Answer: John 3:16 does not say that unbelievers have the ability of their own sinful free will, to receive Christ. 47 Add to cart SaltDogg Part # 3001523 - Hex Flange Nut 1/2-13 SST 0 SaltDogg Part # 3001523 - Hex Flange Nut 1/2-13 SST $ 1. Though He could not, would not deny Himself (and He was the Son, and Word, and God), yet had He taken the place of a man, of a servant. ): Observe, that blessed as the light is, being God's moral nature, truth is more than this, and is introduced by grace. (See on [1777]Joh 3:18 and [1778]Joh 5:24).shall not see lifeThe contrast here is striking: The one has already a life that will endure for everthe other not only has it not now, but shall never have itnever see it.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 implies, also, that it will continue to remain on him. It is not only the nature, but the model and fulness of the blessing in the Son, who declared the Father. 1John 2:25 And this is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. Of course it is the revelation of Christ; but here He was simply revealing the sources of this indispensable new birth. (ver. Now it is that the great question is decided; now it is that a man receives or refuses Christ. God never left Himself without witness; He did not even among the Gentiles, surely yet less in Israel. 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." Gospel of John of the New Testament, Chapter 3, Verse 16 How truly it is man under law! And he answered, No. Besides John 3:36 helping, one can more easily accept pisteou means obeys in John 3:16 when one looks at Apostle John's many quotes of Jesus about obedience. he would not. And they haven't even carefully read what John 3:18 itself says. Man might pull Him down destroy Him, as far as man could, and surely to be the basis in God's hand of better blessing; but He was God, and in three days He would raise up this temple. Title: "Born Again" - What Does This Term Actually Mean? Such was the grace that God was displaying in Him, the true and full expresser of His mind. Wayne Jackson (1997), "The Role of 'Works' in the Plan of . But as many as received him, to them gave he power [rather, authority, right, or title] to become children of God." Grace begins, glory descends; "Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." (John 3:34-36) The price for rejecting the true testimony regarding Jesus. 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. The Lord Jesus did, without question, take humanity in His person into that glory which He so well knew as the Son of the Father. He that believeth he that obeyeth not Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible. Heavenly things are set in evident contradistinction, and link themselves immediately here, as everywhere, with the cross as their correlative. Neither does the Spirit say exactly as the English Bible says "sons," but children. Of this we learn nothing, here. So it's only really news when a great musician or band puts out a turgid stinker. Compare the future tense with the present "hath eternal life," and the simple life with the fully developed idea eternal life. They could not deny Him to be man Son of man. But when the Lord speaks of His cross, and not God's judicial requirements only, but the gift of Himself in His true personal glory as the occasion for the grace of God to display itself to the utmost, then, and not till then, do we hear of eternal life, and this connected with both these points of view. The chapters we have had before us (John 1:1-51; John 2:1-25; John 3:1-36) are thus evidently an introduction: God revealed not in the Word alone, but in the Word made flesh, in the Son who declared the Father; His work, as God's Lamb, for the world, and His power by the Holy Ghost in man; then viewed as the centre of gathering, as the path to follow, and as the object even for the attendance of God's angels, the heaven being opened, and Jesus not the Son of God and King of Israel only, but the Son of man object of God's counsels. of He would have every soul to know assuredly how he stands for eternity as well as now. While almost all entity The Father seeks 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. This testimony differs from the rest in having a more permanent character. Alas! He was God. (36) Here too we have, in the words of John, thoughts which we have found already (John 3:15-16), and shall find again (), in the words of Christ Himself.He that believeth not the Son.--Better, he that obeyeth not the Son. God wants people to be saved (2 Peter 3:9 . God does not here condescend to call it His, though, of course, it was His and holy, just, and good, both in itself and in its use, if used lawfully. And he saith, I am not. (Verses John 5:13-16), A graver issue, however, was to be tried; for Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. He could have healed the man without the smallest outward act to shock their zeal for the law. The wrath of God - The anger of God for sin. John 3:36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not, was reckoned among the readings less to be relied on; in which the, He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. The Lord Jesus presents Himself as putting an end to all this now for the Christian, though, of course, every word God has promised, as well as threatened, remains to be accomplished in Israel by-and-by; for Scripture cannot be broken; and what the mouth of the Lord has said awaits its fulfilment in its due sphere and season. (Verses John 3:1-6), But the Lord goes farther, and bids Nicodemus not wonder at His insisting on this need. Spite of the most express signs, and the manifest finger of God that wrote the ten words on tables of stone, the law sinks into comparative insignificance. Nicodemus remonstrates but is spurned; all retire to their home Jesus, who had none, to the mount of Olives. 