John 3:1-26

1 But there was a man from among the Pharisees, his name Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

2 he came to him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God, for none can do these signs that thou doest unless God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except any one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus says to him, How can a man be born being old? can he enter a second time into the womb of his mother and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except any one be born of water and of 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 Do not wonder that I said to thee, It is needful that *ye* should be born anew.

8 The wind blows where it will, and thou hearest its voice, but knowest not whence it comes and where it goes: thus is every one that is born of the Spirit.

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

10 Jesus answered and said to him, Thou art the teacher of Israel and knowest not these things!

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and we bear witness of that which we have seen, and ye receive not our witness.

12 If I have said the earthly things to you, and ye believe not, how, if I say the heavenly things to you, will ye believe?

13 And no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of man be lifted up,

15 that every one who believes on him may [not perish, but] have life eternal.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal.

17 For God has not sent his Son into the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him.

18 He that believes on him is not judged: but he that believes not has been already judged, because he has not believed on the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light; for their works were evil.

20 For every one that does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light that his works may not be shewn as they are;

21 but he that practises the truth comes to the light, that his works may be manifested that they have been wrought in God.

22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he abode with them and baptised.

23 And John also was baptising in Aenon, near Salim, because there was a great deal of water there; and they came to [him] and were baptised:

24 for John was not yet cast into prison.

25 There was therefore a reasoning of the disciples of John with a Jew about purification.

26 And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, he baptises, and all come to him.

John 3:1-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 JOHN 3

In this chapter the apostle exhorts to a holy life and conversation in general, and to the exercise of brotherly love in particular. The former of these is urged from the consideration of the great blessing of adoption, which springs from the free love and favour of God, is unknown to the men of the world, and indeed, in the present state of things, does not appear to the saints themselves in all its fulness and advantages, as it will do in the future state, when the children of God will be like to Christ, and see him as he is; the hope of which should engage them to purity of life and conversation, 1Jo 3:1-3, and this is further enforced from the nature of sin, which is a transgression of the law, 1Jo 3:4, from the end of Christ's manifestation in the flesh, which was to take away sin, and who was without it, 1Jo 3:5, from communion with Christ, expressed by abiding in him, seeing and knowing him, which such must be strangers to that live a sinful course of life, 1Jo 3:6, from this, that only such that do righteousness are righteous persons, and these are righteous as Christ is, 1Jo 3:7, and from a man's being of the devil, that is, of a vicious conversation, who was a sinner from the beginning, and whose works Christ was manifested in the flesh to destroy, 1Jo 3:8, and from the nature of the new man, or that which is born of God, which is not to sin, nor can it, 1Jo 3:9, and from the distinction there is between the children of God and the children of the devil, those not being of God who do not righteousness, nor love their brethren, 1Jo 3:10, from hence the apostle passes to brotherly love, and excites and engages to that, from its being a message which had been heard from the beginning, 1Jo 3:11, which is illustrated by its contrary in the instance of Cain, who by the instigation of Satan slew his brother, because his works were righteous, and his own were evil, 1Jo 3:12, wherefore, it is no wonder that good men should be hated by the world, who, as Cain, are of the same wicked one, 1Jo 3:13, brotherly love is further urged unto, from its being an evidence of passing from death to life, or of regeneration; whereas he that hates his brother openly continues in a state of death, is a murderer, and so has not eternal life abiding in him, 1Jo 3:14,15, and from the great instance of Christ's love, in laying down his life for his people, the saints are incited to lay down their lives for one another; to such a pitch does the apostle carry brotherly love, 1Jo 3:16, wherefore, he that is rich, and is uncompassionate to his brother in distress, cannot be thought to have the love of God dwelling in him, 1Jo 3:17, hence he presses the exhortation to brotherly love, that it be not in profession only, but true, real, and cordial, 1Jo 3:18, and that by observing the advantages of it, as that hereby men know they are of the truth, and can assure their hearts before God; and which is illustrated by the contrary, the condemnation of the heart, 1Jo 3:19,20, the advantages of non-condemnation of the heart are confidence before God, and receiving whatsoever we ask of him; the reason of which is, because his commandments are kept, and things done which are pleasing to him, 1Jo 3:21,22, the commandments are explained of faith in Christ, and love to one another, 1Jo 3:23, and the happiness of them that do them is, that Christ dwells in them, and they in him, the evidence of which is, the Spirit that is given unto them, 1Jo 3:24.

Footnotes

• [a]. Not only 'again,' but 'entirely afresh,' as from a new source of life and point of departure; translated in Luke 1.3, 'from the origin.' It is a new source and beginning of life.
• [b]. I have hesitated a moment whether 'so' referred to the kind of love that gives 'eternal life,' which is mentioned in verse 15, and is the great subject of John, in contrast with all earthly blessings and favour. The sense then would thus be, that he has loved men in view of eternal life, 'so that' he has given, &c. (See 'so,' Acts 14. 1.) When followed by 'that,' the regular force of the Greek is, 'so much that.'
• [c]. Lit. 'every one who,' as ver. 15.
• [d]. Eis, as in ver. 36; chs. 4.39; 6.29,35,40.
• [e]. Elenko: to show the true character of anything, so as to convict, and hence reprove by showing a man's fault. It is used in chs. 8.46, 'convinces;' 16.8, 'bring demonstration;' Eph. 5.11,13, 'reprove' and 'expose.'