The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary John 3

Johannes 3:1

Nu var der en mand af farisæerne ved navn Nikodemus, en hersker over jøderne;

(a) Nikodemus går ind i historien som en nysgerrig farisæer og bliver en hemmelig discipel af Jesus, som var til stede ved hans begravelse (Joh 19:39).

(b) A ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the 70-man ruling council of Israel.

Johannes 3:2

denne mand kom til Jesus om natten og sagde til ham: "Rabbi, vi ved, at du er kommet fra Gud som en lærer; thi ingen kan gøre disse tegn, som du gør, medmindre Gud er med ham."

A teacher. Nicodemus did not yet have a revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. He thought Jesus was merely a rabbi or teacher.

Johannes 3:3

Jesus svarede og sagde til ham: "Sandelig, sandelig siger jeg dig: medmindre nogen bliver født på ny, kan han ikke se Guds rige."

Born again. To be born again (literally, to be “born from above”) is to be born of God (John 1:13, 1 Pet. 1:3) or born of the Spirit (John 3:8). It is being made alive by the Spirit of God (Col. 2:13). This rebirth happens when we put our faith in the Son of God (John 3:15). The moment we turn to Jesus in faith, we cross over from death to life (John 5:24, 1 John 3:14) and we receive the Spirit of God (Acts 2:38, Rom. 8:9). We leave Adam’s family and are adopted into the family of God.

Because your rebirth was an act of God, you cannot undo what the Lord has done. Because you have been born of imperishable seed (1 Pet. 1:23), you are eternally saved and secure.

Some say that evangelists put a disproportionate emphasis on a phrase that barely appears in scripture. But Jesus speaks plainly and he repeats himself for emphasis: “You must be born again” (John 3:7).

Johannes 3:4

Nikodemus sagde til ham: "Hvordan kan en mand blive født, når han er gammel? Han kan vel ikke komme ind i sin mors liv for anden gang og blive født?”

(a) Nikodemus; se indgang for Johannes 3:1.

(b) How? Nicodemus, the great teacher, completely misunderstands what Jesus is saying about rebirth.

Johannes 3:5

Jesus svarede: "Sandelig, sandelig siger jeg jer, hvis man ikke bliver født af vand og ånd, kan han ikke komme ind i Guds rige.

(en) Unless. Jesus identifies two conditions for entering the kingdom of God.

(b) One is born of water. Jesus is referring to our natural birth. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (see next verse). You have to be born before you can be born again. Only the sons and daughters of Adam can become sons and daughters of God.

(c) And the Spirit. To be born of the Spirit is to be made alive by the Spirit of God (Col. 2:13). “The flesh profits nothing; the Spirit who gives life” (John 6:63).

To be born of the Spirit is to be born again and made alive by the Spirit of God (Col. 2:13). When we come to Christ in faith, we are born of the Spirit and made brand new (2 Cor. 5:17). We get a new nature with a new understanding and new desires. We receive the Spirit of Christ which means we now have get the heart and mind of Christ (Eze. 18:31, Acts 2:38, 1 Cor. 2:14). We become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Only those who have been born of the spirit can walk in the spirit.

As the prophet said, we receive a new heart and a new mind because we receive the Spirit of God and he gives us the heart and mind of Christ (Eze. 18:31, Acts 2:38, 1 Cor. 2:14). “The Spirit of God dwells in you” (Rom. 8:9). It is only by the Spirit’s aid that we can understand the goodness of God and all the good things he has given us (1 Cor. 2:12, 1 John 5:20).

Når vi er født af Ånden, bliver vi gjort helt nye (2 Kor. 5:17). Vi får en ny natur med en ny forståelse og nye ønsker. Synden mister sin appel, fordi vi har fundet noget langt bedre.

Johannes 3:6

"Det, der er født af kødet, er kød, og det, der er født af Ånden, er ånd.

