Wednesday, July 28, 2010

We have seen so far in John 3 who Nicodemus is and who he believes Jesus is. In John 3:3 we see what Jesus' response was to all this flattery. We see that Jesus answered, the Greek word apokrinomai (611), which is the combination of apo (575) originally from and krino (2919) to discern judge or separate. Together this word means to answer but with discretion or in response to previous circumstances. Even though it seems completely off the subject Jesus is answering Nicodemus perhaps not in the manner that Nicodemus' greeting would have warranted but He answers according to a deeper subject Nicodemus introduces, that he and those with him recognized and understood that Jesus had come originally from God as a teacher and secondly that no one could do the signs Jesus did except that person have God with him. Jesus expounds upon the concepts Nicodemus introduces and explains why He came to them, "Amen, Amen, I am saying to you if not this one, had been born from above, he is absolutely not able to have recognized and understood the kingdom of God." Jesus uses a Hebrew term transliterated into Greek, amen (281), meaning truly or surely in Hebrew has the idea of certainty or "so be it". Here Jesus uses it twice. When someone wanted to specify the importance and truthfulness of what was said next they would utter twice, amen, amen. "Truly, truly" would be acceptable or "this is the truth". Jesus immediately starts with asserting that what He said next could not be debated but had to be accepted as the absolute truth. He then tells Nicodemus and those with him, lego (3004) to say logically, here the root form, which is present tense, active voice and indicative mood. Lego is also first person singular which with the present tense, on-going action that has no time set for its ending, makes this very interesting. "I am saying" is grammatically correct in English but there is more to this. It could be translated as "I am always saying" because of the divinity of Christ plus the message He is delivering. Because He says "I am always saying" He is actually speaking to us just as much as to His audience at the time. Anyone reading what He said realizes that His message has never changed and that we must accept that this statement is truth and unchanging. Next Jesus says that, "I am always saying to you". "To you" is the 2nd person pronoun but is singular and not plural which shows again Jesus speaks to Nicodemus but then changes to speak to the plural "you" later. Jesus then uses the conjunction ean (1437) if with the negative relative particle me (3361) not. Together they mean "if not" "unless" "except". Ean means "if" but that there is a strong possibility of it occurring and me, a possibility of something happening. Me indicates that choice is involved and that we can choose to do something or not. Here Jesus indicates that there is choice involved but that "if not this one had been born from above" the result would be the opposite of recognizing and understanding the kingdom of God. The indefinite pronoun is singular here emphasizing the individual's decision instead of the collective. This is important because denominations in the past and present wrongly think there is a corporate relationship to Christ based on works instead of a personal relationship to Christ based on grace. Next we see that "if not this one had been born from above", the "had been born" gennao (1080) to be born, is singular again, aorist tense, passive voice and subjunctive mood. This "one" we see by the aorist tense has been completed in his or her birth which shows us the way that God views this process. Being outside of time God sees our birth in Him as a completed action even if we are going through the process in linear time. This is also important because it shows us our salvation in Him is a done deal and assured to us. It can't be taken from us because it is a permanent condition. Next we see it is in the passive voice, which the verb itself is passive in nature. We often refer to the birthing process as being controlled by the child but in reality the child receives the birthing process because the woman's body dictates when the baby will be born. Salvation is not our doing or initiated by us but by the Spirit as Jesus points out later, and we receive or reject it. Lastly gennao is subjunctive meaning that it is dependant on another action occurring or it is the dependant action for something else to occur. Here it is the dependant verb for something else to occur but it also is another indicator of choice. Birth is an fascinating analogy of salvation. Jesus uses this to illustrate what must take place within us in order for the spiritual world to be accessed. When a woman's body determines that the baby cannot be fed any longer in utero a hormone is released that causes her womb to begin contracting. This will open the pathway for the baby to pass through. The fluid that surrounded the baby and kept it safely in the womb is released and the baby has only one option and that is birth. Our introduction to God and the process by which we come to Him may be fast or it may be slow depending on our individual circumstances and on us. When my eldest niece was born it took over sixteen hours for her to make her entrance. This long process doesn't put the baby in distress and is normal for a first pregnancy. My second niece however came fast and furious and caused my sister-in-law a great deal of pain. All three of my nieces came early but they came into this world when they were caused to do so. This does not mean that God does all the work and we do nothing but rather we participate by accepting truth and allowing Him to deliver us into the spiritual world. We have to be completely transformed and birth illustrates the becoming new but also starting over and understanding like babies we have to grow up spiritually. So we receive birth and that birth come Jesus says "from above". Unfortunately some English translations translate this as "born again" and this is incorrect because Jesus is explaining where the birth comes