Institute for Creation Research

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, ° a ruler of the Jews:

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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

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Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

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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.

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Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

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Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

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Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

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If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

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And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

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And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

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That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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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.

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For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

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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.

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And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

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For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither ° cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

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But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

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After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.

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And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

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For John was not yet cast into prison.

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Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

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And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

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John answered and said, A man can ° receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

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Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

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He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

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He must increase, but I must decrease.

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He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

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And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

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He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

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For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

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The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

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He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 3:1

3:1 Nicodemus, a ruler. Nicodemus (meaning “innocent blood”) was a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish governing council. It was this body that had sent a delegation out to the Jordan to hear and evaluate John the Baptist (John 1:19,24). As the leading teacher of Israel (John 3:10), and as a sincere and godly man, he was intensely interested in John’s message, especially in the prophetic context of Isaiah 40:3-4 and Malachi 3:1-2; 4:5. Then John had introduced Jesus, and Nicodemus had made a close study of Jesus’ miracles and His teachings.

John 3:2

3:2 by night. Because of the daytime throngs, and his desire for an in-depth consultation with Jesus while He was still in Jerusalem, Nicodemus elected to come to see Him at night. He was not a fearful man, as later events clearly proved.

John 3:2

3:2 Rabbi. He addressed Jesus with deep respect, the title “Rabbi” being the same as “Master.”

John 3:3

3:3 born again. The vital doctrine of regeneration, or the new birth, has been applicable in all ages, for man by nature is a lost sinner, and must be reborn spiritually through faith in God and His promises if he is to be saved. Note, for example, such Old Testament Scriptures as Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 18:31. Nevertheless, this vital doctrine is crystallized and clarified and individualized more in the New Testament, especially in this chapter. See also II Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Colossians 3:10; Titus 3:5; I Peter 1:23; and other New Testament verses on the new birth.

John 3:3

3:3 kingdom of God. Because of the preaching of John the Baptist that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (e.g., Mark 1:15), Nicodemus had undoubtedly been studying the Biblical promises of the kingdom—perhaps such passages as Isaiah 9:6-7; Zechariah 14:9; Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 72:1, 7-11; as well as others. But now he is surprised to hear Jesus say that one cannot even see that kingdom without being born again!

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