You Must Be Born Again
3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
For God So Loved the World
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (ESV)
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
There is one way to get eternal life and that is through faith in Christ! The word faith in verse 36 means a transfer of trust, not just a mental agreement with the fact that Jesus is God. Real saving faith is accompanied by action. No one can truly believe in Christ and not have his life completely transformed by Him. In our culture today moral relativism reigns supreme. It tells tells us that Christians can believe in Jesus to get to heaven, but that all other belief systems are also true and anyone can believe what he chooses and still get to heaven. We can not believe this! The Bible is the one true truth and in John 3:36 God clearly tells us that trust in Christ = eternal life but rejection in Christ = hell. There is no way to wiggle around that truth! Since we are all by nature objects of wrath we will die apart from God unless we turn to Him in repentance and faith. This Christmas I am going to seize the opportunity to invite my unsaved neighbors and family members to church and open a dialogue with them about their spiritual beliefs. Christmastime is a time when people are naturally inclined to talk about Jesus so I am going to seize the day and be sure to lovingly communicate the truth of verse 36 to the lost in my life.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.
Have no doubt: there is one path to salvation. All other paths led to destruction. Let’s be useful to God and share the gospel of hope and life today. Lord, please come soon and move us to do what You say today!
*3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”*
Many people think that by doing good works and being a good person will get them into heaven… this is wrong according to this verse and Ephesians 2:8-9
*For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.*
So with both of these verses known, we need to repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus! We cant earn our way into heaven! This needs to be shared with the multitudes of people that don’t know this!
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
If you are a true Christian, then you will prove it by your actions, how you treat others and the words that come out of your mouth. We are put on this earth to make disciples of Christ, and that is a way that I can live by the truth! There are so many people who haven’t heard the gospel and it would be selfish of me to not talk to them! God is love, therefore, I want to be more and more like Christ by spreading the love of Jesus to everyone and share the good news of what he did on the cross!
30 He must become greater; I must become less.
I love this verse! God is huge and so much bigger than me and anything in this world! I know of people who want to be God and who think they are at the top, when really the Lord is King and in control of everything! He is Lord of Lords and he deserves to be praised and glorified because he is the savior and so much more! God is perfect, holy, and so many things that humans are not. He must become greater and I need to know that no matter what, I must become less because he is in charge and makes the rules! I need to be obedient to the Lord under all circumstances!
30 He must become greater; I must become less.
I just think of an ever changing balance. One side goes up and the other side goes down. As time goes on in our lives, the scale of of a me or a self-lifestyle becomes less as the scale of Lord-focused lifestyle increases. I am humbled and God is exalted. This is the truth: God is holy and, far surpassing any human on this earth. The difference between us and God is unthinkable, even deeper than the depths of the ocean. Therefore, I want to be humble and come to grips with reality that nothing I have from my own, it is all from God. The only reason I have success or failure is because that was God’s will for me. In all circumstances I want to lean on the superior understanding of the Lord, for with only myself I will fail.
God is Good!!
ELLO… I read
I like verse 36,”Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
I like this verse because it talks about those who reject GOD. When I go out and evangelize to people they usually either don’t want to talk to us or they do talk and I get to share the GOSPEL. If they reject us then it isn’t our fault and they aren’t rejecting us but they are rejecting GOD, and when they reject GOD they are rejecting the one who created them and loved them enough to send HIS SON to die for them.
CYA
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
This is a simple breakdown of the truth. Jesus came down to earth as a human, a little baby, to come and be a Savior. This is the light that has come into the world. However, the people rejected Jesus and chose to continue living in the wickedness of their sin. This is the men loving darkness instead of light because of their evil deeds. It is so sad to look at the stories in the Bible and see God’s love poured out in sending His Son as a Savior to the lost, and then be rejected by those whom He came to save. Though a man can be saved of the penalty his sins deserve by the sacrifice of Jesus, that he can repent of his sins and place his trust in Christ, so many chose to reject all that Jesus has done and continue living in their wickedness, even still to this day. Christianity isn’t the popular thing. The majority of the people are against it. So the Christians must make a strong stand against all those who have rejected the truth. I need to be bold in making a stand for the truth of Jesus Christ, and the awesomeness of salvation through Him. I need to always be striving for perfection with all that I am. I need to throw away any traces of my sinful life before Christ. I too had rejected Christ and continued to live in my sin, yet now I can fully embrace His love as I live for Him!
