³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^[a]”^(A)

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.^{(B) 6} Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit.^{(C) 7} You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’

¹⁶ For God so loved^(A) the world that he gave^(B) his one and only Son,^(C) that whoever believes^(D) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.^{(E) 17} For God did not send his Son into the world^(F) to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.^(G)

³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,^(A) but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it^(A) is the Lord of heaven and earth^(B) and does not live in temples built by human hands.^{(C) 25} And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.^{(D) 26} From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.^{(E) 27} God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.^{(F) 28} ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^[a](G) As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^[b]

²⁹ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.^{(H) 30} In the past God overlooked^(I) such ignorance,^(J) but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.^{(K) 31} For he has set a day when he will judge^(L) the world with justice^(M) by the man he has appointed.^(N) He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”^(O)

³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead,^(P) some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”

¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God^(A) but considers them foolishness,^(B) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;^(A) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.^(B) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience^(C) in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel^(D) is veiled,^(E) it is veiled to those who are perishing.^{(F) 4} The god^(G) of this age^(H) has blinded^(I) the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,^(J) who is the image of God.^(K)

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,^{(A) 2} in which you used to live^(B) when you followed the ways of this world^(C) and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,^(D) the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.^(E)