(a) Det, der er født af kød (det naturlige menneske) kan ikke arve Guds rige (1 Kor. 15:50). Vi har alle brug for at blive født af Ånden. Vi har alle brug for at blive født på ny.

Johannes 3:7

"Bliv ikke forbløffet over, at jeg sagde til dig: "Du skal blive født på ny."

(a) You must be born again. All of us have gone astray and become captive to sin; every one of us needs to be made new and born again.

I sammenhæng taler Jesus til en mand, der havde gode grunde til at være sikker på sin egen afstamning og præstation. Nikodemus var efterkommer af Abraham, en lovlydig farisæer og medlem af det regerende råd. Han var en lærer for Israel (Joh 3:10). Efter alt at dømme var den velhavende Nikodemus en omvandlende succeshistorie. Til denne gode mand siger Jesus: "Din afstamning og præstation er ikke god nok. Du skal fødes på ny." Se indgang for selvretfærdighed.

(b) Born again; se indgang for Johannes 3:3.

Johannes 3:8

”Vinden blæser, hvor den vil, og man hører lyden af den, men ved ikke, hvor den kommer fra, og hvor den er på vej hen; sådan er enhver, der er født af Ånden."

(a) The wind blows where it wishes. The Spirit breathes where he wills and no one can tell where he comes from or where he is going. Jesus is talking about the mystery of new birth. The gospel is preached all over the world and some receive it while others don’t.

(b) So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. Why do some open their hearts to the Holy Spirit? It’s a mystery. Surely God wants all to come to him for new life; he is not willing that any perish. But the choice is ours.

Johannes 3:9

Nikodemus sagde til ham: "Hvordan kan disse ting være?"

(en) Nicodemus; se indgang for Johannes 3:1.

(b) How can these things be? Instead of accepting the truth of what Jesus was saying, Nicodemus questioned him.

"Hvordan kan en mand blive født, når han er gammel?" (Johannes 3:4) "Hvordan kan disse ting være?" Hans spørgsmål afslører hans forvirring. "Hvad mener du, Jesus? Hvad siger du? Hvordan sker dette?"

Johannes 3:10

Jesus svarede og sagde til ham: "Er du Israels lærer og forstår ikke disse ting?

(a) The teacher of Israel. Nicodemus was a notable teacher, but his learning was no help in processing what Jesus was saying. He seems to have missed or forgotten those Old Testament prophecies that signalled the new birth (e.g., Eze. 11:19, 36:26).

(b) Do not understand. Nicodemus could not believe what Jesus was saying (see next verse). We do not need to understand how the wind blows to experience the wind. Similarly, we do not need to understand the new birth to be born again. We just need to accept or believe what Jesus said.

Johannes 3:11

"Sandelig, sandelig siger jeg jer, vi taler om det, vi ved, og vidner om det, vi har set, og I accepterer ikke vores vidnesbyrd.

(a) We speak of what we know. Jesus had witnessed the entire unfolding of creation, yet Nicodemus was slow to accept what he was hearing.

(b) You do not accept our testimony. Nicodemus wanted to have everything figured out before he made the leap of faith, but in spiritual matters, understanding follows faith. We see because we believe (John 11:40).

Johannes 3:13

"Ingen er steget op til himlen, men han, der steg ned fra himlen: Menneskesønnen.

(a) Descended from heaven. Nicodemus saw Jesus as little more than a godly teacher who was anointed to perform signs and wonders (John 3:2). Jesus reveals himself as something much more – he is the Man from heaven. First Adam was an earthly man who came from the ground; Last Adam came from heaven.

On numerous occasions, Jesus told his disciples that he was not from earth but had come from heaven. See indgang for John 6:38.

(b) The Son of Man; se indgang for Matt. 8:20.

Johannes 3:15

for at enhver, der tror, skal have evigt liv.

(a) Hvem der tror. Jesus har talt ret mystisk om genfødsel og vind; nu taler han rent ud. Det nye liv, som vi alle har brug for, findes i ham og modtages ved tro.

