by Jen | May 20, 2025 | 1-21, DISO studies, John 3
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back! While enjoying our annual timeshare vacation this year, my husband and I returned from dinner and noticed a large crowd on the beach below our condominium. From our balcony, we were in perfect position to eavesdrop (literally!) on a local church’s baptism service in the shallow water eight stories below our unit. The pastor spoke of Philip baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. Then about two dozen men, women, and children professed faith in Jesus, wading into the water to be “reborn” as the sun sank toward the horizon behind our building.
We’ve visited that condo more than a dozen times over the years, never before witnessing baptism on its beach. I can’t help but believe this is no coincidence: God intentionally allowed us to view that outward symbol of being born of water as I’m studying John 3:1-21 and focusing on verses 3-5. How awesome is He to give us a sign of His love through a centuries-old ritual welcoming new brothers and sisters into God’s family!
Last Week’s Work
COMPARISONS
I’ve heard the book of John called the gospel of light, and this week in particular, the Spirit illuminated (ha!) for me the contrasts between light and darkness and other representations of good and evil here. For example: Nicodemus came to Jesusby night (v2), as in after dark. I mentioned this before, suspecting he didn’t want to be seen, but now, after reviewing contrasts, I think there’s even more to unpack in that statement!
- In response to Nicodemus’s doubt-filled statement (not question) about Jesus’s identity, the Lord speaks of being born again as a requirement to see the kingdom of God (v3). I think Jesus was trying to help Nicodemus understand why he was “in the dark” and unable to see Jesus for who He was: the only Son of God (v16) and the light God sent into a dark, evil world (v19).
- But Nicodemus, grounded in the darkness of unbelief, can only focus on the worldly or flesh-and-blood aspects of being born again (v4). To this, Jesus reveals two other births, of water and the Spirit, are required to enter God’s kingdom (v5), and uses a contrast (v6) to help Nicodemus realize they are talking about different things: flesh and Spirit.
- Yet, Nicodemus still doesn’t seem to get it (v9). At this point, Jesus states more clearly the problem: Nicodemus’s disbelief (vv11-12) keeps him in the dark, unable to understand or access the eternal life Jesus brings (v19).
The contrasts between born of flesh and born of the Spirit (v6) seem to me to connect with darkness and light respectively. Our physical birth, I think, corresponds to being born of the flesh, or the imperfect condition of our hearts we inherit as children of Adam and Eve (see our earlier study of Genesis 3). I suspect when we hear and choose to believe the good news in John 3:16, we turn from that imperfect condition to be born of water. In our hearts, we reject the darkness of earth (the world, governed by our spiritual enemies) that is perishing, and turn toward the Light (Christ). This first step of belief is what gains us eternal life (vv16-18). Then, I think, as we commit to follow Jesus in this world of darkness, we are born of the Spirit, gaining the ability to perceive the Spirit as one notices the wind (v8). I also believe the Spirit is the initiative driving those who do what is true in the light (v21).
Heads up, the above paragraph reflects my thoughts about this passage. If you aren’t sure about, or disagree with what I’ve written, take it to the Spirit and God’s Word. I will be doing the same beginning next week and I promise I will share anything He puts in my heart that corrects what I’ve concluded above.
CAUSES/MOTIVATIONS
Interestingly, I didn’t find any cause connectors in my focus verses, but eleven of them occur in the last seven verses! For example, in verses 14-15, I saw the reason the Son of Man must be lifted up: because that enables believers to have eternal life. And why do believers get this chance at eternal life? Because God so loved the world (vv15-16). Also, God’s purpose for sending His Son into the world wasn’t to condemn it, but to save it (v17). What a testimony to the awesome love our Father God has for all people, not just Christians!
CONDITIONS/METHODS
Though I noted before Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, it didn’t occur to me until I worked through some of the contrasts in this passage that, in addition to being a timeframe, night also implies a condition: darkness. And given Nicodemus had so much trouble seeing what Jesus said in this passage, it also seems to describe the condition of the Pharisee’s mind or heart— “unenlightened” to God’s kingdom (v3). After all, Nicodemus came to make a statement that implies disbelief that Jesus is the Son of God (v2).