20 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
This just proves that you can’t be luke-warm, anyone who is on one team hates the other, there is no middle. Your either on one or the other. The evil is afraid of the light because they are ashamed of their deeds, their scared that everyone will know what they have been doing. But one day, everyone will have to kneel before God and be judged for our sin, we can’t hide our sin.
!!!MARANATHA!!!
Nicodemus questions Jesus and has all these questions for Him. He completely and utterly was clueless about how to become a Christian and Jesus Himself was explaining it to Him!! He called Nico. out about teaching in the syn. when he doesn’t know much about it. God was showing Him but he did not see at that moment..God shows people the Gospel but they sometimes don’t see it in that moment..that’s why I am reminded that I need to pray more for those that are not saved. If there is no prayer, then why would God want to save them? Well of course He loves them but, like Christa has pointed out, sometimes God is just waiting for you to pray for that person. He wants to use meeeeee sooooooo God use me in everything! :D
Man, I am so thankful to God for the Bible…it literally has something to say about every thing in our lives. And what makes it so powerful, is that it is substantiated by fulfilled prophesy over the span of time–thousands of years–since it was breathed by God through His vessels who obediently submitted themselves to God, for Him to do with and work through them as He pleased. Since I have been saved, reading the Bible has been like going from a black and white movie (when I would read it in my BC days) to a hi-def color movie. It is so VIVID and ALIVE with the Holy Spirit living inside of me, helping me to discern and understand it. I am truly grateful…
Having been water baptized just recently, and therefore having spent some good time considering what baptism means, the first half of this chapter struck me rather deeply. Full immersion is what it means to be baptized. No wading in the water (or, Spirit, for our context), no treading water (Spirit), but full-on DUNKED into Him. Metaphorically, our hair is gonna get wet. Our make-up is gonna get messed up and come off. As Scripture says, we DIE to ourselves. We surrender it all completely. We don’t reserve a small slice of our lives for the world and the old life that is immersed instead in sin and selfishness. We give it ALL over to Jesus Christ.
I actually think that being a, “Christian,” IS popular today. But I do say that loosely. So many people (and I was ONE of them!) count themselves as Christian, but they want to qualify it with the idea that you don’t have to believe in Christ to get to heaven and spend eternity with God. What a tragic antrapping LIE we buy into, when we concede to such a falsity. This is DANGEROUS thinking.
If my rommate came running into my room and said, “Stace! The house is on FIRE! We gotta get OUTTA here!!!” And I look at her and say, “Heather, I believe you. OK, sounds good. I’ll meet you outside.” But I stay in bed, continuing on with my life and actions as though the home is NOT on fire, guys–I’m gonna FRY. Believing is not just a thought in our heads and hearts. True belief compels us to respond with the right actions! And in the example of our home being on fire, if I really believe my roommate, I’m gonna swoop up my cats (unless they run underneath my bed, then, well…sorry, girls–I’m outta here!), throw on my robe, and run like the dickens out of the burning fire!
So it MUST be for us if we are TRUE believers in Jesus, our Christ and Messiah. We can’t say, “OK, Jesus, I’ll meet You outside,” when He says to us, “STACE! YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE!” Because that is in fact what He IS saying to each of us. Our house IS on fire. If we stick around, loitering in our home-for ANY reason-we are exercising a lack of faith, or a lack of belief, in Jesus’s news that our house is on fire.
But we must pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit for our unbelieving loved ones and not-so-loved ones who do not truly believe. Jesus, Himself, witnessed for Himself, and people didn’t believe Him. Not even JESUS could make someone believe. We must pray to the Holy Spirit to remove the scales from the unsaveds’ eyes in our lives, so that their belief would be authentic and prove true. Before our house turns to ashes…
Yes…it IS urgent for us…we MUST be living in obedience to the things Jesus calls us to. And that is not our own agenda, but HIS. And we can learn more about what His agenda is, by getting our eyes on His Word and saturating our hearts with it…
Angela and Daniel Yo, I just had another thought about why Jesus (from yesterday’s SOTD) went ahead with turning the water into wine, even though it wasn’t yet His time…
Perhaps God records this in Scripture for us, to show us that when we appeal to Him, He answers us. This was an important matter for MARY–not necessarily for Jesus. But she appealed to Him, and He exercised grace and mercy, in granting her petition. Jesus expands on this when He speaks of the Father caring for the birds, so how much MORE does He provide and care for His children.
