Jesus the True Vine

151 I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch in me which has no fruit, and every branch which has fruit he makes clean, so that it may have more fruit. 3 You are clean, even now, through the teaching which I have given you. 4 Be in me at all times as I am in you. As the branch is not able to give fruit of itself, if it is not still on the vine, so you are not able to do so if you are not in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: he who is in me at all times as I am in him, gives much fruit, because without me you are able to do nothing. 6 If a man does not keep himself in me, he becomes dead and is cut off like a dry branch; such branches are taken up and put in the fire and burned. 7 If you are in me at all times, and my words are in you, then anything for which you make a request will be done for you. 8 Here is my Father's glory, in that you give much fruit and so are my true disciples.

9 Even as the Father has given me his love, so I have given my love to you: be ever in my love. 10 If you keep my laws, you will be ever in my love, even as I have kept my Father's laws, and am ever in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that I may have joy in you and so that your joy may be complete. 12 This is the law I give you: Have love one for another, even as I have love for you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man gives up his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends, if you do what I give you orders to do. 15 No longer do I give you the name of servants; because a servant is without knowledge of what his master is doing: I give you the name of friends, because I have given you knowledge of all the things which my Father has said to me. 16 You did not take me for yourselves, but I took you for myself; and I gave you the work of going about and producing fruit which will be for ever; so that whatever request you make to the Father in my name he may give it to you. 17 So this is my law for you: Have love one for another.

The World's Hatred

18 If you are hated by the world, keep in mind that I was hated by the world before you. 19 If you were of the world, you would be loved by the world: but because you are not of the world, but I have taken you out of the world, you are hated by the world. 20 Keep in mind the words I said to you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they were cruel to me, they will be cruel to you; if they kept my words, they will keep yours. 21 They will do all this to you because of my name—because they have no knowledge of him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and been their teacher they would have had no sin: but now they have no reason to give for their sin. 23 He who has hate for me has hate for my Father. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no other man ever did, they would have had no sin: but now they have seen, and they have had hate in their hearts for me and my Father. 25 This comes about so that the writing in their law may be made true, Their hate for me was without cause.

26 When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father even the Spirit of true knowledge who comes from the Father—he will give witness about me; 27 And you, in addition, will give witness because you have been with me from the first.

Jesus and Nicodemus

31 Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we are certain that you have come from God as a teacher, because no man would be able to do these signs which you do if God was not with him. 3 Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother's body a second time and come to birth again? 5 Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man's birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God. 6 That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised that I say to you, It is necessary for you to have a second birth. 8 The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit. 9 And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be? 10 And Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things? 11 Truly, I say to you, We say that of which we have knowledge; we give witness of what we have seen; and you do not take our witness to be true. 12 If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven? 13 And no one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from heaven, the Son of man. 14 As the snake was lifted up by Moses in the waste land, even so it is necessary for the Son of man to be lifted up: 15 So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life.

God So Loved the World

16 For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him. 18 The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the test by which men are judged: the light has come into the world and men have more love for the dark than for the light, because their acts are evil. 20 The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen. 21 But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.

He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease

22 After these things Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judaea, and there he was with them for some time, giving baptism. 23 Now John was then giving baptism at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were given baptism. 24 For at this time John had not been put into prison. 25 Then a question came up between John's disciples and a Jew about washing. 26 And they went to John and said to him, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, the man to whom you gave witness, is now giving baptism, and everyone is going to him. 27 And this was John's answer: A man is unable to have anything if it is not given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves give witness that I said, I am not the Christ. What I said was, I am sent before the Christ. 29 He who has the bride is the husband: but the husband's friend, whose place is by his side and whose ears are open to him, is full of joy because of the husband's voice: such is my joy, and it is complete. 30 He has to become greater while I become less.

The Testimony from Heaven

31 He who comes from heaven is greater than all others: he who comes from earth is of the earth, and of the earth are his words: he who comes from heaven is over all. 32 He gives witness of what he has seen and of what has come to his ears; and no man takes his witness as true. 33 He who so takes his witness has made clear his faith that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent says God's words; and God does not give him the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father has love for the Son and has put all things into his hands. 36 He who has faith in the Son has eternal life; but he who has not faith in the Son will not see life; God's wrath is resting on him.