The New Life Revealed by Jesus

The New Birth Revealed by Jesus
John 3: 13–15

Introduction

The new birth, along with God’s great love (v. 16-17), is the most important revelation ever made in all of human history. Jesus revealed the new birth.

I.   The setting: Nicodemus approached Jesus (v. 1-2).

II.   The new birth: a necessity (v. 3).

III.   The new birth: a spiritual event (vv. 4-8).

IV.   The new birth: a true experience (vv. 9-11).

V.   The new birth: rejected (vv. 11-12).

VI.   The new birth: revealed only by Jesus (v. 13).

VII.   The new birth: secured by two acts (vv. 14-15).

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John 3: 1–15
New Birth, Born Again, New Creation, Regeneration

A spiritual birth, a rebirth of one’s spirit, a new life, a renewed soul, a regenerated spirit. It is the regeneration and renewal of one’s spirit and behaviour (2 Cor. 5:17).

It is the provision or infusion of a new life, of a godly nature (2 Pet. l:4). The new birth is so radical a change in a person’s life that it can be described only as being born again. Something so wonderful happens to the soul that it is just like a new birth. It is a spiritual birth, a birth beyond the grasp of man’s hands and efforts. It is so radical, so life changing, and so wonderful that it can be wrought only by the love and power of God Himself.

The New Testament teaching on the new birth is rich and full.

1.   The new birth is a necessity. A person will never see (Jn. 3:3) nor ever enter (Jn. 3:5) the Kingdom of God unless he is born again (Jn. 3:7).

2.   The new birth is a spiritual birth, the birth of a new power and spirit in life. It is not reformation of the old nature (Rom. 6:6). It is the actual creation of a new birth within ­ spiritually (Jn. 3:5-6; see Jn. 1:12-13; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:10; 4:24). (See New Person, Eph. 4:24.)

A person is spiritually born again:

a.   By water, even the Spirit (See Water and Spirit, Jn. 3:5).

b.   By the choice (will) of God (Jas. 1:18).

c.   By imperishable or incorruptible seed, even by the Word of God (1 Pet. l:23).

d.   By God from above (1 Pet. l:3). The word again (ana) in the phrase “born again” also means above, (Jn. 1:12-13.)

e.   By Christ, who gives both the power and right to be born again (Jn. 1:12-13).

3.   The new birth is a definite experience, a real experience. A person experiences the new birth:

a.   By believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (1 Jn. 5:l; Jn. 3:14-15).

b.   By the gospel as it is shared by believers (1 Cor. 4:15; Phile.10).

c.   By the Word of God (1 Pet. l:23) or by the Word of Truth (Jas. 1:18).

4.   The new birth is a changed life, a totally new life. A person proves that he is born again:

a.   By doing righteous acts (1 Jn. 2:29; see Eph. 2:10; 4:24).

b.   By not practicing sin (1 Jn. 3:9; 5:18).

c.   By loving other believers (1 Jn. 4:7).

d.   By overcoming the world (1 Jn. 5:4).

e.   By keeping himself without sin (1 Jn. 5:18).

f.   By possessing the divine seed or nature (1 Jn. 3:9; 1 Pet. l:23; 2 Pet. l:4; Col. 1:27). ♠

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Ephesians 4: 24   New Person or Self

And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4: 24

A man regenerated, renewed, born again who has become spiritual minded. It is a new person or self created by Christ; he has been given a holy nature and an incorruptible life. It is opposed to the old person or self with a corrupt nature. It is a man who is...

•   in fellowship with God

•   obedient to God’s will

•   devoted to God’s service

There are two Greek words translated by the English word new. There is the word neos which refers to something new that has just been made, but there are already many others existing just like it. There is the word kainos which refers to something new, something just made and there is nothing like it in existence. Kainos is the word used here. Jesus Christ makes a new man entirely — a creation unlike any other creation existing. The Gentile believer is not made into a Jew; neither is a Jewish believer made into a Gentile. Each, through the Lord Jesus Christ, is made into a new kind of person — a new person or self in God. Every person can begin life all over again; every person can have a new beginning, a new life by coming to Jesus Christ.

