John Bible Study ~ John 3:1-15 ~ Jesus Introduces “Born Again”

We all have likely heard people mock the idea of someone being born again. The term has been used to distinguish responses to the good news of the gospel even among those who claim to be Christians. That means it invariably creates a distinction between those who believe without being born again (as is true of the devil, his demons, and many religious folks), and those who believe because they are born again. 

In this next scene of John’s account of the “good news of great joy”, we are invited to consider how Jesus helped a religious leader grapple with the mind-boggling concept of being “born again”. As we enter the stage with our own story, we can hear the Savior address this need to our lives just as a man named Nicodemus received Jesus’ ministry then. 

The crucial issue is that Jesus makes being “born again” an absolute, non-negotiable prerequisite to becoming part of the kingdom of God. For that reason, we are urged to first consider deeply what Jesus was teaching Nicodemus then, and open our hearts to receive this amazing gift as it is offered to us now. 

If you want to load a Word document version of this study onto your computer for prayer-journaling, you can find it here:[1] If you want a PDF version to print out, you can find it here:[2] If you have suggestions to improve this study, please send me an email. I would love the input! And, if you need assistance attaching to the Savior with the faith this section of God’s Book reveals, I would love to help! 

John Bible Study ~ John 3:1-15 ~ Jesus Introduces “Born Again” 

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man 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.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 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. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you 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. (John 3 ~ ESV) 

When reading God’s word, we often find references to things we haven’t read yet. We are also introduced to concepts that may not make sense to us because they speak of things to do with God, the greatest person in every way. The aim of this Bible study is not to try to understand every word and meaning, but to get the sense of what Jesus was teaching. There is always room for deeper study of the Bible, but reading to understand the basic sense of a passage also helps us to get to know what Jesus was teaching back then, and how that continues to speak to us today. 

Part 1: Introducing the Need for the New Birth 

John the Baptist had already announced that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Now this gospel account clarifies that for Jesus to take away someone’s sins, they must experience a new birth. 

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man 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.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3) 

1.     What do you think is the connection between Nicodemus being a ruler of the Jews and him coming to Jesus “by night”?

 

2.    How far has Nicodemus journeyed in his belief about Jesus?

 

3.    What does Jesus say is absolutely essential to entering the kingdom of God?

 

4.    What does this mean about your relationship to God’s kingdom?

 

Part 2: Clarifying the Reality of the New Birth 

Jesus now clarifies why we should not be surprised that the new birth is necessary to enter his kingdom. 

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 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. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3) 

1.     What are the two births that Jesus contrasts?

 

2.    What has the gospel of John revealed about Jesus’ kingdom that would make sense of the necessity of being born again?

 

3.    What characteristic of the spiritual life helps us accept the parts of it we do not yet understand?

 

4.    Everyone alive today has been “born of the flesh,” meaning, we all have physical life. What is your present standing in relation to the spiritual life that is only experienced by those who are “born of the Spirit”? 

 

Part 3: The New Birth and Eternal Life 

We all know how the first birth connects us to physical life. Jesus now leads us to see how the new birth connects us to eternal life. 

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you 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. (John 3) 

1.     How much does Nicodemus’s question compare to your response to Jesus’ teaching about being born again?

 

2.    What does Jesus explain is the reason that Nicodemus doesn’t understand (and how does this compare to you)?

 

3.    When Jesus speaks of the serpent image Moses lifted up in the wilderness, it was an historical event Nicodemus understood very well. When his people were in trouble from a plague of poisonous serpents (snakes), an image of a serpent was lifted up as a rally call to those who wanted to trust God, and whoever looked to that serpent lived. How does this illustrate what Jesus will do for the people?

 

4.    If being born again gives us eternal life, what is the key issue for anyone to be born again?

 

Conclusion: Hearing, Seeing, Joining 

After seeing how Jesus dialogued with Nicodemus regarding being born again: 

1.     What do you hear God speaking to you about?

 

2.    What do you see God doing in you through this part of his word?

 

3.    How are you going to join God in his work?

 

© 2021 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/ncdop6983xuwe4y/0011%20-%20John%203_1-15%20-%20Jesus%20and%20Nicodemus.docx?dl=0

[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/ppj99xs6r8e12dh/0011%20-%20John%203_1-15%20-%20Jesus%20and%20Nicodemus.pdf?dl=0

Faith that Grows from Jesus’ Words

One thing I make very clear in our home church is that, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”[1] Because of this, it has been fascinating for me to look at how the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead shows the importance of the words of Christ in contrast to what people saw.[2] 

First question: what is God telling you in his word lately that contradicts what you see going on around you? 

I ask this because it should be a way of life for us to put our faith in what we are reading from God’s word, not in what we see happening around us. It is also quite common for God to speak to his people about things that sound different than what we see in our circumstances. For that reason, it is good practice to identify what God is saying in his word clearly enough that when situations seem to contradict it, we hold fast to what God has said. 

