THE DOCTRINE OF REGENERATION
J O H N 3 : 1 - 2 1
PART 2: VERSES 5-11
by
Carl Whorley, Lewistown, Montana
John Chapter 3
[1] There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
[2]
The 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.
[3] Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
[4] Nicodemus 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?
[5] Jesus 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.
[6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
[8]
The 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.
[9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
[10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
[11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
[12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
[13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which 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 whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[16]
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
[18]
He 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.[19] And this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil.
[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
[21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
In part one of this paper, John 3:1-4,
we looked at the man and person of Nicodemus and his religious
relationship, not only with the Nation of Israel, but more in particular
the City of Jerusalem. We did an interpretive study of the word regeneration as presented in John chapter 3 and the basic Greek word study thereof. We also looked at how the phrase born again is actually the definition and interpretation of the word regeneration.
Now we come to part 2 of this paper. That being John 3:5-11.
In John 3:3, the English word see comes from the Greek word eidw/eido.
This word is not about visual eye sight. Instead, it is about
understanding or seeing with mental comprehension, a particular point of
view. Therefore, what Jesus is saying in John 3:3, is that without
regeneration, or being born again, one can never come to a comprehensive
understanding of spiritual matters.
I would like for us to turn our attention immediately to John 3:5.
John
3:5...Jesus 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.
John 3:5...apekriqh ihsouV amhn amhn legw soi ean mh tiV gennhqh ex udatoV kai pneumatoV ou dunatai eiselqein eiV thn basileian tou qeou
When
looking at John 3:3, and then John 3:5, if one is not careful, you will
not recognize the obvious differences between the two verses because
the wording is so similar in nature. In John 3:3, Jesus speaks of
seeing the Kingdom of God while in John 3:5, Jesus speaks of entering
the Kingdom of God.
In John 3:3, seeing is a Biblical way
of saying understanding or comprehending. The only way to understand or
comprehend Bible truths is to be regenerated or born again. To have
the Heavenly Father apply the shed blood of His dear Son Jesus Christ to
your heart, life and spirit and bring your spirit, the part of you
which is God conscious, to life. For according to I Corinthians 2:14, an unsaved person cannot comprehend Bible or spiritual truths.
I Corinthians 2:14...But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they
are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
John
6:63...It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Jesus was teaching this precise, selfsame truth in Matthew 7:13-14. In Matthew 7:14 Jesus uses the English word find. Though the English word find comes from the Greek word euriskw/heurisko,
though not the Greek word under consideration in this part of our
study, the meaning remains the same. In John 3:3, as in Matthew 7:14,
both mean the same thing. Spiritual comprehension due to divine
enlightenment. Meaning, that the one and only way to enter Heaven, is
through and by regeneration or being born again through and by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ only.
Matthew
7:13-14...Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in thereat: [14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
In John 3:5, Jesus teaches that to
enter into Heaven one must be born of the water and the spirit. The
English word water comes from the Greek word udwr/hudor. The initial
meaning of this particular Greek word would be H2O as we would normally
understand it.
However, water is also a cleansing agent as well. We see this in John 15:3...Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
We see in Ephesians 5:25-26, that the water is a symbolic pictorial for the Word of God or the Bible.
Ephesians 5:25-26... Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
In John chapter 6, we see Jesus walking on the water. We see this in John 6:19. John 6:19...So
when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see
Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were
afraid.
There are unlimited interpretations and
hypothesis concerning Jesus walking on water. And I am not here to
argue any of them. However, if I may be permitted to do so, I should
wish to add yet another thought to this fray. That being, since water
represents the Written Word of God, and there is Jesus standing and
walking on it, perhaps this would be a pictorial of when it comes to the
teachings, doctrines and theologies of Jesus, that in all things, Jesus
stands on the Word and stands on the Word alone.
There is also yet another correlation between Jesus and the Word to consider. It begins in John 18:38.