Alle Guds velsignelser, inklusive tilgivelse, frelse, retfærdighed og evigt liv, kommer til os frit af nåde og modtages ved tro (Ef. 2:8). Troen tvinger ikke Gud til at tilgive os eller hellige os. Men troen er den kanal, som nåden strømmer igennem. Se indgang for Troen.

(b) Hav evigt liv. Evigt liv er ikke noget, vi modtager i fremtiden, men noget, vi kan nyde her og nu (Joh 3:16, 6:40, 1 Joh 5:13). Hvor finder vi dette evige liv? "Dette liv er i Sønnen" (1 Joh 5:11). Den, der har Sønnen, har livet (1 Joh 5:12). De, der tror på Jesus, har evigt liv.

(c) Evigt liv We are not born immortal (Rom. 2:6–8, Eph. 2:1). Eternal life is a gift we receive when come to Christ. The moment you put your faith in Christ you crossed over from death to life and you shall never perish (John 5:24). Eternal life is not merely endless life; eternal life is divine life. It is Christ’s glorious life as opposed to the broken short-lived life we inherited from Adam.

De, der tror på Jesus, er gået over døden til livet (Joh 5:24). Dette nye liv kan aldrig gå tabt, fordi det er det evig liv. Se indgang for evig sikkerhed.

Johannes 3:16

"For så meget elskede Gud verden, at han gav sin enbårne søn, for at enhver, som tror på ham, ikke skal fortabes, men have evigt liv.

(a) Loved. The original verb agapaō means “to love dearly” in the sense of being well pleased with, fond of, or contented with someone. This word describes the unconditional love God the Father has for his Son (John 3:35, 15:9, 17:26), and for his children (Eph. 2:4, 1 John 3:1). God is indiscriminate with his love. Even if you are the worst sinner in the world, he loves you with the same sort of love he has for Jesus (see indgang for Johannes 17:23).

(b) World. Fallen humanity and sin-marred creation. The Creator made the universe and everything in it. He gave dominion of the world to Adam and Adam handed it to the devil. But God did not wash his hands of us or creation. His purpose is to redeem what was lost and restore what was broken. To bring about the regeneration of creation, God sent a Man from heaven, his only begotten Son. Through Christ, all things are being made new and a new creation will replace the old. See also the indgang for Matt. 4:8.

(c) Han gav. While we were sinners, God sent his Son to save us. God sent Jesus because he wants us to know how much he loves us. He’s not interested in condemning us or treating us as our sins deserve. His desire is to rescue every last one of us, from the best of us to the worst of us. The Father’s heart of love beats for the whole world.

(d) Hvem der tror. At stole på Jesus er den eneste betingelse for at modtage hans nåde.

I Det Nye Testamente er der mere end 200 imperative udtalelser forbundet med tro. Nogle af disse udtalelser formaner os til at: modtage Jesus (Joh 1:11-12, 5:43), modtage Jesu budskab (Joh 17:8), adlyde eller lytte til Jesu budskab eller gode nyheder (Joh 17:6) ) og vend dig til Gud i omvendelse (ApG 26:20).

Andre skriftsteder opfordrer os til at tage imod ordet (Mark 4:20), bekende Jesus som Herre (Rom 10:9), påkalde Herrens navn (Apg 2:21), spise livets brød (Joh 6: 50-51), bliv forsonet med Gud (2. Kor. 5:20), underkast dig Guds retfærdighed (Rom. 10:3), og bliv født på ny (Joh. 3:3, 7).

But the one imperative that appears far more than any other, is the instruction to believe in the Lord Jesus (John 3:15, 18, 6:29, 9:35, Acts 16:31, 1 Tim. 1:16, 1 Pet. 2:6). We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31, Acts 8:37, 1 John 5:1, 13), who was raised from the dead (Rom. 4:24, 10:9, 1 Th. 4:14). To believe in the Lord Jesus is to believe in the One who sent him (John 12:44). Believing in Jesus is both the work of God (John 6:29) and the command of God (1 John 3:23).

