BOOK 43 OF 66 · GOSPELS · KING JAMES BIBLE

John 3

John book home•Chapter 3 of 21•36 verses

Chapter overviewAt a glance + deeper study

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John 3 Overview

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, comes to Jesus by night and hears that he must be born again/from above. Jesus explains the work of the Spirit, points to the lifted serpent as a pattern for the Son of man being lifted up, and declares that whoever believes in Him has eternal life. John the Baptist then joyfully decreases as Christ increases.

JohnBook

3Chapter

36Verses

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Before you read John 3

Coming from

John 2 ended with Jesus knowing what is in man. John 3 immediately presents one such man—a respected religious teacher who still needs the new birth.

In this chapter

The chapter moves from the necessity and source of new birth to the clearest belief-and-eternal-life language in Scripture, then closes with John the Baptist’s final witness to Christ’s supremacy.

Leads into

John 4 takes the offer of living water and true worship beyond Jerusalem to a Samaritan woman and then shows Jesus’ life-giving word healing a nobleman’s son.

Key understandingExplore deeper

The new birth is something God does by the Spirit; Jesus compares it to the wind, whose effects are real though its movement is not controlled by man.

John 3:15–18 repeatedly identifies belief in the Son—not works, baptism, prayer, or moral reform—as the decisive response connected with eternal life and escape from condemnation.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Religious status does not replace the new birth

Nicodemus is learned and respected, yet Jesus tells him he must be born again.

The object of saving faith is Christ

The bronze-serpent comparison focuses attention on looking/believing toward the One lifted up.

Eternal life is a present gift to the believer

The language is ‘hath everlasting life,’ not probation until works prove faith.

True ministry exalts Christ rather than self

John rejoices that Jesus increases even as his own public prominence decreases.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Numbers 21:4–9

Jesus explicitly compares His being lifted up with the bronze serpent, where the bitten Israelite lived by looking at God’s provision.

Isaiah 53:4–6

The Son being lifted up for condemned sinners fits the Servant’s substitutionary suffering.

Romans 5:1

Paul’s justification-by-faith language accords with John’s sharp contrast between believing and remaining condemned.

1 John 5:11–13

John later says eternal life is in the Son and that believers can know they have it.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not add repentance of sins as an unstated condition to John 3:16

Jesus repeatedly states belief in Him as the condition connected with eternal life.

Do not make water in verse 5 automatically Christian baptism

The passage speaks before Christian baptism and centers the contrast between flesh and Spirit; interpretations should be argued rather than assumed.

Do not read ‘condemned already’ as saying unbelievers must first commit extra works to become condemned

The text grounds condemnation in unbelief toward the Son.

Do not confuse John’s decreasing with self-hatred

His joy comes from fulfilling his role and seeing Christ rightly exalted.

Read John 3 watching for…

Nicodemus’s assumptions about religious knowledge.

Every statement about being born of the Spirit.

The bronze-serpent comparison.

The repeated words believe, life, condemn, and light.

John the Baptist’s joy in Christ’s increasing supremacy.

Chapter outline4 sections

1-13Jesus tells Nicodemus that a man must be born again 14-21The Son of man is lifted up so that believers may have everlasting life 22-30John rejoices that Jesus must increase while he must decrease 31-36The one from above is above all, and believing the Son brings everlasting life

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

For John was not yet cast into prison.

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

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.

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

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

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.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.