that we might receive of him the only fountain ;
From :
The Geneva Bible
New Testament ,
The Holy Gospel Of Jesus Christ,
According To John Chapter 3
1 Christ teacheth Nicodemus
the very principles of Christian regeneration.
14 The serpent in the wilderness.
23 John baptizeth,
27 and teacheth his, that he is not Christ.
1 There (1) was now a man of the Pharisees,
named Nicodemus, a (a) ruler of the Jews.
(1) There are none sometimes more unlearned,
than the learned, but as well the learned as the
unlearned must desire wisdom of Christ only.
(a) A man of great estimation, and a ruler
amongst the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night, and said
unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a
(b) teacher come from God, for no man could
do these miracles that thou doest, (c) except
God were with him.
(b) We know that thou are sent from God to
teach us.
(c) But he in whom some part of the
excellency of God appeareth. And if
Nicodemus had known Christ aright, he
would not only have said that God was
with him, but in him; as Paul doeth in
2 Corinthians 1:19 .
3 (2) Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man
be born again, he cannot (d) (*) see the
(e) () kingdom of God.
(2) The beginning of Christianity consisteth
in this, that we know ourselves not only to be
corrupt in part, but to be wholly dead in sin;
so that our nature hath need to be created a
new, as touching the qualities thereof; which
can be done by no other virtue, but by the
divine and heavenly, whereby which we
were first created.
(d) That is, go in, or enter, as he expounded
himself afterward,
John 3:5 .
(*) To enter therein.
(e) The Church; for Christ sheweth in this
place, how we come to be citizens, and to
have ought to do in the city of God.
() Which thing is to be assembled and
incorporated into the Church of God.
4 Nicodemus said unto him, How (f) can a
man be born which is old?
Can he enter into his mother's womb again,
and be born?
(f) How can I that am old, be born again?
For he answereth, as if Christ his words
belonged to none but to him.
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto
thee, except that a man be born of (*) water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.
(*) Which is the spiritual water where the
holy Ghost doeth wash us into newness of
life.
6 That which is born of the flesh, is (g) flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.
(g) That is, fleshly, to wit, wholly unclean
and under the wrath of God; and therefore this
word (Flesh) signifieth the corrupt nature of
man; contrary to which is the Spirit, that is,
the man engrafted into Christ through the grace
of the holy Ghost, whose nature is everlasting
and immortal, though the strife of the flesh
remaineth.
7 Marvel not that I said to thee, Ye must be
born again.
8 The (*) wind bloweth where it (h) listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth; so is every man that is born of the
Spirit.
(*) As the power of God is manifest by the
moving of the air, so is it in changing and
renewing us, although the manner be hid
from us.
(h) With free and wandering blasts, as it
listeth.
9 (3) Nicodemus answered, and said unto
him, How can these things be?
(3) The secret mystery of our regeneration
which cannot be comprehended by man's
capacity, is perceived by faith, and that in
Christ only, because that he is both God on
earth, and man in heaven, that is to say, in
such sort man, that he is God also, and
therefore almighty; and in such sort God,
that he is man also, and therefore his power
is manifest unto us.
10 Jesus answered, and said unto him, Art
thou a teacher of Israel, and (*) knowest not
these things?
(*) Although he was excellently learned, yet
knew he not those things which the very
babes in Christ's school ought to know.
11 Verily, verily I say unto thee, we speak
that we (*) know, and testify that we have
seen, but ye () receive not our (i) witness.
(*) We may not teach our own inventions.
() He reproveth him, for that men do teach
things which they understand not, and yet
others believe them; but Christ teacheth
things most certain and known, and men will
not receive his doctrine.
(i) You handle doubtful things, and such as
you have no certain author for, and yet men
believe you; but I teach those things that are
of a truth and well known, and you believe
me not.
12 If when I tell you (*) earthly things, ye
believe not, how should ye believe, if I shall
tell you of heavenly things?
(*) Which was after a common and gross
manner.
13 For no (k) man (l) ascendeth up to heaven,
but he that hath descended from heaven,
(m) the Son of man which (n) is in (*) heaven.
(k) Only Christ can teach us heavenly things
for no man ascendeth, etc.
(l) That is, hath any spiritual light and
understanding, or ever had, but only that
Son of God, which came down to us.
(m) Whereas he is said to have come down
from heaven, that must be understood of his
Godhead, and of the manner of his
conception; for Christ his birth upon the
earth was heavenly, and not earthly, for he
was conceived by the holy Ghost.
(n) That which is proper to the divinity of
Christ, is here spoken of whole Christ, to
give us to understand that he is but one
person, wherein two natures are united,
and this kind of speech men call, the
communicating of proprieties.
(*) By reason of the union of his Godhead
with his manhood.
14 (*) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, so must that Son of man be
() lifted up,
(*) Numbers 21:9; John 12:32 .
() His power must be manifest, which is not
yet known.