Our Lord’s reply spells out the condition required for us to see the kingdom of God: that we be born again (v3). In the past, I‘ve wondered how that connects with Nicodemus’s opening statement. But this time, the Spirit helped me see the logic: if Jesus represents God’s kingdom on earth, and Nicodemus hasn’t been born again, it’s no wonder Nicodemus couldn’t see what He was saying!
Yet, I think there’s hope for Nicodemus. In v20, Jesus says, in part, “everyone who does wicked things … does not come to the light lest his works should be exposed.” But Nicodemus came to the Light. Even if it was dark when he came and he seemed to get more confused as Jesus kept talking, I believe Nicodemus did finally see the Light. I’m looking forward to checking that out in Step 4, too!
As I’m wrapping up my study for this week, I’m thinking the Spirit is trying to show me Jesus’s statements to Nicodemus revealed His earthly mission and how we can join and benefit from it. I can’t wait to start refining my understanding of this treasure—I hope you’ll stick with me and see how this turns out. And if you’re focusing on something different, I’m praying for the Spirit to help you see and understand what Scripture has for you here, too!
Dig-In Challenges
This week, I hope you’ll join me as I start refining my understanding of this passage:
- PRAY. Of course!
- REFINE by skimming the book of John to determine which of the following types of writing appears most often in it: instruction, law, letter, narrative, poetry, or prophecy. Then reread John 3:1-21 to see what (if any) other types are in use. Note all the types you find on your Scripture study sheet or in your journal. Recognizing writing types helps us determine whether the author intended the text to be interpreted literally or have an alternative meaning the original audience would probably have understood.
- REFINE: Next, research the book’s historical context by referencing an Introduction to the book of John. This can be found in most bound Bibles immediately before John 1, or by checking out the ESV online. Introductions are written by Bible publishers and provide historical details like who wrote the book, to whom, and when. They often also contain a summary of the book’s content. As you read the intro, note any relevant or interesting facts. Based on what you discover there, how will you interpret John 3:1-21?
- REFINE: Last, look up the meaning of a few key words and/or phrases from your study using an interlinear Bible tool. I like Biblehub.com’s Greek tool for this research. To use: Click the blue arrow to the left or right of the verse citation (“John 3:1”) to scroll to the verse containing words you want to review, then click the number in the Strong’s column that corresponds to the English word or phrase you’re researching. Note anything the Spirit highlights in the information provided.
This “refining” step is more involved than the “mining” we did earlier, but I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!
GO TO WEEK 6 >
by Jen | May 27, 2025 | 1-21, DISO studies, John 3
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hi there—I’ve lots to share, so I’ll get right to it!
Last Week’s Work
WRITING TYPES
Overall, I believe John 3:1-21 is narrative, but I don’t think everything written there is intended to be understood literally. In fact, I believe Jesus’s instructional statements in vv3 and 5 are meant to be interpreted symbolically. He clearly does not mean physical rebirth as Nicodemus suggests in v4.
Elsewhere in this passage, I think Jesus’s statement about the Son of Man being lifted up (v14), is prophetic as well as also being symbolic (see John 12:32). Finally, His references to the light (vv19-21) also seem to me to be symbolic (see John 8:12).
LITERAL CONTEXT
In John 1, I recognized an echo of action taken of or with water and the Spirit similar to John 3:5. John the Baptist says, “… I came baptizing with water that [Jesus] might be revealed to Israel…” and “… he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:31,33, emphasis mine).
Reading this made me think of my water baptism experience (September 2018): holding my breath, closing my eyes, and going underwater, then being pulled back up and welcomed into God’s kingdom by my church family. I wondered, does baptism equate to born of water in John 3:5 (i.e., must one be water baptized to enter God’s kingdom)?
I don’t know. I was baptized to fulfill the requirement my church placed upon Bible study leaders. To me, it simply represented public acknowledgement of my adoption into God’s family, which I believe actually happened more than a decade earlier. In that sense, I don’t think baptism is the same as being born again (as in, you’re saved because you’ve been dunked), but it does seem to symbolize something has changed in your life. Maybe “the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)?