(e) Shall not perish. Once upon a time you were dead in sins and separated from the zoe-life of God (see indgang for Eph. 2:1). But the moment you put your faith in Christ you crossed over from death to life and you shall never die (John 5:24).

(f) Forsvinde. The original verb apollymi means “fully destroy” and this is how the word is sometimes translated (e.g., John 10:10, Jas. 4:12). It does not suggest an eternity of conscious torment. The ultimate wage of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), the ultimate expression of which is the final or second death (Rev. 2:11, 21:8).

It is a travesty that a few scriptures have been mashed together to create a theology of eternal conscious torment (e.g., Mark 9:44, Rev. 14:11, 19:3), when the Lord spoke plainly about the destructive consequences of rejecting life (Matt. 10:28, John 10:28). The apostles described the final judgment as a consuming fire (Heb. 10:27) which will result in the “destruction of ungodly men” (2 Pet. 3:7; see also 2 Th. 1:9, Jas. 4:12, Rev. 11:18). Unlike his boundless love, God’s wrath is finite (Rev. 15:1).

(g) Evigt liv lever for evigt i forening med Jesus; se indgang til Johannes 3:15.

At give os evigt liv er svaret på spørgsmålet, hvorfor kom Jesus (Joh 10:28, Rom 6:4, 1 Tim 1:16). Jesus kom ikke primært for at befri os fra synd eller for at give os en ny natur. Han kom for at give os et nyt liv, som inkluderer de andre ting. "Jeg er kommet for at de skal have (zoe) liv” (Joh 10:10). Når vi forkynder evangeliet, fortæller vi folk om det nye liv, som Jesus tilbyder alle (ApG 5:20). Se indgang til nyt liv.

Johannes 3:17

"For Gud sendte ikke Sønnen til verden for at dømme verden, men for at verden skulle blive frelst ved ham.

Saved through Him. Jesus is the Deliverer who rescues us from our enemies (Luke 1:71, Gal. 1:4). He is the Savior who saves our souls from death (Ps. 33:19, 116:8, Jas. 5:20). He is the unsinkable ark of our salvation (see indgang for Hebr. 11:7).

Johannes 3:18

”Den, der tror på ham, bliver ikke dømt; den, der ikke tror, er allerede blevet dømt, fordi han ikke har troet på Guds enbårne Søns navn.

(a) Den der tror; se indgang til Johannes 3:15.

(b) Judged already. Judgment is not merely something that happens in the distant future. Judgment Day is a future manifestation of a present reality.

During his time on earth, Jesus declared, “For judgment I came into this world” (John 9:39). He wasn’t saying, “I’m here to judge you,” for he also said, “I pass judgment on no one” (John 8:15). Judgment is what happens when we respond to Jesus Christ.

(c) The Son of God. Most of the time Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man (see indgang for Matt. 8:20). But on a few occasions he acknowledged that he was the Son of God (John 5:25, 10:36, 11:4, Rev. 2:18).

Johannes 3:19

"Dette er dommen, at lyset er kommet til verden, og mennesker elskede mørket frem for lyset, for deres gerninger var onde.

(a) Lyset og Livets lys og verdens lys og menneskenes lys og det sande lys er alle navne for Jesus (Joh 1:4, 9, 8:12, 9:5).

Adams faldne race lever i dødsskyggens dal. Ind i denne mørke dal kommer Jesus med den lyse og skinnende åbenbaring, at Gud tilbyder os et nyt liv.

(b) World. Fallen humanity; see indgang for Matt. 4:8.

People don’t love the darkness because they have inherited a sinful nature but because they have committed sin and are afraid of being exposed by the light (John 3:20). Think of Adam and Eve hiding in the garden. They weren’t hiding because they had a sinful nature. They hid because they had done an evil deed.

