John Chapter 3 in Context

John 3 and the Question of Reformed Theology

Our Heavenly Father, once again, we seek the ministry of the Holy Spirit amongst us. We confess that without His ministry, without His enlightenment of our minds, we can do nothing that will have any type of lasting value.

So we would ask that even now You would protect us from distraction, You would help us to hear Your Word. All things to Your honor and glory, we pray in Christ's name, Amen. I almost stopped by my office this morning to pick up the first two Bibles that I ever owned.

I still have them. Those who have ever seen my office or my library know that I have a lot of Bibles. I just can't get rid of them unless I give them to someone to use. And once in a while I'll see someone here who's using a Bible that I've used in the past.

That's always very encouraging. But I still have the first two Bibles. You may recall when you were younger that first Bible had a zipper on it because when you're young you tend to, well, not take care of things as well as you might otherwise.

And so it had all those little zipper things on it. But it was sort of a kid's Bible. And I remember getting my first real Bible for my seventh birthday. I'm not going to tell you what that was because that would cause an undue amount of snickering amongst those of you who are younger than I am.

But I still have it. It was a brown King James version of the Bible. And it's still got some of the stickers that I got in Sunday school in the back. They actually haven't peeled off yet, which is testimony to how difficult they are to get off of articles of clothing and pieces of furniture that they end up stuck on too.

But I remember so very clearly reading that Bible and being so proud of taking it to Sunday school that first day in the Little Baptist Church that we attended back in Pennsylvania at that time. And I can pretty well guarantee that one of the very first texts that I ever read, and of course it was in red, R .E .D., was the third chapter of John.

And I would imagine if you had the blessing of the kind of upbringing that I had, where my first memories are of church and Sunday school and memorizing the Bible and hearing the message of Christ, probably one of the very first verses you memorized was not Ephesians 1 -7.

And it probably wasn't in Hebrews anywhere. Probably one of the very first verses you ever memorized was John 3 -16. And I have a feeling that if I were to take a poll of those gathered here this morning, the majority sitting here could quote for me John 3 -16.

Many people know the verse. In fact, interestingly enough, in November of this year there's going to be a conference where a number of leading Southern Baptists are going to get together, and it's the John 3 -16 conference.

Now the irony is the John 3 -16 conference is a place where the leading critics of Reformed theology are going to get together and explain why Reformed folks are all wrong. And they're going to assert that John 3 -16 is the clearest evidence that whatever it is, that guy born 499 years ago, John Calvin, taught, John 3 -16 must not have been in his Bible.

Because if you just read it, it's so very plain. It says whosoever, doesn't it? And the irony is I'm sure that there are a bucket load of Reformed folks like myself that would have been more than happy to go there and have dialogues and even formal debates on these subjects, but for some reason we didn't get invited.

I'm not really sure why that is. Is it true that this third chapter of John is a text that if we were just to listen to, if we didn't have our traditions, would lead us to a conclusion other than what we've reached in regards to the centrality of God's will?

That God is the one who saves, that he has an elect people, and that he saves perfectly. He never fails to save one that in eternity he has chosen to save. Or is the reality that it's the tradition of men, a tradition that has a lot of emotion attached to it because if it's the first verse you ever memorize, if it was taught to you by someone who taught a certain way, there's a lot of emotional baggage that comes along with that kind of an attachment to one particular interpretation or understanding of the biblical verse.

Let's take a look at this third chapter of John this morning. We'll continue our series on the deity of Christ this evening, but I wanted to look at this text this morning. It's a little bit of a dangerous thing to do because the fact of the matter is we all know John chapter 3.

It's probably, maybe other than Genesis 1, the most well-known chapter in the Bible. But I just want to look at the first 21 verses. I want to have a context and take a look at what is really being said here in John chapter 3.

The New Birth and the Kingdom of God

There was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus was his name, a ruler of the Jews. This one came by night to Jesus and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher come from God, for no one is able to do these signs which you are doing unless God is with him.

Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born again, you will never see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? He's not able to enter into his mother's room a second time and be born, is he?

Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water, the Spirit, one is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born from the flesh is flesh. That which is born from the Spirit is spirit.

Do not be amazed that I said to you, It is necessary that you be born again. The Spirit blows where he wills and we hear the sound of it. Or the wind blows where it wills and we hear the sound of it. Both words are the same in the original.

But we do not know. You don't know where it has come from or where it is going. Thus it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and you do not understand or know these things?

Truly, truly, I say to you, What we know we are speaking and what we have seen we are testifying or giving testimony about. And our testimony you are not receiving. If I have spoken to you of earthly things and you are not believing, How will you believe when I speak to you of heavenly things?

And no one has ascended up into heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man. And then some of your translations will have who is in heaven and some will not. We will briefly mention that in a few moments.

And just as Moses raised up the serpents in the wilderness, even so it is necessary that the Son of Man be raised up in order that all the believing ones, everyone believing in him might have eternal life for this.

Thus, in this way, God loved the world in that he gave his unique son in order that everyone believing, same Christ found in verse 15, everyone believing in him might not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send the son in the world in order that he might judge the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. The one believing in him is not judged, but the one not believing has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the unique son of God.

This is the judgment that light has come into the world and man loved darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. For the one practicing evil hates the light and is not coming to the light lest his works, his deeds be reproved.

But the one doing truth comes to the light in order that it might be made manifest that his works have been worked in God. Here we have a portion of the conversation between Nicodemus and our Lord. As we look at what Jesus says here, I want to walk through the text and try to follow some key aspects of what takes place here.

Born of Water and Spirit

Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night because we know that very early on there is strong opposition to Jesus' message from the Jews. And so he comes by night. He is a ruler amongst the Jews. But just as we saw at Jesus' birth, there were those in the temple who had not yet been corrupted by the decadence of the worship of the temple as it had decayed in the days of our Lord.

There were still some who were looking for the promise. There were still some who were spiritually aware. And so Nicodemus hears these teachings of Jesus. He sees the signs which he's done. And he comes to Jesus by night and he says, I know that you're a teacher sent from God because if God wasn't with you, you would not be able to do the things that you're doing.

Jesus does not even waste time with a discussion of the signs that he's done or anything else like that. He says to this man, unless you are born again, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Now, you probably know that the Greek term translated again can also be translated from above.

But it's fairly obvious that Nicodemus took it in the sense of again, because he asked a rather interesting question. How can I be born again after I've already been born, after I'm already old? Can I enter a second time in my mother's womb and be born again?

And Jesus' response has been the subject of great debate over the centuries. There are, I think, two valid understandings of what Jesus says in verses five and six, when he says, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water in the spirit, one is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.

Now, there are many who have understood being born of the water, the spirit of baptism, or at least water being of baptism. I'm not sure what they do with spirit. But in reality, there's two ways to understand this.

One is that Jesus is continuing Nicodemus' own question, and that is being born of water in the spirit refers to both physical and then spiritual birth. And then in verse six, that continues on with that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.

You have to have both. You have to have the fleshly birth. You have to have the spiritual birth to enter into the kingdom of God. That is a possibility. There are others who would point out that this type of language is also found, especially in the book of Ezekiel.

John uses a lot of imagery and understanding from the book of Ezekiel. And in that same section, it's talking about the new covenant. In the same section, it talks about the value of the dry bones, the wind coming along just like we have here in this section.

The bones come together, and living people are created out of these things. In the same section, it talks about taking out a heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh, etc., etc. You have references to this being born of water and spirit.

They would see this as a fulfillment of that prophetic understanding of what Jesus is saying here. Both, I think, lead to the same conclusions. Jesus' response to Nicodemus is, there is a spiritual birth that is absolutely required.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. There is a need for a birth, not another physical birth for you, but there is a need for a spiritual birth for you.

