You Must Be Born Again

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named ^(A)Nicodemus, ^(B)a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus^{[a] (C)}by night and said to him, ^(D)“Rabbi, ^(E)we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do ^(F)unless God is with him.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is ^(G)born ^(H)again^[b] he cannot ^(I)see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born ^(J)of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ^6 (K)That which is born of the flesh is ^(L)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.^{[c] 7 (M)}Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You^[d] must be born ^(N)again.’ ^8 (O)The wind^[e] blows ^(P)where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus said to him, ^(Q)“How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel ^(R)and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(S)we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but ^(T)you^[f] do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

Keep in Step with the Spirit

¹⁶ But I say, ^(A)walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify ^(B)the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For ^(C)the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, ^(D)to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are ^(E)led by the Spirit, ^(F)you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now ^(G)the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, ^(H)divisions, ²¹ envy,^[a] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that ^(I)those who do^[b] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But ^(J)the fruit of the Spirit is ^(K)love, joy, peace, patience, ^(L)kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 (M)gentleness, ^(N)self-control; ^(O)against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus ^(P)have crucified the flesh with its ^(Q)passions and desires.

²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, ^(R)let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ^26 (S)Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

⁵ Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. ^(A)Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that ^(B)Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!