This would be at the trial of Jesus before Pilate. In this verse
Pilate will ask a very intriguing question. The question is, what is truth? John 18:38...
Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he
went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no
fault at all. Pursuing the answer to that question will prove quite interesting.
First, in John 14:6, Jesus makes four
self-witnessing statements about Himself. First, He is the way, second
truth, thirdly, the life, and then fourthly, no man can come unto the
Father but by Him. John 14:6...Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I want you to notice that Jesus makes the self-witnessing statement that He is the truth.
THE DOCTRINE OF SELF-WITNESS ARE THOSE STATEMENTS IN THE BIBLE MADE BY JESUS HIMSELF CONCERNING THE FACT OF HIS OWN DEITY
In John chapter 17, Jesus makes another interesting statement. In John 17:17. That being, that the Word of God, the Bible is truth. John 17:17...Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Let us also remember the words of John the Apostle in John 1:1-2, John 1:14 & I John 1:1-2.
John
1:1-2...In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:14...And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.
I John
1:1-2...That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which
was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
What this means is, is that Jesus
Christ Himself is the Written Word of God. Jesus Christ is the Bible.
And the Bible, the Written Living Word of God, is Jesus Christ. They
are both one in the same. They are both inseparable. And to neglect
the Bible is to neglect Jesus. And to neglect Jesus is neglecting the
Bible. Jesus Christ, was, is and always shall be the Living, Breathing,
Perfect, Written Word of the Living God the Father.
Which then brings us back to the original question of Pilate in John 18:38, when he asked what is truth?
The answer is, Jesus is truth. The Written Word of God is truth. Both
are inseparately one in the same. Truth will never be found in a
university philosophy class. Truth is found in the Bible. Truth is
found in the person of Jesus. The search for truth in any other media
will only lead to an insatiable frustration and deep sense of a doomed
failure.
This would then mean that since Jesus is the Word and the Word is Jesus, that based on Romans 10:17,
since one cannot be saved until they hear the Word of God, this would
then mean that in one cannot be saved until they hear the witness of
Jesus Himself as presented in His own Written Word.
Then there is the promise of Jesus concerning the Bible. It is found in John 4:14. John 4:14...But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.
What the world offers will never
satisfy what you are looking for. People attempt many things in life
attempting to satisfy the place which only the Lord Jesus can fill. Not
realizing that they make their dilemma only deeper and more
foreboding. What Jesus is offering is a water from which we will never
thirst again. The water which He offers is not only the Word, but also
Himself. For without Jesus and Jesus only, and without the Word, there
is no salvation. There is no eternal life.
James 1:18...Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Romans 10:17...So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hebrews
12:2...Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The goal of our Heavenly Father in the
process of Regeneration is to eradicate the nature of Satan the devil
from the new convert, and replace the nature of Satan with the nature of
Jesus Christ. We see this in II
Peter 1:4...Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Next we see that Holy Spirit plays a very significant role in the process of Regeneration. John
3:5...Jesus 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.
Titus
3:5...Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of
the Holy Ghost;
I Peter 1:23...Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
First, Holy Spirit shows the nonbeliever his need for Regeneration or being born again. We see this in John 16:8-9. John
16:8-9...And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me;
At the moment of salvation, Holy Spirit also Baptizes the new convert into the Body of the Heavenly Father.
Romans
6:3-4... Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him
by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life.
I Corinthians 12:13...For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink
into one Spirit.
Galatians 3:27...For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Ephesians 4:4...There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Colossians 2:12...Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the
faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
At the moment of salvation, God the
Heavenly Father becomes an inseparable part of the believer and the
believer becomes an inseparable part of God the Heavenly Father. At the
moment of salvation, God the Heavenly Father indwells the new convert.
John
7:37-39...In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He
that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet
given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 14:16...And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Romans
8:9...But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
I Corinthians 2:12...Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is
of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God.
I Corinthians 3:16...Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
I Corinthians 6:19...What?
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
I John 3:24...And
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And
hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given
us.