I also found a series of echoes later in John 3:25-36. It’s another statement from John the Baptist, spoken after his disciples were discussing purification with an unnamed Jew. He says in part, “He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way [see John 3:6a]. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony [see John 3:11]. … Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life [see John 3:16]; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:31-32, 36 ESV).
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
According to the ESV Global Study Bible, this book was written between AD 70 and 100 by John, the son of Zebedee [not to be confused with John the Baptist, whose father was Zechariah (see Luke 1:5-17, 57-66)]. The author was a Palestinian Jew and one of Jesus’s twelve apostles. His original audience included “Jews and Gentiles in Ephesus and other parts of the Greco-Roman world at the end of the first century.” John himself indicates why this gospel was written: “… so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Another echo of John 3:16!
Based on my review of literal and historical context, I believe John meant most of his gospel to be interpreted as plain facts. However, I think the conversation with Nicodemus contains metaphorical statements Jesus expected him (and John expected us, too) to carefully consider because they may have added meaning to believers. I think that includes the statements in verses 3-5.
INTERLINEAR RESEARCH
Next, I reviewed the interlinear information for born again (vv3,5) and born as an infant (v4). Though the words used in each instance are related (both from Strongs 1080, gennaó), they appear in different transliterations as follows:
- According to The Topical Lexicon available on biblehub.com, Jesus used the term gennēthē (vv3,5), to describe the transformative process of spiritual regeneration, emphasizing the necessity of this change for one to enter God’s kingdom. Thayer’s describes this use as … God conferring upon men the nature and disposition of his sons…, i. e. by his own holy power prompting and persuading souls to put faith in Christ and live a new life consecrated to himself.
- In v4, Nicodemus used gennēthēnai, which Thayer’s indicates means to be born as offspring.
I also checked the information provided for water (G5204, hydatos), but didn’t find any context-specific information. Under the Spirit (G4151, Pneumatos), Thayer’s says this use refers to God’s power and agency manifest in the course of affairs that produces spiritual gifts and blessings by its influence upon souls. Also, the transliteration for wind in v8, pneuma (not capitalized), is the root for Pneumatos, above. Feels like this is more symbolism!
Finally, I checked out kingdom of God (vv3,5), which is rendered from basileian (G932) Theou (2316). Per Thayer’s, this phrase was used by Jesus to indicate the perfect order of things which he was about to establish, in which all those of every nation who should believe in him were to be gathered together into one society, dedicated and intimately united to God, and made partakers of eternal salvation. This kingdom is spoken of as now begun and actually present inasmuch as its foundations have already been laid by Christ and its benefits realized among men that believe in him (emphasis mine).
The Spirit emphasized two characteristics of this definition for me: the requirement of belief in Christ and its current, ongoing nature.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, let’s wrap up the second half of the Refine step by examining cross-references and other translations.
- Don’t forget to begin with your prayer from Step 1.
- REFINE: Then consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool (I’ll be starting at this blb.org page) to find and read through the available cross-references for the verses you’re most interested in and log what the Spirit shows you.
NOTE: if you’re interested in other verses, follow the above link, then scroll to the verse you want to study, click the TOOLS button on the left side, and choose Cross-Refs from the menu.
- REFINE: Finally, compare at least a few other translations of your study verses and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT using this biblehub.com page. You can compare your own verses from that link by entering them in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass icon there.
I’m looking forward to sharing what I discover with you next week. I hope you’ll join me then!
GO TO WEEK 7 >
by Jen | Jun 3, 2025 | 1-21, DISO studies, John 3
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back! I hope you’ve had a chance to dig a little deeper into this passage this week. Here’s what the Spirit has revealed to me:
Last Week’s Work
CROSS-REFERENCES
This week (as with my study in Joshua), the Spirit led me to look for other “sightings” of key terms in this passage from John:
- born. I found several references to this concept by the gospel writer himself. In John 1:12-13, he says belief in Jesus’s name enables one to be born of God. A similar requirement exists for eternal life (John 3:16). In his first letter, he expounds on what being born of God looks like: s/he practices righteousness (1 John 2:29), refrains from sinning (1 John 3:9), loves others (1 John 4:7), believes Jesus is the Christ and loves those born of the Father, has overcome the world, and is protected by Jesus from the evil one (1 John 5:1, 4, 18).