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. ( ) flesh, and dwelt among us." God has given Christ the power and authority to bestow everlasting life on all who trust in Him for their salvation and it is granted simply by believing on Him: "For He who believes in the Son has eternal life." Clarke's Commentary. This the Lord refuses, and goes up the mountain to pray, His disciples being meanwhile exposed to a storm on the lake, and straining after the desired haven till He rejoins them, when immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. 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. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Jesus (c. 4 BC - AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Roman born Jewish preacher and religious leader; he is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion.Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah (the Christ) prophesied in the Hebrew Bible. But the chilling words that follow warn usthat whoever chooses to reject the clear teaching of the gospel of grace, will experience shocking and eternal consequences: "For he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.". The Lord Jesus Didn't Bestow the Way of Eternal Life Upon Man. In John He is One who could be described as Son of man who is in heaven; but He belonged to heaven, because He was divine. through "sin." Quite the contrary! This is all perfectly true, of course; and we have it elsewhere. All is in the character of the Son of man. This implies that he is now under the wrath of God, or under condemnation. 1. The Spirit of God uses that word; it is thus invariably in conversion. 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. His own love and person were warrant enough for the simple to lift the veil for a season, and fill the hearts which had received Himself into the conscious enjoyment of divine grace, and of Him who revealed it to them. Warning: spoilers for the Season 1 finale of 1923, "Nothing Left to Lose" beyond this point. The law works no deliverance; it puts a man in chains, prison, darkness, and under condemnation; it renders him a patient, or a criminal incompetent to avail himself of the displays of God's goodness. Life eternal is to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. John 3:14-15; John 3:14-15) It is not a question simply of the Son of God, nor is He spoken of here as the Word made flesh. Christ's clear command to all sinners is to believe His heavenly testimony: "For whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and will not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." This leads Philip to Nathanael, in whose case, when he comes to Jesus, we see not divine power alone in sounding the souls of men, but over creation. For them, Israel, or the world, all is over. It was worldliness in its worst shape, even to the point of turning the glory of Christ to a present account. "He must, increase, but I decrease." How singularly is the glory of the Lord Jesus thus viewed, as invested with the testimony of God and its crown! The fact is, John 3:18 does not say all non-Christians go to hell. Meanwhile there was a manifestation of goodness, active in love in the midst of evil, and toward such; active in the making known God and man, and every moral relation, and what He is toward man, through and in the Word made flesh. John 4:1-6; John 4:1-6) What a picture of rejection and humiliation! No mere man, nor angel, not the highest, the archangel, but the Son. "He came unto his own [things], and his own [people] received him not. 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. Romans 2:8; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8; Revelation 19:15) is not the fierceness of passion, nor is it the expression of fixed hatred. It is not denunciation, but the most solemn sentence in the calmest manner. Eternal lifeis only received by believing that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and that salvation is a gracious gift of God. (Verses John 5:1-7), On the other hand, the Lord speaks but the word: "Rise, take up thy couch and walk." See on Acts 5:29. This gives occasion to Jesus to teach us the lesson that conscience must be reached, and sense of sin produced, before grace is understood and brings forth fruit. Abideth on him - This implies that he is "now" under the wrath of God, or under condemnation. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. For He who spoke was divine. The looking for signs and wonders is rebuked; but mortality is arrested. Nevertheless the Son had taken the place of being the sent One, the place of subordination in the earth, in which He would say, "My Father is greater than I." So on the last day, that great day of the feast (the eighth day, which witnessed of a resurrection glory outside this creation, now to be made good in the power of the Spirit before anything appears to sight), the Lord stands and cries, saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." Without sign, prodigy, or miracle, in this village of Samaria Jesus was heard, known, confessed as truly the Saviour of the world ("the Christ" being absent in the best authorities, ver. 