========================
John 3:1-21
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1Now there was a Pharisee, a
man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
2He came to Jesus at night
and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no
one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3Jesus replied, “Very truly I
tell you, no one can see the
4“How can someone be born
when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time
into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5Jesus answered, “Very truly
I tell you, no one can enter the
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
11Very truly I tell you, 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
14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man
must be lifted up,
15that everyone who believes
may have eternal life in him.”
16For 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
they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
19This is the verdict: Light
has come into the world, but people 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 their deeds will be exposed.
21But whoever lives by the
truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have
done has been done in the sight of God.
----------------------------------------
1)
According to verses
1 and 2 who was the Pharisee who was
a member of the Jewish ruling council and
who came to Jesus at night?
o Nicodemus.
2)
According to
verse 2 what logical relationship did Nicodemus make between God being with a
person and the person being able to perform signs?
o God being with a person is the necessary condition for
the person being able to perform signs.
3)
How can we rephrase
the logical relationship between God being with a person and the person being
able to perform signs in terms of a sufficient condition?
o Conversely we can say that a person being able to perform signs is
the sufficient condition for God being with the person.
4)
What conclusion
could Nicodemus draw about Jesus, given that Jesus was able to perform signs?
o God must be with Jesus.
5)
According to
verse 2 how did Nicodemus express his conclusion that God must be with Jesus?
o He said that Jesus is a teacher who has come from God.
6)
Why do we need to
apply logic in order to understand Jesus as the Word if
we pay attention to the meaning of the original Greek word for ‘the Word’?
o The original Greek word for ‘the Word’ means logic.
o In other words Jesus as the
Word is literally logic.
o Therefore we need to use logic in order to understand Jesus.
7)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 10 what role did Nicodemus play?
o He played the role of
8)
From Nicodemus’ perspective
as
o Jesus would be able to tell others
things about God.
o That
o Teachers like Nicodemus himself would not be able to.
9)
What did Nicodemus
do after stating his claim that Jesus is a teacher who has come from God in verse
2?
o He waited expectantly for Jesus to tell him things
about God.
o That
o He did not know.
10)
According to
verse 3 with what level of certainty did Jesus reply?
o With the certainty of truth.
11)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 3 what is the logical relationship between being born again
and seeing the
o Being born again is the necessary condition for seeing
the
12)
According to
verse 4 what impossibility did Nicodemus see in a person’s being born again?
o He questioned
§
How an old person
could be born.
§
And how they could enter a second time into their mother’s
womb to be born.
13)
What age group
was Nicodemus in?
o He was an older person.
14)
According to
verse 4 from what perspective did Nicodemus view Jesus’ proposition of a
person’s being born again?
o From the physical and biological perspective.
15)
What should Nicodemus
have done instead of questioning what Jesus said, if he truly honored Jesus as a
teacher who had come from God?
o He should have
§
Continued to humble
himself.
§
And asked Jesus
to explain how he as an older person could be born again.
16)
What was another factor
that might have contributed to Nicodemus’ lack of openness in genuinely wanting
to learn from Jesus, given that he was an older person?
o Stubbornness from old age.
17)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 5 what is the logical relationship between being born of
water and the Spirit and entering the
o Being born of
§
Water.
§
And the Spirit.
o Is the necessary condition for entering the
18)
What does it mean
to be born of water and the Spirit, given Acts 2:38 and Romans 6:4?
o Per Acts 2:38 it is
§
Repentance and
water baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
§
And the
subsequent receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
o Per Romans 6:4 it is symbolically
§
Being buried with
Christ through water baptism into death.
§
And being raised to
a new life.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Acts 2:38 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
38Peter replied, “Repent and
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
+++++++++++++++++++++
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Romans 6:4 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
4We were therefore buried
with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
+++++++++++++++++++++
19)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 6 what do flesh and the Spirit give
birth to respectively?
o Flesh gives birth to flesh.
o But the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
20)
In accordance
with what Jesus said in verse 6 what is the relationship between the physical
and spiritual processes of birth?
o There is no relationship between the two.
21)
What is the
transformation in a person that takes place when the person is born of water
and the Spirit?
o The person is transformed
§
From being solely
of the flesh.
§
To being also of
the Spirit.
22)
Is a person’s
being born again a physical and biological process as Nicodemus thought and
why?
o No, because it is a spiritual process of transformation.
23)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 7 what should Nicodemus
not be surprised at?
o He should not be surprised at Jesus’ saying that he must
be born again.
