John 3
COMMENTARY:
: 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (1080 “born” [gennao] means bring forth, bedelivered, give birth, procreate, conceived, or gracious act of God to produce spiritual children.)
DEVOTION: Jesus is stating something very significant when HE uses “verily” twice in this verse. HE wants Nicodemus to listen intently to what HE is about to say. Nicodemus was a religious leader who had questions regarding spiritual matters. He knew that Jesus was a teacher come from God and wanted to pick HIS brain regarding these spiritual matters.
Jesus starts right out informing HIM that he must be have a new birth. This new spiritual birth had to come from above. That is what born again means. It is a birth that can only come from heaven. It is not a natural birth.
Each person is conceived naturally in the womb of his/her mother.
This is a process that takes about nine months and then there is a physical birth that takes place. Jesus wants to instruct a teacher of the Jewish religion in the fact that there must be a spiritual birth that has two parts. One part is “born of water.” This is thought to be referring to the Word of God.
In Psalm 119: 9 we have a way for a young man to cleanse his ways. It is stated that it is through the giving heed to the Word of God. In Ephesians 5: 25, 26 we read that husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and cleansed it by the washing of water through the Word of God. Most of us understand what it means to be given birth in the Holy Spirit.
Once a commitment is made the Holy Spirit indwells an individual for the rest of their life. HE is given as an engagement ring to all who genuinely believe. HE not only indwells but HE also fills those who confess their sin yield to HIS direction in their life. We can quench the Holy Spirit and we can grieve the Holy Spirit by our actions.
There are sins of commission and sins of omission in our lives.
CHALLENGE: As we understand our status with the LORD we should act according to the leading of the Word of God and Holy Spirit. The LORD desires for us to be fruitful believers.
: 16 For God so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life. (25 “loved” [agapao] means beloved, to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly, to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing, to have a great affection or care for or loyalty towards.)
DEVOTION: This is one of the first verses that we should teach our children. We need to have this truth engrained in their life as soon as they can understand it explained simply.
God loves us as part of the world HE created. HE loved us so much that HE sent HIS one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus came to this earth as a little baby and lived a perfect sinless life while here which no one can do but HIM. All of us are sinners. There is none that can live a completely righteous life while we are alive.
So we need to be forgiven for our sins. The only way for this to happen is through belief in Jesus Christ. Everyone who believes in HIM is promised that they will have eternal life in heaven for eternity.
Those who don’t believe will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. That is what the word “perish” means. Those not in heaven will be judged for their rejection of Jesus Christ.
We all have to make a choice. There is no just waiting until after we die to make a decision. It is made here and now.
CHALLENGE: Our friends need to hear this message from us on a regular basis. God love them too enough to send HIS Son to die for them. We are HIS messengers to our friends and relatives.
: 30 HE must increase, but I must decrease. (1642 “decrease” [elattoo] means to make less or inferior, to decrease in authority or popularity, make lower, to become less significant or important, or to diminish.)
DEVOTION: John the Baptist knew his assignment while he was on this earth. He had a gift given to him by the Holy Spirit. He was called to be a messenger before the LORD. He was to be the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
He dressed and ate as a prophet of old. He traveled throughout the country preaching repentance. He baptized those who repented of their sins. He was criticized by the Pharisees and other religious leaders.
His disciples wondered about Jesus when HE began ministering in the country. They were told that HE was the Lamb of God. John told his disciples to check out the ministry of Jesus.
The statement in this verse is given by John to his disciples who wanted to instruct his disciples in the importance of the ministry of Jesus. He told his disciples that no one can receive a ministry unless it is given from heaven.
Jesus was the Messiah who had come from heaven. Jesus was the bridegroom and John was the friend of the bride. The church is the bride of Christ. John knew he was only preparing the way for the bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
He knew that the LORD had to increase in ministry and he was going to decrease. Jesus was going to go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. John knew these things and wanted all his disciples to follow Jesus.
CHALLENGE: As disciples we need to be a follower of Jesus Christ with the realization that HE receives all the glory.
: 36 He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him. (3306 “abideth” [meno] means remain, (in reference to a place) – tarry, not to depart, to continue to be present, continues to exist, to be kept, continually or dwell.)
DEVOTION: There are only two eternal destinations for all human beings. The final place for the angels was determined before mankind was created. The good angels are in heaven. The evil angels are going to spend eternity in the lake of fire with the Devil or Satan. They are not in the lake of fire yet. Satan is not in control of the lake of fire. Satan doesn’t want to go to the lake of fire. He has no choice. We have a choice. Theologians think that the angels are presently in the second heaven. God the Father is in the third heaven and we are in the first heave.
If we chose to believe on the Son, we will have everlasting life in heaven with God. If we chose not to believe, will spend eternity in a place where the wrath of God dwells. That place is the lake of fire that burns for eternity. It is a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is a place of torment.
How can a loving God send human beings to a lake of fire forever? Our God is a loving Father but HE is also just. The message of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is heard by all that live on the earth. The choice is giving to each individual. They made a choice on where to spend eternity.
There is no annihilationism (dead just go out of existence). There is no universalism (all people go to heaven). There is only choosing to follow Christ or not. Once the choice is made, there is appointed unto every man a time to die and then the judgment. The judgment is based on our relationship to the message of salvation through the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross, where HE shed HIS blood for the whole world.
Those who reject Christ have the verdict of continuing to exist in the state of blindness or dead in trespasses and sins. This verdict can only be lifted if the individual becomes a follower of Christ. Most do not become followers of Christ because they like their life the way it is now. They are not concerned about eternity.
Our responsibility is to spread the message, just as Christ did to Nicodemus. Everyone is born of water at physical birth. Only a few are born of the Spirit, which is, spiritual birth. We need to present the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to all those in our world. We have to do it in a loving manner.
CHALLENGE: Do you really believe those outside of Christ are going to spend eternity in HELL? What are we doing about it!!
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