John 3
John 3 records Jesus telling Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came by night, that a man must be born again to see the kingdom of God. It contains John 3:16, God's love in giving his only begotten Son, and ends with John the Baptist saying of Jesus, He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3 (KJV)
Nicodemus comes by night: ye must be born again v. 1-8
1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Earthly and heavenly things, the serpent lifted up v. 9-15
9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
God so loved the world v. 16-21
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John the Baptist: He must increase v. 22-30
22After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
23And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
24For John was not yet cast into prison.
25Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.
26And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.
27John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30He must increase, but I must decrease.
He that cometh from above v. 31-36
31He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
32And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
33He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
34For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
35The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
What John 3 means
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and admitted that Jesus must be a teacher sent from God because of his miracles. Jesus answered with a statement Nicodemus did not expect: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus took it literally and asked how a grown man could be born a second time. Jesus explained that he meant being born of water and of the Spirit. Like the wind, which you hear but cannot trace, the Spirit's work is real even when it cannot be seen. Jesus then pointed to a story Nicodemus knew: Moses lifting up the bronze serpent in the wilderness. In the same way, the Son of man must be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him should have eternal life.
Verses 16-21 explain why. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" so that whoever believes in him should not perish. God did not send his Son to condemn the world but to save it. The condemnation is that light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
The scene then moves to John the Baptist, who was baptizing at Aenon near Salim. His disciples worried that everyone was now going to Jesus. John answered that he was never the Christ, only the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices to hear the bridegroom's voice. His joy was full, and he summed up his role in one line: "He must increase, but I must decrease."
The closing verses say that the one who comes from above is above all, that the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand, and that whoever believes on the Son has everlasting life. Christians across traditions treat John 3 as one of the clearest summaries of the gospel, though they differ on some details, such as what born of water refers to.
Background and context
The Gospel of John does not name its writer, but it is traditionally attributed to the apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. John 3 takes place early in Jesus' ministry, soon after the first Passover in Jerusalem recorded in chapter 2.
Nicodemus appears twice more in John's Gospel: defending Jesus before the Pharisees (John 7:50-51) and bringing myrrh and aloes for Jesus' burial (John 19:39).
Key verses
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:3 · KJV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 · KJV
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:17 · KJV
He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30 · KJV
Cross references
- Numbers 21:8-9 The bronze serpent on a pole that Jesus refers to in verse 14.And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
- John 1:12-13 Those who receive Christ are born not of the will of man but of God.But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
- 1 Peter 1:23 Peter also speaks of being born again by the word of God.Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
- 1 John 4:9 The same writer repeats the theme of John 3:16: God sent his only begotten Son that we might live.In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
- John 7:50-51 Nicodemus later speaks up for a fair hearing for Jesus.Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
- John 19:39 Nicodemus, who first came by night, helps bury Jesus with about a hundred pound weight of spices.And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
- John 1:29 John the Baptist's earlier witness: Behold the Lamb of God.The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
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Common questions
What is the main message of John 3?
A person must be born again by the Spirit to see the kingdom of God, and God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him has everlasting life.
What does born again mean in John 3?
Jesus explains it as being born of water and of the Spirit, a new birth from God rather than a second physical birth. Christians agree it describes new life from God, while traditions differ on how water in verse 5 should be understood.
Who said He must increase, but I must decrease?
John the Baptist said it about Jesus in John 3:30, when his disciples told him that everyone was going to Jesus.
Why did Nicodemus come at night?
The text does not say. Many readers suggest he was cautious about being seen with Jesus, since he was a ruler of the Jews.
Where is John 3:16 in the chapter?
It sits in Jesus' words to Nicodemus, right after he speaks of the Son of man being lifted up like the serpent in the wilderness.
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