Now there was a person who was one of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews,
who came to him at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent from God, for no one is able to do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born from above, he is not able to see the Kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How is a person able to be born when he is old? Surely he is not able to enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the Kingdom of God!
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must all be born from above.
The Spirit breathes where it wants to, and you hear its voice, but do not know where it comes from and where it goes; this is how it is with everyone who is born by the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How are these things able to happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the well-known teacher of Israel and yet do not know these things?
Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak that which we know, and testify about what we have seen, and yet you people are not accepting our testimony.
If I told you people about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
And no one has gone up to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so it was necessary that the Son of Man was lifted up
in order that whoever believes in him will have life in the age to come.
For God So Loved the World
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have life in the age to come.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world could be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict: that the light has come into the world and yet people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
For everyone who practices evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his works are exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes to the light in order that his works can be clearly seen as having been carried out in connection with God.
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea, and he was spending some time with them there and he was baptizing.
And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people were coming and were being baptized,
for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
Then an argument arose between some of the disciples of John and a certain Jew about ceremonial cleansing.
And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, about whom you have testified, look, he is baptizing and everyone is going to him.”
John answered and said, “A person is not able to receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.
You yourselves can testify about me, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’
He who has the bride is the groom, but the friend of the groom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the groom’s voice. Therefore, this joy of mine has been made full.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
“He who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaks. He who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, and yet no one receives his testimony.
The one who has received his testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.
For he whom God sent continues to speak the words of God, for He continues to give to him the spirit without measure.
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
Whoever believes in the Son has life in the age to come, but whoever defies the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”