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Gospel of John Bible Study: John 3
by Wayne Davies Read John 3, the whole chapter, in one sitting. It's important to realize that the chapter and verse designations in the Bible were not part of the original writings. When John wrote this book, he did not include the verse numbers, nor did he come to a point and say, "Well, this looks like a good place to pause, shift gears, and start a new chapter". With that in mind, the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3 is a great example of how a chapter division can sometimes prevent us from seeing the logical flow in the telling of John's story about Jesus. John 2:23-25 tells us that when Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, "many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man." Now we come to chapter 3 and we meet a man named Nicodemus. And as you read this encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, keep in mind what John has just told us about Jesus in 2:23-25 He knows everything about everyone. He knows what Nicodemus is thinking, and He knows his heart. We are now going to see Jesus' omniscience in action. Nicodemus' Superficial Faith (v.1-2) Nicodemus is an example of the type of people in Israel who saw Jesus perform amazing miracles and teach God's Word with extraordinary insight, and yet have only a superficial, non-saving faith in Him. He addresses Jesus as "Rabbi", a term of great respect, and says, "We know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." Nicodemus was one of the key religious leaders of Israel. He was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, a group of 70 men known as the Sanhedrin. (These are the same men who later sentence Jesus to death for blasphemy!) Even Jesus refers to Nicodemus as "the teacher of Israel" (v.10 ESV). And he has come to talk with Jesus. He wants a face-to-face with this man who has caused such a stir. Jesus' Radical Statement: You Must Be Born Again (v.3-12) Instead of commending Nicodemus, Jesus says something that literally blows his mind "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus is shocked. His response is basically, "How can this be!" Perhaps you have heard the phrase "born again". Jesus mentions it 4 times in the conversation, so it must be important. "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (v.3) "Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (v.5) "You must be born again" (v.7) "So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (v. 8) Let's take a closer look. What Does It Mean? The phrase "born again" can also be translated "born from above". Jesus is saying that to enter the kingdom of God, a person must be born from above. He is telling us what must happen to us if we are to go to heaven when we die. We must experience a second birth, a spiritual birth that comes from above, i.e. from the God who lives in heaven. Who Does It? But how can a person do that? We had nothing to do with our physical birth, so how can we make this second, spiritual birth happen? (This is the essence of Nicodemus' questions in v. 4 and 10 "How can a man be born when he is old? How can this be?) Answer: we don't make the second birth happen, any more than we made our first birth happen. Being born again is not something that we do; it is something that God does. He makes it happen. It is His doing, His work, not ours. Why Do We Need It? Nicodemus, like most 1st century religious Jews, was trying to work his way to heaven. He was tying to earn his ticket into God's kingdom by keeping the Law of Moses and compiling an impressive list of good works. Jesus is saying that this approach will not get a person into heaven. We cannot do anything that will merit God's favor and forgiveness. And the Old Testament, which Nicodemus would have studied and known like the back of his hand, contains many verses that teach this truth. Isaiah 64:6 says: All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. That is quite a statement, isn't it? (See Romans 3:10-18, where Paul quotes several Old Testament passages that teach the sinfulness of humanity and our complete inability to impress God with our actions or our attitudes.) Because of our sin, the Bible makes it very clear that we are "dead". You may be full of life physically, but according to God's Word, you are spiritually "dead in your transgressions and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). How Does It Happen? We have a huge problem. We are dead. How can a dead person enter the kingdom of God? He can't. A dead person can't do anything. He's dead! Only God can bring us to life. You didn't cause your physical birth, and neither can you cause your spiritual birth. God, the author of life, must breathe the breath of life into your lifeless soul and bring you out of the tomb you've been trapped in. If you are not sure whether you are "born again", maybe you're thinking to yourself, "OK, I understand what you're saying. I'm dead and need to be brought to life. Well, how is that going to happen? If God has to do it, when is He going to do it?" Let me answer your questions. Rest assured, God does bring dead people to life. He's been doing it for centuries, and He continues to do it every day. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus and told them that "because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions" (Ephesians 2:4-5). The Apostle Peter also wrote these wonderful words: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth. . . into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or face kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:3-4). God wants to make you alive. God wants to give you this new birth. And the Bible tells us how He does it. Listen to what James wrote: "He chose to give us birth through the Word of truth" (James 1:18). Are you wondering whether you've been born again? Do you doubt that you will see and enter the kingdom of God? Then please continue to spend time reading and studying "the Word of truth", the Bible. God's Word is the means by which He gives life to the spiritually dead. And this book, the Gospel of John, is a great place to start. I urge you to keep reading this portion of Scripture, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Immerse yourself in God's truth and He will make His life available to you. His love and mercy are great, and He wants to reveal Himself and His kingdom to you. You can also pray, asking God to grant you the gift of the new birth. Jesus said, 9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:9-13) Jesus' Incredible Prediction (v. 13-21) In verse 13, Jesus suddenly brings up a new topic. He's been telling Nicodemus "you must be born again". Nicodemus is baffled by this statement. "How can this be?" (v. 9). Then Jesus rebukes Nicodemus, pointing out that "you people do not accept our testimony" and "you do not believe" (v. 11-12). Then comes verse 13, and Jesus shifts gears and starts talking about Himself. He identifies Himself as "the Son of Man", a title that the Old Testament used in reference to the Messiah (see Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus also says that He "came from heaven." When you think about it, these are incredible statements. To say "I'm from heaven" and "I'm the long awaited Messiah, the King of Israel" I think it is difficult for us to understand just how monumental it was for Jesus to say these things. And He said them regularly, over and over, throughout His three-year ministry. We will see more of them throughout John's gospel. And then He makes another mind-boggling statement. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life" (v.14). Jesus is referring to an incident in the Old Testament recorded in Numbers 21:4-9. Under the leadership of Moses, the children of Israel were on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. But the Jews become impatient and rebellious, so God punishes them by sending snakes to bite and kill them. But then God provides a way for the people to be saved from the snakes. Moses makes a bronze snake and lifts it up in the air, and anyone who looks at this snake is saved from the deadly snakebites. In John 3:14-15 Jesus compares Himself to this bronze snake. He, too, must be lifted up -- on the cross -- so that everyone who looks at Jesus with the eyes of faith will be saved from eternal damnation and receive eternal life. Like the Jews in the wilderness, we have sinned against a holy God and deserve the death penalty. We have broken God's law and His justice demands punishment in hell. Romans 6:23 says it so well "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord". The key question is: How do we receive this eternal life? It is a gift, which means we cannot earn it through our good works. So attending church, giving money to good causes, doing nice things for my elderly neighbor (like mowing her grass or shoveling her driveway), etc. none of those things will get you to heaven. If eternal life is a gift, there is nothing I can do to earn it or work for it. If eternal life could be earned, it would no longer be a gift, right? If someone wants to give you a gift, what must you do to take possession of it? You must hold out your hands and receive it. So it is with God's gift of eternal life. You must receive it by faith, by believing that Jesus is the Son of God and the only One who can save you from hell because of His death on the cross. In verses 1-12, the focus is on being born again, which is something that we really have nothing to do with. God does it. In verses 13-21, the focus is on believing, which is something we have much to do with! We must believe in Jesus in order for God to grant us the gift of eternal life. Notice that the word "believe" appears 5 times in verses 15-21: "Everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" (v. 15) "Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (v. 16) "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in him stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (v. 18) Do you see the tension here between being born again (which only God can do) and believing (which you must do)? The Bible teaches that salvation is entirely the work of God. And the Bible also teaches that I must believe in Jesus in order to receive salvation, and if I don't believe, I am doomed to spend forever in hell (that is what the word "perish" means in John 3:16). Perhaps you are wondering, "Well, which is it? How do I get saved? If being born again is entirely the work of God, what does my faith have to do with it?" There is an element of mystery here which the Bible does not fully explain. I can only tell you that Scripture is quite clear that there are two aspects to salvation that may appear contradictory to our feeble human minds: God causes us to be born again, while at the same time, our believing is required. The question you should be asking yourself at this point is this: If I must believe in Jesus to be saved from hell and to receive the gift of eternal life, what does it mean to "believe in Him"? (v. 15, 16, 18, 36). The Meaning of Faith There are at least two kinds of faith described in the Bible: non-saving faith and saving faith. Let's examine both. Non-saving Faith We just saw an example of non-saving faith in John 2:23-24 "Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people." So there were people who saw Jesus do miracles and believed in Him, but this was not saving faith. How do we know that? Because "Jesus did not entrust himself to them". The word "entrust" can be translated "believe". These people were believing in Jesus, but Jesus was not believing in them; he did