* He says, One was among them of whom they had no conscious knowledge, "that cometh after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to loose." The brethren of the Lord Jesus, who could see the astonishing power that was in Him, but whose hearts were carnal, at once discerned that it might be an uncommon good thing for them, as well as for Him, in this world. The great fact of the incarnation is brought before us "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father"). What does this verse really mean? He is viewed as retaining the same perfect intimacy with the Father, entirely unimpaired by local or any other circumstances He had entered. abideth on himIt was on Him before, and not being removed in the only possible way, by "believing on the Son," it necessarily remaineth on him! It is here life begunthe first breathings and pantings of the soul for immortality; yet it is life, though at first feeble and faint, which is eternal in its nature, and which shall be matured in the full and perfect bliss of heaven. It was not intended for other beings it was God's free gift to man, to the believer, of course. It was not the time now to demonstrate in public power these coming, yea, then present truths. (John 3:36 WEB), He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Jesus in John 8:51 says "whoever . (VerseJohn 4:10; John 4:10) Infinite grace! The close of the chapter shows us the Lord in Galilee. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. The words of Jesus were the words of God; he had the Spirit, not by measure, as the prophets, but in all fulness. And that means most of the people in the world are going straight to hell. First, Jesus is visited at night by a Pharisee, Nicodemus, who is curious about His teachings. It is not John's business here to call attention to His Messiahship, not even when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask, Who art thou? It is His person as incarnate first, then in redemption giving His flesh to be eaten and His blood to be drank. He entered this world, became flesh, as born of woman; but there was no diminution of His own glory, when He, born of the virgin, walked on earth, or when rejected of man, cut off as Messiah, He was forsaken of God for sin our sin on the cross. The commandment doth not only respect love, but faith in the first place; for faith worketh by love; so as there is an apeiyeia, a disobedience in the understanding, as well as in the conversation; and he that so believeth not, as to obey, shall never come into heaven, which felicity is here expressed by seeing life; as not seeing death is not dying, so not seeing life is dying. Indeed, He was the great Prophet, as He was the great King, and as He is now the great Priest on high. It will "abide" or "dwell" there as its appropriate habitation. (Ed. Christ did not wait till the time was fully come for the old things to pass away, and all to be made new. Here the Lord introduces the cross. 22. First, a new nature is insisted on the Holy Ghost's quickening of each soul who is vitally related to God's kingdom; next, the Spirit of God takes an active part not as source or character only, but acting sovereignly, which opens the way not only for a Jew, but for "every one." He gave them title to take the place of children of God, even to those that believe on His name. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 1:17; John 1:17) The law, thus given, was in itself no giver, but an exacter; Jesus, full of grace and truth, gave, instead of requiring or receiving; and He Himself has said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. It is the wider, universal glory of the Son of man (according toPsalms 8:1-9; Psalms 8:1-9); but the most striking part of it verified from that actual moment because of the glory of His person, which needed not the day of glory to command the attendance of the angels of God this mark, as Son of man. His opposition to sin, and its terrible effects in this world and the next. From the very first, man, being a sinner, was wholly lost. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Here the Lord was really owned by the multitudes as the great Prophet that should come; and this in consequence of His works, especially that one which Scripture itself had connected with the Son of David. Observe, it is not (as is often very erroneously said or sung) a question of sins, but of the "sin" of the world. If he receives Him, it is everlasting life, and Christ is thus honoured by him; if not, judgment remains which will compel the honour of Christ, but to his own ruin for ever. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. This question is raised, or rather settled, by the Lord in Jerusalem, at the passover feast, where many believed on His name, beholding the signs He wrought. Nicodemus remonstrates but is spurned; all retire to their home Jesus, who had none, to the mount of Olives. The judgment, all of it, whether for quick or dead, is consigned to Him, because He is Son of man. Nicodemus, not understanding in the least such a want for himself, expresses his wonder, and hears our Lord increasing in the strength of the requirement. First, we must worship, if at all, in spirit and in truth. How, indeed, could it be stayed within narrow limits? Piety here is the same that it will be there, except that it will be expanded, matured, purified, made more glorious. But all that is historically related of the Lord Jesus inJohn 1:1-51; John 1:1-51; John 2:1-25; John 3:1-36; John 4:1-54. was before the imprisonment of the Baptist. John 3:17-21 (A) Condemn the World. None the less did the result of His death proclaim His Deity. Jesus not only could go up, as He did later, but He had come down thence, and, even though man, He was the Son of man that is in heaven. (Verses John 3:11-13) He (and He was not alone here) knew God, and the things of God, consciously in Himself, as surely as He knew all men, and what was in man objectively. This scripture tells us about the endless affection God demonstrated by sacrificing His only begotten son . 