There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. One night he went to Jesus and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him." Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again." "How can a grown man be born again?" Nicodemus asked. "He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!" (John 3:1-4)

"I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus, "that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit. Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again. The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit." "How can this be?" asked Nicodemus. Jesus answered, "You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don't know this? (John 3:5-10)

I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message. You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven? And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven." As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:11-15)

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to be its savior. Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God's only Son. This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil. Those who do evil things hate the light and will not come to the light, because they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up. (John 3:16-20)

Subject: “no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again” A work of the Holy Spirit

The Son is lifted up; “God so loved the world he gave…”

Judgment: “This is how the judgment works: light has come into the world, but people love the darkness…”

“Unbelief, by shutting the door on God’s love, turns his love into judgment. For this is the meaning of judgment, that man shuts himself off from God’s love. There would be no judgment at all were it not for the event of God’s love. And with the mission of the Son this judgment has become a present reality.” (The Gospel of John, Rudolf Bultmann, pg 154)

NRS John 5:22 The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

NRS John 9:39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not blind, are we?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.

“Once again the coming of the Revealer into this world is described as judgment. And according to this saying the judgment consists in a radical reversal of the human condition: the blind will receive sight and the seeing will become blind.” (Bultmann, 340)

John 12:44 Then Jesus cried aloud: "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. 47 I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to condemn the world, but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak.

What is the “word” that will be the judge on “the last day”?

In context:Believing (and liking!) Jesus’

revelation of the Father

“In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

“So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.” (John 1:14)

“No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.” (John 1:18)

Jesus did not come to condemn, he came to reveal (“light”, “the Word”, God’s love, the truth about God’s character)

This revelation calls for a decision If we embrace Jesus’ revelation of his Father,

we enter into the light If we reject this, we enter into the darkness

(judgment) Judgment is not imposed; it represents our free

will choice in response to God’s revelation.

“In another vision the LORD showed me the High Priest Joshua standing before the Angel of the LORD. And there beside Joshua stood Satan, ready to bring an accusation against him.” (Zechariah 3:1-3)

“The huge dragon was thrown out---that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him…the one who stood before our God and accused believers day and night has been thrown out of heaven.” (Revelation 12:9-10)

Job When the day came for the heavenly beings

to appear before the LORD, Satan was there among them. (Job 1:6)

“Have you ever seen anyone like this man Job? He never shows respect for God. He likes the company of evil people and goes around with sinners” (34:7-8).

Moses “Not even the chief angel Michael did

this. In his quarrel with the Devil, when they argued about who would have the body of Moses, Michael did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 1:9)

Jesus“And a voice from heaven said,

‘This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.’” (Matthew 3:17)

“If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” (Matthew 4:3)

“Now is the critical moment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be expelled (12:31). Brant, John, 193

“Now is the critical moment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be exposed (12:31). Brant, John, 194

“In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are…the Spirit himself intercedes with God for us…In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us? Certainly not God, who did not even keep back is own Son…Who will accuse God’s chosen people? God himself declares them not guilty! Who, then will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus…For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love…there is nothing in all creation that well ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:26-39)

“The Helper will come – the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.” (John 15:26)

“When the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth…He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you.” (John 16:13,14)

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.” (John 14:16-17)

“But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.” (John 4:23-24 – CEV)

“I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I remember you in my prayers and ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him.” (Ephesians 1:16-17)

“But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

“He drives out demons only because their ruler Beelzebul gives him power to do so.’ Jesus knew what they were thinking… ‘No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you…For this reason I tell you: people can be forgiven any sin and any evil thing they say; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who says something against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven---now or ever.” (Matthew 12:17-35)

“Revelation becomes judgment by exposing the individual’s response to Jesus…to remain in the darkness means the darkness of misperception of God.” – Sigve Tonstad

“The character of the judgment is revelatory, not judicial...When revelation can do no more, it is over; it is finished; the Revealer is not a judge but the Revealer, and when he can do no more as Revealer, he must cease and desist.” - Sigve Tonstad

“But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned once more and he hardened his heart, he and his officials. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart...” (Exodus 9:34-35; 10:1)

“Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath preparation, and so the bodies wouldn’t stay on the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken down.” (John 19:31 – The Message).

“Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus at night, went with Joseph, taking with him about one hundred pounds of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes. The two men took Jesus' body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices according to the Jewish custom of preparing a body for burial.” (John 19:39-40)

Subject: “no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again” A work of the Holy Spirit

The Son is lifted up; “God so loved the world he gave…”

Judgment: “This is how the judgment works: light has come into the world, but people love the darkness…”

Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, "The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!'; because the Kingdom of God is within (among) you." (Luke 17:20-21)