Explaining the Inner Meaning of John 3

Verses 3:1, 2. That some in the perverted church, in consequence of the miracles which the Lord worked, seek conjunction with him, and acknowledge his doctrine to be divine.

Verse 3:3. To whom it is taught, that man cannot attain any perception of heavenly good and truth, except by regeneration.

Verses 3:4, 5. This however is understood by those of the perverted church, according to a natural idea, and not according to a spiritual idea, and therefore they are further instructed, that regeneration is effected by a reception of the truths of faith in man's understanding, and by a love and life in conformity with those truths.

Verses 3:6, 7. Because man is at first born merely natural, but has the capacity of afterwards becoming spiritual, by a life according to truths derived from the Word, and therefore he ought not to regard regeneration as a strange, or irrational operation.

Verse 3:8. Yet that scarcely any of the innumerable arcana of regeneration come to the knowledge and perception of man.

Verses 3:9, 10. This cannot be comprehended by those of the perverted church, who are in the knowledges of external truth, when yet those knowledges ought to have conducted them to the apprehension of internal truth.

Verses 3:11, 12. For the literal or external sense of the Word proceeds from, and is filled with, the interior things of the divine truth and wisdom, which things are rejected by those who remain in the love of mere natural things, and who, on that account, cannot comprehend celestial and spiritual things.

Verse 3:13. For celestial and spiritual things can only be comprehended by those who receive into their minds and lives the divine truth, inasmuch as the divine truth alone comes down from heaven, and therefore is alone capable of elevating any into the things of heaven.

Verses 3:14, 15. That this divine truth therefore assumed a sensual corporeal principle here on earth, to the intent that sensual corporeal men might have a divine object of faith presented to them, and being thus elevated to conjunction with that object, might be preserved from the defilement and death of merely sensual and corporeal life.

Verse 3:16. That this was effected from the divine love, to the intent that mankind might no longer continue immersed in mere natural love, but might be raised into the sphere of celestial and spiritual love.

Verses 3:17, 18. Wherefore God assumed the Human [nature] to the intent that mankind might conjoin goodness and truth in their minds and lives, since a right faith in the Divine Humanity of the Lord leads to such conjunction, whereas a want of that faith leads to separation.

Verses 3:19, 20. For the Divine Humanity of the Lord is divine truth, and if divine truth be rejected in consequence of evil love, then nothing appertains to man but the false principle of evil.

Verse 3:21. On the other hand, if divine truth be loved and obeyed, man is conducted to the Lord's Divine Humanity, because he is willing to acknowledge that all the good which he wills and does is from that divine source.

Verses 3:22, 23, 24. That when the Lord had finished these sayings, he instructs the perverted church in the truths of purification, which truths also were taught in abundance by those who were principled in charity and faith, whilst they were in a state of freedom.

Verses 3:25, 26, 27. Nevertheless these truths are received with doubt by those of the perverted church, and therefore it is taught that all purifying truth is from the Divine Truth, and thus that all wisdom, intelligence, reason, and science, are not of man, but of the Lord in his Divine Humanity.

Verses 3:28, 29. And that the design of all representative truth is only to prepare mankind for the reception of the Divine Truth, that thus good and truth may be conjoined in the church, and the church may rejoice in being instructed concerning the precepts of faith, and in receiving them in faith and obedience.

Verses 3:30, 31. Thus the Divine Truth becomes all in all in the church, as being inmost truth, and all other good and truth only administer externally.

Verses 3:32, 33. For the Divine Truth testifies concerning the Lord, both as to his divine wisdom and divine love, and notwithstanding its being rejected by the generality of mankind, brings conviction along with it to those who receive it.

Verses 3:34, 35. Which truth is from the Lord's Divine Humanity, whose intelligence and wisdom are infinite, being in eternal union with the divine good, and thus possessing the all of that good.

Verse 3:36. Whosoever therefore receives truth from that Divine Humanity with a right faith, is made partaker also of the divine good, but whoever rejects it, can have no apprehension of that good, but remains in his own natural evils.