1John 5:11 And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. #1 "He must become greater;". It finds, of course, a present application, and links itself with that activity of grace in which God is now sending out the gospel to any sinner and every sinner. This is the marked effect on the third day (ver. He who inspired them to communicate His thoughts of Jesus in the particular line assigned to each, raised up John to impart the highest revelation, and thus complete the circle by the deepest views of the Son of God. As this chapter sets forth the Lord Jesus with singular fulness of glory, on the side both of His Godhead and of His manhood, so it closes with the most varied and remarkable testimonies God has given to us, that there may be no excuse. Note on John 6:56.). So only is man born of God. Once we step into the light God gives us a new life. The wrath of God. Yet thousands choose to remain in this state, and to encounter alone all that is terrible in the wrath of Almighty God, rather than come to Jesus, who has borne their sins in his own body on the tree, and who is willing to bless them with the peace, and purity, and joy of immortal life. This statement (verse John 1:15) is a parenthesis, though confirmatory of verse John 1:14, and connects John's testimony with this new section of Christ's manifestation in flesh; as we saw John introduced in the earlier verses, which treated abstractly of Christ's nature as the Word. Afterwards, John the Baptist explains why he's content to see his own ministry fade into the background. John was a voice crying in the wilderness: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." If a man looks at the Lord Jesus as One who entered the world in a general way, and calls this the incarnation, he will surely stumble over the cross. The temptation is to hide your light. The Syriac and Arabic versions render it, "shall abide upon him"; so some copies. This is the same idea explained in Scriptures such as John 3:18-19, Romans 1:20, and Romans 3:11. But the wrath of God abideth on him; as the sentence of wrath, of condemnation, and death, and the curse of the law were pronounced upon him in Adam, as on all mankind, it continues, and will continue, and will never be reversed, but will be executed on him, he not being redeemed from it, as his final unbelief shows; and as he was by nature a child of wrath, as others, he remains such; and as the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, it comes upon the children of disobedience, and remains there; it hangs over their heads, and lights upon them, and they will be filled with a dreadful sense of it to all eternity. The Lord, in the latter part of the chapter (verses John 6:27-58), contrasts the presentation of the truth of God in His person and work with all that pertained to the promises of Messiah. {n} He that believeth Heb 2:4; Joh 3:15,16, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window). John is published weekly in The Inquisitor, bi-monthly in The Forum News, and frequently in the Shreveport Times. The Father seeks worshippers. It is evident, that were He not God, it would be an interference with His glory, a place taken inconsistent with His sole authority, no less than it must be also, and for that reason, altogether ruinous to man. Compare Romans 1:5, the obedience of faith. The question really is, whether man would trust God. The anger of God for sin. (ver. But the Spirit would not confine His operations to such bounds, but go out freely like the wind. It is our evangelist's way of indicating His Galilean sojourn; and this miracle is the particular subject that John was led by the Holy Ghost to take up. infinite truth! Yet, this obe- dience salvation formula is identically repeated in John 3:16. He was God. Nobody had gone up to heaven: God had taken more than one; but no one had gone there as of right. As there is no way of escaping the wrath of God but by the Lord Jesus Christ, so those who will not believe must go to eternity as they are, and bear alone and unpitied all that God may choose to inflict as the expression of his sense of sin. John 1:19-37; John 1:19-37) It is here presented historically. But then again, as science fiction wri ter Theodore Sturgeon once said, when asked why so much science fiction was garbage, 90% of everything is crap. Nay, the Father has given all judgment to the Son. Observe: not which was, but "which is." The man went off, and told the Jews that it was Jesus: and for this they persecuted Him, because He had done these things on the sabbath. John 7:24) They reason and are in utter uncertainty. "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Let them learn, then, that as Son of man (for which nature they despised Him, and denied His essential personal glory) He will judge; and this judgment will be no passing visitation, such as God has accomplished by angels or men in times past. For if, on the one side, God has taken care to let us see already the glory of the Son, and the grace of which He was full, on the other