What stood out a few mornings ago, as Jesus was standing at Lazarus’s tomb, was the expression, “When he had said these things…”[3] It was like the spotlight moved to this phrase and narrowed its focus so there was no doubt which actor was playing the lead. 

Second question: what stands out for you today as the “these things” God has been telling you that lead up to the next thing he is doing with you? 

In other words, are you watching for the connection between the “these things” God is teaching you in his word and what happens next? Do you see the next things as stepping-stones to what God has spoken (even when they seem to be a glaring contradiction) rather than stumbling stones to your faith? 

I know that the expression, “these things,” relates to the immediate things Jesus had said in telling the people to roll the stone away from the tomb. He reminded them, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” and reiterated his purpose in setting the stage with a death instead of an illness, which was to bring people to believe the Father had sent him. 

However, this seemed to draw attention to the thread that was woven quite brightly through the whole tapestry of this scene, that the words Jesus spoke preceded the actions that he took. And, it draws our attention to that thread as it adds to the unfolding scene that appeared to contradict Jesus’ words. 

Third question: what thread of words has Jesus spoken into the death-scenes of your life that speaks of a hope that contradicts any hopeless circumstances you can see with your eyes? 

And, lastly, this took me back to the beginning of the account where the very first thing Jesus did in response to the news that Lazarus was ill was announce the theme of the whole play: “But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’”[4] 

This simply emphasized that God speaks before he acts, and our faith comes from hearing what he says, not from watching how a scene unfolds. It makes me look back over things God has already said that have already unfolded in ways that appeared contradictory to his words but ended up being right on the bull’s eye. 

Last question: What has God told you about the death-scene you may be facing that makes sense of every contradictory thing that has happened since he spoke those words to you? 

Okay, story time.

Just as I finished writing that last question, I had the idea to go back to the start of the situation that is matching the Lazarus account for me. What was the very first thing God said to me about that journey? 

What I discovered was like seeing Jesus giving me one of those loving smack-upside-the-head expressions of endearment to let me know I could have saved myself a lot of grief (kinda the point of the Lazarus experience) if I would have kept in mind what he said instead of reacting to what I have seen going on in our church. Yes, lots of necessary Beatitudinal lessons that God is working for good, but still, the point is taken. 

So, I looked up my prayer-journaling and sharing from the morning that an “illness” hit our church parallel to the Lazarus situation. Wow! 

What had God spoken to me to prepare me for what would happen? That the miracles Jesus performed as signs (like turning water into wine) were to so reveal his glory that we would believe in him when the signs of the times, so to speak, contradicted his words. The golden thread God has woven through everything since then (and I am sure through many other scenes of the tapestry where I wasn’t paying attention), was the way God “manifested” Jesus’ glory so Jesus could manifest the Father’s glory. NOTHING has changed that. 

Then I looked at my prayer-journaling and sharing from the day after the “illness” hit. The theme was, “The Battle is On!” Meaning, we were presented with an opportunity to join God in his work, and Satan did NOT want to see Jesus glorified in it. Time to put on the whole armor of God, take our stand, and be the church to one another. 

As I look back, I can see how I was hearing Jesus’ words of promise the way his disciples would have understood him to mean that Lazarus was not going to die. I actually felt excited about the opportunity we were presented at that time because it looked like Jesus would do something that I had already seen him do before. I had high hopes and led accordingly. 

And next thing I know I’m spending a week standing at a tomb grieving! Lazarus had died when I thought Jesus said he wouldn’t. Yes, lots of that smacked-upside-the-head lovin’ included in this lesson! 

The reminder from a few days ago that faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the words of Christ, had already ministered to me when I started writing my sharing about this. It expanded for me even more as my sharing developed. And then it blew me away by taking me back to what Jesus was speaking to me about that stands out just as contradictory to what I ended up “seeing” as Jesus’ first words to his disciples turned out to be in stark contrast to the unfolding scene of Lazarus’s death. 

I know that talking about death-like experiences in our lives can stir up negative emotions we don’t want to spend time thinking and feeling. I have actually had some people become quite irate with me for even suggesting that there are things from the past that should be explored for our freedom. 

However, my testimony is to encourage you to look at whatever you’re going through, or even just the ugly deterioration of our evil world we are all facing together, and ask yourself whether the things God has spoken to you about in his word in the past are building up your faith in the present. 

Can you relate to the scenario where Lazarus was ill, Jesus said the situation would not end in death, but he waited until Lazarus had died before he went to do anything? Can you see how people who believed that Jesus could have healed Lazarus needed to get to know him as the one who raises people from the dead? 

