Pronouns Metaphors Errors Part 21

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Pronouns, Metaphors, and Errors

Message
March 15, 2015
Part 21

John 3:4-8
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"

5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

“Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” As a master in Israel, Nicodemus would have known the prophesy of Ezekiel 36.25-27, concerning the kingdom and Israel: “Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean…and I will put My Spirit within you”.

This cleansing is not the with the literal water of the ceremonial cleansings of the Law, but with the Spirit of God.

Again, as a reminder; there is no article to either of the two nouns, water and spirit, a construction that places stress upon the qualitative aspect of both nouns rather than point to specific identities.

That spiritual water, nevertheless, does refer to the characteristic qualities of the work of the Holy Spirit, which can be seen from the use of a name-change figure in John 7.38,39… …as well explained in the same verse.

John 7.38,39

38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water( the Holy Spirit) .”

39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Whatever it is that the Holy Spirit does in the process of establishing the birth of the believer, God the Holy Spirit is the source of supply for the “water( cleansing of sin quality)” and the “spirit( filling with life quality)” aspects of the process required in the process of being born from above( born again).

Even though we have been given “ears to hear”, when reading a translation of this passage which says... “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”… we are likely to think of “water” and “the Spirit” as two separate and distinct nouns, having their own independent meanings, and less likely to think of them each as qualities of the same Person; namely, “water( cleansing quality)” and“spirit( spirit quality)” of the Holy Spirit.

Based on the Nicodemus’ responses and perspective, which are know to be representative of the Sanhedrin at large, Jesus uses speech patterns to present the Truth of God’s will and work in relatively obscure terms.

From this we get a better idea how it is that there is truly a vast difference between what the natural man is able to grasp of spiritual matters, even if he is highly trained and educated in matters of religion and piety, and the spiritual understanding of one who has actually been birthed from above. All in all, Nicodemus’ perspective, his lack of ability to leverage what he already knows about God and His ways in order to relate to and understand the “new ideas” from Jesus, is of no help to him in coming to understanding.

Nicodemus is not unique, his responses are appropriately consistent with anyone in his present spiritual condition, and certain things Jesus says just don’t “click( make a noise while falling into a detent position) ”.

Jesus’ ideas while seemingly extremely radical from the perspective of the natural, simply make sense to one who is born from above There is not something hanging between the believer and the unbeliever that seems like a veil,… …there is a veil that hangs between the believer and the unbeliever .

(Q) Is it a bad thing when a natural person sees or otherwise perceives the existence of a veil between himself and a believer?

(A) No, it is a good thing! Because, while the veil is a figure of separation, it is also part of the kingdom of God marking, a point of entry into it.

In essence, the veil becomes a place of access into the kingdom of God. That’s a good thing! If you see the veil, you are close, because this is where you get your first glimpse at seeing the kingdom of God. You will not be “seeing any part of the kingdom”, unless you are to some extent engaged in the process of “being given birth to from above”.

So, believer, what visible evidence is there that you belong to the kingdom of God? Is there so little indication, that the world simply sees you as just another one of them? If that’s the case, better get to work on that problem, with the Lord’s help from above!

Two things did not click with Nicodemus that should have. considering his experience level as a Rabbi of Rabbis. Jesus said,“Unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”.

As a master in Israel, Nicodemus should have known the prophesy of Ezekiel 36.25-27, concerning the kingdom and Israel:

“Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean…and I will put My Spirit within you”.

But knowing these things and believing that Jesus had been sent by the Father to fulfill this prophesy; well, that’s another story.

Nevertheless it’s all there, in the prophesy of Ezekiel 36.25-27, concerning the kingdom and Israel: the water quality of cleansing, the implication of the hand of God reaching down to lift up from above, the giving of spirit quality of life by the work of God’s Spirit placed within a person; all these things descriptive of a person who isbeing born from above( born again). So, the idea of the necessity for one to be born out of water and Spirit, mean the same, and they both refer to the work of the Holy Spirit. This also explains why, in the following verses(John 3.6-8) only the Spirit is mentioned, and not the water.

NKJ John 3.6

6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
This is how it translates…
‘The thing which is having been given birth to out from within the flesh is flesh.’

There are some interesting things going on in here that you might want to know about…

CT John 3.6a

The thing (neuter participle) which is having been given birth to (perfect tense, passive) out from within the flesh (fem. articular) is flesh (fem. no art.).