side, all shines out the more marvellously when we know how He dealt with a woman of Samaria, sinful and degraded. Jesus Christ really is the One who "came from above . Besides this, goodness overflows, in that the Father is gathering children, and making worshippers. In the beginning of the chapter it was rather an essential indispensable action of the Holy Ghost required; here it is the privilege of the Holy Ghost given. Verse John 1:29 opens John's testimony to his disciples. Here He is not portrayed as the Son of man who must be lifted up, but as the Son of God who was given. (Verses John 1:41-44), On the morrow Jesus begins, directly and indirectly, to call others to follow Himself. Such is the miserable condition of the sinner! The first . Here, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." The Lord and the disciples are next seen in the country district, not far, it would seem, from John, who was baptizing as they were. Understand the meaning of John 3:36 using all available Bible versions and commentary. He reminds them of his previous disclaimer of any place beyond one sent before Jesus. 1John 2:25 And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. John the Baptist was the earthly witness that God used to present His dearly beloved Son to the world. But how precious the grace, in presence of their hatred and proud self-complacency! Nor was it yet complete. Notably He is now applying it to the reconciliation of a people, who are also baptized by the Holy Ghost into one body. He that believes on the Son has everlasting life; and he that disobeys the Son, in the sense of not being subject to His person, "shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" Such is the issue of the Son of God present in this world an everlasting one for every man, flowing from the glory of His person, the character of His testimony, and the Father's counsels respecting Him. FOR HOME USE ONLY (for church or group use see links below)Buy this Video here:https://www.seedsfamilyworship.com/product/i-believe-john-336/Buy I Believe DV. Grace begins, glory descends; "Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." that we may give an answer to them that sent us. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment.'. For this, therefore, the Jews sought the more to kill Him; because He added the greater offence of making Himself equal with God, by saying that God was His own Father. (VersesJohn 7:33-36; John 7:33-36) Jesus was returning to Him that sent Him, and the Holy Ghost would be given. But it is important we should know how He entered the world. He is a divine person; His manhood brought no attainder to His rights as God. I pray that I might live for Him. The rejection of Christ is the contempt of God Himself, in that of which He is most jealous, the honour of the Saviour, His Son. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." 0. what does john 3:36 mean. Jesus explains: "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John then declared his own waning before Christ, as we have seen, the issues of whose testimony, believed or not, are eternal; and this founded on the revelation of His glorious person as man and to man here below. He saw him under the fig tree. The evangelist has used this encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus to bring forth some important points. Deeper questions demanded solution. (Verses John 7:16-18) , The Jews kept not the law) and wished to kill Him who healed man in divine love. "John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This is he of whom I spake: He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me." It is not only the nature, but the model and fulness of the blessing in the Son, who declared the Father. Footnotes. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Nothing less than everlasting life in Christ can deliver: otherwise there remains judgment. Nevertheless, Christ did come to His own things, His proper, peculiar possession; for there were special relationships. Nor was it from any indistinctness in the record, or in him who gave it. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same . Hence, then, we have the Lord Jesus alluding to this fresh necessity, if man was to be blessed according to God. However, *all* are invited to reciprocate---to live into the gift God has, already, given them in Christ (see John 1:12 ). Shall never enter heaven.The wrath of God - The anger of God for sin. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came ( ) by Jesus Christ." It is a present possession. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. He that believeth on the Son Who is a proper object of faith and trust; which, if he was not truly and properly God, he would not be: and this is to be understood not of any sort of faith, a temporary, or an historical one; but of that which is the faith of God's elect, the gift of God, and the operation of his Spirit; by which a man sees the Son, goes unto him, ventures and relies . Very remarkable are the following words of the Jews F2 concerning the Messiah, whom they call the latter Redeemer: Proud member So rich and transparently divine was the grace: not some souls, more meritorious than the rest, rewarded according to a graduated scale of honour, but "of his fulness have all we received." Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Greek Scripture. John pointed people to the Lord Jesus, for Christ Himself was sent to bear heavenly witness of the invisible God Who "loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.".