So cool…
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Love this whole passage, but this is the most powerful verse. It says it all. It is as simple as either believe or don’t, but you will have to deal with the consequences. Jesus couldn’t have made it simpler for the people to understand.
Wow John has soo much to say! I love it!!!
The part that stood out to me the most was the last section. :]
30He must become greater; I must become less.
31″The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
33The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.
34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him
I am nothing! I need to make God known for He is so great! I need to give Him the glory in all situations! He is soo great and I need to be a slave to Him for He came down not to be served but to serve. And that is the attitued I need to have! I need to be for Christ and NEVER reject Him!!! Glory be to God in the HIGHIEST!!! :D
***PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD!!!***
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Basically straight up we need to be a born again Christian in order to go to Heaven. I lived through my whole life thinking I was a Christian by going to Church and knowing that God was there and I knew all the answers, but I really became a Christian my Freshman year of high school because I really found out what it meant to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and live by his commandments. I repented of my sins and put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone and became a born again Christian. I love how when it was my birthday that Pastor Bobby wrote on my wall saying that I was physically born on May 19th, 1992 but I was born spiritually, born again on November 16, 2006 when I became a Christian. That was really encouraging to always remember that day that I gave my life to him! It makes me want to tell that to every person that doesn’t understand the real concept of living a life holy and pleasing to God.
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I am thankful that God is not only the Creator who is holy and just but is also loving. God took the initiative and provided the solution to our sin problem. God freely acted for our benefit at his own expense. He gave up his son! In response to this I should also freely and sacraficially act for the benefit of people around me. Our pastors constantly remind us to think of 1 John 3:16 whenever we read John 3:16.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
This chapter makes it so clear that there is only one way to be saved and that is through the Son of God, Christ Jesus. Like John will go on to say, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the only way to get to the Father (john 14:7). Praise the Lord that God has made a way of redemption of us! Like John said in the bridegroom analogy of verse 29, I cannot wait until the Lord returns and our joy will be complete! Maranatha!
4″How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
10″You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
Jesus is calling out Nicodemus, a teacher of the law, a Pharisee. Nicodemus thought Jesus was talking about how people are born naturaly, but didn’t understand Jesus is meaning this spiritually.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him
This verse is awesome(: Its funny how everyone knows John 3:16 by heart, but many dont even bother to see the context of the verse. Jesus already came, and he saved us all! But he is coming again, and this time he is coming to take him people back to heaven and condemn the world! I praise God that I am one of his children and I cannot wait until Jesus returns!!! MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is such a well known verse that so many people know and can recite off the top of their head. I know this verse and it’s been drilled into my head when I was a little kid in Sunday School but it’s one of those verses I just take for granted since I’ve heard it so many times. When I really think about it, I amazed and humbled that Wow God sent His one and only son for us. I mean parents love their children so much more than they love themselves and I can’t even imagine the physical & emotional agony and pain He had to go through. This Christmas season it’s easy to get caught up in everything else but it goes back to one thing which is God’s love and how He was willing to give up His one and only son to die carrying the enormity of our sins so we could have eternal life. That is such a great reason to celebrate :) I think I’m going to write a blog about this tomorrow.
MERRY CHRISTMAS from the snow to all of my brothers and sisters in the OC! Just one more day of school until break so hang in there…vacation is a coming! And I can testify that it is a good thing!
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is a classic verse that many of us have been familiar with for a long time. But it takes on a special meaning at Christmas! God loves us so much that he gave us Jesus: that goes well with thinking of it as a gift! It’s the best gift we could ever receive. Preaching on this a couple of times over the last two weeks has definitely made me grateful for Jesus and force me to consider the depth of God’s love that he would give us his Son. This is definitely something worth celebrating!
30He must become greater; I must become less.
I loveee this response from John!! He has such a humble spirit that is clearly ready to serve the Lord!! John did not wish to receive the glory for the works that he did, and God was the center of his life!! I pray that I may have the same attitude each day of my life. I pray that the words of my mouth may be focused on giving Christ the glory as well!! Keep the Christ in Christmas!! :D
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
WOO AWANA verse!! I just love seeing all these verses that pop up that remind me of the fantastic AWANA ministry!! ;D
29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
30He must become greater; I must become less.