How is this possible? By the power of God. When a person believes in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ — really believes and entrusts his life into the hands of Jesus Christ — God creates the spirit of the person in righteousness and true holiness. God takes the faith of the person and credits it as the righteousness of Jesus Christ. God actually credits the person’s faith as the perfect righteousness and holiness of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the person stands before God in the righteousness and holiness of Jesus Christ. But note: this is not all that God does. He does more marvelous things for the believer — all having to do with creating the believer into a new person.

1.   God quickens or makes the spirit of the believer alive. Whereas the believer’s spirit was dead to God, God creates it and makes it alive to God.

2.   God causes the believer to be born again spiritually.

3.   God actually places His divine nature into the heart of the believer.

4.   God actually creates a new person or self out of the believer.

5.   God renews the believer by the Holy Spirit. ♠

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I.   Mathew 3: 13   The New Birth Revealed by Jesus Christ

The new birth is revealed only by Jesus. Jesus said two things.

1.    He came from (ek, out of) heaven. No man can go up into heaven; no man can penetrate the spiritual world. Flesh is flesh, that is, born of the earth; therefore, it is earthly (1 Cor. 15:47). However, Jesus Christ was different from all other men. His origin was out of heaven, out of the spiritual world and dimension of being. (See Jesus Christ From Above, Jn. 3:31; Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jn. 14:6.)

2.   He is timeless, “the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man” means His existence and experience are timeless. He is eternal.

John 6:33, 38 “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

John 6:50-51 “But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.”

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John 3: 31   Jesus Christ – “From Above”

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.” John 3: 31

Jesus came out of (ek) the spiritual world into the physical world, out of the heavenly dimension of being into the earthly dimension of being. Jesus came out of...

•   the incorruptible and imperishable world into the corruptible and perishable world.

•   the glorious world into the dishonourable world.

•   the powerful world into the weak world.

•   the spiritual world into the natural world. (See 1 Cor. 15:42-44.)

John 3:13 “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man.”

John 6:33, 38 “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

John 6:41-42 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

John 6:50-51 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

John 6:58 “This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”

John 6:62 “What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!”

John 8:23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me.”

John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.

John 16:30 “Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

1 Cor 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. ♠

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John 14: 6   Jesus the Way

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14: 6

There is a difference between pointing the way to a particular place and taking someone by the hand to lead him there. The person who guides someone to his destination literally becomes the way himself. Jesus Christ not only points out how to walk through life and how to reach God, He personally shows the person the way. Therefore, He Himself is the Way. Note the repetition of the word “way” (v. 4, 5, 6).

Heb 10:19-20 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body. ♠

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John 14: 6   Jesus the Truth

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14: 6

There is a difference between telling someone about the truth and living the truth before them. The one who lives the truth literally becomes the truth.

1.   Jesus Christ is the Embodiment of truth (Jn. l4:6). He is the picture of truth. God not only talks to man about Himself, God shows man what He is like in the person of Jesus Christ. Man can look at Jesus Christ and see a perfect picture of the truth of God.

John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”

John 10:37-38 “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

John 14:10 “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”

John 17:11 “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one.”

2.   Jesus Christ is the Communicator of truth. He Himself — His Person and His Life - makes things perfectly clear. He reveals the ultimate source and meaning and end of all things. He reveals the truth of man himself and of the world surrounding man. He shows man the right way to the truth, and He enables man to choose the right way to the truth.

John 3:11 “I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.”

John 3:23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.

John 3:34 “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.”

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

John 6:63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

John 8:14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.”

John 14:24 “He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

John 17:8 “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”

John 17:14 “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.”

John 18:37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.