And he says, do not be amazed that I said to you, it is necessary. Not, I suggest, but it is necessary that you be born again. This nature of being born again is then explained by the wind. Now, as I mentioned, the term pneuma in Greek would translate as spirit or as wind.

And the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound. And boy, did we have an illustration of that Thursday evening, did we not? For some of you, it was a sound you did not like to hear, because then your electricity went out for a few days.

But for the rest of us, especially a little bit farther to the north, it was just a lot of wind and a lot of lightning. It was a beautiful display of God's power to be certain. The wind blows, and sometimes you do not know where it is coming from or where it is going.

It circles around, so on and so forth. No one controls that wind. And thus it is, Jesus says, with everyone who has been born of the Spirit. Now, that does not mean that we go around and no one knows where we are going.

This is referring to the Spirit. The Spirit brings about regeneration as the Spirit wills, as the rest of the Scriptures bear out. Nicodemus' answer is to demonstrate that, unfortunately, in his day, a lot of the prophetic message was not being taught.

We know that to be the case from listening to the scribes and Pharisees who were focused upon the minutia rather than the overarching themes of the Word of God. He says, how can these things be? How can this be?

Jesus' answer is to show amazement at Nicodemus. You are the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things? I think there is a clear indication there from the Lord's part that if they had paid proper attention, the revelation was already theirs, that these would not be unknown or difficult things to understand.

There is a consistency between the message of the old and the message of the new. Those who would try to drive a wedge between the two, this is one of the earliest areas of the Church, try to drive a wedge between the old and the new, Jesus will not have any of this.

He always holds the men with whom he has confrontation and dialogue responsible for having heard God speaking to them in the Old Testament Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament Scriptures. And so he says to him, you do not understand these things?

We are testifying of what we have known and what we have seen, and you are not receiving our testimony. If you do not believe when I speak to you of earthly things, then how will you be able to understand when I speak of heavenly things?

Then verse 13, and I don't have a lot of time this morning to develop this, but I just raise it as an interesting text that maybe at some other time, maybe in Bible studies, something like that, we can open up a little bit more.

But Jesus says, no one has ascended up into heaven except the one who has descended from heaven, the Son of Man. Now, there is a textual variant at this point. That means in the handwritten manuscripts, approximately 5 ,500 or more handwritten manuscripts of the Greek New Testament, not including the foreign language translations, that the last phrase of verse 13 is not found in one particular group of them.

They're very, very early manuscripts. The phrase, who is in heaven, which you'll find the King James, the New King James Version of the Bible, is not found in what are called the Alexandrian or Egyptian manuscripts, but are found pretty much in all the rest, though many would say in a later form.

Now, personally, I think we should point those things out. And personally, I think we should deal with this here, because even though generally the manuscripts it's not found in are extremely reliable, still there isn't much of a reason as to why this would be added in at a later point.

If it is an expansion on the part of later scribes, it doesn't seem to have any place where it came from. And so I lean toward thinking that in reality, this has a very good argument for being part of the original text itself, because it does seem to fit with the verse.

No one has ascended up into heaven except he who descended out of heaven. That is the son of man who is in heaven. They see at that point, a scribe might go. I don't understand this. I don't understand what this could possibly mean.

And we don't have time today to unpack all of it. But it would seem to me that there is a reference here to the divine nature of the sun. And if this phrase is original, then the son of man who is in heaven, the son of man is a term that refers to really when you look back at Daniel, a divine being.

This is one of Jesus' favorite phrases for himself, divine being. And there have been some who I think have gone a little bit beyond the text to try to use this as a foundation for a great deal of expansive theology.

I don't know that we should do that. But it would seem to indicate that if Jesus is referring to his heavenly nature, the fact that he is uniquely capable of revealing the Father and revealing the Father's purposes and to function as the way he's about to explain his function, that is being lifted up, then to refer to the son of man who is in heaven would make sense because the son of man is seen in Daniel in heaven.