31″The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above a
This verse is great, and it shows you how humble John was. He did not try to compete with JESUS because he knew his place and who JESUS was. Pride is detrimental to a person, and GOD hates it. I need to eradicate pride from my life.
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16! Oh how I love this verse! God loves us sooo much, he sent his son, to be massacred on the cross, for OUR sins, so that we can go to heaven! Isn’t that beautiful, unexplainable love? We are all in need of a savior and Jesus is the only one who CAN save us. Through HIM we have eternal life. I am so thankful for God’s love and mercy that allowed me to see the light!
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is one of my favorite verses. I just thank God for sending his son to die for our sins, so that we amy be able to be with him in heaven. I am so thankful for Gods mercy that he gave us a chance, and that we are able to look forward to the future to be spending with our Savior!!! <3
13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Have you ever gotten into really stupid arguments with someone to prove you’re right about something? I have done this a lot. If we know the we are right and can prove it by facts, then it seems that we cannot just drop the issue until we have convinced the other person. Even if it’s some really small and trivial issue, we will continue to use the facts to argue our point until we get it across (at least, i often have done this)…. However, in the world today, it seems that one thing that everyone has an opinion an – and that nobody really cares to be told differently about – is how to get to heaven. People want to believe that you can believe whatever you want about God, it’s okay; just be a good person, do good deeds, etc., and you will earn your way into heaven. But as Christians, we have the words of Jesus, who is the best – and in fact, the only – expert on the issue of heaven. Only He has been there and then come to tell us about it, and He came straight from the father with the message of the only way to heaven: Repent from your sins and put your faith completely in Him as your hope of salvation. So, we have the facts, we know we’re right… but too often we are content to let others continue to believe in lies. Tolerance may be the policy of the world, but we know of the coming Judgement and we need to make every effort to preach others the Gospel so that God can change their hearts and save them from His wrath! Of course, unlike when trying to win an trivial argument, we need to do this with gentleness and respect. We don’t want to try to force arguments down people’s throats and come across as jerks while trying to evangelize. But we do need to speak in earnest, and without compromise, because the Gospel is the most important information anyone could ever hear. This mindset has helped me in evangelism to change my motives: I’m not merely trying to win arguments, I’m giving someone the message that could change the course of their life from hell to heaven.I need to view every person around me in this way, my heart breaking for all that do not believe, and earnestly and eagerly tell them about the true state of their sin – and the best thing that has ever happened to mankind, our salvation through Jesus Christ.
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Ah, what Christmas is really about. Now that is something to talk about! Today at campus lunch Chris encouraged us all to get excited about our Savior, Jesus Christ, and to tell everyone about him! I need to continue evangelizing whenever I can. Even If I only have a minute, there is never a time when it’s a bad time to talk about Jesus! I need to bring him up in as many conversations as possible, because he is worth talking about!
PRAISE THE LORD!!!
MARANATHA!!!
Question..
13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Oh woops, I forgot to put the question.. haha.
anyway, I’m curious about this verse:
13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
What is this supposed to mean.. because haven’t all Christians who have died gone to heaven?
30He must become greater; I must become less.
This needs to be my new theme verse. It is short, strong, and to the point. I will memorize this.
5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
The only way we can get to heaven is by repenting and placing our faith in Christ. Once we do that, we are then born of the spirit. I am so thankful for Gods amazing gift of eternal life and how he blesses me in so many ways!
6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
this verse is talking about how sinful things don’t make things that are godly, we need to make sure we are making things of the spirit
c u all at true north
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
The LORD is merciful and He sent His one and only Son to take our punishment. We don’t deserve the love and mercy God has given to us. We need to be sure to remember to praise Him and thank Him for what He did for us. Let our minds focus on God this Christmas and thank Him for His mercy and grace.
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
I really like this verse. Two me, it does a few things. It makes me love God all the more as i am reminded of how he has saved me. Also, it reminds me that I am truly not worthy of God’s mercy. Third, it makes me fear the Lord even more. I know that I hav salvation, but if i had denied the Lord I would have felt his wrath. This makes me want to obey the Lord all the more, knowing that if I dont, I am subject to his wrath. I definately do not want that
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” to get into heaven you have to be totally made new. this isn’t a literal born again but your life is totally changed. you go from a life of lying, stealing, cussing and you change to totally living for God and doing what he wants instead of what you want. so as Christians we need to be totally living for christ. i need to work on reading the bible more and praying everyday for at least 10 minutes.
