John 3 - CSB Study Bible for Women

3:1-3 Nicodemus (Gk, “innocent of blood”), a pious and respected teacher who was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, is an example of a person who merely believed in signs without truly understanding Jesus’s message (vv. 1-12). His coming to Jesus at night could have been for secrecy to protect his own reputation, to avoid delay of crowds, to ensure privacy in conversation, or simply because he could not wait. The phrase Truly I tell you (Gk amēn amēn, “truly, indeed”) is commonly used for emphasis and personal affirmation (vv. 3,5,11).

3:3-8 To be born [Gk gennēthēnai, “begotten”] again (Gk anōthen, “from above or from heaven, again or anew”) includes both the idea of a new beginning and of heavenly source, emphasizing the origin of salvation (Gl 4:19). Nicodemus knew a rebirth was impossible physically, but Jesus pointed to the necessity of spiritual birth as a parallel to physical birth. He used the word Spirit (Gk pneuma, “power, wind, breath”) to carry a double entendre with the emphasis on the power brought with the Spirit as He enters a life. The reference to water is not so easily explained. These options are to be considered:

• Water baptism is regenerative in itself, an idea antithetical to the NT teaching of salvation by grace. Verse 5 emphatically does not teach baptismal regeneration. One of the most basic principles for interpreting Scripture is that difficult passages must be interpreted in light of what is crystal clear—e.g., Jn 3:16 and Eph 2:8-9.

• Water is a reference to the natural physical birth, which is accompanied by a flow of water.

• Water is a metaphor for God’s Word, which does have a cleansing quality (Jn 15:3; 1Pt 1:23).

• Water is a metaphor for the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Ti 3:5), suggesting that one enters the kingdom of heaven through this process.

Both the second and last options fit within the whole of Scripture.

3:14-24 Jesus used history to illustrate the salvific message He was preparing to share (v. 14). Moses in the wilderness prefigured the crucifixion by lifting up the bronze serpent in the midst of people who were dying from the venomous bites of the serpents (Nm 21:4-9). The OT event pointed to Jesus who would be lifted up on the cross as the sacrifice necessary for salvation (vv. 16-18; 8:28; 12:32-34).