32. 3. The Lord made the human nature divine from the divine nature within himself. There is support for this in many passages in the Word. Here we select passages that support the following points.

a. This happened step by step:

Jesus grew and became strong in spirit and in wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)

Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in favor with God and humankind. (Luke 2:52)

[2] b. The divine nature worked through the human nature the way a soul works through its body:

The Son cannot do anything on his own unless he sees the Father doing it. (John 5:19)

I do nothing of myself; as my Father taught me I say these things. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone. (John 8:28-29; 5:30)

I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has given me a commandment regarding what I should say and what I should speak. (John 12:49-50)

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority; the Father who dwells in me does these works. (John 14:10)

I am not alone, because the Father is with me. (John 16:32)

[3] c. The divine nature and the human nature worked in complete accord:

Whatever the Father does, the Son also does in the same way. (John 5:19)

Just as the Father raises the dead and brings them to life, so also the Son brings to life those whom he wishes to. (John 5:21)

Just as the Father has life in himself, so he has also granted the Son to have life in himself. (John 5:26)

Now they know that all things you have given me are from you. (John 17:7)

[4] d. The divine nature was united to the human nature and the human nature to the divine:

“If you have known me you have also known my Father and have seen him.” When Philip wanted to see the Father, Jesus said, “Have I been with you for so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? Those who have seen me have seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (John 14:7-11)

If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. If I am doing them, believe the works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. (John 10:37-38)

... so that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. (John 17:21)

On that day you will know that I am in my Father. (John 14:20)

No one will snatch the sheep from my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:29-30)

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. (John 3:35)

All things that the Father has are mine. (John 16:15)

All that is mine is yours, and all that is yours is mine. (John 17:10)

You have given the Son power over all flesh. (John 17:2)

All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18)

[5] e. We should turn to the Divine-Human One, as we can see from the following passages:

... so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. (John 5:23)

If you had known me, you would also have known my Father. (John 8:19)

Those who see me see the one who sent me. (John 12:45)

If you have known me you have also known my Father, and from now on you know him and have seen him. (John 14:7)

Those who accept me accept the one who sent me. (John 13:20)

This is because no one can see the divinity itself that is called “the Father”; only the Divine-Human One can be seen. The Lord in fact said,

No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, has made him visible. (John 1:18)

No one has seen the Father except the one who is with the Father. He has seen the Father. (John 6:46)

You have never heard the Father’s voice or seen what he looks like. (John 5:37)

[6] f. Since the Lord made his human nature divine from the divine nature within himself, and since we should turn to him and he is the Son of God, we are therefore to believe in the Lord who is both Father and Son, as we can see from the following passages.

Jesus said that as many as accepted him, he gave them power to become children of God and believe in his name. (John 1:12)

... so that all who believe in him will not perish but will have eternal life. (John 3:15)

God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him would have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Those who believe in the Son are not condemned; but those who do not believe have already been condemned because they have not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)

Those who believe in the Son have eternal life. Those who do not believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God abides on them. (John 3:36)

The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Those who come to me will not hunger, and those who believe in me will never thirst. (John 6:33, 35)

This is the will of the one who sent me, that all those who see the Son and believe in him will have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. (John 6:40)

They said to Jesus, “What should we do in order to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one whom he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)

Truly I say to you, those who believe in me have eternal life. (John 6:47)

Jesus cried out, saying, “If any are thirsty, they must come to me and drink. As the Scripture has said, from the bellies of those who believe in me will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38)

If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Even if they die, those who believe in me will live; and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

Jesus said, “I have come into the world as a light so that anyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46; 8:12)

While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of the light. (John 12:36)

I tell you truly, the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (John 5:25)

Abide in me, and I [will abide] in you. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and in whom I abide bear much fruit, because without me you cannot do anything. (John 15:1-5)

They were to abide in the Lord, and the Lord in them. (John 14:20; 17:23)

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

[7] In these passages and all others, when it mentions “the Father” it means the divine nature that was in the Lord from his conception, which-according to the teaching embraced by the Christian world regarding faith-was like the soul within the body in human beings. The human nature that came from this divine nature is the Son of God.

Now, since this was also made divine, in order to prevent people from turning to the Father alone and thereby separating the Father from the Lord (in whom the Father dwells) in their thought, faith, and worship, the Lord went on to teach that the Father and he are one and that the Father is in him and he is in the Father, and that we are to abide in him; also that no one comes to the Father except through him. He also tells us that we are to believe in him and that we are saved by a faith focused directly on him.

[8] For many Christians, it is impossible to grasp the concept that in the Lord a human nature was made divine, primarily because they think of “human” only in terms of the physical body and not in terms of anything spiritual. Yet all angels, who are spiritual beings, also have a completely human form, and everything divine that emanates from Jehovah God, everything from its first [or innermost] level in heaven to its last [or outermost] level on earth, tends to take on a human form.

On angels as human forms and on everything divine tending toward the human form, see Heaven and Hell 73-77, 453-460. There will also be more on this subject in forthcoming works that will draw on angelic wisdom about the Lord.