1. a What do the Pharisees of Jesus day and all religions (excluding Christianity) today have in common?
b What does Christianity teach that sets it apart from all other religions?
2. How has the term “Born again” been wrongly used in today's culture to define what it means to be a Christian?
3. In verse 5 we read: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Catholics, as well as many bible believing Christians, believe that being “born of water’” in this verse is talking about baptism. They will refer to verses such as Mark 6:16 , 1 Peter 3:21,and Acts 3:23 to support their argument. How do we know from the passage in John 3, and other scriptures that this is not what Jesus is referring to?
(Helpful verses: Titus 3:4-7;John 1:12;John 5:24;John 11:25;Romans 10:9-11)
4. Why should we never attempt to harmonize God's sovereignty in salvation vs man's responsibility?
5. Luther describes John 3:16 as the “gospel in miniature”, what is the expanded view of the Gospel, and how does the “World” as expressed in vs 16 deepen our view of God?
Leaders Guide
1.a. They all believe you get to God by way of human achievement.
Discuss some examples of this false system of belief both present and historically and the practices involved (seeking to appease false gods by child sacrifices
etc)
b. We are saved by faith alone.
2. Open discussion
3. 1 Peter 3:21
“While water baptism is clearly in the apostle’s mind, not the baptism by the Holy
Spirit, for he speaks of the waters of the flood as saving the inmates of the ark, and in this verse, of baptism saving believers he goes on to says that it saves them only as a counterpart. That is, water baptism is the counterpart of the reality, salvation. It can only save as a counterpart, not actually. The Old Testament sacrifices were counterparts of the reality, the Lord Jesus. In other words, a symbol. They did not actually save the believer, only in type. It is not argued here that these sacrifices are analogous to Christian water baptism. The author is merely using them as an illustration of the use of the word 'counterpart.'" Dr. Kenneth Wuest
Mark 16:16 Jesus here mentions a condition related to salvation (baptism) But a related condition should not be confused with a requirement. Nowhere in the Bible do we find a statement such as “whoever is not baptized will be condemned.”
Acts 3:23 There is an important difference between a condition of salvation and a requirement for salvation. The Bible is clear that belief is both a condition and a requirement, but the same cannot be said for baptism. The Bible does not say that if a man is not baptized then he will not be saved.
Requiring anything in addition to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation is a works- based salvation. To add anything to the gospel is to say that Jesus’ death on the cross was not sufficient to purchase our salvation.
Helpful verses: Titus 3:4-7;John 1:12; 5:24; 11:25;Romans 10:9-11
4. “These two truths, I do not believe, can ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence all truth doth spring.” Spurgeon.
5. Remember, by saying “world”, Jesus is not referring to a quantity, rather he is referring to the quality of humanity, the fallenness of man. It is not that God's love isn't big enough for the entire world, but that God