from and that is "above" meaning "from God" and not "born again" which doesn't tell us from what or where have we been born. "Born again" also is incorrect because we are born physically once and we are born spiritually once therefore, born again is really inaccurate . So Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Truly, Truly I am always saying to you if not this one had been born from above he is absolutely not able". "He is absolutely not able" in Greek is ou (3756) the absolute negative particle which means it is impossible for something to occur and dunamai (1410) to be able, to have the power to do something. The negative particle ou is used often in the New Testament but the English translates it and the relative negative particle the same, "not". Here Jesus stresses that we cannot in any way obtain the ability to recognize and understand the kingdom of God without having been born from above. Dunamai is in the present tense, middle voice and indicative mood. If we are born from above we can constantly recognize and understand the kingdom of God. The present tense remember is ongoing action that doesn't tell us when it will end. If we are not born from above it is impossible for us to recognize and understand the kingdom of God. Birth from above is imperative for identifying and understanding the kingdom of God. I was born in the South as were generations of my ancestors going back to the early eighteen hundreds. Being born in the South there are cultural, religious, artistic and dietary differences than other parts of the country. My birth into the South made me not just a part of it but loyal to it. I understand the subtle use of language and manners that those from up North or out West don't detect. If these individuals were to come across someone that claimed to be from the South they wouldn't be able to tell for sure and would rely on the accent alone. In the same way if we are not from it how can we identify and understand something like the kingdom of God? Next dunamai is in the middle voice which tells us that something or someone is influencing or motivating this "one" to have the ability to recognize and understand the kingdom of God if they are born from above. If however they have not been born from above, the negative particle ou tells us that absolutely in no way and an individual identify and understand the kingdom of God because they have rejected that birth. If you see a middle voice especially in texts that deal with doing something spiritually the Spirit is the usually the One motivating the action. This is an incredible truth that the Spirit causes us to want to know spiritual things. Next we have the infinitive eido (1492) which is in the aorist tense and active voice. Eido and ginosko (1097) are often misunderstood because the Greek process of learning isn't explained. Greeks used vocabulary to explain the progression of learning with ginosko being the acquiring of information and learning how something or someone works but with a relational model. Eido however is the end result of ginosko. As children we are taught the alphabet and how those letters form words. This is ginosko and in this process we sound out words to know how to read them. The end result is recognizing and understanding the words we see not just in books but in anything that contains language. So Jesus isn't talking about "see" which is how the English translators interpreted it but without being born from above it is impossible to recognize or understand the kingdom of God. This infinitive is in the aorist tense just as the "had been born". They are a packaged deal and must be recognized as such. The Spirit points out what is of that kingdom and what is not in our process of accepting Christ, because God knows remember who will accept Him out of that process and who won't. Those He knows will accept Him their process in coming to Him is the delivery time and part of the birth in which the kingdom of God is revealed. Recognizing is important but understanding the kingdom of God is equally important and part of our growth in Christ. Many believers might be able to recognize the things of the kingdom of God but do not have a good understanding of it. Birth gives us the opportunity and ability to recognize and understand but it is a choice we must decide if it is important enough to us to have and pursue. Lastly is "to have recognized and understood the kingdom of God". "The kingdom of God" is the accusative singular feminine form of the root basileia (932), royal kingdom or dominion and the genitive, singular masculine form of Theos (2316). Matthew calls it "the kingdom of heaven" while Luke, Mark and John call it primarily "the kingdom of God". In the Old Testament it was called Zion the city that Jews would see as the final resting place after death and after the final judgment. "The kingdom of God" Jesus has said is not of this world, it is a spiritual place here while we are in our fallen physical forms but the reality of it is when the tribulation is over and the second coming of Christ is done, the millennium is over and the heavens and the earth pass away we'll find a magnificent incorruptible all consuming home and sanctuary. God's reign as King of this kingdom is permanent and irrevocable and Christ's gift to purchase the subjects for this kingdom makes it a different expensive kingdom. In His era, kings taxed the subjects of the kingdom to pay for the king's army and luxury but in this kingdom God sacrificed Himself to get back those taken from Him and protect them under His name. This kingdom doesn't function as earthly ones do. The King conquers spirits and minds to save them and free them from spiritual slavery. His riches we have access to and we are given the privilege to come before Him whenever we have needs without fear. Lastly this kingdom is pure, holy and perfect and the end result of God's reign and our acceptance of birth from above. Next we'll examine how all this together creates the first part of Jesus' explanation of the gospel.

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