally love our
sin and prefer it to righteousness. We hate exposure to what is right. We do
not want to change even though God sent His Son into the world. Believing in Christ
brings a change sinners do not want because they prefer darkness. (See 1:5). To
hate THE Light is to hate Christ (8:12), as in 15:18-25. Unbelievers did not
see in Christ the glory of God (1:14), but what they did see was reproof of
their evil deeds (7:7). Thus man is very motivated to avoid Christ (6:35,36).
He may pretend that it is not clear that God has created the world or sent His
Son, etc., but his real reasons are
moral – he hates the Light.
3:21 Since God has sent His Son, the proper thing for anyone to do is to come to Him. The rejecter of Christ has his reasons why he does not want to. The converted man comes, not because he is good but that God would receive credit even for his coming. This is true of his first act of faith and all the ones that follow. To hear of Christ and not believe is to be exposed to truth; to believe is to respond to it and thus to do the truth. As in vv.19,20 it is the Light not merely light, so here it is not a general matter of facing a truth, but responding to the truth. The Apostle John often speaks of believing as accepting truth (18:37; 1John 1:6-8; 2:4; 3:19; 2John 1-4; 3John:3,4). He says this in a very strong way in 3:33.
The apostle reports a controversy, which became an opportunity for John the Baptist to give a wonderful response about his Lord. Probably we have in these verses the last words from the Baptist before he was murdered. Often there will be more attention to a ritual than to the reality it was designed to emphasize. God has given external rituals, but men often make them the chief thing. Things like baptism and the Lord’s Supper continue to be the subjects of great controversy. Some of John’s disciples were envious at the increased interest being shown to Jesus. His disciples were baptizing more people than John the Baptizer! John knew his true role as a prophet and was delighted that public attention had moved from himself to Christ.
3:22 Jesus was still in
This verse says Jesus
baptized and 4:2 says He did not. This is not a contradiction. In their
language they could say a person did something even if he only caused it
to be done. We too speak this way. We
say Hitler invaded
3:23,24 John’s baptizing work continued for a time after he had announced Jesus as the Messiah in chapter 1. In John 3, people were still listening to him, repenting and being baptized. His ministry probably ended soon after this because the apostle felt he needed to add that he was still not in prison. Probably the first readers of this Gospel were aware of events related to the time of Christ. The imprisonment of John is reported very early in Mark (Mark 1:14), which indicates that events in John 1-4 were early in the span of Christ’s public ministry. They happened while John was still active. The overlapping of these ministries was brief.
3:25,26 There was some debate about the ritual of cleansing. We are not told
what the two sides of the dispute were, nor who the Jew was who is mentioned. John’s
disciples heard that Jesus was also active in baptizing. Thus John’s work was
not the only activity of that sort. His disciples sensed that John’s ministry
was fading and that attention was moving in the direction of Jesus. They were
not pleased that all were flocking to Jesus. (This is another of many examples
where the Greek word for all cannot mean each and every person.) John’s
disciples remembered his witness to Christ. The purpose of all his work was
that Jesus might be made known to
3:27-30 Maybe John’s disciples thought he would not be pleased at what they thought was bad news. But John understood the purpose of God and the wonderful, unique, but limited ministry he had been given. Before telling of his joy at their “sad” news, John affirmed the sovereign right of God to assign a ministry as He pleases. The Lord may limit success, gifts, and publicity, but all legitimate ministries are entirely His gift (Ephesians 4:7). Paul referred to his ministry as a grace given to him (1 Corinthians 3:10, Galatians 2:9 & Ephesians 3:7). It is the only way anyone can accomplish anything good. Every man ought to have a deep humility about his ministry in light of such truth (1 Corinthians 4:7).
John reminds his followers
that he had made clear to them that he was not the Christ. Since he had been
sent by God to introduce Christ the Lord, the success of his ministry would be
evident in people giving attention to the One introduced. If their interest was
fixed on John that would make his ministry a failure.
John’s famous analogy was that he was not the groom, so he should not have the bride. For the good friend of the groom to try to take the bride would be a terrible betrayal. The satisfaction of a loyal friend is to see the groom have his wife, and for the bride to be united to her husband. What the disciples reported to John brought him joy. If everyone was going to Jesus (an exaggeration they made) then John knew his work was being fulfilled. His interest in Christ made his joy complete to hear such a report. He was soon to be imprisoned and his public work finished, so his joy was full; his life was near its end. That men were following Christ and not him was wonderful. John assured them that what his disciples had observed had to continue, and John’s public role had to decline even more. (Here is another use of the Greek word for must, as in vv.7 & 14.)
Earlier
the Apostle John added to the narrative of Nicodemus a theological and
evangelistic explanation in vv.16-21. He adds here a similar elaboration. It is possible, but unlikely, that the words
of 3:31-36 are from the mouth of John the Baptist. I find it more convincing
that this is further theological reflection from the apostle, more insight
imparted by the Holy Spirit. The words tie in closely with what precedes them.