You will see later on when this same phraseology is used, when it talks about you will see the son of man coming to clouds of heaven. It is terminology that is used. The son of man is seen standing at the right hand of power, etc., etc.

It would seem to make perfect sense that this is a heavenly designation and that Jesus uses it of himself. So we move on. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, again, we need to know our Old Testaments, but remember the situation where Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, those who looked upon the serpents.

There were these serpents that were plaguing him. When they looked upon the serpent, they would live. If they did not, they would die. There was this necessity to look to God's provision for salvation.

And so just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus, in the same way, it is necessary, another time that term is being used in this text, it is necessary that the son of man be lifted up.

Now I know that in English, to lift someone up can have a lot of different meanings. You can lift someone up in exalting them. You can lift someone up in praising them. Lift up the Lord in praise and worship, et cetera, et cetera.

But the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up literally upon a pole. And in the same way, the lifting up of the son of man is the lifting up the son of man upon that cross. And once again, Jesus says it is necessary.

This is one of the reasons, again, why modern liberal scholars reject the gospel of John as having any meaning to us. Because, well, Jesus couldn't have known that he was going to be raised up. Jesus couldn't have known the way in which he was going to die.

Again, they start with the presupposition that whoever Jesus was, he wasn't who the New Testament says he was. And so starting with that assumption, then we just tear it apart from there and tear it into shreds because we don't want to believe that he actually could come with the foreknowledge and purpose of exactly what he was going to do.

That it was his purpose from the beginning. He set his mind to go to Jerusalem. He says it is necessary that the son of man be lifted up. He says that in the Synoptic Gospels. He says it here. It is necessary that the son of man be lifted up.

The Son of Man Lifted Up for Salvation

Why? Why is it necessary that the son of man be lifted up? Isn't there some other way? Well, notice what verse 15 says. And very rarely, unless we haven't gotten to verse 16 yet, we're about to get there.

But very rarely is verse 16's relationship to what's come before noted when people use it. Normally it's just simply quoted and it's like, well, it says what it says. And if you argue, then you're just trying to be fancy and introduce confusion to the text.

I want you to see the phrase beginning of verse 15. In order that. It is necessary that the son of man be lifted up in order that. In order of what? You have a Greek phrase here. Which is translated in many translations, whosoever believes.

It literally means. Every one believing. Pass. Pass. Pass means every or all. Papist. You own means the one believing, not believing in having a point action, a temporary faith. It's an ongoing thing.

The one believing. Every one believing. The necessity of the lifting up of the son of man is so that every single person believing in him. Remember what the Israelites do when they look at the serpent?

They are trusting the promise of God. Look at the serpent. You'll live. He must be lifted up so that every single one believing in him might have eternal life. Now you might say, well, if it's everyone believing.

Why is it so many translations say whosoever? Well, it means the same thing. As long as you don't try to read a meaning into the term whosoever. There's no word. We found the original language. You see the meaning that people try to read into this.

And believe me, I've heard a lot of sermons. Whosoever. No election. It's your choice. But that's not what it says. And you can preach it loudly. And you can yell louder than me. And you can preach to much larger groups than I'm preaching to.

And it's not going to change the meaning of the text. The text means what it means. And the wonder of the text is. Is that Jesus is raised up so that there is never ever any person who truly believes ongoing faith.

It's not just the temporary thing. This isn't the John 8 faith. We have people who believed in him. But in the chapter of picking up stones in Estonia. This is always used of true saving faith in the gospel of John.

The one believing in him. There will never be one who has that kind of faith in Jesus. Who will find him to be an insufficient savior. No one has ever truly come in faith to Jesus Christ. And found him to be incapable of saving them.

Every single true believer will be saved. That says nothing about who is capable of having saving faith. Nothing. It simply says every single true believer will have eternal life. Why? Because they're looking away from themselves.