After all, isn’t that the point of Jesus’ coming? Didn’t he come to give life? Didn’t he come to raise sinners from the dead spiritually with the promise that the gift of eternal life would mean we are one day raised from the dead physically as well?[5] 

In spite of what negative emotions may be stirred up by even speaking of death-like experiences in our lives, I challenge each of you to go back to the beginning of your story of such an event and see what God was speaking to you about before you entered that scene. 

For sympathy’s sake, I know the grieving of facing things like this honestly. I also know how the journey can be both painfully and wonderfully helpful for me. Today I am strongly reminded to keep in mind the Savior’s words, and I am quite sure that his words will lead us through even the “strong odor” of death that is a significant part of the scene. 

Epilogue: before I shared this with our church, I wanted to see who and what was shared by our group that morning before anyone knew what God was doing with me. I considered all our sharing to be like puzzle pieces God was putting on the table before any of us knew what other things God was saying or doing among us. In a sense, I wanted us to see what God was saying to our church before he showed us what he was doing. 

Let’s just say that the sharing from others was a perfect fit to the puzzle pieces God had given me. It actually sounded a lot like Jesus’ telling the people what to do about the resurrected Lazarus stumbling out of the tomb: “Unbind him, and let him go.” Perhaps you have a death-like experience that needs to hear these words as well. 

© 2021 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)

 

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[1] Romans 10:17

[2] You can read the whole account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11. You can find it here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11&version=ESV

[3] John 11:43

[4] John 11:4

[5] When Jesus returns, any believers who are still alive at his coming will not be raised from the dead, but simply transfer from their earthly bodies to their glorified bodies. Yes, lots of exciting stuff to explore if you have never heard about these things yet!

What Jesus Feels for What We Feel

Yesterday morning, my heavenly Father invited me to enter the stage he had set for discovering how Jesus his Son relates to his loved ones who are grieving.[1] I have been in this section of his word for about a week, so the next scene I have come to begins like this: 

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was…” 

A man named Lazarus had died. Jesus had come to the hometown where this happened and had already met with and comforted Martha, one of the sisters. Martha had gone to get her sister Mary, directing her to where Jesus was waiting to talk with her. 

As I enter the scene and see how Mary “came to where Jesus was,” I consider how this is part of the picture for me. Yes, there are times when the Good Shepherd comes to his sheep to save them out of their latest tangle in the brambles. However, this scenario was one where someone had to come to Jesus. This is simply a thing, that sometimes I have no right to expect him to come to me; I must come to him. 

“and saw him…” 

I could picture Mary taking one step after another, not seeing Jesus with one step, still not seeing him with another, and suddenly there was that last step where it could be said that she now “saw him”. Every step but the last one was not being with Jesus yet. 

This made me think of what it looks like in my life when I am expected to take steps to go to Jesus when it will only be the last one that brings me to him. I will not see him in many steps the Father leads me to take in the right direction, but I am to take those steps knowing that there will be a last one where I see him and can be with him in whatever the Father is doing. 

“she fell at his feet…” 

At first, I read into this that Mary was worshiping Jesus, something that I am sure was involved. However, as I considered the emotional state Mary was in grieving the death of her brother, I suddenly saw a woman overcome with the weariness of her grief, drained of strength in the way that only sorrow can do, and when she reaches the Savior she had trusted in, she fell at his feet as a helpless child. 

This also was an invitation for me to be as helpless in my overwhelming sorrow as Mary was with hers. 

“saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’” 

This was easy to attach to. How many things have happened in my life that felt like someone or something died and Jesus did not come in time to heal the situation, or save the relationship, or give life to a dream. Mary’s words are God’s invitation for me to grieve with her all the things that have been lost because Jesus hadn’t been there. 

“When Jesus saw her weeping…” 

John had already written that Mary saw Jesus; now he adds that Jesus saw Mary. This has been a slow lesson for me to learn, that my time with God each morning, even in my seasons of grief, are characterized by Jesus seeing me and knowing what I am going through. 

“and the Jews who had come with her also weeping…” 

Both immaturity and grief tend to isolate people so we think only of what is going on with us and our Savior. However, Jesus was always relating to his individual children in connection with others. No matter how lonely and isolated we feel, Jesus sees the different degrees of grief that are on the stage (or in each church scenario) so we can see how Jesus responded to everyone. 

“he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” 

Jesus was overwhelmed with weeping with those who weep so that he was having trouble holding back his emotions. That is what the description means, that Jesus was having difficulty holding back the flood of emotions he was feeling in relation to the people who were grieving. I’m certainly not done meditating on that!   

In this present journey, God is surprising me with what he wants me to share with him of my griefs and sorrows. Even though I know he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, that only makes it all the more amazing that he set the stage so he would be able to first attach to his loved ones in their grief. 

Jesus truly is both, “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” and, “the Resurrection and the Life”. He clearly wants me to know him in every multi-faceted expression of his glory. You are invited to do the same.

© 2021 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)

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[1] John 11