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Serious stuff! This is the difference between life and death– eternally. The determining factor is belief in Jesus! And this kind of belief is not just that you know he exists (as the Bible points out- even the demons know that!) its the belief that causes action, that causes repentance, that causes us to FOLLOW Him. I love that this is such a simple verse and yet, boiled down, its what every person on earth needs to know! Jesus is IT, the only way, and there’s no way to get to Heaven but by belonging to Him!
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Wow, this is a great verse. Many people today believe that by just saying a prayer, they will go to heaven, but that’s not always the case. In fact, I know many people that once said “the prayer” but are now living for the world and living in some crazy sins. This is not what a christian looks like. By asking Jesus into our lives and being born again, we are turning our lives around from living for ourselves to living for the Lord, and if we are a christian, that will show in our lives (spiritual fruits). I pray that we all would have a desire to spread the gospel and would tell those who think that by just saying a prayer and going back to living for themselves that they are wrong and need to repent.
MARANATHA!!!!!
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
mmmmm Jesus really lays it out in this verse! to become a Christian, we must first be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, or born again (Titus 3:5-6). this regeneration is necessary for us to be saved! we are all dead to sin before our rebirth. Paul (in Romans 3:10-18) spells out how as sinners we have no interest in God or the things of God. Jesus says that no one will see the kingdom unless they are born again. the application of this verse is that we ought to be humble in light of God’s grace, and His work in us. i know that my salvation is not of works but of God’s work and His grace in me. i pray that i would be humbly serving the God who has saved me, and praise Him all the time for His grace working in me. i pray that in light of this verse i would be living sold out for Jesus Christ, and telling others of the rebirth that God brings this Christmas season!
8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
This is the change in someones life when they have became a christian. Although you can’t actually see it as it is a change of the heart you can see its effects just like wind. How do we know wind exists, we see what it does. Therefore, a christian isn’t saved by works, but is shown to be a christian by works as that is what a person who is born again will do. Lord, let me always show my faith by my deeds. Amen.
14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
I was watching iCarly today…yeah wow I know. But it bugged me so much that the characters on that show keep using the Lord’s name in vain! I had to turn it off because it got so bad. This verse says that Jesus must be lifted up! I find it insulting that the tv shows put God’s name down! I am going to make sure that when people around me say things like that and call themselves Chrsitians, to confront them and tell them that is not okay. Jesus saves people from their sins and cannot be used like that.
who’s excited for CHRISTmas!?!
2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”—I love this because Nicodemus said that God could do so much miracles the others could not do and it is only by Him that people would be able to do anything like that! It reminds me that I jsut need to have 100% faith in Christ because of all miracles he can perform and what he controls! I do not need to be afraid of anyone else because what they can do to me is nothing compared to the capabilities of Christ. Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body.” I need to be having a lot more faith that Christ can do anything and his plan is best for me! It is also helpful to know that if I am born again in Christ then I can be certain that I am going to spend eternity with Christ! It makes me think about how thankful I am for what Jesus did for me! He lived here on earth, a PERFECT life, and then died horribly on the cross for my gross sins! I am born again through Christ and I know with faith in Him he will make my path straight!
MARANATHA!!!
love this chapterrr
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
I have theophobia. The thought of Gods wrath scares me. I mean look at what happened to Sodom. Fire and Brimstone doesn’t sound too nice to me. And those cities were not as bad bad as America is today. But that is why Christ came to save us from those sins. He humbled himself to become a helpless human baby. Now that is why we celebrate CHRISTmas.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
This is a great verse because w can never forget that the only reason we dont have to suffer for our sins is because Jesus sacrificed for us. This is awesome and should never be forgotten.
I read…
Verse 36… Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
In this chapter, Jesus was telling Nicodemus, a Pharisee, how to get eternal life. The last verse sums what He says for the whole chapter. What a great chapter to prepare for evangelism with! Because of this we should be more equipped for evangelism.
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
I am so thankful that I’m not condemned anymore after believing in Christ! I need to constantly remember that anyone who isn’t standing in Christ is already condemned and be sure to share the truth with them. That needs to be the thought that overwhelmingly occurs to me when interacting with anyone who isn’t saved.
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Jesus Christ came into this world as a light, but as this verse said, men basically rejected Him because of their passion and love for evil. They would rather chase after their desires than have a relationship with the the Lord. I am so glad that God chose me to be one of His people and not one of the people who ignores the Son just so that they may take part in their worldly desires.
