Now
there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling
council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a
teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs
you are doing if God were not with him."
In
reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of
God unless he is born again."
"How
can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot
enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus
answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless
he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit
gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be
born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you
cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone
born of the Spirit."
"How
can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
"You
are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these
things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what
we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken
to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I
speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who
came from heaven--the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him
may have eternal life.
"For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever
believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned
already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This
is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead
of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light,
and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But
whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly
that what he has done has been done through God." (NIV)
This reading is taken from 30
Scripture Readings for New Christians. The complete book can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KYN34Q
HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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