It is the passionate desire of God our Heavenly Father to be one with all of mankind, especially, every born again believer.
The next ministry of Holy Spirit in the life of the new believer, is that He seals the new believer.
Romans 8:30...
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified.
II Corinthians 1:22...Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
II
Corinthians 5:5...Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is
God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Ephesians
1:13-14...In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 4:30...And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
What does it mean to be sealed by Holy
Spirit? The English word sealed comes from the Greek word
sfragizw/sphragizo. It has seven meanings.
First, the seal of Holy Spirit is a
mark placed on the heart, soul and life of the believer as an insignia
from God the Heavenly Father to tell the forces of Satan that this
believer is now the property of God and that this believer is now off
limits.
The second meaning of being sealed by
Holy Spirit is that He is the guarantee from God the Heavenly Father the
believer, that at the moment of death the believer will go to Heaven to
be with Jesus.
The third meaning of being sealed by
Holy Spirit is that He guarantees from God the Heavenly Father that
should the Rapture of the Church take place before the believer dies,
then the believer will instantly go up, to meet Jesus in the air, and be
taken immediately to Heaven, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The fourth, meaning of being sealed by
Holy Spirit is that He seals within the believer the assured knowledge
that the believer is truly born again.
Romans 8:16...The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Romans
8:38-39...For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The fifth meaning of being sealed by Holy Spirit is that He strengthens the believer. Ephesians 3:16... That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
The sixth meaning of being sealed by Holy Spirit is that he prays for the believer. Romans 8:26...
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what
we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Then the seventh meaning of being sealed by Holy Spirit is that he opens the Scriptures to the believers.
Luke 24:45...Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
In John
3:5, not only are we to be regenerated by the Word of God, but also we
are to be regenerated by that of Holy Spirit. John 3:5...Jesus
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.
Titus
3:5...Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of
the Holy Ghost;
In verse 6, Jesus is attempting to raise Nicodemus' mentality above that of the flesh.
[6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[6] to gegennhmenon ek thV sarkoV sarx estin kai to gegennhmenon ek tou pneumatoV pneuma estin
It is a very common practice among
religionist to try to use the methods of the flesh in order to explain
the depths of the divine. Nicodemus, in his mind, cannot get beyond the
work of the flesh which is associated with corporate bureaucratic
religion. Jesus is trying to reach Nicodemus on the level of salvation
through the Word and Holy Spirit. Not on the basis of some manmade
religious work of the flesh.
Nicodemus, the consummate religionist,
is trying to figure out how he is supposed to enter into his mothers
womb and born. Jesus is trying to show him that he wants to see
Nicodemus' spirit be made alive by His shed blood and the entrance of
Holy Spirit into his life.
You will notice that when dealing with
the religious authorities of the day, Jesus was more direct with them
than with those who were not associated with the religious community.
It would be simply because, the religious community was supposed to know
better and in fact, they did know better.
As we saw in verse 2 of this chapter,
the religious authorities of Israel knew even this early in His
ministry, that Jesus was the Messiah. As we will see in later chapters,
despite the fact the corporate bureaucratic religiosity rejected Jesus
for financial gain and political power. The religiosity sold Jesus out
for money and power.
We see in verse 7 that Nicodemus was
really stressing out over this. He was perplexed and had no answers.
Herein lies the perplexity of Nicodemus. He knew that what he was
hearing was the truth. It is just that none of this fit into his
religious test tube and none this worked out in the religious
laboratory. When Nicodemus took the words of Jesus and applied them to
his religious mathematics it would not come out. Nicodemus is just not
getting it. Holy Spirit? Born again? New birth? Born again believer?
He was just not getting it. And the fact that he could not get it was
greatly stressing him.
In His own way Jesus is telling
Nicodemus to calm down. Jesus had no intentions of leaving until
Nicodemus fully understood His words.
[8]
The 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.