15 That whosoever believeth in him, should
not perish, but have eternal life.
16 (*) (5) For God so loved the world, that
he hath given his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth (o) in him, should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
(*) 1 John 4:9 .
(5) Nothing else but the free love of the
Father, is the beginning of our salvation, and
Christ is he in whom our righteousness and
salvation is resident; and faith is the
instrument of mean whereby we apprehend
it, and life everlasting is that which is set
before us to apprehend.
(o) It is not all one to believe in a thing, and
to believe of a thing, for we may not believe
(in anything) save only in God, but we may
believe (of anything) whatsoever, this saith
Nazianzene in his oration of the Spirit.
17 (*) (6) For God sent not his Son into the
world, that he should (p) () condemn the
world, but that the (q) () world through him
might be saved.
(*) John 9:39; John 12:47 .
(6) Not Christ, but the despising of Christ
doeth condemn.
(p) That is, to be the cause of the
condemning of the world, for indeed sins are
the cause of death, but Christ shall judge the
quick and the dead.
() The concept of Christ, and the sins of the
wicked condemn them; yet Christ as a just
judge giveth sentence against the reprobate.
(q) Not only the people of the Jews, but
whosoever shall believe in him.
() Not only the Jews, but whosoever should
believe in him.
18 He that believeth in him, is not
condemned; but he that believeth not, is
condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the Name of that only begotten
Son of God.
19 (*) (7) And this is the
(r) () condemnation, that light is come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil.
(*) John 1:9 .
(7) Only wickedness is the cause, why men
refuse the light that is offered them.
(r) That is, the cause of condemnation,
which sticketh fast in men, unless through
God his great benefit they be delivered from
it.
() The cause and matter of condemnation.
20 For every man that evil doeth, hateth the
light, neither cometh to light, lest his deeds
should be reproved.
21 But he that (s) doeth (*) truth, cometh to
the light, that his deeds might be made
manifest, that they are wrought
(t) () () according to God.
(s) That is, he that leadeth an honest life,
and void of all craft and deceit.
(*) In walking roundly and sincerely.
(t) That is, with God, God as it were going
before.
() Or, in God.
() As they do which set God only before
their eye and follow the rule of his word.
22 ¶ After these things came Jesus, and his
disciples into the () land of Judea, and there
tarried with them, and (*) baptized.
() Or, territory.
(*) John 4:1 .
23 And John also baptized in Aenon besides
Salim, because there was much water there;
and they came and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 (8) Then there arose a question between
John's disciples and the Jews, about
(*) purifying.
(8) Satan inflameth the disciples of John
with a fond emulation of their master, to
hinder the course of the Gospel; but John
being mindful of his office, doeth not only
break off their endeavors, but also taketh
occasion thereby to give testimony of Christ,
how that in him only the Father hath set forth
life everlasting.
(*) That is, how they might be made clean,
before God, which the washings under the
Law did represent.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto
him, Rabbi, () he that was with thee beyond
Jordan, to whom (*) thou barest witness,
behold, he baptizeth, and all men come to him.
() They were led with ambition fearing lest
their master should have lost his fame.
(*) John 2:24 .
27 John answered, and said, A man (u) can
receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven.
(u) What mean you to go about to better my
state?
This is every man's lot and portion that they
cannot better themselves one jot.
28 Ye yourselves are my witnesses, that
(*) I said, () I am not that Christ, but that
I am sent before him.
(*) John 1:20 .
() No man ought to usurp anything further
than God giveth him.
29 He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom;
but the friend of the bridegroom which
standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly,
because of the bridegroom's voice.
This my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must (*) increase, but I must decrease.
(*) And be exalted, and I esteemed as his
servant.
31 He that is come from on high, is above all,
he that is of the (*) earth, is of the (x) earth,
and (y) speaketh of the earth; he that is come
from heaven, is above all.
(*) The minister compared to Christ is but
earth.
(x) Is nothing else but man, a piece of work
and of the slime of the earth.
(y) Savoreth of nothing but corruption,
ignorance, dullness, etc.
32 And what he hath (z) seen and heard,
that he testifieth; but (a) no man receiveth
his testimony.
(z) What he knoweth fully and perfectly.
(a) That is, very few.
33 He that hath received his testimony,
hath sealed that (*) God is true.
(*) Romans 3:4 .
34 For he whom God hath sent, speaketh
the words of God; for God giveth him not
the Spirit by (*) measure.
(*) For unto Christ was given the full
abundance of all grace, that we might
receive of him as of the only fountain.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath
(*) (b) given all things into his hand.
(*) Matthew 11:27 .
(b) Committed them to his power and will.
36 (*) He that believeth in the Son, hath
everlasting life, and he that obeyeth not the
Son, shall not (c) see life, but the wrath of
God abideth on him.
(*) 1 John 5:10 .
(c) Shall not enjoy.
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