30He must become greater; I must become less.
It is extremely humble of John to want Jesus to be exalted, even if its at John’s expense. he understands that jesus is much greater than he is, and John wants everyone to know that. This shows major humility and love for Jesus on John’s part. I need to learn how to base my actions on a desire to bring glory to God and not myself.
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
This verse is so frightening even though I am a Christian!! Its frightening because I once was not on God’s side and I was going to endure God’s wrath for eternity!!!!! But i am so thankful God saved me and I will be with Him forever in Heaven!!!!!!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!
30He must become greater; I must become less.
I must live my entire life, every ounce of my energy, for the Lord. That is my only reason for being on this earth, and we never know how long we have here. I want to do as much as i can for the Lord while i am still on this earth.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I LOVE this verse! I think its such a great verse to share with others because it really lays out the basics of christianity. Its almost like a mini story but yet there is TONS more! But i do love this because it cuts right to the point of saying God loved us so much that he sent his ONLY son and whoever believes in him will go to heaven and not hell. :)
30He must become greater; I must become less.
This verse is such a cool statement. John could have easily boasted in his acomplishments; after all he did baptize Jesus! But instead he keeps his focus on what he was sent to do, point to Jesus and get the people ready for His comming. I want to be like John and let Christ increase in my life and make myself decrease for His glory and my sanctifacation.
11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
~I can totally relate to this verse. Its so sad to speak to people about my faith and they don’t want to hear it and no matter what i say their heart never changes. It just brakes my heart to see all these people with hard hearts and so little faith who are so unwilling to budge an inch. Here i am begging them to repent and they sit there wandering whats wrong with me. Sometimes its just plain discouraging but i know that it is the Lord’s will and i just need to trust him even when i don’t understand his ways. I pray that the Lord will take away the heavy dicouragement digging in my heart and replace it with a new love and compassion to go out twice as hard and evanglize. I have to admit though, the greatest feeling I get is the adrenaline and the immense joy that rushes through my body when im talking about the good news! Thank you soooooo much Lord for my salvation, i still don’t know why you picked me but thank you, you are soooooo merciful!
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
- We all deserve to go to hell!!!! were are just so loved by God that He will give us a chance to take control of our Faith. And this just shows how loving God is and how unconditional He is!!!
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil
That is the problem: We love our sin sometimes. The reason we habitually do wrong thing is because we do not hate our sin enough to run away from it. As Christians, we must love the light, and therefore hate sin and evil deeds. Run away from sin, quickly.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
How great is our God. How compassionate is our God. How loving is our God; so loving to the point where he humbles himself and dies an agonizing death for us. All we have to do is believe in him, and we will not perish, but live in his presence forever versus his wrath. This is truly the greatest act of love anyone could commit, as John 15:13 says. I will forever praise God for all he has done for me
God Bless!!
21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
Amen! For Christians, the truth of our salvation should be evident in our lives. What has been done in us is through the Father. Before I was saved I tried to look like the good Christian, I tried to make the outward appear righteous. However, despite the attempts to make the outward appear clean, I was still very sinful and wicked in my heart. After Christ saved me, my desires changed and I began to see a ton of fruit in my life. I suddenly had a desire to live for the Lord’s glory rather than for my own. I love how this verse makes it known that this transformation is completely from the Lord. It wasn’t me trying to make myself better, but the Lord bringing me into the light. Now, I need to continue to examine my life and see where things are not measuring up to God’s perfect standard!
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
I love how the gospel is being preached early on in the New Testament. I need to be preaching the gospel to myself everyday because it is what I am all about! I am so thankful for him sending his Son especially as the Christmas season is here!!
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
I am glad to know that i believe in the Son and that I have eternal life and that i will someday be in heaven with Him!
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
I can’t think of any greater news. This is, essentially, the gospel. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down to live a perfect life as a man (His coming is what we celebrate at Christmas), to die for the sins of the world, and to rise again, defeating death. If you trust Him, you will be saved. Over this Christmas/Christmas break, I want to spend some time just thinking about, thanking, and praising God for His indescribable gift. It’s nothing I have done, am doing, or ever could do; it’s all what He has done, and how because of that, I can have eternal life and be right with the Almighty God. Praise Jesus Christ! Glory be to God in the highest!