- Nicodemus. I wanted to see if the Bible indicates how this conversation impacted Nicodemus. In fact, John records he encouraged fellow Pharisees to give Jesus a chance to explain His actions (John 7:45-52). Of course, they did not. Instead, they fixated on where they thought Jesus had been born (Galilee)! After his death, Joseph of Arimathea sought permission and removed Jesus’s body from the cross. With Nicodemus, who contributed about 75 pounds of myrrh and other embalming spices, he prepared and entombed the body of Christ (John 19:38-42). From these two incidents it seems to me Nicodemus probably did finally see Jesus as the light (John 3:21).
- Kingdom of God. While looking into this term, I noticed a couple of instances where Jesus took on the Pharisees and “chief priests and elders” directly.
In Matthew 12:22-27, After they accuse Him of healing a demon-possessed man by the prince of demons, He responds by asking how their sons heal demon possession. If the healing comes from the Spirit of God, He told them, the kingdom of God has come upon you. This reminded me of Nicodemus’s acknowledgement in John 3:2, … no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.
Later in Matthew, Jesus says, … the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John [the Baptist, who told them plainly Jesus was the Son of God] came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him (Matthew 21:31-32).
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
I compared the ESV, AMP, NIV, and Good News translations, but didn’t perceive any real differences among them. Because of that, I decided to have a look at a few commentaries, specifically about the kingdom of God and being born of water and the Spirit.
COMMENTARY
First, I noticed Calvin indicates the kingdom of God refers to the spiritual life which is begun [in this world] by faith. When we are born again God makes us altogether different… this is a renovation of [our] whole nature.
Calvin also mentions being born of water and the Spirit (v5) as a single process of being cleansed and made new by the Holy Spirit. I was eager to learn more about that.
Smith suggested born of water might correspond with our natural birth or being born of the flesh (v6), and we’re born of the Spirit and become a child of God when we acknowledge Jesus is the Christ and let the Spirit’s power govern our hearts and minds, not our own physical needs or wants.
And Barclay notes water is a symbol of cleansing (when Jesus takes possession of our hearts… the sins of the past are forgiven and forgotten), and the Spirit is a symbol of supernatural power that enables us to be and do what we could never be or do by ourselves.
Dig-In Challenges
This coming week, let’s wrap up our study of John 3:1-21 and align with what we’ve discovered in this passage:
- PRAY: Read the prayer created in Step 1.
- ALIGN: Review our study notes and other work, focusing specifically on what we’ve learned in this study.
- ALIGN: Then, considering those “lessons learned,” think about how the Spirit has convicted us through this study. In other words, where has He shown us misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how we practice our faith?
- ALIGN: Next, let’s look to God’s Word for guidance to correct that misalignment. This is often—but not always—a verse from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
- ALIGN: And finally, reflect on how we can change our thoughts or actions to align more closely with what we’ve discovered here. To really make this work, I’m committing to changing something and do my best to act on that commitment every day for at least three weeks.
That may seem like a lot to consider in one week. If you’re working with the Spirit, remember it’s okay to work at your own pace. Don’t worry about where you are—just do what you can when you can. I know the Lord will bless any time you spend in His Word!
GO TO WEEK 8 >
by Jen | Jun 10, 2025 | 1-21, DISO studies, John 3
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back to the final post for our 2025 John 3:1-21 study!
Last Week’s Work
LESSON(S) LEARNED
As I went through my notes for this study, my attention landed on how it seems Jesus and Nicodemus are “talking past” each other: trading comments, but neither seems to pay much attention to what the other says.
Intellectually, I know that’s not so. Jesus, as God, loves Nicodemus. I can’t believe He’s purposefully trying to confuse or irritate him. In my review today, I noticed for the first time a subtle shift in their discussion at v7. Before, I just saw the declaration You must be born again as a summary of his statements in vv3 and 5. Now, though, I see he’s clarifying and personalizing the warning. As in, “you, Nicodemus, must be changed—transformed—to understand and be a part of God’s kingdom.” But there’s more to what He said there. In the English Standard Version of John 3:7, there’s a translation footnote indicating that word you is plural, so I think Jesus might have been referring to Nicodemus and other Pharisees, an elite group of Jewish religious leaders whom Jesus called out for hypocrisy (see Matthew 23). That also seems to be the case in vv11 and 12.
CONVICTION
Looking back over the last three studies I’ve done this year, I’m again convicted of wavering faith. In my Genesis 3 study, I resonated with Eve’s vulnerability to our enemy’s faith attacks, especially when I’m separated from God. And in Joshua 2, Rahab’s faith over her fear helped me see how my faith increases when I stay immersed in God’s Word (Romans 10:17). Now, as my husband and I inch closer to a deadline that won’t be met if God doesn’t move on our behalf, I am again reminded that “… faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not [yet] seen (Hebrews 11:1, emphasis mine).”
CORRECTION
In my cross-reference review of kingdom of God, the Spirit highlighted Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (emphasis mine).” That doesn’t necessarily mean God will do what we are asking of Him right now if we pass the “seek” test. If His answer to our prayer is “no,” it’s no. We’ll survive. We still pray “Lord, turn our fear to faith. May we always seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness above everything else in our lives. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.”
ACTION PLAN
The interesting thing about this situation is that my husband and I have already stepped out in faith. We believed we were being called to something and have invested time and money for it; investments we won’t get back if the plan doesn’t work out. The only thing left to do is to wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:14). But that is proving easier said than done!
Our Next Study
Next week we’ll start another study in the “blast from the past” series: The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15). I hope you’ll join me for that one, too!
by Jen | Feb 25, 2025 | 1-24, DISO studies, Introduction, Joshua 2
Welcome to this Digging into Scripture Ourselves (DISO) study of Joshua 2. I’m glad you’re here with me!
This is the second study in a series of seven I’m calling Restoration. I explored these passages years ago using the original “20 Questions” version of DISO, but those posts are no longer available online. Rather than republish those entries (with the old process), I’ve decided to work through the texts again using the current DISO method. I can’t wait to see what new revelations the Holy Spirit will help me see this time.
Let’s Study Joshua 2!
This week, I’ll pray and survey Joshua 2. If you want to work along with me, here’s what I recommend you have ready::
- A copy of Joshua 2, plus access to the entire book of Joshua.
I like to refer often to the text I’m studying and sometimes make notes on it, so I copy the passage from www.blueletterbible.org, paste it into a word processing program like Google Docs or MS Word, change the formatting to suit my preferences, and print it out. If you want to use the ESV translation, here’s a pdf of my Scripture study sheet with lots of room for doodles and notes.
- A study journal.
We’ll spend the next seven weeks immersed in and learning about Joshua 2, and the work we’ll do each week builds on what came before, so plan to record at least some highlights from your work over the coming weeks. I’m old-school and like the pen-and-paper method for journaling my studies, but it’s okay if that doesn’t work for you. If you don’t have time to write out or type your notes, consider dictating them into a notes app, or recording audio files, instead.
Or, you may decide to just read the posts I publish here. That’s good, too because you’ll become familiar with the process and see how the Spirit speaks to my situation. You may find that’s enough to make it worth your while to keep checking in with me, even if you can’t dig into Joshua 2 yourself this time.
Dig-In Challenges
So, here’s how I’ll be studying this week:
- PRAY: I’ll be creating a prayer that I can pray every time I study Joshua 2. I’m going to write it in my study journal, so I’ll have it handy each time I study.
- SURVEY: And then I’ll read Joshua 2, noting anything that makes me say, “huh?” (as in, “I wonder what that means?”) or “wow” (as in, “that is so awesome!”). I’ll record these and later ask the Spirit to direct me to the one I should dig more deeply into right now.
If you’d like more information about these steps, check out this printable summary of the process I’ll be using over the next eight weeks. Or, you can always reach out to me with your questions through my contact page or at [email protected]. I’m looking forward to sharing what I discover in this process with you, along with snippets of my previous study from 2022 as appropriate—I hope you’ll keep checking in with me each week!
GO TO WEEK 2 >