John the Baptist had a mandate from heaven, but he did not come from heaven. So
here is a paragraph on the supremacy of Christ, the One who is above all. Like
the earlier explanatory note this paragraph combines the wonder of Who Christ
is with the horror of unbelief as a response.
I suspect that except for v.36 this short passage of Scripture has
received little attention. It is a valuable addition to what the Bible tells us
about Christ. More attention should be given to it. We are not reading this
Gospel as we ought if we skip over any of it.
3:31,32 John opened this Gospel by saying that Christ is God. Here he asserts the same truth in different words. Only Jesus is the One from above. He is not merely from there; He is Himself above all. He was above even when He was here below. As the One above all, He is Lord. The incarnation of Christ did not diminish His deity! With all others it is different. We belong to the earth. We do not know the mysteries of God, but our Lord Jesus Christ spoke with a different access to truth; His knowledge is firsthand. John could only speak what was given to him from heaven, and that was limited. Jesus came from heaven speaking as One Who had eternally possessed from His Father all the thoughts and plans of God. The prophet John did not know how to identify the Messiah until given a signal from God (1:33,34). Jesus’ testimony and ministry had no limitation.
3:32 There is no higher and no
more reliable witness of the things of God than Christ, the One from heaven.
Surely all mankind would listen to a witness of that caliber and accept what He
had to say! But v.32 shows the evil nature of our hearts, because no one
accepts the testimony about the Lord given by the Lord from heaven! [See the Appendix The Cannots and the New
Birth below.] Rejection of Christ’s testimony is the natural reaction of all mankind. (A computer has a natural or default setting. To have a different
font on this computer I must change how it is set when I turn it on; otherwise it
will function only with the default setting. Likewise, a man will always reject
Christ unless God intervenes.)
|
The General Natural
Response |
The Supernatural
Response |
|
Did not receive,
1:11 |
yet some did, 1:12,13 |
|
Did not come to the light, 3:19,20, |
yet some did, 3:21 |
|
Did not accept His testimony, 3:32, |
yet some did, 3:33. |
3:33-35 Faith is a testimony on our part that God is true. Our faith never
makes God true, but realizes that He is. We can be sure Christ is the truth
since He is the One God sent, the One Who speaks what has been given to Him.
Unlike all other prophets Jesus had the Spirit without any limitation (Isaiah
11:1,2). One significant function of the Spirit was to reveal truth (14:17,26).
Christ not only has the Spirit but, as One loved by His Father, He has all
things, because all has been placed in His hands (see 5:20). This is His
inherent right and role as the Son. The Father has promised Him the nations
(Psalm 2:8). The keys of death and hell are in His hands (Revelation 1:18).
Christ is the ultimate revelation of God, and has made Him known (1:18). The
Father could not send a more complete representation of Himself than His Son
(Colossians 1:15,16; Hebrews 1:1-3). One cannot exceed the exact likeness of
the glory of God, and this is what Christ is.
3:36 Such a revelation and such a Person demands faith. And believing results in eternal life. To reject the Son is a deep affront to God’s Majesty as God because Jesus Christ is His Son. “He who rejects me rejects Him who sent me,” (Luke 10:16). Unbelief is also a rejection of God’s supreme kindness as the Sender of the Savior. A refusal to believe is a mindless neglect of our own welfare, since our eternal life depends on accepting God’s testimony to us. To reject the Son is to be denied all the benefits of salvation. The rejecter has never seen life and never will. The wrath of God is upon us before we believe (Ephesians 2:1-3). To remain in unbelief is to remain condemned (3:18) and under God’s wrath. Later, John gives a longer theological analysis of unbelief, when near the end of Jesus’ public ministry he wrote of those who “still would not believe,” (12:37-43).
The Wrath of God John 3:36 corrects the false notion that
God is without wrath, or that He is only gracious, or that He might save all
whether they believe or not. The Apostle John wrote John 3:16 & 36 of the
love of God for a wicked world and of the wrath of God upon that same world for
rejecting His Son. As rebellious sinners we began under His wrath (Ephesians
2:3). In love the Father gave Him, and in wrath He rejects all who reject Him.
The gospel is not good news for those with a vague belief in God as some
undefined “power”. Saving faith is always in Christ, the One sent. He is God’s
great overture of reconciliation, but still no man of his own will accepts His
testimony. The wrath of God is well
deserved. The Father loves the Son and has given all things to Him; He will
never tolerate rejection of Him. Never mistake God’s restraint as if rejection
of the Son does not matter to the Father. It does and God will show it.
4:1-3
Centuries ago a German monk divided the Bible
into chapters and verses. This has helped us to locate words in the Bible, but
sometimes the chapter break comes in an awkward place. In my opinion these
three verses mentioning baptism fit better at the end of chapter 3.
