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John Chapter
Three
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Son of
God the Savior and Rebirth
A. The necessity of rebirth ---- the Son of
God revealed that unless one was born again, he could not see the
B. The
fulfillment of rebirth ---- the Son of God must be lifted up (v.9-17)
C. The prerequisite
of rebirth ---- men’s believing into and receiving the Son of God (v.18-21)
D. The
effect of rebirth ---- He (the Son of God) must increase, but I must decrease.
(V.22-30)
E. The
origin of rebirth ---- the Son of God who comes from above (v.31-36)
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
John. 3:1 “There was a man of the
Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”
YLT: “And there was a
man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a ruler of the Jews,”
Meaning
of Words: “Nicodemus”: victorious among his people; “ruler”: chief (ruler),
magistrate, prince;
Literal
Meaning: there
is a word “but” in the beginning of this verse in the original, which indicates that this man was different from those who believed only when they saw the signs by the Lord
(see 2:23). He approached the Lord for truth with a true heart.
“There was a man of the Pharisees
named Nicodemus,” Nicodemus represented the man of the upper class, and he was characterized
by the features as below: (1) as a man of Pharisee, perhaps he was zealous of his
fathers’ traditions (see Matt 15:1-2); (2) as a ruler of the Jews, he may have a noble status; (3) he was a men who feared God and
sought the heart of God; (4) as an elder (v.4), he had
many life experiences; (5) as a teacher of Israel (v.10), he has quite an
excellent level of edification; (6) he was humble , for he was willing to enquire of the younger Jesus in spite of Nicodemus’s noble social status and called
Him “Rabbi” respectfully (v.2); (7) from his dialogue with the Lord Jesus, we
can infer that he was a honest and virtuous man.
“A ruler of the Jews”: a member of the
Jewish synagogues (the supreme parliament), belonged to the noble class of the
Jewish society at that time.
John. 3:2 “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."”
YLT: “this one came
unto him by night, and said to him, `Rabbi, we have known that from God thou
hast come -- a teacher, for no one these signs is able to do that thou dost, if
God may not be with him.'”
Literal
Meaning: “This man came to Jesus by night”, he came to visit the Lord Jesus by night so that
there would be no interruption from others and he could enquire of the Lord
personally and had a more intimate talk with the Lord. Others held that Nicodemus dared not to visit the Lord openly in the
daytime for fear of arousing any hostility, but it was of less possibility (see
7:50-51; 19:39).
“You
are a teacher come from God.” ---- “Come from God”, an emphatic adjective, indicates that he
confessed the Lord Jesus was a teacher different from all those teachers who
obtained the qualifications through men’s training.
Nicodemus came straight to the point that he wanted
to receive better teaching from the Lord Jesus in order to improve his
condition in front of God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Just like Nicodemus, some like to hear the gospels in private,
so we should follow the example of the Lord Jesus and prepare to talk about the
gospels with others in private.
2) The Lord Jesus
talked with the moral Nicodemus by night in private, but with the immoral woman of
John. 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to
him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot
see the
YLT: “Jesus answered
and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born
from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;'”
Meaning
of Words: “be
born again”: be born from above; be born from the
beginning;
Literal Meaning: the particular idiom of that “most assuredly I say to you” was usually employed to express the Lord’s
seriousness (see1:51) and to call the hearers’ attention to the fact that what
he would say thereafter was important
truth.
“Unless
one is born again”, the first birth
of men is born on earth, but the rebirth means to be born from above. One’s
natural life is born from the first birth, but life of God must be from the
rebirth.
“He
cannot see the
The answer of the Lord Jesus in this verse seemed
to have nothing to do with the question of Nicodemus (v.2), for the Lord had radically denied the
seeking direction of Nicodemus ---- he thought that men need only good
teaching to reform their walks. But the Lord told him that what really men need
was life rather than teaching.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “To
be born again”, “again” in the original means “from above”,
and it shows that “to be born again” is a work absolutely from God.
2) “To be born again”
means that God will make a great and thorough transformation in one’s spirit. If
one’s natural life has not been born again, he will never know the
3) “Unless one is born again,
he cannot see the
4) “Unless one is born again,
he cannot see the
5) “Teacher (v.2)”
focuses on teaching and learning ---- the outside problem, while “rebirth”
focuses on the spirit and life ---- the inside problem. Many so-called Christians
enter from the gate of the teachers, reckoning that he is a Christian since he
has known the knowledge of Christianity. Such kind of men goes wrong in the
beginning, for one should start from rebirth if he wants to be a Christian.
6) The words of the
Lord tell us that no matter how great a man is, rebirth is still required. Even
though men had never fallen, he could not take part in the
7) Rebirth was neither
a kind of reformation or teaching from the outside, nor a transformation or conversion
outside of life. Rebirth is actually obtaining and entering another new life. It
is absolutely a matter of life, not of works.
8) God is intended to
let those who are of Him to eat the fruit of the life of tree instead of the
tree of knowledge of good and evil (see Gen 2:9, 16-17).
9) Kingdom is in
connection with life: if a man wants to live in the kingdom of men, he should
have a life of men. And if he wants to live in the
10) One can only be
born into the
John. 3:4 “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?"”
YLT: “Nicodemus saith
unto him, `How is a man able to be born, being old? is he able into the womb of
his mother a second time to enter, and to be born?'”
Literal
Meaning:
Nicodemus misunderstood the meaning of rebirth, thinking that a man entered a second time into his mother's womb and was born. He said “how can…?”
and “can he…?”, for he thought it was impossible.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) But the natural man does
not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him;
nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1Cor2:14).
2) “With
men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26).” If men always think it impossible, it stems from their unfaith.
John. 3:5 “Jesus answered, "Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter the
YLT: “Jesus answered,
`Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the
Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;”
The
Background: when the Jews received the Gentile believers, they
should baptize the Gentiles with water: the body of a man who would baptize
should be immerged into the water, and his filth of idolatry could be cleaned.
Then, the Jews would call him “a new creature” or “a man born from above”.
Literal
Meaning: “One is born of water and the Spirit”, many Bible exegetes
interpret “water” according to its symbolical meaning but interpret “the Spirit”
in the same sentence according to its literal meaning. But it is obviously contradictory
to the principle of Bible exegesis---- if “water” is symbolically interpreted,
so “the Spirit” should be. If “the Spirit” is literally interpreted, so the “water”
should be. Therefore, in line with the principle of interpretation of Bible
here, it may have two correct interpretations：
1. “And” in the phrase of “water
and the Spirit” in the original is a kind of “epexegetically” structure, which
is called “hendiadys” in rhetoric. For this reason, “and” should be translated “even”,
i.e. “water is even the Spirit”. Then, the whole sentence “one is born of water and the
Spirit”
can be translated into that “one who is born of water is even born of the
Spirit”. It can be evidenced by the next verse in which the Lord mentioned only
“which is born
of the Spirit is spirit (v.6)” and omitted “water”. Therefore,
“one is born of water and the
Spirit”
means that the function of the Spirit like the function of water ---- water
serves to purify the filth and the Spirit serves to purify the sin as well. Such
purifying function can only show its effect on those who have really repented
and have believing in the Lord.
2. “One is born of water and
the Spirit”
can be interpreted that “to obtain the effect of the baptism with water and baptism with the Spirit”.
Note that the Lord Jesus here did not regard the baptism with water as a prerequisite
ceremony of entering the
Controversial
Clarification: in the Christianity, many people misunderstand the words
of the Lord in this verse so that there arose two extreme views concerning both
the baptism with water and baptism with the Spirit:
1. The baptism with water was so emphasized
that it was regarded as a required ceremony of obtaining the rebirth. Some religious
sects even held the Sprinkling to the innocent babies to guarantee that they
shall be saved. Observe that the baptism with water is only an outward
ceremony, testifying the inside reality of a man who has truly repented and has
believed into the Lord.
2. The baptism with the Spirit was
misinterpreted as the meaning of receiving the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
Some religious sects even held that if a believer was not able to speak with tongues, he must have not been baptized with the
Spirit and have never been saved yet. It should be known that baptism with the
Spirit has already been an objectively accomplished fact, for in the Lord Jesus we have all been baptized into the body of
Christ by His redemption on the cross, no
matter the Jews or the Gentiles (see 1Cor12:13; Eph2:11-18; 4:4-6). When a man truly
repents and has been saved, he will subjectively experience the baptism with
the Spirit ---- the fact of having been baptized into a member of Christ’s
body. At that time he has been taken part in the baptism with the Spirit, and
is unnecessary to pursue the experience of baptism with the Spirit hereafter.
Spiritual
Meaning: “to be born of water” typifies a natural man dies through
repentance; while
“to be born of the Spirit” typifies the new man is born from above through
believing into the Lord.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The spiritual rebirth
is the prerequisite for a man to enter the
2) Thanks the Lord! We
have been buried
with Him by baptism unto death and have
been raised up with him from among dead ---- to be born of water. Besides, we have the indwelling Spirit ---- a man
who is born of the
Spirit can not only
understand the
3) He saved us, through the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
4) We have been born again, not of corruptible seed
but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever
(1Peter 1:23).
John. 3:6 “That which is born of the
flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
YLT: “that which hath
been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which hath been born of the Spirit is
spirit.”
Literal
Meaning: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh”, the rebirth is not born again from the
flesh, for even if one could
enter a second time into his mother's womb and would be born (v.4), it was still
of flesh.
“Flesh” indicates the weakness and limitation of a man as a creature. Moreover,
it can also suggest that the Jews can not enter the
“And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” ---- The former spirit
refers to the Holy Spirit, and the latter refers to the spirit in men. The Holy
Spirit is the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2), who works in those who know their sins
and have repented and quickens the spirit of those who were dead in trespasses
and sins (Eph 2:5).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “That which is born of the flesh is flesh”, it is by no means to make anyone
spiritual with any sort of education and reformation (see Gal 6:15).
2) Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter
from the same opening (James 3:11)? The nature of fountain will determine the
life flowing out thereby. Life we live by will determine the witness we bear.
3) All that we possessed before we have been born
again was of flesh. What we obtained after our rebirth is of spirit. One’s
natural eloquence, capability, wisdom, intelligence and good works are both
fleshly and sensual.
4) We should ask
ourselves: “do we serve God with what we possess from natural birth or
spiritual rebirth?” The right origin should be mostly emphasized when we serves
God.
5) No matter how many
times that a man entered a second time into his mother's womb and was born, he would still be flesh. What a man really needs
is a new birth of another nature not of another time.
John. 3:7 “Do not marvel that I said
to you, "You must be born again.'”
YLT: “`Thou mayest
not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above;”
Literal
Meaning:
"You must be born again."
---- The necessity of rebirth is not for Nicodemus only, but for all the man. “Must” indicates that
there is no exception.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) If a man has not
been reborn, he can not be completely changed. Only by the rebirth, a man will
obtain the divine, pure and spiritual life.
2) One can not truly
know, obey and please God through his natural strength (Ps 52:5; Jem17:9;
Mark7:21-23; 1Cor2:14).
John. 3:8 “The wind blows where it
wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and
where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."”
YLT: “the Spirit
where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not
known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been
born of the Spirit.'”
Literal
Meaning: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of
it”, “wind” and “spirit” in the original are
the same word. Here, it must refer to “wind” instead of “spirit” for it
mentions the sound also.
“But
cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.” ---- Although a man can feel the blowing wind and
hear the sound when it blows, it is still difficult to understand the invisible
wind through his physical sense.
“So is
everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
---- The spiritual life is characterized by the features as follows: (1) It
completely walks in the Spirit (“the wind blows where it wishes”) and the natural men should never meddle in it.
(2) It is invisible and unseen (only “the sound of it”).
(3) It is hard to comprehend (cannot
tell where it comes from and where it goes). (4) From the working of this life (the blowing
and the sound), one can confirm that His existence is a fact.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Holy Spirit has the
absolute and surpassing power, working according to the purpose of Him who works
all things after the counsel of His own will.
2) We can not see the
working of the Spirit in man, but it is true, for the effects are apparent and
visible.
3) The rebirth is not
physical, but spiritual. One can be born again only by the Holy Spirit, through
the Holy Spirit and in the Holy Spirit.
John. 3:9 “Nicodemus answered and said
to Him, "How can these things be?"”
YLT: “Nicodemus
answered and said to him, `How are these things able to happen?'”
Literal
Meaning: it was apparently that Nicodemus thought rebirth is a matter of nature and substance
and raised the question.
John. 3:10 “Jesus answered and said to
him, "Are you the teacher of
YLT: “Jesus answered
and said to him, `Thou art the teacher of
The
Background: the necessity of rebirth was early suggested in the
Old Testament (see Eze36:24-26).
Literal
Meaning:
"Are you the teacher of
John. 3:11 “Most assuredly, I say to
you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not
receive Our witness.”
YLT: “`Verily,
verily, I say to thee -- What we have known we speak, and what we have seen we
testify, and our testimony ye do not receive;”
Literal
Meaning: “we” refers to Lord Jesus and His disciples,
and someone believes that it is a call for the Trinity. “You” refers to the Jews.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) One should speak
for the Lord according to his knowledge about the Lord. And one should bear
witness of the Lord in accordance with his experience in the Lord.
2) May the Lord grant
us the true knowledge of Him (Eph 1:17) so that we can preach Him more abundantly;
and may the Lord let us see Him as He is (1John3:
John. 3:12 “If I have told you earthly
things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly
things?”
YLT: “if the earthly
things I said to you, and ye do not believe, how, if I shall say to you the
heavenly things, will ye believe?”
Literal
Meaning: “If I have told you earthly things”, “earthly things”
do not refer to things of the earth, but things happening on earth, including
the talking about rebirth mentioned before (v.3-8) as well as the description
about redemption later (see v.14-16)
Likewise, “heavenly things” do not refer to things of heaven, but
things happening in heaven. He
is the one who came down from heaven and is in heaven, so He knows things in heaven.
John. 3:13“No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from
heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”
YLT: “and no one hath
gone up to the heaven, except he who out of the heaven came down -- the Son of
Man who is in the heaven.”
Literal
Meaning: “He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who
is in heaven.” ---- It reveals
the characters about the Lord Jesus: (1) He was the one who came down from heaven and was the one that the Word became flesh (see1:14).
(2) He walked on earth, but he is still in heaven. He never belongs to the
earth and surpasses the earth. (3) He walks on earth and is still in heaven. Wherever
he went, the reality of heaven was open thereafter.
“No one
has ascended to heaven.” ---- In fact,
Enoch and Elijah had ascended to heaven (see Gen 5:24; 2King 2:11). Therefore,
here it means: (1) there has been none who had ever experienced the same ascension
as that of the Lord Jesus which is of another nature. (2) Neither has there
been anyone who is always living to intercede for people like the Lord Jesus (see
Heb 7:24-25).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christ is entirely
of heaven. He walked on earth, but lived in a heavenly life. That’s why Christians
should also live in a heavenly life when walking on earth.
2) Christ transcends
all the spaces. His being and His works are for the whole universe, not only
for any single region or group. As the Apostle Paul said: “Christ is both
theirs and ours (1Cor 1:2).”
John. 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,”
YLT: “`And as Moses
did lift up the serpent in the wilderness, so it behoveth the Son of Man to be
lifted up,”
The
Background: “Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness”, the
Literal
Meaning: “even so must the Son of Man be lifted up”, “be lifted up” means be crucified on
cross (see 12:32). “Even
so” reveals that the Lord’s crucifixion on
cross like the serpent’s being lifted up on a pole.
Spiritual
Meaning: “serpent” meant
Satan (see Gen 3:1; Rev12:9). The man was deceived by the serpent and then fell
into the “offspring of vipers” (see Matt 3:7). The evil disposition of Satan is
deep rooted in men’s flesh, but the Lord Jesus is the Word who became flesh
(see 1:14). He took a bondman's form and was made in likeness of men (Phil
2:7), but He did not know sin (see 2Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15). Actually, he is just
like “the serpent of brass” which was lifted up by Moses in the wilderness ----
there was only the shape of the serpent, but not the poison of the serpent. When
the Lord Jesus who knew no sin was crucified on the cross, on one side, he bore
God’s judgment (brass typifies judgment in the Bible.); and on the other, through
His death on the cross He might annul him who has the might of death, that is,
the devil (Heb 2:14), thus delivering men from the power of the devil.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The redemption of
lifting up the serpent of brass by Moses typifies the redemption of the Lord
Jesus on the cross:
a. The
death of
b. The
serpent of brass has the shape of serpent, while the Lord Jesus has the
likeness of flesh of sin.
c. The
serpent of brass has the shape of the serpent, but not the poison of the
serpent. The Lord Jesus is a man who has the likeness of flesh, but not the
corrupted life within.
d. The
serpent of brass was lifted up on the pole, and the Lord Jesus was crucified on
the cross.
e. There
is only one serpent of brass, and there is also only one Savior.
f. The
2) If there is no
redemption, we will not pass out of death into life. If we want to be born
again, we should look upon the redemption accomplished on the cross by the Lord
Jesus.
3) We should look
steadfastly on Jesus the leader and completer of faith and run the race that
lies before us (Heb 12:1-2).
John. 3:15 “that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
YLT: “that every one
who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during,”
Literal
Meaning: “that whoever believes in Him”, “believe into”: receive (see 1:12); the present
tense indicates that this trust is assured and persistent instead of changeable.
“To have eternal life”, men usually pay more attention to the word “eternal”,
thinking that the eternal life concerns the matter of time or existence. But
actually, “the eternal death” exists also through all eternity. Therefore, the
eternal life is not only a matter of time, but one more of state and relation
etc. The eternal life is life of God ---- the uncreated life, which is eternal
in time and eternal as well as divine in the nature.
This verse reveals the truth
as below: (1) “Whoever” indicates that anyone is possible to be saved. (2) “Believes
in” shows that it is easy to be saved ---- only by believing into Him. (3) “Him”
tells us that salvation is in none other than in Him (see Acts 4:12). (4) “To
have eternal life” means that one will obtain a treasure of priceless worth
after he has been saved.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus has
already done everything that a man should do if he wants to be born again. The
only thing we should do is to believe into Him.
2) To believe into Him
is the only way to obtain the eternal life for us. Even if one has known the
accomplished redemption of the Lord on the cross, he will still be unable to
obtain the eternal life if he does not believe into Him.
3) The rebirth is the
beginning of receiving the eternal life, and the eternal life is the
continuance, nature and state of rebirth.
4) The eternal life is
inseparable from Christ. We obtain the eternal life by believing into Christ
and obtain the eternal life in Christ.
5) He that has the Son has life,
and he that has not the Son of God has not life (1John 5:12). Besides, Christ
is our life (
John. 3:16 “For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life.”
YLT: “for God did so
love the world, that His Son -- the only begotten -- He gave, that every one
who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.”
Meaning
of Words: “love”: the divine love (“agapao”
in the original); “perish”: destroy, die, and lose;
Literal
Meaning: “love” refers to the unconditional and
self-giving love of God. “The world” is comprised of the sinful and corrupt
men, who were
made in God’s image and after God’s likeness and were made as vessels for God
(see Gen 1:26; Rom 9:21, 23). Although they have sinned and fallen, God still
loves them with His divine love.
“He gave His only begotten Son”, God loves the world
so much that He
gave His only begotten Son who is His
manifestation (see 1:18).
“Should not perish”, “perish”
in the original means a man has no consciousness or one’s consciousness has
stopped. The perishing judgment in Bible carries conscious torment for ever and
ever.
“But have everlasting life”, the meaning
of “everlasting life”, please see the commentary of verse 15.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Martin Luther called the
verse “the epitome of gospels”: (1) God is the origin of love. (2) The object of love: men in the world. (3)
The way of love: to give the only begotten Son. (4) The effect of love: to make
men believe. (5) The result of love: not perish but have
everlasting life.
2) The utmost
manifestation of the divine love is to give Christ Jesus. God granted the
greatest gift to men ---- His only begotten Son. What can we seek besides Him?
3) This verse (John
3:16) is the most precious announcement in Bible. A multitude of men had been
moved by it, and then believed into the Lord. The Holy Spirit saved men by this
verse more than any other verse in Bible. Many Christians have assurance of
their being saved according to this verse. How miserable that a man reads the
Book of John but fails to experience this valuable fact!
4) We have relations
to Christ through “believing into” Him. We believe into Christ in the Spirit,
and establish the living relations with Christ.
5) “Should not perish but have
everlasting life.” ---- “perish” is
the second death (Rev 20:14). “Everlasting life”
means the rebirth. If one has only one birth, he will have two times of death
---- the fleshy death and the eternal death. If one has the second birth, he
will have only one time of death. Probably, he will never experience the fleshy
death if he is taken by God even when he still lives on earth (see 1The 4:17).
John. 3:17 “For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved.”
YLT: “For God did not
send His Son to the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may
be saved through him;”
Meaning
of Words: “send”:
send out; execute a mission, as an authorized delegate; “condemn”: distinguish, decide;
Enlightenment
in the Word: the principle of Christ is not to condemn but to save, and those who follow
Christ and serve
others shall also be imitators of the Lord
John. 3:18 “"He who believes in
Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because
he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
YLT: “he who is
believing in him is not judged, but he who is not believing hath been judged
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.”
Literal
Meaning: “He who believes…but he who does not believe…” the attitude of both “believe” and “not
believe” is not transitory, but persistent and definite.
“Believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”, to believe in the Lord’s name means to
believe the Lord Himself.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Men can be divided
into believers and unbelievers. The condition of men in front of God depends
completely on their attitudes toward the only begotten Son of God.
2) Men is condemned
not for the murder or arson but for only one reason ---- that they have not believed in the name
of the only begotten Son of God.
Such people have no proper relations with God. This is the logic of the Holy
Bible.
3) The worst sin is
not to believe into the Lord Jesus ---- despise, disdain and escape the
salvation of God.
John. 3:19 “And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
YLT: “`And this is
the judgment, that the light hath come to the world, and men did love the
darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil;”
Meaning
of Words: “evil”: malicious, wicked, and
hurtful; “condemnation”: judgment;
Literal
Meaning: “this is the condemnation”: the condemnation here refers to the process of
judgment instead of the ultimate adjudication.
Enlightenment
in the Word: the world deserves the condemnation for it loves darkness rather than light.
John. 3:20 “For everyone practicing
evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be
exposed.”
YLT: “for every one
who is doing wicked things hateth the light, and doth not come unto the light,
that his works may not be detected;”
Literal
Meaning: “For everyone practicing evil hates the light.” ---- “practicing
evil”, in the original, points to that one practices evil repeatedly and
habitually rather than occasionally.
“Lest his deeds should be
exposed”, they hate light
for light can expose one’s evil deeds.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The evil nature of
refusing light results in the unbelieving attitude.
2) Light always
threatens the darkness, so light is always rejected by darkness.
3) One’s attitude
toward the Lord Jesus will manifest that whether he is of light or darkness.
John. 3:21 “But he who does the truth
comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been
done in God."”
YLT: “but he who is
doing the truth doth come to the light, that his works may be manifested, that
in God they are having been wrought.'”
Literal
Meaning: “But he who does the truth comes to the light”, “doing the truth” is opposite to the “practicing evil” in the previous verse (v.20), so “the
truth” refers to the uprightness. He who does the truth is he, who believes into and walks
in the words of God and trusts in God.
It is believed by some Bible exegetes that this verse should be
translated in this way: “he who comes to the light must do the truth” ---- he
can do the truth through the grace and strength of God when he first come to
light, for he is not able to do the truth by his own strength.
“That his deeds may be clearly seen, that
they have been done in God.” ---- “they have been done in God” means “they have been done according to the being
of God”. Such life and works will definitely correspond with the divine light
of God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The true Christians
are characterized by three features as below: (1) they must do the truth. (2) They
must come to the light. (3) They must walk in God.
2) Only those who love
and seek the truth can walk in the truth.
John. 3:22 “After these things Jesus
and His disciples came into the
YLT: “After these
things came Jesus and his disciples to the
Literal
Meaning: “And there He remained with them and baptized.” ---- Actually, the Lord Jesus himself did not
baptize, but his disciples (see 4:2).
John. 3:23 “Now John also was baptizing
in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were
baptized.”
YLT: “and John was
also baptizing in Aenon, nigh to
Meaning
of Words: “Aenon”: place of springs; praise;
Literal
Meaning: “Aenon near Salim”,
“Aenon” is possibly located in the west
side of the
“Because
there was much water there”, it suggests that the correct baptism
shall immerge
one’s body wholly into the water. The Sprinkling does not need such a great
deal of water.
John. 3:24 “For John had not yet been
thrown into prison.”
YLT: “for John was
not yet cast into the prison --”
Meaning
of Words: “thrown into”: throw (down), thrust；
Literal
Meaning: Please see the case of John the Baptist who had been
thrown into prison in the Book of Matthew
(14:3-5).
John. 3:25 “Then there arose a dispute
between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.”
YLT: “there arose
then a question from the disciples of John with Jews about purifying,”
Literal
Meaning: “There arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and
the Jews about purification.” ---- It is
recorded by credible documents that some Jews then showed great interest in the
problem that how to really reach the ritual purification.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Religionist likes
disputing over the insignificant disagreements about some truth. However most
of the disagreements are of little importance.
2) He who likes strife
and contention is apt to be factious (see Titus 3:9-10).
John. 3:26 “And they came to John and
said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you
have testified--behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"”
YLT: “and they came
unto John, and said to him, `Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to
whom thou didst testify, lo, this one is baptizing, and all are coming unto
him.'”
Literal
Meaning: John disciples’ envy at
the success of the Lord Jesus may stem from their love of their teacher.
John. 3:27 “John answered and said,
"A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”
YLT: “John answered
and said, `A man is not able to receive anything, if it may not have been given
him from the heaven;”
Literal
Meaning: “it has been given to him from heaven”, the verb of “give” appears in this book
frequently, about 76 times.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) This verse is true
to the Christians at present. As what has been given to us is the gift of God,
we should not be jealous of the accomplishment of others.
2) One’s capability of
understanding of God’s things is granted by God (see v.11-12).
3) Concerning the
spiritual things, they are not obtained by men’s strength, but by the grace of
God ---- being bestowed from the heaven. So we should often come to God and
look for more grace from Him.
4) We have
unreasonable grounds to be proud of ourselves or to establish the fame from
men.
5) The workers of the
Lord should trust in the blessedness of God only rather than haggle with
somebody or contend for something, for one can obtain nothing without the grace
and reward of God.
John. 3:28 “You yourselves bear me
witness, that I said, "I am not the Christ,' but, "I have been sent
before Him.'”
YLT: “ye yourselves
do testify to me that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am having been
sent before him;”
Literal
Meaning: “that I said, "I am not the Christ.” ---- Please see the commentary of the 20th
verse in chapter one (1:20).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) A worker of the
Lord should acknowledge the status of his own ---- I am not the Christ, but the witness of Christ, so all the glory
should be given to Christ.
2) Admittedly, we
should live Christ and manifest Christ (see Phil1:20), but we are never Christ
Himself. Only those who have ambitions may declare that he is Christ (see Mark
13:6).
John. 3:29 “He who has the bride is the
bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him,
rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine
is fulfilled.”
YLT: “he who is
having the bride is bridegroom, and the friend of the bridegroom, who is
standing and hearing him, with joy doth rejoice because of the voice of the
bridegroom; this, then, my joy hath been fulfilled.”
Literal
Meaning: this verse tells us the right understanding
and attitude of “the
friend of the bridegroom”: (1) the bridegroom is the one on
whom everyone should focus. (2) The friend of the
bridegroom is entrusted with the task of introducing the bridegroom; (3) He should consider himself to be the friend of the
bridegroom; (4) he should serve the bridegroom in the attitude of “standing”;
(5) he should rejoice in the bridegroom's voice and joy.
Spiritual
Meaning: “the bride” generally refers to the whole Christians,
i.e. the church (see Eph 5:31-32); “the bridegroom”
refers to Christ; “the
friend of the bridegroom” refers to John the
Baptist.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The joy of Christians
comes alone from the joy of the Lord, and it is not from the important roles or
successful works of their own.
2) Whenever we hear
the voice of the Lord, it makes us rejoice contentedly.
3) “He who has the bride is the
bridegroom;” ---- It indicates
that the church shall be of Christ and onto Christ. When the friends of the bridegroom who truly bear witness of Christ and serve Christ
in the church hear the voice of Christ and see the saints turning to God, they
will be contentedly joyful.
John. 3:30 “He must increase, but I
must decrease.”
YLT: “`Him it
behoveth to increase, and me to become less;”
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “He must increase, but I
must decrease.” ---- It is the law
of spiritual progress. The true spiritual progress cannot be measured by the
increase of one’s Bible knowledge or the length of his Christian years. Instead,
it can be only measured by the increase of Christ and the decrease of one’s self.
2) One will progress
in his spiritual life when Christ increases in him and fills him whereas his
self decreases and is emptied.
3) The true progress is that one has been
taken possession of by Christ instead of one possesses something for his own. Progress
is decided by the condition of one’s surrender ---- how much have you put in
the hand of God? And does He have the first place in all things of you?
4) The rebirth will
bring about the progressive enlargement of Christ and the increasingly high
position of Christ in us ---- “He
must increase”. Meanwhile, our natural
life will become withering piecemeal and the natural men will decrease
gradually ---- “I must decrease”.
5) The giant enemy of
a minister is himself. To exalt oneself on high will invariably veil the Lord.
6) As a bondman of
Christ, it is unfaithful to Christ if he seeks his own fame and distracts the attention
of others from the Lord.
John. 3:31 “He who comes from above is
above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who
comes from heaven is above all.”
YLT: “he who from
above is coming is above all; he who is from the earth, from the earth he is,
and from the earth he speaketh; he who from the heaven is coming is above all.”
Literal
Meaning: “He who comes from above” refers to the Lord Jesus, whose heavenly origin
(see 1Cor 15:47) is of great significance for John.
“Above
all”, “all” refers to all things, and here it
specifically refers to all the servants of God.
“He who
is of the earth”, it can be
generally used to describe any person. But it refers specifically to John the
Baptist and his origin.
“Is
earthly”, it indicated the
nature of John the Baptist.
“And
speaks of the earth”, it refers to the
teachings of John the Baptist. It means not only that he talked about earthly
things but also that what he had said was the earthly words.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) It is good for men
to follow the Lord Jesus only, but not to the Lord’s servant.
2) A bondman of Christ
should know the Lord entirely and be conscious of his status in front of the
Lord as well.
John. 3:32 “And what He has seen and
heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.”
YLT: “`And what he
hath seen and heard this he doth testify, and his testimony none receiveth;”
Literal
Meaning: “And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies”, it shows that the teaching of the Lord
Jesus is from his heavenly experience.
“And no
one receives His testimony.” ---- It does not
mean that no one receive the testimony of the Lord Jesus (see v.33), but means
that generally the Jews refused to receive Him.
John. 3:33 “He who has received His
testimony has certified that God is true.”
YLT: “he who is
receiving his testimony did seal that God is true;”
Literal
Meaning: “He who has received His testimony”, to receive the testimony of the Lord means to
receive the truth that “He comes from the heaven and descends on earth to
fulfill the salvation of God”.
“Has certified that God is true”, when a man sets his
seal on a covenant, it indicates that the covenant is effective, true and unchangeable.
The sure conviction of those who believe in the testimony of the Lord Jesus
proves that God is true as the seal on the documents does, for the words of Jesus are the words of God (v.34).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The testimony of
Christ is the testimony of God. To believe into Christ is to believe into God.
2) A man who had
really received the Lord must have been clearly sealed by the Holy Spirit. He
who has been clearly sealed by the Holy Spirit will be able to bear witness of
the verity of God in his walks.
John. 3:34 “For He whom God has sent
speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.”
YLT: “for he whom God
sent, the sayings of God he speaketh; for not by measure doth God give the
Spirit;”
Literal
Meaning: “He whom God has sent” refers to the Lord Jesus.
“The words of God”,
the words of the Lord Jesus is the words of God (see 7:16; 8:28; 12:49; 14:10)
“For God does not give the Spirit by measure.” ---- Someone holds that the Holy Spirit is
measureless in the Lord Jesus, and someone holds
that the Lord Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to His believers measurelessly.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) A real servant of the Lord shall speak
the words of God, but not speak his own words.
