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The New Birth

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named ^(C1)Nicodemus, a ^(C2)ruler of the Jews;² this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "^(C1)Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these ^(F1)(C2)signs that You do unless ^(C3)God is with him."³ Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one ^(C1)is born ^(F1)again he cannot see ^(C2)the kingdom of God."

⁴ Nicodemus ^(*)said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"⁵ Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of ^(C1)water and the Spirit he cannot enter into ^(C2)the kingdom of God.⁶ "^(C1)That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.⁷ "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born ^(F1)again.'⁸ "^(C1)The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

⁹ Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?"¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you ^(C1)the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?¹¹ "Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(C1)we speak of what we know and ^(C2)testify of what we have seen, and ^(C2)you do not accept our testimony.¹² "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?¹³ "^(C1)No one has ascended into heaven, but ^(C2)He who descended from heaven: ^(C3)the Son of Man.¹⁴ "As ^(C1)Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must ^(C2)the Son of Man ^(C3)be lifted up;¹⁵ so that whoever ^(F1)believes will ^(C1)in Him have eternal life.

¹⁶ "For God so ^(C1)loved the world, that He ^(C2)gave His ^(F1)(C3)only begotten Son, that whoever ^(C4)believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.¹⁷ "For God ^(C1)did not send the Son into the world ^(C2)to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.¹⁸ "^(C1)He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of ^(C2)the ^(F1)only begotten Son of God.¹⁹ "This is the judgment, that ^(C1)the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for ^(C2)their deeds were evil.²⁰ "^(C1)For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.²¹ "But he who ^(C1)practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

John's Last Testimony

²² After these things Jesus and His ^(C1)disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and ^(C2)baptizing.²³ John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized--²⁴ for ^(C1)John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵ Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about ^(C1)purification.²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, "^(C1)Rabbi, He who was with you ^(C2)beyond the Jordan, to whom you ^(C3)have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him."²⁷ John answered and said, "^(C1)A man can receive nothing unless it ^(C2)has been given him from heaven.²⁸ "You yourselves ^(F1)are my witnesses that I said, '^(C1)I am not the ^(F2)Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'²⁹ "He who has the bride is ^(C1)the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this ^(C2)joy of mine has been made full.³⁰ "He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹ "^(C1)He who comes from above is above all, ^(C2)he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. ^(C1)He who comes from heaven is above all.³² "What He has seen and heard, of that He ^(C1)testifies; and ^(C1)no one receives His testimony.³³ "He who has received His testimony ^(C1)has set his seal to this, that God is true.³⁴ "For He whom God has ^(C1)sent speaks the words of God; ^(F1)(C2)for He gives the Spirit without measure.³⁵ "^(C1)The Father loves the Son and ^(C2)has given all things into His hand.³⁶ "He who ^(C1)believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who ^(C2)does not ^(F1)obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."