Sola Day 14 But If I Don’t: Digging Deeper
May 28, 2020
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
John 3:1-21
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
7 Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
The 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.
The 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!
The Original Intent
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!
The Everyday Application
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.
The Original Intent
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.
The Everyday Application
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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