Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
John 3:1-21
There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus. 10 “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. 11 “Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven —the Son of Man. 14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
Original Intent
1) What does it mean that whatever is “born of the flesh is flesh, but whatever is born of the spirit is spirit?” (verse 6)
In John 3:6, Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, a Jewish leader who studied the law, and had come under the cover of nightfall to ask Jesus questions about eternity and salvation. Jesus tells him, “Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The Greek term for flesh is sárks, meaning “of human origin or empowerment”. The term is “generally negative, referring to making decisions (actions) according to self.” (Biblehub.com) The flesh here does not only refer to physical humanity, but also references the unclean nature of humanity. As author John Gill explains, flesh refers to, ”the nature of man; not merely as weak and frail, but as unclean and corrupt, through sin.” So, to be born of the flesh means to be born sinful. The Greek word for spirit is pneúma, which means “spirit, wind, or breath. The Hebrew (Old Testament) counterpart rûach has the same range of meaning. To be born of the spirit is to be saved from sin. According to author William McDonald, “A spiritual birth takes place when a person trusts in the Lord Jesus. When a person is born again through the Spirit, he receives a new nature, and is made fit for the kingdom of God.” Jesus describes to Nicodemus a person’s need to be born again, saved out of sin and into God’s kingdom by God’s great grace and amazing love.
2) How can Jesus be lifted up like Moses’s snake in the wilderness? (verse 14)
In John 3:14-15, Jesus tells Nicodemus that “just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus is referencing an incident in the Old Testament when the Israelites sinned by complaining against and criticizing God and He sent poisonous snakes among them. They cried out for help, and Moses, under God’s direction, made a bronze snake that he lifted up and told the people to look upon to be saved from the snake bites. Just as Moses lifted up the snake to save the people, Jesus declares that He must be lifted up to give people eternal life. Author David Guzik points out how the bronze serpent represents “sin judged. In the same way Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for us on the cross, and our sin was judged in Him. A bronze serpent was a picture of sin judged and dealt with.” Jesus was pointing to His coming crucifixion, where His body would be lifted up on the cross as He died to forgive the sins of the world. Though the term “lifted up” surely means the crucifixion of Christ, R.C. Sproul notes “the same Greek verb can refer to the exaltation of a person, and in John’s gospel, the crucifixion is tied closely to our Savior’s exaltation. For Jesus to be lifted up is for Him to die for sin, but that death cannot be separated from the resurrection . . .” Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent to save the people of God in the Old Testament, God lifted up His Son, Jesus, on the cross to save us all from sin and shame. He also raised Him from the dead, declaring His victory over death, Hell and the grave forever!
3) How does anyone who lives by the truth come to the light? (verse 21)
In John 3:20-21, Jesus declares, “everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.” The Greek word for truth, alétheia, means “truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straight-forwardness” The idea of truth here is the Truth of Christ. Jesus has been telling Nicodemus in the preceding verses that people must be born again through the gift of God’s Son. If people accept the truth of God’s grace and forgiveness, they will be saved. Jesus explains that living by the truth of the Savior brings one into the light, where one’s works can be seen as being done for God with the help of God. John Piper explains that “whoever goes on doing what is true (acting in accord with the light) will always come to the light and not run away from it. And the reason he will come, is so it will be clear that this ongoing behavior—his doing what is true—has been the work of God, not himself.” When we live for Jesus and accept the grace and help of God, we will do works that are good and true because He is working and moving in us. We will be glad to be in the light because we have nothing to shame or condemn us.
Everyday Application
1) What does it mean that whatever is “born of the flesh is flesh, but whatever is born of the spirit is spirit?” (verse 6)
The phrase “haters gonna’ hate” has been in our vocabulary for years now. It is in songs, memes, speeches, tv shows…anywhere pop culture makes an appearance. It reminds me of something I heard once in a sermon. The pastor asked why we would be surprised when sinners act like sinners? In other words, “sinners gonna’ sin.” That is the message Jesus is sharing with Nicodemus in John 3:6, when He says, “whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Humans are born into sin. They are born to sinful parents and inherit a sinful nature. Because we are sinful, we sin daily. It is only God who has the power to make us clean. When we trust in Him and accept His forgiveness of sin through His sacrifice for us on the cross, we are born again of the Spirit. Author Don Stewart explains that “the new birth is the work of the Holy Spirit, who places the believer in a right relationship with God. It is a work of God, not of man.” There is nothing we can do to save ourselves or cleanse ourselves, it is only the grace of God that can save us from sin. When we trust in Him and let Him be in control of our lives, we are no longer slaves to sin. We become children of God!
2) How can Jesus be lifted up like Moses’s snake in the wilderness? (verse 14)
Sometimes I wonder if my neighbors know me by the same kind of kooky names I use to refer to them; monikers that describe what I know about them since I don’t know their names. Before I met the woman up the street, my kids referred to her as the “crazy dog lady” because of the doting way she would care for her little schnauzer. Or there is a woman on my block we call the American Ninja Warrior because of her intense exercise routine. My name around the neighborhood is probably “Bed Head” since I just roll out of bed to walk the dogs! But I want my neighbors to know me for more than my untamed hair. I want them to know me by my love and kindness. I want them to see Jesus when they see me. In John 3:14-15, Jesus declares that “just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Moses lifted up a bronze snake so that those poisoned by snakes could be healed, and in the same way Jesus was lifted up on the cross to save people from the poison of sin in their lives. I want to share that truth about Jesus’ sacrifice with my family and my neighbors. Charles Spurgeon recommends, “We should imitate Moses, whose business it was to set the brazen serpent upon a pole. It is your business and mine to lift up the gospel of Christ Jesus, so that all may see it.” I purpose to lift Jesus high in my neighborhood and to all those I have connection with. I may become the “crazy church lady” to some, but I hope all will see the love of God when they see me.
3) How does anyone who lives by the truth come to the light? (verse 21)
How cute are the videos of little kids caught in the act of some misdeed, like stealing cookies, where they lie to their parents with the sweetest, most innocent faces covered in chocolate evidence? Or they have written their names in permanent ink on the wall, marker still in hand, but they have no idea whose graffiti that is over their bed. It is so stinkin’ cute, but it reminds me of what is going on in John 3:20-21, when Jesus says, “everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.” When we do wrong, we want to hide it from the light, much like those kiddos in the videos I mentioned. We don’t want our cheating, lying, betraying, or other sin to be exposed. When we know Jesus, though, we come to live by the truth, and then we do not need to fear the light of exposure because the Holy Spirit is working in us, making us more like Jesus. Since God is working in us and through us, we come to the light willingly and humbly, knowing that anything good we have or do is because of Him. In fact, we want to share our story of God’s grace and mercy in our lives with others so they can know freedom in God and the joy of living in the light.
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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