John 3:29

“He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.

The bridegroom. In scripture, Jesus is sometimes portrayed as a bridegroom (Matt. 9:15, 22:2, 25:1, Eph. 5:25, Rev. 19:7, 21:2, 9).

John 3:30

“He must increase, but I must decrease.

I must decrease. John wasn’t being modest; he was prophesying.

John was the last old covenant prophet (Matt. 11:13), while Jesus was the herald of the new covenant (Mal. 3:1). John was saying, “The old covenant ministry that I represent must diminish and make way for the new covenant ministry of Jesus.” The old covenant had served its purpose, but now Jesus had come it had to go.

Johannes 3:35

"Faderen elsker Sønnen og har givet alt i hans hånd.

(a) Faderen; se indgang til Johannes 4:21.

(b) Elsker Sønnen. Det oprindelige ord for kærlighed betyder at være godt tilfreds eller glad for eller tilfreds med. Den beskriver den ubetingede kærlighed Gud Faderen har til sin Søn (Joh 3:35, 15:9, 17:26), til hele verden (Joh 3:16) og til sine børn (Ef 2:4, 1) Johannes 3:1). Gud elsker dig med nøjagtig den samme slags kærlighed, som han har til Jesus (se indgang for Johannes 17:23).

Johannes 3:36

”Den, der tror på Sønnen, har evigt liv; men den, som ikke adlyder Sønnen, skal ikke se livet, men Guds vrede bliver over ham."

(a) Den der tror. Alle Guds velsignelser, inklusive tilgivelse, frelse, retfærdighed og evigt liv, kommer til os frit af nåde og modtages ved tro. Troen tvinger ikke Gud til at tilgive os eller hellige os. Men troen er den kanal, som nåden strømmer igennem. Se indgang for Eph. 2:8.

(b) Den, der ikke adlyder er den, der ikke tror (se 1 Joh 3:23). Johannes prædiker ikke en frelse, der er betinget af din præstation. Han siger ikke: "Hvis du snubler, er du ude." Han kontrasterer får og geder, troende og vantro.

(c) Will not see life. We are not born immortal (Rom. 2:6–8). Eternal life is a gift we receive when come to Christ (John 3:15, 5:24). Those who refuse to come to Christ will not have eternal life (John 5:40).

(d) Evigt liv lever for evigt i forening med Jesus; se indgang til Johannes 3:15.

(e) The wrath of God refers to the erosion and ultimate destruction of our humanity that occurs when we reject the Author of Life. There is the “wrath that abides” which is what we experience when we walk in unbelief and ungodliness (John 3:36, Rom. 1:18), and there is the wrath that ultimately destroys those things that have no part in God’s kingdom (Rom. 5:9, 9:22).

God’s wrath is sometimes depicted as fire (Ex. 32:10, Deut. 6:14–15, Jer. 4:4) or an outstretched hand (Is. 5:25, 9:17, 21, 10:4–5, Jer. 21:5). Although wrath is traditionally viewed as smiting punishment, it is better described as vengeance. There are two types of vengeance; vindictive (an eye for an eye) and vindicating (making right). Old covenant wrath tends to be the former; new covenant wrath is the latter.

The wrath of God is not a divine foot from heaven stomping on the heads of sinners. Jesus loves sinners; he doesn’t smite them. But unbelief has terrible and destructive consequences. The one who refuses to believe that God longs to be good to them will have trouble experiencing the goodness of God. And to resist God’s goodness in a universe that testifies to his majesty and kindness, is to lose touch with reality and our own humanity.

We were designed to live in the love of God. When we look elsewhere to get our needs met, we imbibe the toxic offerings of a fallen and polluted world. In Biblespeak this is called walking after the flesh and it is a recipe for corruption (Gal. 6:8).

See entry for “Wrath of God.”

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John 3