3.   Jesus Christ is the Liberator of truth (Jn. 8:32; 15:3). He sets men free from the great gulf (estrangement) which exists between man and God, between man and his world, and between man and man. He sets man free from the frustrations which he constantly experiences. He frees man from the fears and weaknesses and defects that plague him. Jesus Christ is the only lasting Liberator on earth. (See Truth, Jn. 8:32).

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 15:3 “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” ♠

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John 14: 6   Jesus the Life

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14: 6

There is a difference between telling someone about life and actually living life. The one who lives is the one who possesses life, and the more perfectly one lives, the more life one possesses. Jesus Christ lived perfectly; therefore, He possesses life perfectly. He is the Life: the very embodiment, energy, force and source of life itself.

John 1:4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.”

Rom 5:21 So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Tim 1:10 But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ♠

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II.   John 3: 14–15   Securing the New Birth

The new birth is secured by two acts.

1.   The first act is Jesus’ death. Jesus illustrated His point by using the Old Testament story of Moses lifting up the bronze snake in the wilderness (Num. 21:4-9). The children of Israel had begun to murmur and grumble about the trials of the wilderness, wishing they had never left Egypt. God disciplined them by sending snakes to plague them. The discipline worked; the people repented and begged for mercy. God met the people’s need by telling Moses to make a bronze image of a snake and to hold it up upon a pole in the midst of the people. The person who looked upon the lifted up snake was healed.

Jesus said that He must be lifted up just as the snake was lifted up. What did He mean? There are several pictures here.

a.   The people of Israel had great need, for they were dying from the poison of the snakes. Men today are dying from the poison of the snake, the deadly poison of sin.

b.   The snake is a symbol of the evil one, Satan (Gen. 3:lf; Rev. 12:9; 20:2). Jesus Christ destroyed the works of the devil by being lifted up (Heb. 2:14-15); therefore the snake hanging upon the pole symbolized the defeat of Satan. By looking upon the defeated evil (the snake), Israel was healed. Today man is healed by looking upon the Son of Man who has been lifted up upon the cross.

John 12:31-32 “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”

Heb 2:14-15 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

c.   The snake was a cursed creature from the very beginning (Gen. 3:14-15). Jesus became a curse for man (Gal. 3:13).

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

2.   The second act is man’s belief in Jesus. The man who believes in the Son of Man being lifted up...

•   will not perish (See Perish, Jn. 3:16)

•   but will have eternal life (See Life (Grace), Jn. l:4; Life in Jesus Christ, Jn. 10:10; Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3)

Note: If an Israelite believed God’s message (the good news of healing), he looked upon the lifted up snake, and he was healed. If a man did not believe God’s message, he did not look, and he died. Thus it is with us today: every man must believe the message of Christ in order to be healed, that is, be born again.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ♣

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John 3:16
Perish, Perishing (Apoletai)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3: 16

To be lost, to destroy utterly, to lose utterly, to lose eternal life, to be spiritually destitute, to be cut off.

1.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in this world. It means to be...

•   aging, deteriorating, decaying, dying.
(Mt. 8:17; 1 Cor. 15:50; Col. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:4.)

•   without life (purpose, meaning, significance).
(Jn. l:4; 10:10; 17:2-3.)

•   without peace (assurance, confidence, security in God’s keeping). (Jn. 14:27)

•   without hope (of living forever). (2 Tim. 4:18.)

2.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in the world to come.

It means...

•   having to die

•   facing judgment

•   being condemned

•   suffering separation from God and all loved ones

•   experiencing all that hell is (Mt. 5:22; Lk. 16:24; Heb. 9:27).  ♠

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God’s Great Love
John 3: 16–17

Introduction

This is the world’s most well-known Scripture. Brief and to the point, Jesus revealed God’s great love.

I.   The fact: God so loved (v. 16).

II.   The evidence: God gave (v. 16).

III.   The purpose: to save (v. 16).

IV.   The proof: God sent His Son (the Incarnation) (v. 17).

V.   The means: through Him (v. 17).

I.   John 3: 16   God Loves the World

God so loved the world. He loved the whole world. Note several facts.

