The New Birth

 Temple Baptist Church - 10-12-2022

John 3:1-16

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Tonight, I want to look at one of the most read and quoted of all verses in the Bible, John 3:16.  One of the problems with the interpretation of this verse that it has been taught as a “stand alone” verse.  It has often been called “The Gospel in a Nutshell.”

 

B.  As a standalone verse, you can interpret it in the manner that you like or in the manner that agrees with your philosophy.  A verse taken out of context can become a pretext.  One of the basic hermeneutical principles of Bible interpretation is the Context Principle where verses are interpretated within the context.

 

C.  In these verses, we find a great man in Israel.  John 3:1  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

 

1.  Nicodemus was a respected ruler of the Jews of the Pharisee Sect who upheld the Oral Law.

 

2.  Nicodemus was a fearful man and came to Jesus by night (“he same came to Jesus by night,”) so that other Pharisees would not know.

 

3.  Nicodemus was an honest man looking for an honest answer to his question concerning who Jesus was.  “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. “

 

4.  Nicodemus became a saved man who was a “silent believer” who became a “vocal believer” who became an “out of the closet believer” after the cross of Christ.

 

D.  Jesus knew what Nicodemus needed, the new birth mentioned 3 times in the first 7 verses (3,5,7) of this chapter. He was a religious man but not yet a saved man.  Because of his honesty, our Lord witnessed to him, and he believed.

 

1.  The earthly birth brought about sin and death.  Romans 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

 

Romans 3:10-12  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  (11)  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  (12)  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

 

Romans 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

 

 

 

2.  The New Birth or heavenly birth brings about holiness and eternal life.

 

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

1 Peter 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

E.  What stands out in this portion of Scripture is that it is the first record of our Lord Jesus Christ witnessing to someone.  He is telling a religious but lost man how to be saved or born again.  It is not about one verse but about the entire context of His message.

 

F.  He explained the necessity of the new birth in the first 13 verses and the explanation of how to be born again in verses 14-16. 

 

G.  The first word of John 3:16 is “For.”  “For” can be used either as preposition or a conjunction.  In this case, it is a conjunction.  A word used to connect clauses or sentences.  In this case, it ties verses 14 and 15, an Old Testament example that Nicodemus was familiar with, to verse 16, a New Testament reality that he should have known as a Master if Israel.

 

H.  John 3:14.  “as Moses … even so”

 

1.  The Old Testament Example: the cause of sin; the recognition of sin; the solution for sin.

 

a.  A knowledge of sinfulness and the judgment of God.  (John 3:14-15)

 

Numbers 21:4-9  And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.  (5)  And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.  (6)  And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.  (7)  Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.  (8)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.  (9)  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. 

 

b.  The knowledge of the solution for sinfulness and eternal death.  Look to the cause of the problem and look upon the solution to the problem and Live!

 

2.  John 3:15.  “that whosoever believeth in him”

 

a.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, we must lift up the Son of God!

 

b.  Salvation is always a sinfulness, a repentance, and a singular faith.

 

3.  John 3:16.

 

a.  There must be the knowledge of need.  We have certainly been bitten by the Serpent.

 

b.  There must be the knowledge of a solution.  We certainly know that Christ is the only propitiation for our sinfulness.

 

c.  There must be a coming to Christ by looking upon His finished work.

 

4.  Whosoever will! 

 

a.  Calvinism is dead at the foot of the cross in the word “whosoever.”  Not the elect but the lost.

 

b.  It is whosoever will, or it is whosoever won’t.   Either we do or we don’t!

 

Conclusion:  Is this simple enough?  It is!  John 3:16 is not a “stand alone” verse as it is tied to both the preceding 2 verses and the context.