Since Jesus never baptized at all (see the notes at 3:22) and preached the Word of God often, it shows what a perversion of gospel ministry it is to make water baptism our primary ministry. (See 1 Corinthians 1:13-17 and the notes at 1:32,33.) Our Lord’s work was not ritual but reality. He does command and He did ordain a ritual with water, done by the hands of men (Colossians 2:11) as a means to signify the reality of the gospel. Baptism is not optional, but it is never a replacement for the message of faith in Christ, nor an equal to it. Faith comes from the preaching of the gospel. God has given baptism to strengthen faith, not replace it or supersede it.
There is a clear connection
between the Lord learning of the increased attention of the Pharisees and His leaving
The Lord used strong language to show how helpless sinners are. He said people cannot see and cannot enter God’s kingdom. Against this impossibility, He gave one hope. If one has a certain kind of birth then he can see and can enter. (See the notes on v.5 for what kind of birth this is.) The NT uses the Greek word is dunatai (δύναται) for can and cannot. In John 3:3 & 5 Jesus used it with a negative.
The Meaning & Use of the Word In John 3 the Lord focused on how a man cannot have
something unless born from above. A number of other Scriptures do the very
same. This word is not always translated the same way in English. Here are
samples that show it means being able or not able to do something.
No one by worry can add to his life; we are not able to do that (Luke 12:25,26).
A city on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). We are not able to serve two masters
(Matthew 6:24). A divided house cannot stand (the word appears 4 times in Mark
3:24,27). Can a blind man lead the blind? (Luke 6:39). Can a demon open the eyes of
the blind? (10:21) Both times this means: No, he cannot! No one is able to snatch the Lord’s sheep
out of His hand (John 10:29). Since it is God’s Word, the Scripture cannot be broken (John
10:35).
The
Problem Man is
hostile to God (Romans 8:7) and dead in his sins (Colossians 2:13). He loves
darkness, avoids the light (3:19-21), cannot come (6:44), and cannot bear good
fruit (Matthew 7:18). He is defiled by his own heart (Mark 7:20-23) and captive
to the devil (1 John 3:10; 5:19). In this slavery and helplessness, he has no
will that is free to escape and no ability even to obey the call of the gospel.
The dead cannot help themselves (Ephesians 2:1-3).
The
Solution: In man’s condition outside of Christ, it
is impossible to be saved, but nothing is impossible with God. Only He is able to
change our condition (Matthew 19:25,26). God can do in a man’s heart what that
man cannot do. For a man to be saved, God must act. However, it is error to
limit what God does; He does not simply provide a salvation that man takes to
meet his need. Man is unable to respond to God. His inability to believe or
will to accept the gospel means that, if anyone is to be saved, God must bring
the sinner to life. This is what He does, according to His will (3:8) as He
chooses (5:21). God brings the dead to life (Colossians 2:13). Without faith it
is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), but man in his flesh cannot please
God (Romans 8: 8). This means he cannot believe on his own, yet he must have
faith to be saved. How can any sinner ever believe? Without the needed birth
from above, faith in Christ is impossible. A man dead in sins cannot rouse
himself from his deadness. Salvation must begin not just with a message from
God to the human heart but with a transformation of the heart. Repentance is
beyond man’s ability, so God gives repentance unto life (Acts 11:18). Apart
from being born of the Spirit, no person would ever bow to say that Jesus is
Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3).
God
saves us by the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5). The change is so radical
that “No one born of God makes
a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep
on sinning because he has been born of God,” (1 John 3:9 ESV). Here
this word is used to show what the believer cannot do. Before the new birth,
the sinner cannot see; afterward, though he sins, he cannot live in sin as he
once did. Being in Christ does not remove our human inability to please God on
our own. “The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in
the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me,” (John 15:4). But being
in Christ opens to us a new ability to obey as we abide in Christ.
A well-known book was titled
How to Be Born Again. The title misses the point that the new birth is
passive. It is what God is active to do in us, not how we are active to gain a
new condition. “Through him you believe in God … and so your faith [is] in God. [Y]ou have
been born again … through the …word of God,” (1Peter
1:21-23). No one would seriously write a book titled How to Be Born as a
guide for unconceived persons to follow. What is irrational in the natural
realm is just as irrational in the spiritual.
The
new birth is the turning point in a person’s life. Before it, there is in us
only deadness to God; afterwards with a new heart, we have a God-given
motivation to know God. We are not born to this new life by believing (a very
common viewpoint); rather, we believe because we have been born of the Spirit.
All the decisive resurrecting power remains in God’s hands. He has designed a
salvation in which we will be forever indebted to Him. He does not thank us for
our believing as if it were an act of our free will; instead, we thank Him for
the gift of life that brought us to faith in Christ.