1.   The idea that God loves the whole world is a new idea. The Jews believed that God loved the religious (the true Jew) and hated the non-religious (the Gentiles). The same thoughts are held by many in every generation, especially by religionists. The fact that God truly loves is shocking to many. Some wonder and others question how God could possibly love the ...
•   vile person
•   murderer
•   immoral person
•   wife beater
•   child abuser
•   prostitute
•   thief
•   alcoholic
•   street person
•   oppressor
•   enslaver
•   bitter, vengeful

Thought 1. God loves every person, not just the religious and the good. He does not love only the people who love Him. He loves everyone, even the unlovable and the unloving, the unbelieving and the obstinate, the selfish and the greedy, the spiteful and the vengeful.

John 10:16 “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

Rom 10:12-13 “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

1 Tim 2:4 Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2.   The basis of God’s love is His nature. God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16); therefore, He loves. He acts, demonstrates, and shows His love.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 4:8, 16 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

3.   Love acts; it expresses itself. Love does not sit still, doing nothing. It is not dormant, complacent, inactive. If love actually exists, it has to act and express itself; it has to do something good. Love is loving; that is, love is always demonstrating love to others. Therefore, God’s love acts and reveals Him to be love.

Thought 1. God wants man to know His love. He wants to reach everyone in the world with His love.

1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

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John 3: 16   God Loved

Past tense. A past, proven fact. An outline of the greatness of God’s love is seen in this verse. (1) Height: God loved. (2) Depth: so loved. (3) Length: God gave. (4) Breadth: whoever. ♠

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II.   John 3: 16   Evidence of God’s Love

There is the evidence of God’s love — God gave His one and only Son. Note several points.

1.   God demonstrated His love in the most perfect way possible: He gave His one and only Son to the world. As God, He is perfect, which means His love is perfect. Therefore, God not only loves, but He so loves. He loves to perfection, loves to the ultimate degree. Whatever the ultimate degree and the perfect act and expression of love is, God shows it. Without question, the greatest act of love is the sacrifice of a man’s own life; therefore, God sacrificed the life of His own Son to save man.

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

2.   The word gave (edoken) has a twofold meaning. God gave His Son to the world, and He gave His Son to die. The idea of sacrifice, of great cost, is in both acts. It cost God dearly to give His Son up to the world and up to the cross.

a.   He gave up His Son to be separated from Him, allowing Jesus to leave His presence, to leave the majesty and glory, worship and honour of heaven.

b.   He gave up His Son to be separated from Him, allowing Jesus to come to earth...

Into a world that was...       Into a world full of...

•   fallen                                           •   darkness

•   depraved                                     •   selfishness, greed

•   wicked                                         •   hostility, war

•   rebellious                                    •   bitterness, barriers

•   revolting                                      •   immorality

•   apostate                                       •   wrath, anger

•   sin, shame

c.   He gave up His Son to be separated from Him, allowing Jesus to die for the sins of men (See Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ, Mt. 26:37-38).

Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isa 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Rom 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

1 Cor 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Cor 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

1 Pet 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

3.   A most glorious evidence of God’s love is that God took the initiative to save man. Man did not seek to save himself; God sought to save him. God gave His Son so that we might be forgiven and saved. God is the seeking Saviour.

God is not...              God does not...

•  angry                          •   hate men

•   unloving                   •   have to be persuaded to love men

•   unforgiving              •   have to be convinced to forgive men

Eph 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

Jer 31:3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.”

4.   The most glorious truth is that God gave His one and only Son. This is the most remarkable proof of God’s love. It magnifies and shows how great His love really is. He was willing to give the thing most dear to His heart in order to save the world. Note this: God even planned to give His Son throughout eternity.

