17 But it is God who has done all this. He sent Christ to make peace with us and to bring us back to himself. Now he has given us the work of bringing other people back to God.
5 Jesus said, I tell you the truth. This new birth is by water and by the Spirit. No person can enter Gods kingdom if he has not been born that way.
6 That which is born of a person is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 You must not be surprised when I say, "You must be born again."
15 I tell you the truth. If anyone does not believe in the kingdom of God like a child, he will never go in.
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He was very kind to us, and made us his children. So we have a new hope. This hope is a living hope because Jesus Christ was raised from death.
4 Because we are Gods children, one day we shall receive special blessings. They cannot be spoiled in any way, and they will last for ever. They are kept safe in heaven for you.
11 So you also must think you are dead, and stop your wrong ways. And you must think you are living for God along with Christ Jesus our Lord.
23 You have been made Gods children. He did not make you his children by something that dies, but by something that cannot die. That is the word of God.
4 We were buried when he was buried because we were baptised into his death. Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father. So we also must live a new life.
5 Have we shared with Christ and died as he died? Then we shall share with him by rising from death as he arose.
6 We know this is true. The old person we used to be was nailed to the cross with him, so that our bodies which do wrong things would die. Then we will no longer be like slaves to the wrong things we used to do.
7 Anyone who has died no longer does wrong things.
3 Jesus said, I tell you the truth. No person can see Gods kingdom if he is not born again.
4 Nicodemus said, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he go inside of his mother again and be born?
5 Jesus said, I tell you the truth. This new birth is by water and by the Spirit. No person can enter Gods kingdom if he has not been born that way.
6 That which is born of a person is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 You must not be surprised when I say, "You must be born again."
8 The wind blows where it wants to blow. You can hear the sound of it. But you do not know where it comes from, and you do not know where it goes. It is the same way with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
22 Stop being the person you used to be in your old life. That person was bad because he wanted to do wrong things.
23 Have a new mind and heart.
24 Be a new person. That new person has been made like God. He does what is right and holy because he knows the truth.
3 Jesus said, I tell you the truth. No person can see Gods kingdom if he is not born again.
9 Do not tell lies to one another. You have stopped being the person you used to be who did wrong things.
10 And now you have become a new person. That new person is always learning more and more until he becomes like God who made him.
11 In this new person, there is no difference between a Greek and a Jew. There is no difference between a man who is circumcised with the mark of the Jew and a man who is not circumcised. There is no difference between a person from a friendly country or someone from a country which is not friendly. There is no difference between a slave and a person who is free. Christ is everything and is in all of them.
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son to make us free. He was born by a woman during the time when men had to obey the law.
5 God sent him to set the people free who were under the law. God sent him so that we would receive our rights as sons of God.
4 We were buried when he was buried because we were baptised into his death. Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father. So we also must live a new life.
2 Babies who have just been born want milk very much. In the same way, you should want Gods word. That is like good milk. It will make you grow up so that you will then be fully saved.
3 You should want Gods word if you have already tasted and know that the Lord is good.
12 But there were people who did believe in his name. They did receive him. He gave all those who received him and believed him the right to become children of God.
13 They were born into Gods family by God. That is, they were not born into his family in the way a person is born into this world. It was not by any persons will.
4 But God was very, very kind. He loved us very, very much.
5 We were dead because of the wrong things we had done. He has made us alive with Christ. You have been saved by his love and kindness.
20 I died when Christ died on a cross. I do not live now, but Christ lives in me. Now while I still live in my body, I live by believing in the Son of God. He loved me and gave himself for me.
1 See how much the Father has loved us! We are called Gods children. It is true, we are Gods children. People in this world did not know him and so they do not know us.
2 My dear brothers, we are Gods children now. No one knows yet what we shall be like. But we know that when Jesus comes, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is.
1 The disciples came to Jesus at that time. They said, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 Jesus called a child to him. He had the child stand in front of them.
3 He said, I tell you the truth. If your hearts do not change and become like hearts of children, you will never go into the kingdom of heaven.
4 So anyone who feels himself small like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.