not believe in their belief! He knew their hearts and that this faith was superficial and shallow. Nicodemus is Exhibit A for this non-saving faith. He believed that Jesus was a teacher "who has come from God" (v. 2). But then Jesus said "you people do not accept our testimony . . . and you do not believe" (v. 11-12). Hmmm. Well, which is it? Did Nicodemus believe or not believe? Answer: Both. He did believe (with non-saving faith), and so he also did not believe (he had no saving faith.) Another example of non-saving faith is found in James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe thatand shudder." Demons believe in the existence of God, but they obviously do not have saving faith. Likewise, a human being can believe that God exists but end up in hell. There will be plenty of people who spend eternity in the lake of fire who believe in the existence of God. The point here is that non-saving faith is the acceptance of certain facts as true. " I believe that God exists. I believe that Jesus came to earth and performed many miracles. I believe that He died on the cross and was raised from the dead three days later. Just like I believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States and that he was born in 1732 and died in 1799." Saving Faith 1. Saving faith is an act of the mind. Saving faith includes acceptance of the Bible's teachings about the person and work of Jesus Christ. Non-saving faith is only the mere mental assent to the facts about Jesus. Saving faith certainly starts with that and must include acceptance of what the Bible says about Jesus. You must believe as true many facts about Jesus with regard to both His person and work. You must believe that Jesus is God and that He became a man and lived on earth as a human being. You must believe that He proved His deity by performing countless miracles. And you must believe that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, and then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father, reigning over the universe while building His church. And you must believe that one day this Jesus will return to earth a second time to judge all people and to grant everlasting life to believers and everlasting punishment to non-believers. If you believe all that, that's a good start! Believing the facts about the person and work of Jesus are foundational to saving faith. But there's more. The devil Himself "believes" all those facts he knows them to be true but the devil is not going to heaven some day, is he? 2. Saving faith is an act of the will. Saving faith is more than intellectual acceptance of the facts about Jesus. Much more. It also involves making a commitment to Jesus Himself. In Matthew 5:6 Jesus said "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." This hungering and thirsting for righteousness is an excellent description of saving faith. We reach out to God, knowing that only He can save us and depending only on Him to do just that. 3. Saving faith is an act of the emotions. When we exercise saving faith, there will be a conscious awareness of our sin and its consequences in the sight of God. This will cause great sorrow. The extent to which we experience this sadness will vary from person to person, but there should be remorse and regret for breaking God's law. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul refers to this as "godly sorrow", which is sorrow over the fact that we have disappointed God, not sorrow because we got caught. Such godly sorrow "brings repentance that leads to salvation". After experiencing this godly sorrow, the realization that God has provided a solution to our sin problem will then lead to incredible joy. Oh, the wonder of God's love, that He sent Jesus to die in our place, thereby satisfying God's wrath against us! Once we understand the significance of God's salvation of a guilty sinner like me, we will rejoice and begin a life of praise and thanksgiving for the miracle of the new birth. We will say with the psalmist: "I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation" (Psalm 13:5) "Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation" (Psalm 35:9) "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD (Psalm 116:113) Questions to Ponder 1. In your own words, describe "non-saving faith" and "saving faith". 2. In John 3:1-12, who is a good example of "non-saving faith"? In James 2:19, who is another good example of "non-saving faith"? 3. Read John 19:38-42. After Jesus was crucified, who wrapped Jesus' body in strips of linen and laid Jesus in the tomb? What does that tell you about Nicodemus? What do you think happened to Nicodemus between John 3 and John 19? 4. Right now, please do what 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to do: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." Specifically, do you think you have non-saving faith or saving faith? What are the reasons for your answer? 5. For further study on the meaning of "saving faith", read this short but excellent article by John MacArthur, "What is the nature of true saving faith?" http://www.gty.org/resources/questions/QA164 What additional insights about saving faith did you learn from this article? ---------------------------------------------------- I'd be glad to have a dialogue with you about your answers to any of the questions above. You are welcome to send me an email at GodWroteTheBook @ gmail.com with your answers to the questions above; I'll review them and respond with feedback. For more Bible reading tips, visit http://www.GodWroteTheBook.com for 2 free gifts: the Resource Guide "Top 5 Free Online Bible Study Tools" and my book "Sweeter Than Honey, More Precious Than Gold: Meditations on Psalm 119," by Wayne Davies, dedicated to helping you read and understand the Bible. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |