John 3 Sermon
John 3:1-21
Be honest enough to believe Jesus is who he says is. But if we do, we don't have the right to be whoever we say we are. And that is freedom.
#freedom
Published September 25th, 2021
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Main point summary
Jesus' counter claims to Nicodemus about new birth, judgment, and belief get at the heart of their back and forth: Jesus' identity and authority.
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John 3:1-21
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῏Ην δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων, Νικόδημος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, ἄρχων τῶν Ἰουδαίων•
There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
οὗτος ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν νυκτὸς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ•
He came to him at night and said to him,
ῥαββί, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐλήλυθας διδάσκαλος•
"Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher,
οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναται ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα ποιεῖν ἃ σὺ ποιεῖς,
for no one is able to do these things which you do
ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ ὁ θεὸς μετʼ αὐτοῦ.
if God is not with him."
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ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ•
Jesus answered and said to him,
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι,
"Amen, amen, I say to you:
ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν,
if someone is not born again/from above,
οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
he is not able to see the kingdom of God."
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λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν [ὁ] Νικόδημος•
Nicodemus said to him,
πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος γεννηθῆναι γέρων ὤν;
"How is a man who is old able to be born again?
μὴ δύναται εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ δεύτερον εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γεννηθῆναι;
Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?"
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς•
Jesus answered,
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι,
"Amen, amen, I say to you:
ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος,
if someone is not born from water and Spirit,
οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.
τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς σάρξ ἐστιν,
Those born from flesh are flesh,
καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστιν.
and those born from Spirit are spirit.
μὴ θαυμάσῃς ὅτι εἶπόν σοι• δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν.
Do not marvel that I said to you, 'It is necessary for you to be born again/from above.'
inference
τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ
The wind blows wherever he wants,
καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις,
and you hear his sound,
ἀλλʼ οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει•
but you do not know from where he comes or to where he goes -
οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.
this is the way it is for all who are born from the Spirit."
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ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ•
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι;
"How can these things happen?"
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ•
Jesus answered and said to him,
σὺ εἶ ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις;
"How are you a teacher of Israel and you do not know these things?
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι ὅτι
Amen, amen, I say to you that
ὃ οἴδαμεν λαλοῦμεν
we know of what we speak,
καὶ ὃ ἑωράκαμεν μαρτυροῦμεν,
and we see that which we testify about,
καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἡμῶν οὐ λαμβάνετε.
and y'all do not receive our testimony.
εἰ τὰ ἐπίγεια εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε,
If I have told y'all of earthly things and y'all do not believe,
πῶς ἐὰν εἴπω ὑμῖν τὰ ἐπουράνια πιστεύσετε;
how will y'all believe if I tell y'all of heavenly things?
καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν
And no one has ascended into heaven
εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς,
except he who descended from heaven,
ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.
the Son of Man.
concessive
Καὶ καθὼς Μωϋσῆς ὕψωσεν τὸν ὄφιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ,
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
οὕτως ὑψωθῆναι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου,
in this way it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up,
ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐν αὐτῷ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
so that all those who believe in him may have eternal life.
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οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον,
For God loved the world in this way:
ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν,
that he gave his only begotten Son
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ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται
so that all those who believe in him may not perish,
ἀλλʼ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
but have eternal life.
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον
For God did not send his Son into the world
ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον,
so that he might condemn the world,
ἀλλʼ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος διʼ αὐτοῦ.
but so that the world might be saved through him.
ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται•
Those who believe in him are not condemned;
ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται,
but those who do not believe have been condemned already
ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ.
because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ κρίσις
And this is the judgment:
ὅτι τὸ φῶς ἐλήλυθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον
that the Light has come into the world,
καὶ ἠγάπησαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς•
but men loved darkness rather than light,
ἦν γὰρ αὐτῶν πονηρὰ τὰ ἔργα.
because their works are evil;
πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς,
for all the practicers of worthless things hate the Light and do not come to the Light,
ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ•
so that their works may not be exposed.
ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς,
But those who do what is true come to the Light,
ἵνα φανερωθῇ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα
so that it might be revealed
ὅτι ἐν θεῷ ἐστιν εἰργασμένα.
that their works are accomplished in God."
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