They're believing in someone else. Their faith is in him. Not in themselves. Not in their works. Not in their righteousness. Their faith is in the one upon that tree. Who gave himself. And so note that term.

Everyone believing. There is nothing in the original language. That substantiates the idea that whosoever means every single person has the capacity. By the exercise of their will to free themselves from slavery to sin.

That is called eisegesis. Taking a concept you've gotten somewhere else. Not from the Bible. And inserting it into one single phrase. That has a very clear meaning in its original context. Don't tell me you're using the Bible properly.

When you abuse it in that way. So we come to verse 16. And verse 16 continues the very same thoughts. It ties these same thoughts together. If you don't see that. If you isolate it from that. You are misusing the text.

For thus in this way God loved the world. Now the term loved is in a form that is found other places in the New Testament. That pushes us to see that there is a special demonstration and revelation of God's love.

In the specific giving of Jesus Christ in sacrifice upon Calvary's cross. It's not talking about a long term thing. Though that would be true. It's talking about a specific act that demonstrates God's love.

God loved the world in a particular fashion. And immediately people go ah see there's world. That means every single individual in the exact same way. Well let's see if that's exactly what the text says.

There is no question that God's love is demonstrated to the world. And in fact God's love will have been clearly demonstrated to his enemies. Who remain his enemies for all of eternity. There will be no basis upon which they can question.

That God was just. God was holy. God was merciful. God was patient. God was kind. Those who stand upon the parapets of hell and eternity to come. Screaming their hatred toward God. Will have no basis for any just accusation against him.

Indeed God could have brought his judgment to bear upon every single one of them. The first moment that they came into existence. But he does not do so. But what does the text say? How is God's love to the world demonstrated?

In that he gave his unique son. Only begotten son. The term monogamous. Refers to the uniqueness of the relationship. Between the father and the son. There is no one else that bears the relationship. That the son does to the father in eternity itself.

Monogamous. Genous. Comes from that term. That refers to a genotype. A kind. Mono. One of a kind. It's not from genous. Which means to beget. Which is why only begotten is not really the best translation.

But it means unique. One of a kind. He gave the unique son. And once again. The gave. Matches the loved. Intense. This demonstration of the love of God. Is in the cross. It is in the giving. Of the unique son.

Now what is the parallel to this in the previous verse? The lifting up. Actually it's two verses before right at the end. Of verse 14. The lifting up. Of the son of man. This is the giving. This isn't just the son doing this.

This is the cross. The triune action. Father, son, and spirit. And he gives his son. In order that. Everyone believing. The first four words in Greek. Of verse 15. Are identical. To these four words. In verse 16.

In order that. Everyone believing in him. The whosoever. It's the exact same thing. He gives his son. So that. A specific people. Now unless you're a universalist. Unless you believe that everyone's going to be saved.

Unless you believe that even after death. There's another chance. So that everyone's eventually going to believe. You have to recognize. That this demonstration. Of God's love. Is in the specific. Salvation.

Of a particular people. Because we know. Not all men have faith. We know. Even in Jesus' own words before this. We speak the truth. You don't receive our testimony. A few chapters later. He's going to say to the Jews.

You don't believe in me. You are unbelievers. This says. That all the ones believing. In him. Might not perish. But have eternal life. Now again. Be wary. Of a bad English problem here. There is an English problem here.

I don't refer to my friends. In London. Though they have their own unique problems. There is an English problem here. It's the word might. It's the word might. When parents talk to their young people.

It's a bad thing. When you hear someone. You make a request. Of your children. Could you do X, Y, and Z. While I'm gone today. I might. Might is not a good word in that context. That generally indicates to you.

Probably not going to get done. You really can't put much trust in that. Might for us. Generally indicates. A very doubtful conclusion. That's not. What the text is expressing for us. Though this is using.

