John 3:1-36
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
John the Baptist's Testimony About Jesus
22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him."
27To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less.
31"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
1 John 5:1-21
Faith in the Son of God
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Concluding Remarks
13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
16If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
21Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
St. John tells us about Jesus' teachings on being born again...
Nicodemus was a Pharisee...He was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin...He was a Rabbi...Unlike many of the Pharisees, Rabbis, and the Sanhedrin, he believed in Jesus and new He came from God...He told Jesus that we know are a Teacher who has come from God...For no one could perform the miracles You are doing if God were not with You...Nicodemus was also with Joseph of Arimathea after the crucifixion...He helps bury Jesus (John 19:38-42)...
Jesus teaches Nicodemus about being born again...Jesus tells him, we must be born again to enter the kingdom of God...So we must be born twice...Once of our mother's and once of the Spirit...Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit...We are to be born twice, if we want to enter the kingdom of God...We live in our mother's womb until we are born the first time...This is the flesh giving birth to the flesh... We live in the womb, in our mother's world (in a type of water), after we are conceived, until we are born...Then nine months after our conception our mother's water breaks and we are born for the first time...Now Jesus tells us we must be born again to get to God and to heaven...God is perfect love, holy, and infinite...The flesh we have and live in is not perfect or holy or infinite...The earth also is not perfect...It is below...Jesus says we must be born again if we are going to enter the kingdom of God...We must become more like Him, One who is perfect, free of sin, holy, and infinite, and at the right hand of God...Jesus is from above and is above all...
This is a hard teaching and Nicodemus asks, how can this be!...How can as we age, reenter our mother's womb!...Nicodemus was confused and did not understand this...Nicodemus thought after first hearing Jesus on being reborn, that we must have two physical births...Jesus does not address the question about reentering our mother's womb and our first birth, but says the second birth is about heavenly things, and not about earthly things...Flesh relates to these earthly things, and the Spirit is of these heavenly things...Our born again is about the Spirit and these heavenly things...
Jesus then tells us that God so loves the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life...For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him...God loves us very much...He gave up His Son for us...Jesus did not come to earth to condemn us but to save us...For this to happen we first must believe in Him...
Jesus has came into the world as Light, and we are to follow the Light...Everyone who believes in the Light will follow it, but evil will follow the darkness...Goodness will follow Jesus, but evil will follow the evil one...
John the Baptist tells us that Jesus is from above and comes from God...God sent Jesus to speak His words...The Father loves the Son and has placed everything (not just some or a few things) in His hands...Whoever, believes in the Son will have eternal life...Belief in the Father and Son are the key....
St. John tells us in his first New Testament letter that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God...We were first born of our mother's and this earth...If we believe Jesus is the Christ, then we are born of God...This is also how we know that we are children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands...This is love for God: to obey His commandments...His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes this earthly world...We can only overcome this world by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God...And by our belief, we are born again and can overcome this world and can enter the kingdom of God...
Jesus came to earth by not only water and blood, but also the Spirit...Jesus who was born, and lived by flesh and blood on earth...But He was divine, and now is at the right hand of God...If we believe in the Father and the Son we can have eternal life, but if we do not believe in the Father and the Son, then we make God out to be a liar and will not have eternal life...Those of us who have the Son have life, but those who do not have the Son of God, do not have life...
St. John was an eyewitness of His Majesty and writes these things so we may know we will have eternal life if we keep ourselves from earthly idols and believe in Jesus...Jesus is the gate and our door; whoever enters through Him will be saved...Jesus is the way to the the kingdom of God...Our belief in Him is the golden key...