<\/p>\n
9\u00a0<\/sup>Nicodemus said to him,\u00a0\u201cHow can these things be?\u201d<\/span>\u00a010\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cAre you the teacher of Israel\u00a0and yet you do not understand these things?<\/span><\/span>\u00a011\u00a0<\/sup>Truly, truly, I say to you,\u00a0we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but\u00a0you[a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0do not receive our testimony.<\/span><\/span>12\u00a0<\/sup>If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?<\/span><\/span>\u00a013\u00a0<\/sup>No one has\u00a0ascended into heaven except\u00a0he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[b<\/a>]<\/sup><\/span><\/span>\u00a014\u00a0<\/sup>And\u00a0as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man\u00a0be lifted up,<\/span><\/span>\u00a015\u00a0<\/sup>that whoever believes\u00a0in him\u00a0may have eternal life.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Verse 9-10: There is a Lack of Understanding in Man<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Verse 9 begins with Nicodemus asking the question, \u201cHow can these things be?\u201d<\/em> What things? The things we looked at last week in verse 1-8 – the new birth, The Spirit\u2019s work in the new birth, etc. \u201cHow can all that be?\u201d<\/em> Nicodemus asks. Jesus initially responds to Nicodemus\u2019 question with a question – \u201cAre you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?\u201d<\/em> In other words, when Nicodemus asks, \u201cHow can these things be?\u201d<\/em> Jesus responds by saying, \u201cHow can these things not be?\u201d<\/em> Nicodemus, as the teacher of Israel, should\u2019ve known what Jesus was talking about, as the new birth is derived from the Old Testament, which Nicodemus would\u2019ve known so very well. One of the premier Old Testament texts that we looked at last week was Ezekiel 36:25-27<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n This whole idea of the new birth should not have been a totally foreign idea to Nicodemus. Though Jesus of course brings clearer light to the subject, the Old Testament spoke of a New Covenant that was not like the Old, in Jeremiah 31 for example, where God will write His law on their hearts, and all in the covenant shall know him. The Old Testament speaks of the nature of men being dead and wicked and in need of a total new life, and new heart being put them as we saw in Ezekiel 36, and last week in Ezekiel 37 and the valley of dry bones. Yet, in Nicodemus\u2019 framework inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven meant being an ethnic Jew and strict adherence to the law. It was very much outward and religious and not inward and spiritual. In reality, if it wasn\u2019t inward and spiritual, then it wasn\u2019t really outward and religious, in terms of true religion. Jesus affirmed in his discussion on the wind and seeing its effects, that those who are born again will show it outwardly in way of life and obedience – but for that to truly happen, there must be the spiritual new birth. As we see in verse 15 where it says, \u201cwhoever believes in him may have eternal life\u201d<\/em> it has nothing to do with ethnicity or nationality. That too, Nicodemus should have known, as the Old Testament is filled with language of the gospel going to the nations, essentially. Isaiah chapter 2 says in the latter days the nations shall flow to the mountain of God. So Nicodemus does not understand the spirituality of the new birth, or the extent to whom the new birth goes – the nations. For someone who had so much light, there is a real darkness in his understanding. In one sense Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he cannot understand spiritual things unless he is born again.<\/span><\/p>\n As A. W. Pink says, \u201c…something more than education and morality are needed to understand the things of God.\u201d<\/em> Nicodemus certainly had education and morality, yet He did not understand the things of God.<\/span><\/p>\n Let this be a lesson for us all. It does not matter how much you know in your mind, if you don\u2019t know Jesus in your heart, then your understanding is darkened. It does not matter how strict your life is, if you\u2019ve only been born once, then it is not true life. You must be born again.<\/span><\/p>\n Some of you may be in a comparable situation to Nicodemus. You know so much of the Scripture, you have so much light around you, and yet you may not be born again, and thus have no true understanding. The natural man cannot understand the things of God. It takes a spiritual person to understand spiritual things and that only comes through the new birth, in which we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Verse 11-12: There is a Lack of Belief in Man<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Though Nicodemus professed Christ to be a teacher, he did not accept His teachings when they didn\u2019t agree with what he wanted them to be, or with what he already believed, or wanted to believe. It wasn\u2019t simply that Nicodemus did not understand, but he did not receive or believe! That is the problem with the natural man. It is not simply that he is intellectually in the dark and in ignorance and merely needs enlightenment to intellectually ascend to a knowledge of the truth – no, the natural man, does not receive the truth – he will not! He understands not, because he believes not! It is not innocent ignorance, it is willful rebellion. That is why when we are doing evangelize we are not trying to persuade someone to believe the gospel, as if they just need more facts and evidence, then upon seeing it\u2019s truthfulness they will agree with it – no, when we do evangelism we