The Clear Word 

A Ministry Of Mid-State Ministries  



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!


-----Original Message-----
From: CARLWHORLEY@aol.com
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:10:25 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: THE DOCTRINE OF REGENERATION PART 2  JOHN 3:1-21
To: raycmic@lewistown.net


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