1 Es war aber ein Mensch unter den Pharisäern mit Namen Nikodemus, ein Oberster unter den Juden.
|
2 Der kam zu Jesu bei der Nacht und sprach zu ihm: Meister, wir wissen, daß du bist ein Lehrer von Gott gekommen; denn niemand kann die Zeichen tun, die du tust, es sei denn Gott mit ihm.
|
3 Jesus antwortete und sprach zu ihm: Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage dir: Es sei denn, daß jemand von neuem geboren werde, so kann er das Reich Gottes nicht sehen.
|
4 Nikodemus spricht zu ihm: Wie kann ein Mensch geboren werden wenn er alt ist? Kann er auch wiederum in seiner Mutter Leib gehen und geboren werden?
|
5 Jesus antwortete: Wahrlich, wahrlich ich sage dir: Es sei denn daß jemand geboren werde aus Wasser und Geist, so kann er nicht in das Reich Gottes kommen.
|
6 Was vom Fleisch geboren wird, das ist Fleisch; und was vom Geist geboren wird, das ist Geist.
|
7 Laß dich's nicht wundern, daß ich dir gesagt habe: Ihr müsset von neuem geboren werden.
|
8 Der Wind bläst, wo er will, und du hörst sein Sausen wohl; aber du weißt nicht, woher er kommt und wohin er fährt. Also ist ein jeglicher, der aus dem Geist geboren ist.
|
9 Nikodemus antwortete und sprach zu ihm: Wie mag solches zugehen?
|
10 Jesus antwortete und sprach zu ihm: Bist du ein Meister in Israel und weißt das nicht?
|
11 Wahrlich, wahrlich ich sage dir: Wir reden, was wir wissen, und zeugen, was wir gesehen haben; und ihr nehmt unser Zeugnis nicht an.
|
12 Glaubet ihr nicht, wenn ich euch von irdischen Dingen sage, wie würdet ihr glauben, wenn ich euch von himmlischen Dingen sagen würde?
|
13 Und niemand fährt gen Himmel, denn der vom Himmel herniedergekommen ist, nämlich des Menschen Sohn, der im Himmel ist.
|
14 Und wie Mose in der Wüste eine Schlange erhöht hat, also muß des Menschen Sohn erhöht werden,
|
15 auf das alle, die an ihn glauben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben.
|
16 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, daß er seinen eingeborenen Sohn gab, auf daß alle, die an ihn glauben, nicht verloren werden, sondern das ewige Leben haben.
|
17 Denn Gott hat seinen Sohn nicht gesandt in die Welt, daß er die Welt richte, sondern daß die Welt durch ihn selig werde.
|
18 Wer an ihn glaubt, der wird nicht gerichtet; wer aber nicht glaubt, der ist schon gerichtet, denn er glaubt nicht an den Namen des eingeborenen Sohnes Gottes.
|
19 Das ist aber das Gericht, daß das Licht in die Welt gekommen ist, und die Menschen liebten die Finsternis mehr als das Licht; denn ihre Werke waren böse.
|
20 Wer arges tut, der haßt das Licht und kommt nicht an das Licht, auf daß seine Werke nicht gestraft werden.
|
21 Wer aber die Wahrheit tut, der kommt an das Licht, daß seine Werke offenbar werden; denn sie sind in Gott getan.
|
3
3:1 A ruler - One of the great council.
3:2 The same came - Through desire; but by night - Through shame: We know - Even we rulers and Pharisees.
3:3 Jesus answered - That knowledge will not avail thee unless thou be born again - Otherwise thou canst not see, that is, experience and enjoy, either the inward or the glorious kingdom of God. In this solemn discourse our Lord shows, that no externalprofession, no ceremonial ordinances or privileges of birth, could entitle any to the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom: that an entire change of heart as well as of life was necessary for that purpose: that this could only be wrought in man by the almighty power of God: that every man born into the world was by nature in a state of sin, condemnation, and misery: that the free mercy of God had given his Son to deliver them from it, and to raise them to a blessed immortality: that all mankind, Gentiles as well as Jews, might share in these benefits, procured by his being lifted up on the cross, and to be received by faith in him: but that if they rejected him, their eternal, aggravated condemnation, would be the certain consequence. Except a man be born again - If our Lord by being born again means only reformation of life, instead of making any new discovery, he has only thrown a great deal of obscurity on what was before plain and obvious.
3:4 When he is old - As Nicodemus himself was.
3:5 Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit - Except he experience that great inward change by the Spirit, and be baptized (wherever baptism can be had) as the outward sign and means of it.
3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh - Mere flesh, void of the Spirit, yea, at enmity with it; And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit - Is spiritual, heavenly, divine, like its Author.
3:7 Ye must be born again - To be born again, is to be inwardly changed from all sinfulness to all holiness. It is fitly so called, because as great a change then passes on the soul as passes on the body when it is born into the world.
3:8 The wind bloweth - According to its own nature, not thy will, and thou hearest the sound thereof - Thou art sure it doth blow, but canst not explain the particular manner of its acting. So is every one that is born of the Spirit - The fact is plain, the manner of his operations inexplicable.
3:11 We speak what we know - I and all that believe in me.
3:12 Earthly things - Things done on earth; such as the new birth, and the present privileges of the children of God. Heavenly things - Such as the eternity of the Son, and the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit.
3:13 For no one - For here you must rely on my single testimony, whereas there you have a cloud of witnesses: Hath gone up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven. Who is in heaven - Therefore he is omnipresent; else he could not be in heavenand on earth at once. This is a plain instance of what is usually termed the communication of properties between the Divine and human nature; whereby what is proper to the Divine nature is spoken concerning the human, and what is proper to the human is, as here, spoken of the Divine.
3:14 And as Moses - And even this single witness will soon be taken from you; yea, and in a most ignominious manner. Num 21:8-9.
3:15 That whosoever - He must be lifted up, that hereby he may purchase salvation for all believers: all those who look to him by faith recover spiritual health, even as all that looked at that serpent recovered bodily health.
3:16 Yea, and this was the very design of God's love in sending him into the world. Whosoever believeth on him - With that faith which worketh by love, and hold fast the beginning of his confidence steadfast to the end. God so loved the world - That is, all men under heaven; even those that despise his love, and will for that cause finally perish. Otherwise not to believe would be no sin to them. For what should they believe? Ought they to believe that Christ was given for them? Then he was given for them. He gave his only Son - Truly and seriously.And the Son of God gave himself, Gal 4:4, truly and seriously.
3:17 God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world - Although many accuse him of it.
3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned - Is acquitted, is justified before God. The name of the only - begotten Son of God - The name of a person is often put for the person himself. Butperhaps it is farther intimated in that expression, that the person spoken of is great and magnificent. And therefore it is generally used to express either God the Father or the Son.
3:19 This is the condemnation - That is, the cause of it.So God is clear.
3:21 He that practiseth the truth (that is, true religion) cometh to the light - So even Nicodemus, afterward did. Are wrought in God - That is, in the light, power, and love of God.