For God So Loved the World

The Passage

John 3:1-21

¹There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  ²This man came to Jesus 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 and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

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 assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  ⁶"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  ⁷"Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'   ⁸"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

⁹Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  ¹²"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  ¹³"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  ¹⁴"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵"that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

¹⁶"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  ¹⁷"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  ¹⁸"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 ¹⁹"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  ²⁰"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  ²¹"But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

A Little Background

The Pharisees were a religious sect that rose up after the Jews returned from their exile in Babylon.  For more information about them, click here.  The Pharisees identity was rooted in strict adherence to the law and their power and influence among the people.

The last post discussed the background of verses 14 and 15.

Some Explanation

“...we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs...”  Not a lot is known about Nicodemus except that he is a Pharisee; we will see him two more times during Jesus’ ministry.  Reading between the lines, we might surmise that he probably came to Jesus by night because he did not want his visit to be known by the other Pharisees.  Jesus didn’t scold him.  Notice that Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is sent by God.  He also recognizes the signs that Jesus has done (note John 2:23).  He says, “...we know that You are a teacher come from God...”  Does this imply that there were others who were also questioning?  If so, perhaps Nicodemus was very brave after all!

"The wind blows where it wishes...so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  With all the advanced technology of today’s computers, we still cannot forecast with accuracy when and where the breeze will blow.  It is unseen and unpredictable; likewise, the work of the Holy Spirit on and in the hearts of people is also like this.  Is it possible for us to manipulate the Holy Spirit by any human action?  Can we force conviction on anyone?  Is the power of the Holy Spirit’s move upon hearts be invoked by ritual or formulaic practice?   It doesn’t seem so according to verse 8.

"Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?... No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven” Jesus engages Nicodemus in explaining the difference between earthly and spiritual realities.  He points to the hole in the Pharisees’ philosophy.  They know the Law, but they miss the reality of Spiritual truth.  The Old Testament saints’ faith was rooted in their belief in the coming Messiah.  They trusted God for the atonement of their sins.  The Pharisees had turned simple faith into a system of rigorous requirements.  If Nicodemus, a Pharisee, could not understand the present truth, how would Jesus be able to explain the spiritual truth?

The phrase, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven” has been a challenge to theologians.  Jesus is not saying that He has “spiritually ascended” into heavenly realms and returned, and that we also must have these spiritual experiences as some teachers are now saying.  That is virtually identical to occult teachings.  Most simply verse 13 affirms that Jesus Christ is the only authoritative source of heavenly knowledge. 

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness...” In the same way that Moses erected the pole in the wilderness, Jesus would also be lifted up.  Here is a direct reference to His coming crucifixion.  The vile serpent on the pole was representative of the Israelites' sin and God’s judgment for their complaints.  Jesus death on the cross would be the final judgment against the sin of mankind for all who will believe in His atoning sacrifice by faith.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  This is the most beloved verse of all Scripture for it is the key to the gospel of salvation.  Jesus repeats the last phrase twice emphasizing the way of salvation.

When Nicodemus told Jesus that he knew that Jesus came from God, Jesus wasted no time in telling him that he must be born again.  This was a spiritual birth initiated by the Holy Spirit.  It is God's gift to all mankind because of His everlasting love.  Without the new birth, we will all perish; we will all be lost.  If we believe, we will live forever with Him beginning instantly—NOW—and for eternity!

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world...”  Jesus’ coming was most assuredly not to condemn mankind, but to save us.  However, we must not leave out verse 18, "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  The world is already condemned because of sin.  In ancient Jewish thought, a person’s name is his character, his essence.  Believing in the name of the only begotten Son of God is more than just believing that Jesus exists or a mental assent to His atonement.  Belief is embracing the truth of the person and work of Jesus Christ for oneself.

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world...” This point is the central problem at issue with the Pharisees.  John 1 says that Jesus Himself is the light.  The Pharisees (and all who refuse the truth) were condemned because their hearts were dark.  They rejected Jesus because they did not want the darkness of their hearts to be exposed.

Observations and Insights

John 3:16 is one of the most beloved of all verses in Scripture for it contains the heart of the Gospel.  It is not surprising, then, that it should also be one that that the enemy twists.  God most assuredly DOES love the world; He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). 

How is this love of God shown to us?  Certainly, kindness, acts of service, blessing, and compassion are evidences of God’s love.  As believers we desire to show our faith by our works.  But let us not confuse these acts with God’s love itself.  According to Scripture, exactly how is the love of God shown?  Romans 5:8 tells us, “In this way the love of God was shown (manifested, demonstrated) to us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.”  This is the same message in the context of John 3:16.  Jesus was indeed lifted up on the cross in judgment for sin, that all who will believe (look to Him for salvation) shall not perish (from the judgment of God), but have everlasting life.

Is giving a hug, helping others, simply saying "God loves you, "or giving encouragement sharing the Gospel?  It is not the whole truth.  By all means let the message of salvation be accompanied by loving acts, but may we never lose sight of the purpose of our compassion—to share that truth that God loves the world so much that He gave His one and only unique son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die in our place so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish in judgment, but have everlasting life!

Next:  John 3:22-36