[8] to
pneuma opou qelei pnei kai thn fwnhn autou akoueiV all ouk oidaV poqen
ercetai kai pou upagei outwV estin paV o gegennhmenoV ek tou pneumatoV
In this verse we see another name for
Holy Spirit. That is, He also has the identification of wind. Jesus
uses the scenario of the wind blowing.
Please note here
II Samuel 5:23-24...And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, Thou
shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them
over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the
sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt
bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite
the host of the Philistines.
Please note here again I
Chronicles 14:14-15...Therefore David inquired again of God; and God
said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon
them over against the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when thou shalt
hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou
shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the
host of the Philistines.
He is trying to show Nicodemus the just
like the wind, Holy Spirit goes where He will. He comes at His own
discretion and leaves at His own discretion. He cannot be controlled
nor predicted.
Nicodemus is trying to put the words of
Jesus into a religious scientific formula and none of it is fitting.
Jesus just simply does not fit into the manmade theological formulas of
religion. And Nicodemus could not figure this out.
[9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
[9] apekriqh nikodhmoV kai eipen autw pwV dunatai tauta genesqai
May I refer you to verses 4 & 7.
Nicodemus' head is so saturated with politically correct,
bureaucratically correct, corporate religious theological formulas, that
he cannot understand the very Messiah who is standing right before him.
[10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
[10] apekriqh ihsouV kai eipen autw su ei o didaskaloV tou israhl kai tauta ou ginwskeiV
Here Jesus is pointing out a very
interesting tid-bit about Nicodemus. That being, Nicodemus was the main
primary teacher of the Scriptures of the Nation of Israel.
A question which would arise at this
moment. Was Jesus trying to be sarcastic and condescending with
Nicodemus, or was He trying to steer Nicodemus' mind in the direction
which He wanted it to go? The proper response would be, the latter as
opposed to the former. What Jesus is attempting to do, is to instill
into Nicodemus the fact that he did understand the religion of the
politically correct corporate bureaucratic religiosity, but, on the
other hand, knew nothing of telling his own temple attendees how to go
to Heaven. And, dangerously speaking, this would also include himself.
And yet what is even more frightful
than that. Is that even today. Some two thousand years later. We
still have pulpit ministers who stand in their pulpits each week. Not
all, but so many of them are not saved. Many of them are not born
again. Many of them would not go to Heaven when they die. And they are
trying to lead the eternal souls of those sitting in the pews into a
truth which they themselves do not comprehend nor possess.
[11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
[11] amhn amhn legw soi oti o oidamen laloumen kai o ewrakamen marturoumen kai thn marturian hmwn ou lambanete
When one studies a particular subject,
specializes in a particular subject, excels in a particular subject and
ultimately, perfects a particular subject, then they should be a well
versed expert in that particular subject.
Nicodemus was supposed to be a
perfected master/teacher in the Old Testament Scriptures. Yet, he has
never come to a working knowledge of how to be a regenerated, born again
believer. You might say it is a horrific case of religion religion
everywhere, and no one understands a thing.
In the next installment of this paper, we will look at part three of this discussion. That being John 3:12-16.
Psalms 122:6...Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
R O A N O K E , V I R G I N I A
SPECIAL
NOTICE:...If you live in the area of ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, Carl Whorley
will be conducting a GOSPEL of JOHN CONFERENCE at Bread of Heaven
Church. The Church is located at 730 Tazewell Avenue, S.E., in Roanoke,
Virginia. This is at the intersection of Tazewell Avenue and Eighth
Street. The dates of the conference are
J U N E 1 9 - 22 , 2 0 1 1
God Bless You Very Much
Carl Whorley,
Lewistown, Montana
AND ONE MORE THING, DON'T FORGET, 2011 WILL BE THE
400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE!
THE DOCTRINE OF REGENERATION
J O H N 3 : 1 - 2 1
PART 2: VERSES 5-11
by
Carl Whorley, Lewistown, Montana
John Chapter 3
[1] There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
[2]
The 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.
