Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
I speak and testify from absolute knowledge and direct vision of God, the privilege of the only-begotten Son in the Father's bosom. The plural 'we' stands in sharp contrast to Nicodemus's opening 'we know,' yet your class refuses our testimony altogether.
AI summary
Christ speaks here for himself and all God's prophets together: we teach nothing invented or dubious, but only what God has revealed and trained us to know. Every minister must guard against his own dreams and conjectures; speak only what the Lord has given him, and stay within the bounds of his faith. The world's rejection does not diminish the Gospel's truth.
AI summary
A Pharisee and ruler of the sanhedrim comes to Christ, proof that grace subdues even the greatest opposition. He sought private counsel rather than public hearing, a pattern we should follow: go to faithful ministers about the deep matters of your soul, not content with hearing sermons alone.
AI summary
Commenting on John 3:1-21