Acts 2:23-24 This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

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Mathew 26: 37–38
The Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Mathew 26: 37–38

Words could never express what Christ experienced. Words are just inadequate, totally inadequate. Using all the descriptive words in the world would be as inadequate in describing the sufferings of Christ as using a syringe to drain an ocean.

1.   There was the mental and emotional agony: the weight, pressure, anguish, sorrow and excessive strain such as no man has ever experienced. He was the Son of God, Maker of heaven and earth, yet images and thoughts were pressing ever so heavily in upon His spirit, the images and thoughts of...

•   the unbelief of all men everywhere

•   the rejection of His own people, the Jews

•   the malice of the world’s leaders, both Jew and Gentile, religious and civil

•   the betrayal of one of His own, Judas

•   the desertion of all His men

•   the denial by the leader of His own men, Peter

•   His trial and unjust condemnation

•   the ridicule and pain of being scourged, spat upon, slugged, cursed, mocked, crowned with thorns and nailed to the cross and killed

2.   There was the physical experience of death while being the Son of God. What is it like for the Son of God to die just as all men die? If just the physical aspect of Christ’s death is considered, His death is still different from all other men.

a.   Christ as the Son of God possessed the very seed, quality, ingredient and energy of life within His being (see Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3).

b.   Christ as the Son of God possessed no seed, quality, or ingredient of death (Jn. l4:6; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 Jn. 1:1-2; see Jn. l:4); but man does. Man possesses the seed of corruption and death. Man’s sinful nature knows nothing and expects nothing but death, but the sinless nature of Christ knows nothing of sin and death. His sinless nature and the agony and pain of death were bound to be as different from man’s death as white is different from black.

There is another point to note as well. Man suffers humiliation in death. No matter how much man struggles to live, he wastes and wastes away until he is carried into the grave to become dust of the ground. But not Christ; He was sinless and perfect even in His human nature. His sinless nature knew nothing of death. Imagine the humiliation: the Son of God — the Perfect Man, the Perfect God — having to die upon this earth! No wonder He “began to be sorrowful and troubled!” No wonder He could say, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” In some mysterious way, God made Christ to become sin for us (2 Cor. 5: 21).

3.   There was the spiritual experience of death while being the Son of Man (see Mt.5:17-18; see Son of Man, Mt. 8:20; Rom. 8:2-4). There is so much here, yet so little can ever be known.

a.   First, what is it like to be without sin? Christ, made in the image of man and being fully man, was sinless. He lived as all men live facing all the trials and temptations that men face, yet He never sinned. He was without sin. He became the Perfect and Ideal Man — all that God wants man to be. He became the Pattern for all men.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. (see 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pt.2:22; 1 Jn.3:5)

Heb 5:8-9 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

b.   Second, what is it like to bear all the sins of the world? What is it like to be perfect and sinless and then, all of a sudden, to have all the sins of the world laid upon Oneself? In some mysterious way, God took all the sins of the world and laid the whole body of sin upon Christ. In some mysterious way, God made Christ to become sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Christ, as the Ideal Man, became the Ideal Sin-Bearer. He bore all the sins and all that sin causes — all the....
•   darkness
•   pollution
•   filthiness
•   dirt
•   weight
•   pressure
•   anxiety
•   turmoil
•   worry
•   guilt
•   savagery
•   conflict
•   strife
•   war
•   torture
•   enmity
•   poison
•   corruption
•   consumption
•   disturbance

Isa 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Rom 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

1 Cor 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

c.   Third, what is it like to bear all the judgment and condemnation of sin for all men? Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, suffered separation from God. The terrifying mystery of this hellish experience is seen in His cry upon the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (see Death of Jesus Christ, Mt. 27:26-44; Mt. 27:46-49; see Death of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 2:21-25).

Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

1 Pet 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. ♠

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III.   John 3: 16   Salvation of Mankind

There is the purpose of God’s love: to save men. God’s purpose in giving His Son was threefold.