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. hath everlasting life; he has it in Christ his head, in whom he believes; he has a right unto it through the justifying righteousness of Christ, and a meetness for it by his grace; he has it in faith and hope; he has the beginning of it in the knowledge of Christ, and communion with him; he has some foretastes of it in his present experience; and he has the earnest and pledge of it in his heart, even the blessed Spirit, who works him up for this selfsame thing: and he that believeth not the Son; that does not believe Christ to be the Son of God, or Jesus to be the Messiah; or rejects him as the Saviour; who lives and dies in a state of impenitence and unbelief: shall not see life; eternal life; he shall not enter into it, and enjoy it; he shall die the second death. "There are three who give testimony in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one." But they learn that it was his divine Physician who had not only healed, but so directed him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." 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. Be they who they may now, as many as receive Him become children of God. Fortunately, the issue does not have to be decided. (Verse John 3:16), Let it not be passed by, that while the new birth or regeneration is declared to be essential to a part in the kingdom of God, the Lord in urging this intimates that He had not gone beyond the earthly things of that kingdom. (John 12:48). For "he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. To the Pharisees, indeed, his words as to the Lord are curt: nor does he tell them of the divine ground of His glory, as he had before and does after. How could either light or love rest in a scene of sin, darkness, and misery? There are many aspects to be considered. For this is the work of God as well asthe command of God to all who are dead in their trespasses and sins: Believe in Him Whom He has sent, believe in Christ's finished work for the forgiveness sins and life everlasting. In vain did any come to the Baptist to report the widening circle around Christ. Obedience, however, includes faith. Yet, this obe- dience salvation formula is identically repeated in John 3:16. John was the one who recognised the glory of the Lord about whom he was testifying, and cried out, "Hemust increase and I must decrease." Here the Lord introduces the cross. Meanwhile, for Christian worship, the hour was coming and in principle come, because He was there; and He who vindicated salvation as of the Jews, proves that it is now for Samaritans, or any who believed on account of His word. None else could do either work: for here we see His great work on earth, and His heavenly power. It implies, also, that it will continue to remain on him. John 5:19-29), It is evident, then, that the Lord presents life in Himself as the true want of man, who was not merely infirm but dead. Observe, it is not (as is often very erroneously said or sung) a question of sins, but of the "sin" of the world. The first . It is the necessary aspect of love and holiness toward those who reject love, and wilfully sin. Were the Jews zealously keeping the sabbath? If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? But John was not merely an earthly witness pointing us to Christ. What does this verse really mean? For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 81-82) indicates, there are three possibilities: (1) Jesus, (2) John the Baptist, (3) John the Evangelist. All rights reserved. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment; but is passed from death unto life. "And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. What does the 3 mean in math - We will be discussing about What does the 3 mean in math in this blog post. Mark what, as such, He does declare Him. ", John the Baptist was the earthly witness that God usedto present His dearly beloved Son to the world. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. (Ver. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.'. John 3:1-36 follows this up. Man was judged: another Man was there, the Lord from heaven, soon to stand in resurrection. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. In the Word was life, and the life was the light of men. The word, which occurs only here in the Gospels, is not the same as that at the beginning of the verse, and shows that the faith there intended is the subjection of the will to the Son, to whom the Father hath given all things (John 3:35). God the Father forms a new family in, by, and for Christ. The first four chapters of John precede in point of time the notices of His ministry in the other gospels. "The law was given by Moses." Our text divides into four sections: (1) Jesus baptizes, too (vss. No charge could be remoter from the truth. As the believer hath life, so the unbeliever hath wrath abiding on him. Thus, in fact, we have the Lord setting aside what was merely Messianic by the grand truths of the incarnation, and, above all, of the atonement, with which man must have vital association: he must eat yea, eat and drink. It would not suit God, if it would suit man, that He, seeing all, should just pronounce on man's corruption, and then forthwith let him off with a bare pardon. Nor was it yet complete. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He is a divine person; His manhood brought no attainder to His rights as God. (Verses John 7:40-53). As a weapon of conviction, most justly had it in the mind of the Lord Jesus the weightiest place, little as man thinks now-a-days of it. Such is the miserable condition of the sinner! One must be born again. God cannot require for justification (whether initial or "final") both a faith that works and a faith that does not work or is apart from works. "No man hath seen God at any time: the only-begotten Son," etc. (Ver. Here there could not be more, and He would not give less: even "grace upon grace." "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." How were they not enjoyed in despised Samaria those two days with the Son of God among them! John 3:36 New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95) 36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life ; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life , but