A. Coming to the light out of the darkness
a) Doing signs/belief: 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
b) Jesus knows all people: 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about a person, for he himself knew what was in a person.
a1) Doing signs/belief: 3:1 Now there was a person of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This one came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
B. Born from above/the Spirit – life
a) Born from above: 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above he (she) cannot see the kingdom of God.”
b) Marvel: 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
c) born of water/Spirit: 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
d) Enter the kingdom: he (she) cannot enter the kingdom of God.
c1) born of flesh/Spirit: 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
b1) Don’t marvel: 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You (all) must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
a1) Born of the Spirit: So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
C. How these things can be
a) How can/these things?: 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
b) You do not understand these things: 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?
c) Testimony: 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you (all) do not receive our testimony.
b1) You do not believe these things: 12If I have told you (all) earthly things and you (all) do not believe,
a1) How can/these things?: how can you (all) believe if I tell you (all) heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
B1. Whoever believes in him has eternal life
a) Whoever believes/eternal life: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his beloved Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
b) Not to condemn: 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world
c) Saved: but in order that the world might be saved through him.
b1) Not condemned: 18 The one who believes in him is not condemned,
a1) Whoever does not believe/condemned already: but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he (she) has not believed in the name of the beloved Son of God.
A1. Coming to the light out of the darkness
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
– does not come to the light: 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his (her) works should be exposed.
– comes to the light: 21 But the one who does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his (her) works have been carried out in God.
William S. Higgins
Christian teaching 