1.   To save men from perishing (See Perish, Jn. 3:16).

2.   To save men to eternal life (See Life in Jesus Christ, Jn. l:4 and Jn. 10:10; See Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3).

3.   To save men through belief (See Saving Faith, Jn. 2:24). This fact says that salvation is conditional.

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John 1: 4   “In Christ was Life”

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1: 4

The simple statement “in Christ was life” means at least three things.

1.   Life is the quality and essence, the energy and power, the force and principle of being. Christ is life; He is...
•   the very quality of life
•   the very essence of life
•   the very energy of life
•   the very power of life
•   the very force of life
•   the very principle of life

Without Christ, there would be no life whatsoever. Life is in Him, within His very being. All things exist and have their being (life) in Him.

2.   Life is purpose, meaning, and significance of being. Christ is life; He is...
•   the very purpose of life.
•   the very meaning of life.
•   the very significance of life.

3.   Life is perfection. Life is all that a man must be and possess in order to live perfectly. This is what is meant by life. Life is completeness of being, absolute satisfaction, the fullness of all good, and the possession of all good things. Life is perfect love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

Whatever life is and all that life is, is all in Jesus Christ. Even the legitimate cravings of man that are sometimes entangled with evil — such as power, fame and wealth — are all included in the life given by Jesus Christ. Those who partake of His life shall reign forever as kings and priests (Lk. 16:10-12). This is the very thing that is distinctive about life — it is eternal. It lasts forever and it is rewarding. It will eventually exalt the believer to the highest life and place and position. (Rev. 21:1f.)

Jesus Christ is the source of life: He is the way to life, and He is the truth of life. He is the very substance of life, its very being and energy (Jn. 5:26; 1 Jn. 1:2). ♠

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John 10: 10   Life in Jesus Christ

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10: 10

Life is one of the great words of the Scriptures. The word life (zoe) and the verb to live or to have life (zen) have a depth of meaning.

1.   Life is the energy, the force, the power of being.

2.   Life is the opposite of perishing. It is deliverance from condemnation and death. It is the stopping or cessation of deterioration, decay, and corruption (Jn. 3:16: 5:24, 29; 10:28).

3.   Life is eternal (aionios). It is forever. It is the very life of God Himself (Jn. l7:3). However, eternal life does not refer just to duration. Living forever would be a curse for some persons. The idea of eternal life is also quality, a certain kind of life, a life that consistently knows love, joy, peace, power, and responsibility .

4.   Life is satisfaction (Jn. 6:35).

5.   Life is security and enjoyment (Jn. l0:10).

6.   Life is found only in God. God is the source and author of life, and it is God who has appointed Jesus Christ to bring life to man. Jesus Christ gives the very life of God Himself (Jn. 5:26; 6:27, 40; 10:28; 17:23).

7.   Life has now been revealed. It has been unveiled and is clearly seen in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shows man what life is (Jn. 1:4-5; 5:26; 1 Jn. l:2).

8.   Life only comes to a man by believing in Jesus Christ. A man outside Jesus Christ only exists. He merely has the existence of an animal. Real life is found only in God. This is to be expected and it is logically true, for God is the creator of life. As the creator of life, He alone knows what life really is and what it is supposed to be (Jn. 3:36; 5:24; 6:47). This is the reason He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world: to show men what life is. When a person looks at Jesus Christ, he sees exactly what life is, exactly what it involves (Gal. 5:22-23):
=>  love
=>  patience
=>  faithfulness
=>  joy
=>  kindness
=>  gentleness
=>  peace
=>  goodness
=>  self-control ♠

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John 17: 2–3   Eternal Life (ainios)

“For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17: 2–3

Life, real life. It is the very life of God Himself. It is the very energy, force, being, essence, principle and power of life. It has more to do with quality and with what life really is than with duration. To live forever in the present world is not necessarily a good thing. The world and man’s body need changing. That changed life is found only in eternal life. The only being who can be said to be eternal is God. Therefore, life — supreme life — is found only in God. To possess eternal life is to know God. Once a person knows God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, that person has eternal life — he shall live forever. But more essential, the person has the supreme quality of life, the very life of God Himself.

