What Eternal Life Means (John 3:1–17)

What if we could live rich and meaningful lives — starting now? Explore this week’s Gospel reading and consider what it means for us today.

Each week, we post a passage from Sunday’s Scriptures; share links to resources that give context and inspire new ideas; and offer a few questions to get you thinking about what we’ll read together in church.

The Gospel for March 1, 2026

John 3:1–17

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Read all of Sunday’s Scriptures

Step Into the Story

3 Ways to Go Deeper

Theology

“Here we are caught in linear time,” writes poet John O’Donohue. “In eternal time all is now . . . I believe that this is what eternal life means: it is a life where all that we seek — goodness, unity, beauty, truth, and love — are no longer distant from us but are now completely present with us.” 

Biblical Studies

What if we don’t have to wait for an afterlife and can live rich and meaningful lives starting today? Craig S. Keener, professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, unpacks the distinct usage of “eternal life” in John’s Gospel.

Visual Art

American painter Henry O. Tanner imagines the nighttime scene between Nicodemus and Jesus.”

Reflection Questions

Take a Moment to Wonder

• In what ways is time an illusion?
• What do you feel when you think of today as part of your eternal life?
• If Jesus showed up today, what would you ask him?