are calling all men everywhere to repent! Men are not uneducated truth-seekers who need more education, they are sinful rebels against the King of Kings who are to lay down their arms and bow the knee to Jesus. Men and women are dead in their trespasses and sins and need new resurrection life in Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n Verse 11 is interesting because Jesus begins to speak in plurals. Is there somebody there with Jesus or is He going crazy or what? Well, the plurals in verse 11 could refer to the prophets and John the Baptist, all testifying to Christ; or it could be trinitarian language. I tend to lean toward it referring to the prophets – or in other words, the testimony of Old Testament Scripture that testified to the new birth and new covenant realities. I believe that makes the most sense considering the context – Nicodemus\u2019 knowledge of the Old Testament, and Jesus\u2019 use of it. Jesus is aligning Himself with Scripture, as the Messiah, and Nicodemus would\u2019ve known the Scripture quite well, and would be offended to be told that He is not receiving, believing, or understanding what the Scripture is saying. Jesus is being a good evangelist in turning the tables on Nicodemus and doing the work of pricking his heart and conscience, in exposing his inconsistency. Jesus does so by standing on the authority of God\u2019s Word.<\/span><\/p>\n So Jesus tells Nicodemus, \u201cYou don\u2019t understand because you do not receive or believe the testimony of the prophets,\u201d<\/em> then in verse 12 he\u2019s saying, \u201cnor, do you believe the earthly things I have told you. So you certainly won\u2019t believe the spiritual things.\u201d<\/em> This is one of the marks of Jesus\u2019 teaching: He often used earthly metaphors and word pictures to convey deep spiritual truths, such as we saw in the previous verses \u201cbirth\u201d<\/em> and \u201cwind.\u201d<\/em> We often think of the parables of Jesus being illustrations to more easily teach spiritual things, but in reality Jesus used them to veil the truth to unbelievers. Even the plain earthly things they do not believe.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Verse 13: There is Full Understanding in Christ<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Though Nicodemus knew the Scripture so well, and he should\u2019ve known and received what Jesus spoke of, he ultimately did not know what he should\u2019ve because he did not know Christ in faith. He didn\u2019t truly understand the Scripture because he didn\u2019t have the appropriate hermeneutical key to understanding the Scripture. Christ is that key. Jesus is teaching that to him here. Proverbs 4:19 says, \u201cThe way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.\u201d<\/em> Nicodemus was stumbling over Christ, and he didn\u2019t know it. At least not yet. <\/span><\/p>\n It seems to me that here in verse 13, Jesus is referencing Jacob\u2019s ladder, yet again, as He did with Nathanael back at the end of chapter 1. In Jacob\u2019s dream angels were descending and ascending on a ladder from heaven to earth. At the top of the ladder was the Lord, and in the dream He blessed Jacob. Jacob was so moved, and a bit confused, he thought it was the physical location in which he was sleeping that was the portal from heaven to earth. He said, <\/span>\u201cSurely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.\u201d And he was afraid and said, \u201cHow awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven\u201d (Genesis 28:16-17). <\/span><\/i>Then he calls the place Bethel, which means \u201cthe house of God.\u201d<\/em> So Jacob thought it was the earthly physical location that was the gate between heaven and earth. Then Jesus comes along and says, \u201cIt was me. I\u2019m the gate. I\u2019m the portal from heaven to earth.\u201d<\/em> In His conversation with Nathanael He says, \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man\u201d (John 1:51).<\/em> So there, He\u2019s the ladder and the angels are ascending and descending on Him. But in His conversation with Nicodemus He says, \u201cNo one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man\u201d (John 3:13).<\/em> So there, Jesus is the one ascending and descending. Jesus is essentially saying, \u201cI am the way to understanding. I am the key to understanding the Scripture. And I am the point of Scripture. It is through me that you understand these things.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Colossians 2:2-3 tells us, \u201c…all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God\u2019s mystery, is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.\u201d<\/em> It is only in and through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ that we understand the Scripture and the things of God. Without Christ all is darkness and vanity. There is an element of faith in Christ that is necessary to understanding the Scripture and spiritual things. I was reading a Charles Spurgeon sermon this week in which he said, \u201cIf I set a critical scholar to read a Psalm, he sees no Messiah there; but if I set an enthusiastic lover of the Saviour to read it, he sees him, if not in every verse, still here and there glimpses of his glory.\u201d<\/em> If we understand something apart from Christ we do not understand it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Verse 14-15: There is Full Life in Christ<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus then goes on to reference another passage of Old Testament Scripture that Nicodemus would\u2019ve known – Numbers 21 (which we will look at in more depth next week, Lord willing). Why does Jesus bring up this passage in reference to Himself? He is teaching the teacher of Israel how to understand the Scripture by preaching the gospel to Him! Jesus is teaching Nicodemus how to understand the Scripture, and He\u2019s evangelizing him!<\/span><\/p>\n Essentially what we have here is the answer to the question in verse 9. In the verses we looked at last week, vv. 1-8, Jesus talks with Nicodemus about the new birth. In verse 9, in response to Jesus\u2019 talking about the necessity of the new birth and the sovereign working of the Spirit in the new birth, Nicodemus asks how all that can be. He is essentially asking, \u201cIf the new birth is necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, yet it is a sovereign work of the Spirit, who like the wind we cannot control, then how in the world are we supposed to be born again and enter the Kingdom of Heaven?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Jesus essentially says, \u201cLook, you should know, since you have the Scripture, but you have not believed me, so you can\u2019t understand. But if you look to the Son of Man lifted and believe, you will have eternal life.\u201d<\/em> In other words, \u201cIf the new birth is necessary and we can\u2019t do it ourselves then how are we supposed to be saved?\u201d<\/em> Answer: \u201cBelieve in Him! Believe in the Son of Man, Son of God, Jesus Christ!\u201d<\/em> That is what you are responsible to do. The first and foremost expression and effect of the new birth in a person is belief and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How is the new birth possible? Through and in Christ. How can dead men be made alive? Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How can an old man be born again? Through the Spirit\u2019s application of the work of Christ – the ultimate man, and the Ancient of Days. How can these things be? By looking to Jesus Christ lifted up on the cross and believing in Him.<\/span><\/p>\n The implied exhortation to believe in the Lord Jesus lifted up is connected to the discussion on the Spirit\u2019s role in the new birth. The Holy Spirit does not roam around the earth and randomly give spiritual life to people in a vacuum. The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God and the preaching of the gospel to give faith. Romans 10:17, \u201cSo faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.\u201d<\/em> That\u2019s how the new birth happens – the gospel is preached and the Spirit makes effectual that Word and grants faith.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the main points in this passage about the necessity of the new birth is that man\u2019s problem is that he needs to be made into a new man. Man\u2019s problem is that he needs to be made into a new man! The natural self is dead in sins, rebellious toward God, unable to understand or believe spiritual things, and excluded from the Kingdom of God. That\u2019s the problem that the new birth solves. It makes us into a new man. The new birth is not done in a vacuum – it\u2019s not an isolated magic trick from God. The New birth is the application of the work of Christ. It applies to us the blood of Christ – forgiveness of sins. It applies to us the righteousness of Christ – our justification. We are filled with His Spirit that our minds are renewed in the truth, and our ways desire to walk in obedience according to our new nature.<\/span><\/p>\n The problem of man is that we need to be made into a new man, which is due to the sin of our old man – Adam. We, in our first father, Adam, rebelled against God and death entered the world. In our flesh is sin and death. Our need for a new man is fulfilled in the Son of Man. Jesus calls himself the Son of Man in verse 13 and 14. Why is this? Matthew Henry tells us, \u201cChrist, in calling Himself the Son of Man, shows that He is the second Adam, for the first Adam was the Father of man.\u201d<\/em> The problem of man is that we need to be made into a new man because of the sin of our old man (Adam), so the Son of Man was lifted up for all men, that our old man (our flesh) could be made a new man.<\/span><\/p>\n How can a man be born when he is old? Through the life and death of the Son of Man. So I ask you, have you been born again and made new? Is there fruit? Do you believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, lifted up on the cross for sinners? Do so now today and you will have eternal life.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 9\u00a0Nicodemus said to him,\u00a0\u201cHow can these things be?\u201d\u00a010\u00a0Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cAre you the teacher of Israel\u00a0and yet you do not understand these things?\u00a011\u00a0Truly, truly, I say to you,\u00a0we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but\u00a0you[a]\u00a0do not receive our testimony.12\u00a0If I have told you earthly things and you do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":3785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,30,32],"tags":[105,181,208,253,274,278,557,562,615,625,678,679,687,699,765,786,861,867,870,1014,1031,1033,1056,1144,1172,1174,1226,1239,1240],"class_list":{"0":"post-3784","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-preaching","9":"category-theology","10":"tag-adam","11":"tag-be","12":"tag-birth","13":"tag-can","14":"tag-christ","15":"tag-christianity","16":"tag-god","17":"tag-gospel","18":"tag-holy","19":"tag-how","20":"tag-jenkins","21":"tag-jesus","22":"tag-john","23":"tag-joshua","24":"tag-lord","25":"tag-man","26":"tag-nature","27":"tag-new","28":"tag-nicodemus","29":"tag-rags","30":"tag-reformed","31":"tag-regeneration","32":"tag-riches","33":"tag-sin","34":"tag-spirit","35":"tag-spiritual","36":"tag-testament","37":"tag-these","38":"tag-things","39":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/images.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3781,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/how-can-a-man-be-born-when-he-is-old-john-31-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":3784,"position":0},"title":"How Can A Man Be Born When He Is Old? John 3:1-8","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named\u00a0Nicodemus,\u00a0a ruler of the Jews.\u00a02\u00a0This man came to Jesus[a]\u00a0by night and said to him,\u00a0\u201cRabbi,\u00a0we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do\u00a0unless God is with him.\u201d\u00a03\u00a0Jesus answered him,\u00a0\u201cTruly, truly, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church History"","block_context":{"text":"Church History","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/church-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/nicodemus-visiting-jesus_henry-ossawa-tanner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/nicodemus-visiting-jesus_henry-ossawa-tanner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/nicodemus-visiting-jesus_henry-ossawa-tanner.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/nicodemus-visiting-jesus_henry-ossawa-tanner.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/nicodemus-visiting-jesus_henry-ossawa-tanner.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4752,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-burial-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":3784,"position":1},"title":"The Burial of Christ","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"February 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"38\u00a0After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly\u00a0for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.\u00a039\u00a0Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[a]\u00a0by night,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/02\/the-garden-tomb-jerusalem-nigel-radcliffe.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/02\/the-garden-tomb-jerusalem-nigel-radcliffe.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/02\/the-garden-tomb-jerusalem-nigel-radcliffe.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/02\/the-garden-tomb-jerusalem-nigel-radcliffe.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3842,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/jesus-at-jacobs-well-john-41-14\/","url_meta":{"origin":3784,"position":2},"title":"Jesus at Jacob’s Well; John 4:1-14","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and\u00a0baptizing more disciples than John\u00a02\u00a0(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),\u00a03\u00a0he left Judea and departed\u00a0again for Galilee.\u00a04\u00a0And he had to pass through Samaria.\u00a05\u00a0So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/08\/woman-at-the-well-richards.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/08\/woman-at-the-well-richards.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/08\/woman-at-the-well-richards.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3778,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/he-knew-all-people-john-223-25\/","url_meta":{"origin":3784,"position":3},"title":"He Knew All People; John 2:23-25","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"June 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \"23\u00a0Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name\u00a0when they saw the signs that he was doing.\u00a024\u00a0But Jesus\u00a0on his part did not entrust himself to them, because\u00a0he knew all people25\u00a0and needed no one to bear witness about man, for\u00a0he himself knew what was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/kodaikanal-2836301-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/kodaikanal-2836301-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/kodaikanal-2836301-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/kodaikanal-2836301-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/kodaikanal-2836301-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/06\/kodaikanal-2836301-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3794,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/how-god-loved-the-world-john-316\/","url_meta":{"origin":3784,"position":4},"title":"How God Loved the World; John 3:16","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"July 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Introduction \u00a0 If you have a red-letter bible you will see that John 3:16-21 is in red, meaning these are the words of Jesus. However\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3696,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/testimony-concerning-the-son-of-god-1-john-56-12\/","url_meta":{"origin":3784,"position":5},"title":"Testimony Concerning the Son of God: 1 John 5:6-12","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 6\u00a0This is he who came\u00a0by water and blood\u2014Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And\u00a0the Spirit is the one who testifies, because\u00a0the Spirit is the truth.\u00a07\u00a0For there are three that testify:8\u00a0the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.\u00a09\u00a0If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church History"","block_context":{"text":"Church History","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/church-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/great-gray-workshop1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/great-gray-workshop1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/great-gray-workshop1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/great-gray-workshop1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}