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who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Verse Takeaways
1
Not by Human Means
Commentators unanimously stress that becoming a child of God is not a result of human factors. It is not through prestigious ancestry ('not of blood'), natural human desire ('will of the flesh'), or even the deliberate choice of another person ('will of man'). This directly refutes any idea that salvation can be inherited or achieved by human effort.
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John
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11
18th Century
Presbyterian
Which were born—This undoubtedly refers to the “new birth,” or to the great change in the sinner’s mind called regeneration or conversion.…
Which were born (ο εγεννηθησαν). First aorist passive indicative of γενναω, to beget, "who were begotten." By spiritual generation…
19th Century
Anglican
Which were born.—The result of receiving Him remains to be explained. How could they become sons of God? The wor…
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Baptist
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
There is another birth besides the …
Just as there is a sharp antithesis in vv.4–5 between darkness and light, so here is an equally direct contrast between rejection and reception. In…
16th Century
Protestant
Who were born not of blood. Some think that an indirect reference is made here to the preposterous confidence of the Jews, and I willingly…
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17th Century
Reformed Baptist
Which were born not of blood Or bloods, in the plural number. The birth, here spoken of, is regeneration, expressed …
John the Baptist came to bear witness concerning Jesus. Nothing more fully shows the darkness of human minds than the fact that when the Light had …
13th Century
Catholic
Having explained the necessity for the incarnation of the Word, the Evangelist then shows the advantage humanity gained from that incarna…
