A ruler of the Jews comes by night, and is told that to see the kingdom a man must be born again: “born of water and of the Spirit.” Jesus binds the new birth to the serpent Moses lifted up, and to the Son who must be lifted up, that whoever believes should have eternal life.
Note. This night conversation is preserved in John alone.
The reading is the Joseph Smith Translation, in the text of the Covenant Christian Edition, carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the CCE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
1There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles which you do except God be with him. 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Truly, truly I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born? 5Jesus answered, Truly, truly I say unto you, except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again. 8The wind blows where it desires and you hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell from where it comes and to where it goes; so is everyone who is born of the spirit. 9Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10Jesus answered and said unto him, Are you a master of Israel and do not know these things? 11Truly, truly I say unto you, we speak that which we do know and testify that which we have seen, and you receive not our witness. 12If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you Heavenly things? 13I tell you, no man has ascended up to Heaven, but he who came down from Heaven — the Son of Man who is in Heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. 18He who believes on him is not condemned, but he who believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed on the name of the Only Begotten Son of God, which before was preached by the mouth of the holy prophets; for they testified of me. 19And this is the condemnation: that light has come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; 20for everyone who does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he who doeth loves truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.. And he who obeys the truth, the works which he does, they are of God.
In instructions probably given in the summer of 1839, as the apostles and seventies prepared for their mission to Europe, Joseph Smith put the new birth in one sentence, in the middle of a warning about false spirits. Willard Richards copied the instructions into his notebook in England.
Discourse, between circa 26 June and circa 4 August 1839 (A), Commerce, Illinois · Willard Richards, Pocket Companion, p. 72 (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 162) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗… Lying spirits are going forth in the Earth. There will be great manifestation of Spirit both false & true. Being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances. …
In his published editorial on baptism, Joseph Smith took up Jesus’ very words to Nicodemus and reasoned that, because God is unchanging, to be “born of water and of the Spirit” (baptism by proper authority) is and always has been the one door into the kingdom:
Editorial, “Baptism,” Times and Seasons, 1 September 1842 (3:903–905), pp. 904–905 · Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 264–265 · Joseph Smith Papers ↗… according to the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?—Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This strong and positive answer of Jesus, as to water baptism, settles the question: If God is the same yesterday, to day, and forever; it is no wonder he is so positive in the great declaration: He that believes and is baptised shall be saved, and he that believes not shall be damned! There was no other name given under heaven, nor no other ordinance admitted, whereby men could be saved: No wonder the Apostle said, being “buried with him in baptism,” ye shall rise from the dead! No wonder Paul had to arise and be baptised and wash away his sins: No wonder the angel told good old Cornelius that he must send for Peter to learn how to be saved: Peter could baptise, and angels could not, so long as there were legal officers in the flesh holding the keys of the kingdom, or the authority of the priesthood.
Preaching on the first chapter of Second Peter and on making one’s calling and election sure, Joseph Smith asked how a man gets the Holy Spirit of promise, and answered with the two sayings to Nicodemus, one after the other: born again to see the kingdom, born of water and the Spirit to enter it. James Burgess alone recorded this part of the sermon.
Discourse, 21 May 1843, Nauvoo · James Burgess, Notebook, p. [9] · Joseph Smith Papers ↗… First to be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise that is the testimony of Jesus Second how is he to get that Holy Spirit; Ans. except a man be born again he cannot See the Kingdom of God; second except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.
Speaking from the temple stand to strangers and members of other churches, Joseph Smith set out where the Latter-day Saints agree with them and where they part, and read “born of water and of the Spirit” as the two halves of one baptism. Willard Richards’s notes in Joseph’s journal are the only record of this part.
Discourse, 9 July 1843, the temple stand, Nauvoo · Joseph Smith Journal, kept by Willard Richards, pp. [303]–[304] · Joseph Smith Papers ↗faith & repentance.— we are agreed.— baptism. yes by imme[r]sion. the Hebrew is the root. to bury immerse—— Do you believe this no.— I believe in b[e]ing converted.—— I believe in this tinaceously [tenaciously] Holy Ghost by laying on of hands Evidance. Peter on days of Pentecost; might as well baptise a bag of sand as a man if not done in view of the getting of the Holy ghost.— baptism by water is but 1/2 a baptism.— & is good for nothi[n]g with[out] the other. the Holy Gho[s]t.— … except a man be born again. of water & of the spir[i]t can in no wise enter into the Kingdom—
Joseph Smith drew the difference between verse 3 and verse 5 himself: to see the kingdom takes a change of heart, to enter it takes the ordinances, “the articles of adoption.” The sermon, preached at the temple stand, is known from Willard Richards’s notes in Joseph’s journal.
Discourse, 15 October 1843, the temple stand, Nauvoo · Joseph Smith Journal, kept by Willard Richards, p. [130] (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 328) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗… one thing to see the kingdom. & another to be in it. must have a change of heart. to see the kingdom of Good [God]. & subs[c]ribe the articles of adoption to enter therein. no man can r[e]ceive the Holy Ghost without r[e]ceiving re[v]elations, The H. G. is a revelator.
Barker hears the vocabulary of the older temple mysteries in the Nicodemus dialogue (kingdom, being born from above, and seeing: the temple mystic’s vision through the veil).
Nicodemus, described as a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews and the teacher of Israel is a representative figure (John 3.1 [John 2:1], 10). They discuss the kingdom, being born from above, and seeing – all terms from the older royal tradition. Nicodemus does not understand what Jesus is talking about.
Day One was represented by the holy of holies, the golden cube that housed the cherub throne of God. Whatever was within the veil was outside time and outside matter, since the outer area represented the world of time and matter. Within the veil, a state beyond time and matter, there could be no division, and so Day One was said to represent the divine Unity underlying all creation and from which all creation proceeds. It was also the state of the light before creation, the light of the divine presence. In temple-talk, this was the Kingdom. Some temple mystics were enabled to see through the veil to the light and unity beyond. The Transfiguration is the best-known account of such an experience. St John said that seeing and entering the Kingdom was for those who had been born from above. 37 On the sixth day of erecting the tabernacle, Moses purified the high priests to serve in the tabernacle, and on the sixth day in Genesis, Adam was created. The comparison shows that Adam was created to be the high priest of creation. He was created to be the presence of the LORD. When the high priest was anointed, the oil was put on his eyelids to open his eyes, but also on his forehead in the shape of a cross. This was the sign of the name of the LORD.38 The Christians also had this mark, given at baptism. In the Book of Revelation, St John tells how he saw a multitude whom the angel would mark on their foreheads, and then he saw them standing before the throne in heaven, which means they were in the holy of holies. They all had the name, that is, the cross, on their foreheads 39, and so they were all high priests.
The prescription in Exodus for the vestments of the high priest is very significant. The translations we now use do not accurately reflect how the text was understood in the time of Jesus. The first part is accurate: the high priest wore on his forehead a plate of pure gold, bearing the sacred Name. Most translations then have: ‘engrave it like the engraving of a seal “Holy to the LORD”’, implying that the high priest was holy to the LORD. In the time of Jesus, however, they said the line meant ‘engrave it like a holy seal belonging to the LORD’. The high priest wore on the golden plate, a golden seal, on which were the four Hebrew letters of the sacred Name.