Implication: The thing, i.e., whatever created being is given natural birth to, including the Jew, while he may in fact be born into a covenant relationship with God, has been born into slavery to the Law, and is not “born from above” as God defines that kind of terminology.

CT John 3.6a

The thing (neuter participle) which is having been given birth to (perfect tense, passive) out from within the flesh (fem. articular) is flesh (fem. no art.).
Note: Take the term “articular”, add a “p”; get what?

We have two nouns “flesh”. The first one is articular, and the second anarthrous. the flesh( the natural being) flesh( natural quality)

Both aspects are “super-natural”.
the Spirit( the Holy Spirit)
spirit( spirit quality)

NKJ John 3. 7

7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.‘

You (.) should not marvel that I said to you (.), “It is necessary you (+) to be given birth to from above( to be born again).”

Marvel is used here to describe the state into which Nicodemus was thrust, as he reacted in amazement and wonderment after hearing these words. Whether the reaction is favorable or unfavorable depends on the context. What do you say?

8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.“

This comparison is another “just as…so also” thing. thus, so; not of degree, but of manner; “In the same manner is…” So is used as an adverb to modify the clause “everyone who is (presently) being given birth out from within the Spirit.” (important- perfect tense)

8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.“this word is used for wind and spirit. It is an action noun which literally denotes the result of blowing or breath.

Implication

Jesus makes the comparison with the physical characteristics of wind in terms of human perception...

Jesus compares the physical characteristics of the presence of wind in terms which highlight the limitations of human ability to detect it, which is similar to human inability to perceive the presence and working of the Holy Spirit.

Man has neither control over the direction nor the occasion of a wind-event, it is itself invisible to the human eye, man can merely detect the tangible secondary effects of air particles in motion as they produce invisible forces upon things in its path; and produce sounds from the vibrations that result from its activity. In the same manner (not extent), man has neither control over the direction nor the occasion of a Holy Spirit-event, the Spirit Himself is invisible to the human eye; yet man, to some degree, is able to detect the tangible secondary effects of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s presence, as He produces invisible forces upon things( people) in His path; and sounds can be heard, namely the voices of those bearing testimony of having in some manner sensed His presence and His touch.

CT
Where( to the place) the wind wishes, it blows, and you are hearing the noise of it; but to the contrary, you do not fully know (perfect)
from which place it has made itself appear (middle) and to which place it has made itself appear. In this same manner is everyone who is (presently) being given birth out from within the Spirit.

Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life. A couple of more details from the Greek…

Jesus is the Christ,
Jesus is the Messiah,
Jesus is the Anointed One,
He is God Incarnate,
the Good Shepherd!

In order to pay the debt of our sins, He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father, where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father even unto the shameful death upon the cross in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith, believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work was His complete and necessary Atonement for your sins, in your behalf. Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being. Only the power of God can open your heart to the willingness to have the void within it filled with the presence of Christ by His Spirit.The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life. Only the life of His Spirit’s quickening of your heart will allow the Gospel message of salvation to even make sense to you, to truly “hear” the message and give you the ability, as the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus, to recognize your need for forgiveness and restoration, and gain the desire of your heart to be favorably inclined to want to receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.If you have not done so before this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior, and ask Him to come into your life right now, and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing, thank Him for the gift that He is giving you, the one He paid for in full in your place, in Jesus’ name,
AMEN

Bibliography

Agnes, Michael and Charlton Laird (eds.). Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York, NY: Macmillan, 1996.
Aland, Kurt, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren (eds.). The Greek New Testament, 4th rev. ed. Germany: Biblica-Druck, 1994.
Benner, Jeff A. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. College Station, Texas: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc., 2005
Bullinger, E. W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible; Explained an Illustrated. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2007.
Chapman, Benjamin. Greek New Testament Insert. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1977.
Dana, H. E., and Julius R. Mantey. A Manual of the New Testament. Canada: The Macmillan Company, 1957.
Louw, Johannes P. and Eugene A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1989.
The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2011.
Metzger, Bruce M. Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek. Princeton, New Jersey, 1977.
Wikipedia contributors. "Xenophon." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.
Wuest, Kenneth S. The New Testament; An Expanded Translation. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1992.
Wuest, Kenneth S. (Revised, Donald L. Wise). The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, rev. ed. Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1982.
Walsh, J. Martyn and Anna Kathleen Walsh. Plain English Handbook: A Complete Guide to Good English, 7th rev. ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: McCormick-Mathers PublishingCompany,1977.

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