What's called the subjunctive. And the subjunctive can indicate. Doubtful affirmation. Conditional sentences. Etc. It does not follow. That in every single instance. The subjunctive is meaning. Well maybe.

Not sure. Sort of doubtful. Don't know. Instead there are certain uses of the subjunctive. That simply are saying. This takes place. So that this will take place. This results in. This. And that's what you have here.

It isn't so that they might. Maybe. Not sure. Don't know. But when we say might. We're using it in the. The result. The result of their believing. Is that they will have. Eternal life. They will not perish.

But the opposite. Of perishing is. They will have eternal life. That is the assertion. Of the Lord Jesus. Now. You may have noticed. If you're looking at English translation. That. Maybe all of this section.

Is in red. If you have a red letter edition. If you don't have a red letter edition. Don't worry about it. But we're not sure. Where the words of Jesus end here. Some people take it all the way down. Through verse 21.

And it shifts over. It's hard to say. There isn't a direct textual indication. This is where Jesus stops speaking. And this is where John begins to comment. On what Jesus said to Nicodemus. If that's what's taking place.

We simply are not given that indication. But we do see. A continuation of the same themes. For after making this assertion. That God's love. For the world. Is demonstrated. In that he's given. His unique son.

Not an angel. Because there's lots of angels. Those who he calls the sons of God. As the creations of God. He doesn't give a creation. He gives the unique son. In order that. Every single one. Who believes in him.

Will not perish. But will have eternal life. Then the explanation is given. For God did not send the son of the world. To judge the world. But that the world might be saved through him. Now again. Either you're universalist.

And you take this and say. See world means every single individual. And therefore. Every single individual is going to be saved. Or you have to take the idea. That well. Yeah God said. It's his purpose.

That the world be saved through him. But you know God doesn't get what he wants. God's a pretty disappointed guy. Or you understand. That to even ask the question. Of world in this way. Does this mean every single individual.

Or does this mean. Humanity as a whole. Or the created order as a whole. John himself. The gospel of John. Uses this term cosmos. In a minimum. Of 14 different ways. This is the same guy. Remember 1 John.

Do not love the what? The world. God so loved. The world. If you try to create. A single definition for cosmos. And force it into. Every single text. While ignoring the context. You're going to create.

Absolute absurdity. All across the page of scripture. And especially. In the words of the apostle John. Instead. God did not send. To judge the world. But in order that the world. Might be saved through him.

What is a consistent. Understanding of this. Given all that John says. What is John right? The gospel. First, second, third John. And those of us here. Had better know this one well. After the past. How long have we been in Revelation?

Two years. Some along those lines. It seemed like a millennium. Anyway. However long the millennium might be. But. The book of Revelation. And what do we find. In John chapter 11. That God gathers. All the children of God.

Together. What do we find in the book of Revelation? Men from every tribe. Tongue, people and nation. Are made a kingdom of priests. Unto God by whom? By the Lamb who was slain. And so do we just isolate these texts.

And go well I'm just. No no no don't look anywhere else. Or do we allow the text to speak consistently. In its own context. And then we want to ask bigger questions. That maybe you're not the specific subject.

Of one particular text. Do we not allow the whole text to answer it. We must do that. And so the son has been sent into the world. To save the world. And the one believing in him. Again that's the same term.

Ha piscuom. The one believing. Ongoing action. The one believing in him. Is not judged. But the one not believing. Has been judged already. Because he has not believed. In the name of the unique. Son of God.

And so there is no neutrality. Here is there. You either believe. Or you stand condemned. You either believe. In the name of the unique. Son of God. Or you stand condemned. This is the element of the Christian message.

That the natural world appeals. The world filled. With natural men. Who are suppressing the knowledge of God. Who hate God. They hate this message. They consider this to be hate speech. It offends me.

But this is what the text says. The one believing in him. Is not judged. The one not believing. Has been judged already. They stand under the very wrath of God. Why? Well here is the judgment. Light has come into the world.