[3] Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
[4] Nicodemus 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?
[5] Jesus 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.
[6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
[8]
The 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.
[9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
[10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
[11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
[12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
[13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which 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 whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[16]
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
[18]
He 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.[19] And this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil.
[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
[21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
[5]
apekriqh ihsouV amhn amhn legw soi ean mh tiV gennhqh ex udatoV kai
pneumatoV ou dunatai eiselqein eiV thn basileian tou qeou
[6] to gegennhmenon ek thV sarkoV sarx estin kai to gegennhmenon ek tou pneumatoV pneuma estin
[7] mh qaumashV oti eipon soi dei umaV gennhqhnai anwqen
[8]
to pneuma opou qelei pnei kai thn fwnhn autou akoueiV all ouk oidaV
poqen ercetai kai pou upagei outwV estin paV o gegennhmenoV ek tou
pneumatoV
[9] apekriqh nikodhmoV kai eipen autw pwV duntai tauta genesqai
[10] apekriqh ihsouV kai eipen autw su ei o didaskaloV tou israhl kai tauta ou ginwskeiV
[11] amhn amhn legw soi oti o oidamen laloumen kai o ewrakamen marturoumen kai thn marturian hmwn ou lambanete
In part one of this paper, John 3:1-4,
we looked at the man and person of Nicodemus and his religious
relationship, not only with the Nation of Israel, but more in particular
the City of Jerusalem. We did an interpretive study of the word regeneration as presented in John chapter 3 and the basic Greek word study thereof. We also looked at how the phrase born again is actually the definition and interpretation of the word regeneration.
Now we come to part 2 of this paper. That being John 3:5-11.
In John 3:3, the English word see comes from the Greek word eidw/eido.
This word is not about visual eye sight. Instead, it is about
understanding or seeing with mental comprehension, a particular point of
view. Therefore, what Jesus is saying in John 3:3, is that without
regeneration, or being born again, one can never come to a comprehensive
understanding of spiritual matters.
I would like for us to turn our attention immediately to John 3:5.
John
3:5...Jesus 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.
John 3:5...apekriqh ihsouV amhn amhn legw soi ean mh tiV gennhqh ex udatoV kai pneumatoV ou dunatai eiselqein eiV thn basileian tou qeou
When
looking at John 3:3, and then John 3:5, if one is not careful, you will
not recognize the obvious differences between the two verses because
the wording is so similar in nature. In John 3:3, Jesus speaks of
seeing the Kingdom of God while in John 3:5, Jesus speaks of entering
the Kingdom of God.
In John 3:3, seeing is a Biblical way
of saying understanding or comprehending. The only way to understand or
comprehend Bible truths is to be regenerated or born again. To have
the Heavenly Father apply the shed blood of His dear Son Jesus Christ to
your heart, life and spirit and bring your spirit, the part of you
which is God conscious, to life. For according to I Corinthians 2:14, an unsaved person cannot comprehend Bible or spiritual truths.
I Corinthians 2:14...But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they
are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.
John
6:63...It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Jesus was teaching this precise, selfsame truth in Matthew 7:13-14. In Matthew 7:14 Jesus uses the English word find. Though the English word find comes from the Greek word euriskw/heurisko,
though not the Greek word under consideration in this part of our
study, the meaning remains the same. In John 3:3, as in Matthew 7:14,
both mean the same thing. Spiritual comprehension due to divine
enlightenment. Meaning, that the one and only way to enter Heaven, is
through and by regeneration or being born again through and by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ only.
Matthew
7:13-14...Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which
go in thereat: [14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
In John 3:5, Jesus teaches that to
enter into Heaven one must be born of the water and the spirit. The
English word water comes from the Greek word udwr/hudor. The initial
meaning of this particular Greek word would be H2O as we would normally
understand it.
However, water is also a cleansing agent as well. We see this in John 15:3...Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
We see in Ephesians 5:25-26, that the water is a symbolic pictorial for the Word of God or the Bible.
Ephesians 5:25-26... Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it; [26] That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
In John chapter 6, we see Jesus walking on the water. We see this in John 6:19. John 6:19...So
when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see
Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were
afraid.
There are unlimited interpretations and
hypothesis concerning Jesus walking on water. And I am not here to
argue any of them. However, if I may be permitted to do so, I should
wish to add yet another thought to this fray. That being, since water
represents the Written Word of God, and there is Jesus standing and
walking on it, perhaps this would be a pictorial of when it comes to the
teachings, doctrines and theologies of Jesus, that in all things, Jesus
stands on the Word and stands on the Word alone.
There is also yet another correlation between Jesus and the Word to consider. It begins in John 18:38.
This would be at the trial of Jesus before Pilate. In this verse
Pilate will ask a very intriguing question. The question is, what is truth? John 18:38...
Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he
went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no
fault at all. Pursuing the answer to that question will prove quite interesting.
First, in John 14:6, Jesus makes four
self-witnessing statements about Himself. First, He is the way, second
truth, thirdly, the life, and then fourthly, no man can come unto the
Father but by Him. John 14:6...Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. I want you to notice that Jesus makes the self-witnessing statement that He is the truth.
THE DOCTRINE OF SELF-WITNESS ARE THOSE STATEMENTS IN THE BIBLE MADE BY JESUS HIMSELF CONCERNING THE FACT OF HIS OWN DEITY
In John chapter 17, Jesus makes another interesting statement. In John 17:17. That being, that the Word of God, the Bible is truth. John 17:17...Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Let us also remember the words of John the Apostle in John 1:1-2, John 1:14 & I John 1:1-2.
John
1:1-2...In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:14...And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.
I John
1:1-2...That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which
was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
What this means is, is that Jesus
Christ Himself is the Written Word of God. Jesus Christ is the Bible.
And the Bible, the Written Living Word of God, is Jesus Christ. They
are both one in the same. They are both inseparable. And to neglect
the Bible is to neglect Jesus. And to neglect Jesus is neglecting the
Bible. Jesus Christ, was, is and always shall be the Living, Breathing,
Perfect, Written Word of the Living God the Father.
Which then brings us back to the original question of Pilate in John 18:38, when he asked what is truth?
The answer is, Jesus is truth. The Written Word of God is truth. Both
are inseparately one in the same. Truth will never be found in a
university philosophy class. Truth is found in the Bible. Truth is
found in the person of Jesus. The search for truth in any other media
will only lead to an insatiable frustration and deep sense of a doomed
failure.
This would then mean that since Jesus is the Word and the Word is Jesus, that based on Romans 10:17,
since one cannot be saved until they hear the Word of God, this would
then mean that in one cannot be saved until they hear the witness of
Jesus Himself as presented in His own Written Word.
Then there is the promise of Jesus concerning the Bible. It is found in John 4:14. John 4:14...But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life.
What the world offers will never
satisfy what you are looking for. People attempt many things in life
attempting to satisfy the place which only the Lord Jesus can fill. Not
realizing that they make their dilemma only deeper and more
foreboding. What Jesus is offering is a water from which we will never
thirst again. The water which He offers is not only the Word, but also
Himself. For without Jesus and Jesus only, and without the Word, there
is no salvation. There is no eternal life.
James 1:18...Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Romans 10:17...So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hebrews
12:2...Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The goal of our Heavenly Father in the
process of Regeneration is to eradicate the nature of Satan the devil
from the new convert, and replace the nature of Satan with the nature of
Jesus Christ. We see this in II
Peter 1:4...Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Next we see that Holy Spirit plays a very significant role in the process of Regeneration. John
3:5...Jesus 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.
Titus
3:5...Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of
the Holy Ghost;
I Peter 1:23...Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
First, Holy Spirit shows the nonbeliever his need for Regeneration or being born again. We see this in John 16:8-9. John
16:8-9...And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me;
At the moment of salvation, Holy Spirit also Baptizes the new convert into the Body of the Heavenly Father.
Romans
6:3-4... Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him
by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life.
I Corinthians 12:13...For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink
into one Spirit.
Galatians 3:27...For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Ephesians 4:4...There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Colossians 2:12...Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the
faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
At the moment of salvation, God the
Heavenly Father becomes an inseparable part of the believer and the
believer becomes an inseparable part of God the Heavenly Father. At the
moment of salvation, God the Heavenly Father indwells the new convert.
John
7:37-39...In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He
that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet
given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 14:16...And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Romans
8:9...But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
I Corinthians 2:12...Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is
of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God.
I Corinthians 3:16...Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
I Corinthians 6:19...What?
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
I John 3:24...And
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And
hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given
us.
It is the passionate desire of God our Heavenly Father to be one with all of mankind, especially, every born again believer.
The next ministry of Holy Spirit in the life of the new believer, is that He seals the new believer.
Romans 8:30...
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also
glorified.
II Corinthians 1:22...Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
II
Corinthians 5:5...Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is
God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Ephesians
1:13-14...In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 4:30...And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
What does it mean to be sealed by Holy
Spirit? The English word sealed comes from the Greek word
sfragizw/sphragizo. It has seven meanings.
First, the seal of Holy Spirit is a
mark placed on the heart, soul and life of the believer as an insignia
from God the Heavenly Father to tell the forces of Satan that this
believer is now the property of God and that this believer is now off
limits.
The second meaning of being sealed by
Holy Spirit is that He is the guarantee from God the Heavenly Father the
believer, that at the moment of death the believer will go to Heaven to
be with Jesus.
The third meaning of being sealed by
Holy Spirit is that He guarantees from God the Heavenly Father that
should the Rapture of the Church take place before the believer dies,
then the believer will instantly go up, to meet Jesus in the air, and be
taken immediately to Heaven, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The fourth, meaning of being sealed by
Holy Spirit is that He seals within the believer the assured knowledge
that the believer is truly born again.
Romans 8:16...The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Romans
8:38-39...For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The fifth meaning of being sealed by Holy Spirit is that He strengthens the believer. Ephesians 3:16... That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
The sixth meaning of being sealed by Holy Spirit is that he prays for the believer. Romans 8:26...
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what
we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Then the seventh meaning of being sealed by Holy Spirit is that he opens the Scriptures to the believers.
Luke 24:45...Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
In John
3:5, not only are we to be regenerated by the Word of God, but also we
are to be regenerated by that of Holy Spirit. John 3:5...Jesus
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.
Titus
3:5...Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of
the Holy Ghost;
In verse 6, Jesus is attempting to raise Nicodemus' mentality above that of the flesh.
[6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[6] to gegennhmenon ek thV sarkoV sarx estin kai to gegennhmenon ek tou pneumatoV pneuma estin
It is a very common practice among
religionist to try to use the methods of the flesh in order to explain
the depths of the divine. Nicodemus, in his mind, cannot get beyond the
work of the flesh which is associated with corporate bureaucratic
religion. Jesus is trying to reach Nicodemus on the level of salvation
through the Word and Holy Spirit. Not on the basis of some manmade
religious work of the flesh.
Nicodemus, the consummate religionist,
is trying to figure out how he is supposed to enter into his mothers
womb and born. Jesus is trying to show him that he wants to see
Nicodemus' spirit be made alive by His shed blood and the entrance of
Holy Spirit into his life.
You will notice that when dealing with
the religious authorities of the day, Jesus was more direct with them
than with those who were not associated with the religious community.
It would be simply because, the religious community was supposed to know
better and in fact, they did know better.
As we saw in verse 2 of this chapter,
the religious authorities of Israel knew even this early in His
ministry, that Jesus was the Messiah. As we will see in later chapters,
despite the fact the corporate bureaucratic religiosity rejected Jesus
for financial gain and political power. The religiosity sold Jesus out
for money and power.
We see in verse 7 that Nicodemus was
really stressing out over this. He was perplexed and had no answers.
Herein lies the perplexity of Nicodemus. He knew that what he was
hearing was the truth. It is just that none of this fit into his
religious test tube and none this worked out in the religious
laboratory. When Nicodemus took the words of Jesus and applied them to
his religious mathematics it would not come out. Nicodemus is just not
getting it. Holy Spirit? Born again? New birth? Born again believer?
He was just not getting it. And the fact that he could not get it was
greatly stressing him.
In His own way Jesus is telling
Nicodemus to calm down. Jesus had no intentions of leaving until
Nicodemus fully understood His words.
[8]
The 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.
[8] to
pneuma opou qelei pnei kai thn fwnhn autou akoueiV all ouk oidaV poqen
ercetai kai pou upagei outwV estin paV o gegennhmenoV ek tou pneumatoV
In this verse we see another name for
Holy Spirit. That is, He also has the identification of wind. Jesus
uses the scenario of the wind blowing.
Please note here
II Samuel 5:23-24...And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, Thou
shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them
over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the
sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt
bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite
the host of the Philistines.
Please note here again I
Chronicles 14:14-15...Therefore David inquired again of God; and God
said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon
them over against the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when thou shalt
hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou
shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the
host of the Philistines.
He is trying to show Nicodemus the just
like the wind, Holy Spirit goes where He will. He comes at His own
discretion and leaves at His own discretion. He cannot be controlled
nor predicted.
Nicodemus is trying to put the words of
Jesus into a religious scientific formula and none of it is fitting.
Jesus just simply does not fit into the manmade theological formulas of
religion. And Nicodemus could not figure this out.
[9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
[9] apekriqh nikodhmoV kai eipen autw pwV dunatai tauta genesqai
May I refer you to verses 4 & 7.
Nicodemus' head is so saturated with politically correct,
bureaucratically correct, corporate religious theological formulas, that
he cannot understand the very Messiah who is standing right before him.
[10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
[10] apekriqh ihsouV kai eipen autw su ei o didaskaloV tou israhl kai tauta ou ginwskeiV
Here Jesus is pointing out a very
interesting tid-bit about Nicodemus. That being, Nicodemus was the main
primary teacher of the Scriptures of the Nation of Israel.
A question which would arise at this
moment. Was Jesus trying to be sarcastic and condescending with
Nicodemus, or was He trying to steer Nicodemus' mind in the direction
which He wanted it to go? The proper response would be, the latter as
opposed to the former. What Jesus is attempting to do, is to instill
into Nicodemus the fact that he did understand the religion of the
politically correct corporate bureaucratic religiosity, but, on the
other hand, knew nothing of telling his own temple attendees how to go
to Heaven. And, dangerously speaking, this would also include himself.
And yet what is even more frightful
than that. Is that even today. Some two thousand years later. We
still have pulpit ministers who stand in their pulpits each week. Not
all, but so many of them are not saved. Many of them are not born
again. Many of them would not go to Heaven when they die. And they are
trying to lead the eternal souls of those sitting in the pews into a
truth which they themselves do not comprehend nor possess.
[11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
[11] amhn amhn legw soi oti o oidamen laloumen kai o ewrakamen marturoumen kai thn marturian hmwn ou lambanete
When one studies a particular subject,
specializes in a particular subject, excels in a particular subject and
ultimately, perfects a particular subject, then they should be a well
versed expert in that particular subject.
Nicodemus was supposed to be a
perfected master/teacher in the Old Testament Scriptures. Yet, he has
never come to a working knowledge of how to be a regenerated, born again
believer. You might say it is a horrific case of religion religion
everywhere, and no one understands a thing.
In the next installment of this paper, we will look at part three of this discussion. That being John 3:12-16.
Psalms 122:6...Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
God Bless You Very Much
Carl Whorley,
Lewistown, Montana