John 3:14-15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

John 6:40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

John 11:25-28 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”

John 12:25 “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Rom 5:21 So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gal 6:8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

2 Tim 1:10 But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

1 Jn 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ♠

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John 2: 24    Saving Faith: Believe, Commit, Entrust

The word commit or entrust is the very same word “believe” (see Jn. 2:23). This gives an excellent picture of saving faith, of what genuine faith is — of the kind of faith that really saves a person.

1.   Saving faith is not head knowledge, not just a mental conviction and intellectual assent. It is not just believing the fact that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. It is not just believing history, that Jesus Christ lived upon earth as the Saviour just as A. J. Abdul Kalam lived upon earth as the President of India. It is not just believing the words and claims of Jesus in the same way that a person would believe the words of Abdul Kalam.

2.   Saving faith is believing in Jesus, who and what He is, that He is the Saviour and Lord of life. It is a man giving and turning his life over to Jesus. It is a man casting himself upon Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

3.   Saving faith is commitment — the commitment of a man’s total being and life to Jesus Christ. It is a man’s commitment of all he is and has to Jesus. It gives Jesus everything; therefore, it involves all of a man’s affairs. The man trusts Jesus to take care of his past (sins), his present (welfare), and his future (destiny). He entrusts his whole life, being, and possessions into Jesus’ hands. He lays himself upon Jesus’ keeping, confiding in Him about his daily necessities and acknowledging Him in all the ways of life. He follows Jesus in every area and in every detail of life, seeking His instructions and leaving his welfare up to Him. It is simply commitment of a man’s whole being, all he is and has, to Jesus.

There are three steps involved in faith, steps that are clearly seen in this passage.

1.   There is the step of seeing (Jn. 2:23) or hearing (Rom. 10:16). A man must be willing to listen to the message of Christ, the revelation of truth.

2.   There is the step of mental assent. A man must agree that the message is true, that the facts of the case are thus and so. But this is not enough. Mere agreement does not lead to action. Many a person knows that something is true, but he does not change his behaviour to match his knowledge. For example, a man knows that eating too much harms his body, but he may continue to eat too much. He agrees to the truth and knows the truth, but he does nothing about it. A person may believe and know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world and yet do nothing about it, never make a decision to follow Christ. This man still does not have faith, not the kind of faith that the Bible talks about.

3.   There is the step of commitment. When the New Testament speaks of faith, it speaks of commitment, a personal commitment to the truth. A man hears the truth and agrees that it is true and does something about it. He commits (entrusts) and yields his life to the truth. The truth becomes a part of his very being, a part of his behaviour and life. ♠

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IV.   John 3: 17   Proof of God’s Love

There is the proof of God’s love, the Incarnation. God actually sent His Son into the world. Christ became flesh (Jn. 1:14). The Incarnation did take place. The Son of God was actually made flesh. He came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt about John’s meaning here.

The word “flesh” (sarx) is the same word that Paul used to describe man’s nature with all of its weakness and tendency to sin. This is a staggering thought. Jesus Christ is God — fully God, yet Jesus Christ is man — fully man. (1 Jn. 4:2-3.) The word “seen” (theasthai) means actually seeing with the human eye. It is used about twenty times in the New Testament. There is no room whatsoever for saying that God’s becoming a man was merely a vision of some man’s mind or imagination. John was saying that he and others actually saw the Word become flesh. Jesus Christ was beyond question God Himself who became man, who partook of the very same flesh as all other men.

1.   Christ was not sent to condemn or to judge the world. That was not His purpose. However, we deserve to be judged and condemned.

=>  We are guilty both of breaking God’s law and of coming short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23).

=>  We are convicted (Rom. 3:9-18; see Rom. 1:18-32).

