John 3:11-17

For God so loved His creation that He gave us  Jesus!

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

When our communities are centered around sharing the gospel, our differences don't have to divide us. In fact, diversity makes our communities look a lot more like the family of God. And we need gospel-centered community for the Church to grow both locally and globally.

As Paul began to close this letter, what did he encourage his community to do? Encourage and love one another. And we are called to do the same. Because of Jesus, all those in Christ are called to love one another as He loves us. (John 13:34)

We encourage one another. (Hebrews 3:13)

We welcome one another. (Romans 15:7)

We confess our sins and pray for one another. (James 5:16)

We serve one another in humility. (Philippians 2:3)

We live at peace with one another. (Romans 12:18)

And as we seek to be a gospel-centered community of believers, may we experience more of how Christ loved and gave Himself up for us. God designed community for us. In Genesis 2:18 God said it is not good for people to be alone.

And as we seek to be a gospel-centered community of believers, may we experience more of how Christ loved and gave Himself up for us.  First5

John 3:11-17

11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The New King James Version

born again (Gk. gennaō anōthen) (3:3, 7) Strong’s #1080; 509: The Greek word anōthen translated here as again could also be rendered “from above.” The birth that Jesus spoke of was either a new birth or a heavenly birth—or both. It seems that Jesus was speaking of a heavenly birth because He later used the analogy of the wind, coming from some unknown, heavenly source, to depict the spiritual birth. But Nicodemus clearly understood Jesus to be speaking of a second birth—being born again. Jesus explains this new or heavenly birth in 3:6–8, contrasting being born of the flesh with being born of the Spirit.

Earthly things refers to things that occur on earth, like the new birth, the wind, and perhaps miracles. Heavenly things refers to events like Christ’s ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Nicodemus may have believed in Jesus’ miracles, the majority of the Jewish council did not, Nicodemus, referring to the new birth, asks, “How can these things be?” Here Jesus answers the question. New birth is by the Son, by the Cross, and by faith. Every time the words lifted up occur in the Gospel of John there is a reference to Jesus’ death. 

When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness), those who looked at it lived. So it is with the Son of Man. This is the first time eternal life is mentioned in John’s Gospel. When a person trusts Christ, he or she is born again and receives eternal and spiritual life, God’s kind of life.

God’s love is not restricted to any one nation or to any spiritual elite. World here may also include all of creation.  At His first coming, Jesus came so that the world through Him might be saved. When Jesus comes again, He will come in judgment upon those who refused His offer of salvation. The NKJV Study Bible

Jesus is alluding to His heavenly origin. Since He comes from heaven, He is qualified to speak authoritatively about heavenly things. The implication is that no one has both ascended to heaven to receive divine revelation and descended to earth to give an account of that revelation in the same way that Jesus has as the incarnate Word of God. Ƒaithlife Study Bible.

Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.