24)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 8 how does the wind blow?
o The wind blows.
o Wherever
o It pleases.
25)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 8 how are we aware of the wind?
o We can hear its sound.
26)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 8 what aspect of the wind are we not able to discern?
o We cannot tell
§
Where it comes
from.
§
Or where it is
going.
o That means we have difficulties tracing it.
27)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 8 what can the event of a person being born of the Spirit be
compared to?
o It can be compared to the
§
Coming.
§
And going of the
wind.
o That
§
Can be discerned.
§
But cannot be
traced.
28)
How can a person’s
being born of the Spirit be discerned, given Romans 6:4?
o A person who has been born of the Spirit will live a
new life.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Romans 6:4 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
4We were therefore buried
with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
+++++++++++++++++++++
29)
Why is a person’s
being born of the Spirit not traceable?
o We cannot trace what is going on in the spiritual
realm.
o And a person’s being born of the Spirit takes place in
the spiritual realm.
30)
What was Nicodemus’
attitude toward Jesus’ depiction of a person’s being born again, judging from the way he persisted in questioning
Jesus in verse 9?
o He was not willing to believe it.
31)
What was ironic
about Nicodemus’ unbelief?
o On the one hand he expected Jesus to tell him things
about God.
o On the other he was not willing to believe.
o When
o Jesus told him.
32)
What had Nicodemus
done well and what had he done poorly in his interaction with Jesus?
o He
§
Approached Jesus
wanting to be enlightened.
§
But backed off.
§
When
§
Jesus started enlightening
him.
33)
Is it the physical
aspect or spiritual aspect of a person’s being born again that Nicodemus had difficulties with?
o It is the spiritual aspect.
34)
Why did Nicodemus
have difficulties with the spiritual process of a person’s being born again, given verse 8?
o Because it could not be physically traced.
35)
What can we tell
about Nicodemus’ approach to believing things?
o He would believe things that could be explained and
understood in the physical realm.
o He would not believe things that could not be
explained and understood in the physical realm.
36)
According to
verses 9 and 10 what was Jesus’ response to Nicodemus
when he again questioned the validity of what Jesus said?
o Jesus
§
Turned the table.
§
And questioned
the implausibility of his lack of understanding as
37)
Was Jesus
referring to physical things or spiritual things when he referred to ‘these
things’ in verse 10 that Nicodemus did not understand?
o He was referring to spiritual things.
38)
Why did Jesus question Nicodemus how he as
o Nicodemus as
o Since
o God is spirit.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud John 4:24 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
24God is spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
+++++++++++++++++++++
39)
Whom was Jesus referring
to by ‘we’ in verse 11, given John 1:29-34?
o Jesus was referring to
§
Himself.
§
And John the
Baptist.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud John 1:29-34 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
29The next day John saw Jesus
coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of
the world!
30This is the one I meant
when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before
me.’
31I myself did not know him,
but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to
32Then John gave this
testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
33And I
myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water
told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one
who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
34I have seen and I testify
that this is God’s Chosen One.”
+++++++++++++++++++++
40)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 11 what was the
response of the Jews when he and John the Baptist spoke of what they knew and
testified to what they had seen?
o Still the Jews did not accept their testimony.
41)
In
light of verse 12 what was the
specific earthly thing that Jesus had
referred to and that Nicodemus did not believe?
o He did not believe
the spiritual process of a person’s being born
again.
42)
What exactly did Jesus
mean when he referred to the spiritual process of a person’s being born again as an earthly thing?
o The spiritual process of a person’s being born again is something that happens on earth.
43)
Is a person’s
being born again earthly then and why?
o No, because it is a spiritual process.
44)
What did Jesus
mean by heavenly things in verse 12?
o Jesus meant things that happen in heaven.
45)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 12 would Nicodemus believe if he spoke to Nicodemus of things that happen in heaven and why?
o No, because things that happen in heaven would be even
§
More incredible
to Nicodemus.
§
Than things that happen on earth.
46)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 13 where did the Son of Man come from?
o From heaven.
47)
What is the name
that Jesus referred to himself as in verse 13?
o Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man.
48)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 13 what spiritual reality did Jesus reveal to Nicodemus
about himself?
o Jesus revealed to Nicodemus the spiritual reality.
o That
o He is the only one that has gone into heaven.
49)
How is Jesus as
the Son of Man uniquely qualified to speak
of things that happen in heaven?
o Jesus as the Son of Man
§
Came from heaven.
§
And is the only
one that has gone into heaven.
50)
Have angels come
from heaven and gone into heaven?
o Yes.
51)
What is the
implication for Jesus that had been conveyed to Nicodemus that as the Son of
Man he came from heaven and is the only one that has gone into heaven?
o The implication is that Jesus as the Son of Man is
God.
52)
What did Moses do
in the wilderness for the Israelites to get healed, given Numbers 21:5-9?
o Moses
§
Made a bronze
snake.
§
And put it up on
a pole.
o So that
o Israelites who got bitten by a snake could
§
Look at the
bronze snake.
§
And live.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Numbers 21:5-9 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
5They spoke against God and
against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of
6Then the Lord sent venomous
snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
7The people came to Moses and
said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the
Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses
prayed for the people.
8The Lord said to Moses,
“Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and
live.”
9So Moses made a bronze snake
and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at
the bronze snake, they lived.
+++++++++++++++++++++
53)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 14 what reality did Jesus reveal to Nicodemus about himself
that he as the Son of Man was going to be lifted up?
o Jesus as the Son of Man was going to be crucified.
54)
What does Jesus’
being physically crucified as the Son of Man say about the nature of Jesus as
the Son of Man?
o Jesus as the Son of Man is a man.
55)
What is the
composite nature of Jesus as the Son of Man that had been conveyed to Nicodemus?
o Jesus as the Son of Man is both
§
God.
§
And man.
56)
What is stunning to
Nicodemus about the reality that Jesus as the
Son of Man was going to be crucified?
o Jesus as both
§
God.
§
And man.
o Was going to be crucified.
57)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 14 what did he compare his being lifted
up to?
o Jesus compared his being lifted up
to Moses’ lifting up the snake in the wilderness for healing Israelites who
looked at it.
58)
What is Moses’ lifting up the snake in the wilderness for healing the Israelites
symbolic of?
o It is symbolic of Jesus’ crucifixion for saving the world .
59)
According to what
Jesus said in verses 14 and 15 what is the consequence that had been conveyed
to Nicodemus of his being lifted up as the Son of Man?
o Jesus as the Son of Man was going to be lifted up.
o That
o Everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
60)
How did Jesus’
claim that a person has eternal life by believing in him contradict Nicodemus’
belief as a Pharisee, given Leviticus 18:5?
o As a Pharisee Nicodemus believed that he lived by keeping
God’s decrees and laws.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Leviticus 18:5 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
5Keep my decrees and laws,
for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.
+++++++++++++++++++++
61)
Is having eternal
life the equivalent of entering the
o Yes.
62)
How does a person
enter the
o A person enters the
63)
What is the
logical relationship between believing in Jesus and entering the
o Believing in Jesus is the sufficient condition for
entering the
64)
What do we recall
as the logical relationship between being born of water and the Spirit and
entering the
o Being born of water and the Spirit is the necessary
condition for entering the
65)
How do we
rephrase the logical relationship between being born of water and the Spirit
and entering the
o Entering the
66)
What logical
relationship can we draw between believing in Jesus and being born of water and
the Spirit?
o Believing in Jesus is the sufficient condition for
being born of water and the Spirit.
67)
So how does a
person become born of water and the Spirit?
o A person becomes born of water and the Spirit by
believing in Jesus.
68)
Was Nicodemus
born of water and the Spirit at the end of his conversation with Jesus and why,
given verse 9?
o No, because he did not believes in Jesus.
69)
What is the name
that Jesus referred to himself as in verse 16?
o Jesus referred to himself as the one and only Son of
God.
70)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 16 what spiritual reality did he reveal to Nicodemus about himself?
o Jesus revealed to Nicodemus the spiritual reality.
o That
o He is the one and only Son of God.
71)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 16 what will happen to those who believe in him as the Son
of God?
o They shall
§
Not perish.
§
But have eternal
life.
72)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 16 what motivated God to give his one and only Son to save
the world?
o God’s love for the world did.
73)
In accordance
with what Jesus said in verse 16 what is so amazing about God’s love for the
world?
o God so loved the world.
o That
o He gave his one and only Son.
74)
What was even
more difficult for Nicodemus to
understand than how people could enter the
o He had even more difficulties understanding.
o Why
o God so loved the world that he gave up his one and
only Son to be crucified.
o So that
o They could enter the
o Because
o Only God alone knows the reason that simply could not
be explained by others.
75)
What option did
the incomprehensibility of God’s love for
the world that Jesus related to leave Nicodemus with in the context of belief in Jesus?
o Nicodemus had no alternative but to
§
Accept Jesus’
word by faith.
§
And believe in
him.
76)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 17 what is the
clarification for God’s objective in sending
his Son into the world?
o God did not send his Son into the world
§
To condemn the
world.
§
But to save the
world through him.
77)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 18 what is the consequence for those who believe in him as the Son of God and those who don’t?
o Whoever believes in Jesus as the Son of God is not condemned.
o But whoever does not believe stands condemned already.
78)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 18 why does anyone who does not believe in him as the Son of
God stand condemned already?
o It is because they have not believed in the name of God’s
one and only Son.
79)
In accordance
with verse 18 what is the third option other than believing in and not believing in Jesus as the Son of God?
o There is not a third option.
80)
What is the third
option other than having eternal life and
not having eternal life?
o There is not a third option.
81)
What was is the
warning that Jesus served Nicodemus in the context of belief in Jesus?
o Nicodemus would be condemned.
o If
o He did not believe in Jesus.
82)
Why did Jesus reveal
the spiritual reality to Nicodemus about himself?
o It is because Nicodemus
§
Acknowledged that
Jesus is a teacher who has come from God.
§
And had come to Jesus
to be enlightened.
83)
What is the name
that Jesus referred to himself as in verse 19?
o Jesus referred to himself as the light.
84)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 19 what is the verdict
for people and why?
o Jesus as the light has come into the world.
o But people loved darkness instead of light.
o Because
o Their deeds were evil.
85)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 20 what is the response toward him as the light of those
who do evil?
o Everyone who does evil
§
Hates Jesus as
the light.
§
And will not come
into the light.
86)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 20 what is the reason those who do evil hate him as the light and will not come into
the light?
o They fear that their evil deeds will be exposed.
87)
What do those who
will not come into the light want to continue to do?
o They want to continue to do evil.
88)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 21 what would those
do who live by the truth?
o They come into the light.
89)
What do those who
come into the light want to quit doing?
o They want to quit doing evil.
90)
What does it mean
to live by the truth, given John 14:6?
o It means to live by Jesus, i.e., to follow him as
disciples of the truth.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud John 14:6 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
6Jesus answered, “I am the
way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.
+++++++++++++++++++++
91)
What is a better
translation for the phrase ‘in the sight of God’ in verse 21?
o A better translation is ‘in God’.
92)
What is the consequence
in terms of salvation for those who are in God, given Ephesians 1:13-14?
o The consequence is that they are saved.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud Ephesians 1:13-14 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
13And you also were included
in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy
Spirit,
14who is a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s
possession—to the praise of his glory.
+++++++++++++++++++++
93)
According to what
Jesus said in verse 21 what is the consequence for those who live by the truth and come into the light?
o The consequence is that it may be seen plainly that
what they have done has been done in God.
o That means they
§
Are in God.
§
And are therefore
saved.
94)
How do we apply verses
19 to 21 to Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night for a conversation?
o He was afraid of being seen to come to Jesus for a
conversation.
o So
o He came under
the cover of darkness at night.
o For that we know that at that point in time he was not
saved.
95)
But was Nicodemus
eventually saved and why, given John 19:38-42?
o Yes, because he was willing to
§
Take a public
stance.
§
And help take
care of Jesus’ burial.
o In so doing he had come out of darkness into the light.
o So that
o It might be seen plainly that what he had done had been
done in God.
· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read
out loud John 19:38-42 that says,
+++++++++++++++++++++
38Later, Joseph of Arimathea
asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a
disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With
Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.
39He was accompanied by
Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a
mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.
40Taking Jesus’ body, the two
of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance
with Jewish burial customs.
41At the place where Jesus
was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no
one had ever been laid.
42Because it was the Jewish
day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
+++++++++++++++++++++
96)
Who had better
prognosis of belief in Jesus, Nicodemus or those who claimed to believe in Jesus
without turning to God in repentance in their hearts and why?
o Nicodemus
§
Was honest with
his unbelief.
§
And therefore had something concrete to work on toward eventual belief.
o Those who claimed to believe in Jesus without turning
to God in repentance in their hearts
§
Were delusional
in their belief.
§
And were
deceiving themselves.
========================
John 3:1-21
========================