2.   Christ was sent to save the world. His purpose was to save us from perishing and to save us to eternal life.

Luke 2:1 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Mat 20:28 “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

V.   John 3: 17   Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and Man

There is the means of salvation. Salvation is through Him (Christ Jesus) and through Him alone.

1 Tim 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.

John 4:42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.”

Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Acts 5:31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

Heb 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. ♣

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1 Corinthians 1: 18   Salvation and Perishing

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1: 18

Men are placed into one of two categories here, perishing or being saved. A man goes through life having one of these two experiences: he is either perishing, moving ever downward toward the grave; or he is being saved, moving ever upward toward eternal life. In the Greek, both words are continuous action; that is, a man is perishing or is being saved. The words are not static; a man is not sitting still. He is ever “perishing,” more and more being gripped by the flesh and being conditioned to accept a perishing, dying world; or he is ever “being saved,” more and more being freed to walk righteously and godly in this present world. The man who is saved is being conditioned to break loose from a perishing, dying world and to look for the glorious appearing of the new world. (See Salvation, Rom. l:16.)

1.   The terrible word perishing means to be lost, to be utterly destroyed, to lose eternal life, to be spiritually destitute, to be cut off.

a.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in this world. It means to be...

•   aging, deteriorating, decaying, dying. (See Disease, Sickness, Corruption, Mt. 8:17; notes,1 Cor. 15:50; Col. 2:13; Sin, Death, Corruption, 2 Pet. l:4.)

•   without life (purpose, meaning, significance). (See Grace, Jn. 1:4; Life in Jesus Christ, Jn. 10:10; Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3.)

•   without peace (assurance, confidence, security in God’s keeping). (See note, Jn. 14:27.)

•   without hope (of living forever). (See Deliverance from Death, 2 Tim. 4; 18.)

b.   Perishing means to be in a lost state in the world to come. It means...
•   having to die
•   facing judgment
•   being condemned
•   suffering separation from God and from all loved ones
•   experiencing all that is hell
(See Hell Fire, Mt. 5:22; Hell, Torment, Lk. 16:24; Death, Heb. 9:27.)

2.   The great word salvation is used in Scripture to describe at least three experiences for the believer.

a.   The once-for-all experience of salvation. It is an experience that has happened sometime in the past: “Your faith has saved you” (Lk. 7:50). It is the initial act of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is receiving Christ into one’s heart and life as Lord. It means being saved or delivered from sin, death, and hell; and being given the assurance that one will never be separated from God — either in this life or in the world to come. (See Life in Christ, Jn. 1:4; Life in Christ, Jn. 10:10; Eternal Life, Jn. 17:2-3.)

John 17:2 “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.”

2 Cor 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Eph 2:5 Made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

2 Tim 1:9 Who has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

b.   The continuous experience of salvation. It is an experience that is occurring right now, in the present. “[You] who are being saved” (1 Cor. 1:18). It is a description of God’s work day by day in the believer’s life. It is the Holy Spirit of God working within the believer. (Cp. Rom. 6:14; 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 2:20; Ph. l:19; 2:12-13; 2 Th. 2:13.)

=>  To guide and teach him and to deliver him through all the trials and problems of life.

John 14:16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

=>  To fill him with a heart of love, joy, and peace — all the fruit and resources necessary to live life to the fullest.

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

=>  To conform him more and more to the image of Christ.

2 Cor 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

=>  To stir and equip him to live and witness for Christ day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and moment by moment.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

2 Tim 1:7-8 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.

c.   The redemptive experience of salvation that is to occur in the future. “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). This future reference to salvation points to the day of redemption — to the day of Christ’s kingdom — to the day when Christ shall usher in His kingdom upon this earth — to the day when God will create a new heavens and earth and bring about His perfect will and rule throughout the universe.

Rom 8:21-23 That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

1 Cor 15:42-44 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Pet 1:5 Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

2 Pet 3:10-13 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
(See Kingdom of God, Mt. 19:23-24.) ♠

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