• Context of John 3
    • Signs led to belief (John 20:30-31
    • Some belief was corrupt (John 2:24-25
    • Some belief, while not necessarily corrupt, included a misunderstanding of the qualifications for citizenship in the coming kingdom: the Jews thought that because they were Jews they would automatically become citizens of the kingdom (Matthew 3:2-9.
  • An exposition of John 3:
    • John 3:1-2
    • John 3:3: Jesus answered with qualifications for entering the kingdom.
    • John 3:5-8: Jesus expounds on the conditions.
      • John 3:7-8: There is a different way to determine kingdom citizenship.
    • John 3:10-21: Jesus drives home the point.
      • John 3:10-12: a rebuke
      • John 3:13: giving credentials
      • John 3:14-15: another explanation that there is more to inheriting the kingdom than just being a Jew: “whoever believes”
      • John 3:16-21: another explanation
        • “believes” 4 times: not just being a Jew
        • “whoever (world)” 6 times: not just Jews
  • About belief
    • Belief cannot happen without the Word.
      • Belief is brought by the Spirit.
      • The Spirit uses the Word. John 6:63
    • Some belief will not save (John 8:30-31
    • Belief must be accompanied by works.
      • James 2:14-26
      • Romans 3:28 - the difference between sufficient and necessary
    • Belief is not all that is necessary to be saved
      • e.g. repentance (Matthew 3
      • e.g. confession (John 12
      • Immersion (“baptism”) in water: John 3
        • The “born of flesh” refers to his literal birth, and emphasizes his ethnicity and stands in contrast to “born of the spirit.”
    • Some people (“Christians”): “But baptism is not necessary because it is not mentioned in John 3:16”:
      • Neither are confessing and repenting mentioned. Does this mean they are unnecessary (John 3:22-26?
      • Mark 16:16 - statement
      • Matthew 28:19 - command
      • Acts 22:16 - example
      • Romans 6:1-7 - necessary inference