2) The works of the
Spirit of God to the called of His workers are perfect, which are sufficient
for them to be perfected.
John. 3:35 “The Father loves the Son,
and has given all things into His hand.”
YLT: “the Father doth
love the Son, and all things hath given into his hand;”
Literal
Meaning: the Father’s love to the Son is manifested in the fact that the Father has given all things into the Son’s hand.
John. 3:36 “He who believes in the Son
has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him."”
YLT: “he who is
believing in the Son, hath life age-during; and he who is not believing the
Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God doth remain upon him.'”
Literal
Meaning: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life”, “has”, in the present tense, indicates
that everlasting
life can be obtained now rather than in the future.
“The
wrath of God abides on him”, “the wrath of God” is emphatic in the original, expressing
the strong objection of God. “Wrath” appears only this time in this book. “Abide”
manifests that it is a vain hope for a sinner that the wrath of God may eventually
disappear. God deals with the sin
incessantly and completely.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We should not treasure
up to wrath of ourselves, in day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment
of God (Rom 2:5).
2) The eternal end of
a man is entirely depends on his attitude toward the Son of God.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
I. To Know the Rebirth
A. The necessity of rebirth ---- “unless one is born again,
he cannot see the
B. The meaning of rebirth:
1. The
literal meaning is “to be born again” or “to be born from above” (v.3)
2. One
is not reborn by entering a second time into his mother's womb and being born
(v.4)
C. The way of rebirth ---- “water and the Spirit
(v.5)”
D. The mystery of rebirth ---- just as one cannot tell where the wind comes from and where it goes (v.8)
E. The fact of rebirth ---- it is “earthly things”
(v.12)
F. The ground of rebirth ---- the Lord who was lifted up on the cross as Moses lifted up the serpent (v.14)
G. The prerequisite of rebirth ---- by “believing
into” Him (v.15)
II. The Matter of the
Rebirth
A. Concerning
its times ---- it is born again instead of being born for the first time (v.3).
B. Concerning its origin ---- it is born
from above instead of being born from one’s mother's womb (v.3).
C. Concerning
its nature ---- it is
born of the Spirit which is spirit rather than being born of the flesh (v.6).
III. Three “Must” in This
Chapter
A. One
must be born again (v.7). ---- To
everyone
B. The Son of Man must be lifted up (v.14). ---- To the Lord
C. I
must decrease (v.30). ---- To one’s
self
IV. The Great Perfect
Thing (v.16)
A. The
great deep love ---- the love of God (see Rom 5:8; 1John 4:9)
B. The great precious gift ---- the only begotten Son (see Rom 8:32)
C. The
great disastrous sufferings ---- the suffering (see Rev 21:8)
D. The great pleasant hope ---- the everlasting life (see Rom 6:23; 1Pet 1:4-5)
E. The great easy salvation ---- believe
(see Eph 2:8; 1John 1:12)
F. The great high love ---- the world (see Rev
7:9-10)
V. All the “Most”
(v.16)
A. God
---- the supreme sovereignty
B. Love
---- (1) the sweetest word
(2) the greatest need of human beings
C. The world ---- (1) the widest sphere
(2) the most deceitful creature
D. So….that… ---- the widest extent
E. The only begotten Son ---- (1) the most beloved
(2) the most precious grace
F.
Give ---- the most gracious gift
G.
Whoever ---- the largest quantity
H.
Believe ---- the easiest prerequisite
J. Everlasting life ---- the richest blessing
VI. The Witness of the Lord by John
the Baptist and the Apostle John
A. He is
Christ (v.28).
B. He
is the bridegroom (v.29).
C. He comes from above (v.31).
D. He is
above all (v.31).
E. He has been sent by Christ (v.34).
F. He speaks the words of God (v. 34)
G. He does
not give the
Spirit by measure (v.34)
H. He
is the beloved Son of the Father (v.35)
I. He
has been given all things
into His hand (v.35)
J. He
is the one by whom one can obtain the everlasting life
(v.36)
VII. The
Contrast between the Lord
Jesus and John the Baptist
A. One is Christ; and the other is the
one who has been sent before Him (v.28).
B. One
is the bridegroom; and the other is the friend of the bridegroom (v.29).
C. One
must increase; and the other one must decrease (v.30).
D. One
is from the heaven; and the other is from the earth (v.31).
VIII. The Description of the
every aspect Christ
A. He who comes from above is
above all (v.31). ---- The transcendence
of Christ
B. God does not give the
Spirit by measure to Christ (v.34).
---- The fullness of Christ
C. The Father loves the Son,
and has given all things into His hand
(v.39). ---- The sovereignty of Christ
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou