³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is ^(A)born ^(B)again^[a] he cannot ^(C)see the kingdom of God.”

The Words of Eternal Life

^60 (A)When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, ^(B)knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ⁶² Then what if you were to see ^(C)the Son of Man ^(D)ascending to ^(E)where he was before? ^63 (F)It is the Spirit who gives life; ^(G)the flesh is no help at all. ^(H)The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But ^(I)there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus ^(J)knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and ^(K)who it was who would betray him.) ⁶⁵ And he said, “This is why I told you ^(L)that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

^15 (A)“If you love me, you will ^(B)keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another ^(C)Helper,^[a] to be with you forever, ¹⁷ even ^(D)the Spirit of truth, ^(E)whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and ^(F)will be^[b] in you.

¹⁸ “I will not leave you as orphans; ^(G)I will come to you. ^19 (H)Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but ^(I)you will see me. ^(J)Because I live, you also will live. ^20 (K)In that day you will know that ^(L)I am in my Father, and ^(M)you in me, and ^(N)I in you. ^21 (O)Whoever has my commandments and ^(P)keeps them, he it is who loves me. And ^(Q)he who loves me ^(R)will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and ^(S)manifest myself to him.” ^22 (T)Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it ^(U)that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus answered him, ^(V)“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and ^(W)we will come to him and ^(X)make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And ^(Y)the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the ^(Z)Helper, the Holy Spirit, ^(AA)whom the Father will send in my name, ^(AB)he will teach you all things and ^(AC)bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

¹⁶ From now on, therefore, ^(A)we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is ^(B)in Christ, he is ^(C)a new creation.^{[a] (D)}The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, ^(E)who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us ^(F)the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[b] the world to himself, ^(G)not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us ^(H)the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, ^(I)we are ambassadors for Christ, ^(J)God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ^21 (K)For our sake he made him to be sin ^(L)who knew no sin, so that in him we might become ^(M)the righteousness of God.