Jackson, great question! Obviously, Jesus is saying something unique about himself, so it is best to understand this as saying that no one else alive at this time had ever been in heaven like Jesus had.
3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
This is the gospel! We need to be born again! The good news is going to be preached tomorrow at Trabuco, Dana, and Capo. Pray for Revival!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Praise the Lord that I am not condemned! However, what stood out to me about this verse is that the people that don’t believe in Christ ARE condemned. So often people just want to look on God as a loving God, a God who will accept anyone just the way they are. But, this verse shows clearly that if they do not believe in Christ they are already condemned and they will be judged. It is so important to have a correct view of God, to understand all his facets and not just the ones we like.
35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Thesse verses remind me of God’s great forgiveness and his great love. But if we focus more on the desires of our flesh not God’s wrath will come upon us. So i think that groups like the ones at school and going to church help us focus on what God wants us do to so we can get to heaven
“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
This chapter had many powerful verses in it (and I wish there were over 100 people on here!) but I thought this one had the most impact. Whoever lives by the light (a Christian) will be seen PLAINLY to others by his actions that he is a slave of Christ. I need to do this more actively; show Christ’s work in my life by my actions and plainly, without a doubt, the pagans can know that I am different. I also need to be increasingly vocal about it, knowing that the Holy Spirit is with me (v.34).
Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!!!
16″For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
AMAZING CHAPTER! Every single verse is amazing and so powerful and meaningful! John 3:16 is very well known but every time i read it i learn more and more. God loved the world and all the people so much that he sent his ONLY son to die for our sins! THat alone is incredible! Even though we are sinners and we go against the word and commands of the Lord everyday, he still loves us! Praise God! Whoever believes in the Lord will have eternal life and spend eternal life with the one and Only son! Verse 36 was intense and i really liked it! Whoever rejects the Son will not see light or life, they will be in darkness, and burn in the lake of fire! Also, Gods wrath remains of those who reject Him! THat is so intense. I would NEVER want to first of all be put in the lake of fire and never see light, but also to have wrath from the Lord! In the beginning of the chapter, he talks about how we must be born again. You cant just take the fake or easy way out of it and say that you believe in the Lord and you are going to Heaven. You must believe not just the facts, but believe FROM YOUR HEART! Great chapter. Maranatha!
36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
It’s so sad that people think that there are other ways to get into heaven. God himself says that Jesus is the only way, and they need to know that. This verse shows me how important evangelism is. it would cruel and heartless not to tell someone about the good news and let them go to hell for eternity.
21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
This verse is really good because it shows plainly that being saved is more than just believing in God. It shows that it is impossible to legitimately be a Christian without other people knowing it. My actions and the way I live in general will be an indicator of my true status. If I *don’t* live up to that standard, I wouldn’t be able to call myself I Christian.
21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
This verse is in stark contradiction to the people who hide in the darkness so that their sinful deeds are not exposed. Those people love darkness and would rather have their sin than be with God. But the people in verse 21 come into the light because they love God more and they want all to see what God has done through them so that He will be glorified. This just made me think on how I should always seeking to bring glory to God through my life. I should constantly be praying for God to do amazing things in my life so that He would be glorified. Lord, please help me not to spend my time loving other things like the people in verse 20 loved darkness; please help me to instead love you and always be looking for ways to glorify you so that you would be praised.
“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
Another passage to confirm that a believer cannot live in darkness. If you are filled with the spirit, then scripture makes it clear that you will be living in the light, or walking as Jesus did. If you are not doing so, then that means you are not a Christian, in simplest terms.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
Interesting passage. While most would claim that Jesus came to condemn and look down upon everyone, his real mission was to bring life to the already condemned.
John 3
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Why is it so easy for people to hear the Truth and turn their ears away from it? People hear the Word of God and either not hear (understand) it or not want to hear it. Either way man is not giving Christ the honor and glory by acknowledging Christ as God. Here Christ gives the ultimate reward of eternal life to those who believe and put their faith in Him. Faith in Christ and receive everlasting life or denial of Christ and receive eternal separation from God and all things good. Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Not only do we need to have faith in Christ but we need to submit to His authority and confide in Him all of our transgressions (sin). If we do not accept Christ God’s wrath will continue to add up against us for all of our sins that we committed in our life. As Christians we have an assurance that can never be removed or taken away from us.
Matthew 6:19-20 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
I pray that this week’s campus lunches would be the seed that God uses to start a revival in the high schools in Orange County.