John 3

Nicodemus: Born from Above

1There was a man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do the signs you do unless God were with him.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly I tell you, unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is already old? Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be surprised that I told you: you must be born from above. 8The wind blows where it pleases; you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9Nicodemus asked him, “How can such things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand this? 11Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, and you people do not accept our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has gone up into heaven except the one who came down from heaven — the Son of Man, who is in heaven.* 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. 17God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. 18Whoever believes in him is not judged; whoever does not believe stands judged already, for not believing in the name of the only Son of God. 19And the judgment is this: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness more than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does wrong hates the light and keeps away from the light, afraid that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes to the light, so that it may be seen that his deeds have been done in God.”

The One Who Comes from Above

22After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the Judean countryside; he stayed there with them and baptized. 23John too was baptizing, at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there; and people kept coming to be baptized. 24John had not yet been thrown into prison. 25Then a dispute arose between John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the man who was with you across the Jordan, the one you testified about — look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” 27John answered, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ; I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, is filled with joy at the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and now it is complete. 30He must grow greater; I must grow less. 31The one who comes from above is above all. Whoever is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of earthly things. The one who comes from heaven 32testifies to what he has seen and heard, and no one accepts his testimony. 33Whoever does accept his testimony has put his seal to this: God is true. 34For the one God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit by measure. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever refuses the Son will not see life — the wrath of God remains on him.”