the wrath of God abides on him." He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Nay, therefore it was they, reasoning, denied Him to be God. He enjoys addressing civic groups on local government issues and elections. Christ did not wait till the time was fully come for the old things to pass away, and all to be made new. And they do. His opposition to sin, and its terrible effects in this world and the next. VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. He acts as such. How striking the omission! Jesus Christ really is the One who "came from above . Glory would be displayed in its day. Verse John 1:29 opens John's testimony to his disciples. John 3:8; John 3:8.. But how precious the grace, in presence of their hatred and proud self-complacency! Here He is not portrayed as the Son of man who must be lifted up, but as the Son of God who was given. He that believeth not the Son.Better, he that obeyeth not the Son. We have had his name introduced into each part of the preface of our evangelist. (VersesJohn 5:8-12; John 5:8-12), But were the Jews mistaken after all in thinking that the seal of the first covenant was virtually broken in that deliberate word and warranty of Jesus? Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? So we see in the attractive power, afterwards dealing with individual souls. Nobody had gone up to heaven: God had taken more than one; but no one had gone there as of right. Heavenly Father, thank you that You loved me so much that while I was still under Your wrath and dead in my trespasses and sins, Christ died for me. VERSION, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. 42). They would fall a prey to Antichrist, and meanwhile are accused of Moses, in whom they trusted, without believing him; else they would have believed Christ, of whom he wrote. John 7:6-8) They belonged to the world. But this is not the question of grace: not what she was, but what He is who was there to win and bless her, manifesting God and the Father withal, practically and in detail. Very remarkable are the following words of the Jews (b) concerning the Messiah, whom they call the latter Redeemer: "whosoever believes in him "shall" live; but he that believes not in him shall go to the nations of the world, and they shall kill him.''. Nor could any question be more momentous. Since God is the one who grants that we believe (Phil. Breaking Down the Key Parts of John 3:30. Resurrection will be the proof; the two-fold rising of the dead, not one, but two resurrections. The ignorance of the world has been proved, the rejection of Israel is complete: then only is it that we hear of this new place of children. Here, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." This closes the various aspects of the Lord Jesus, completely blotting out Judaism, viewed as resting in a system of law and ordinances, as looking to a Messiah with present ease, and as hoping for the display of Messianic glory then in the world. It was not so. 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 anger of God for sin. 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. As Burge (pp. Also one of the two thus drawn to Him first finds his own brother Simon (with the words, We have found the Messiah), and led him to Jesus, who forthwith gave him his new name in terms which surveyed, with equal ease and certainty, past, present, and future. 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. It is now eternal reality, and the name of Jesus Christ is that which puts all things to a final test. This, of course, supposes the setting aside of Jerusalem, its people and house, as they now are, and is justified by the great fact of Christ's death and resurrection, which is the key to all, though not yet intelligible even to the disciples. (VersesJohn 7:33-36; John 7:33-36) Jesus was returning to Him that sent Him, and the Holy Ghost would be given. John 3:31-36 meaning. Shall neither enjoy true life or happiness here nor in the world to come. It is no question here of every man, but of such as believe. 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. In love, God sent his Son to die for all in order to forgive and accept all, in Christ. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came ( ) by Jesus Christ." This brings in the great counterpart truth, that even God present on earth and made flesh is not enough. The chapter pursues this subject, showing that it is not only God who thus deals first, with the necessity of man before His own immutable nature; next, blessing according to the riches of His grace but, further, that man's state morally is detected yet more awfully in presence of such grace as well as holiness in Christ. Obey certainly was the meaning of pisteuo in John 3:36 (see page 448). The truth is, the design of manifesting His glory governs all; place or people was a matter of no consequence. Subtitle: Theology Speaker: Dr. Toby B. Holt Broadcaster: First Presbyterian Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 5/20/2021 Bible: John 3; John 3:1 Length: 36 min. 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! The person of the Son was there the object of divine and overflowing joy even then, although, of course, in the full sense of the word, the Holy Ghost might not be given to be the power of it for some time later; but still the object of worship was there revealing the Father; butJohn 7:1-53; John 7:1-53 supposes Him to be gone up to heaven, before He from heaven communicates the Holy Ghost, who should be (not here, as Israel had a rock with water to drink of in the wilderness outside themselves, nor even as a fountain springing up within the believer, but) as rivers flowing out. (SeePsalms 2:1-12; Psalms 2:1-12) But the Lord tells him of greater things he, should see, and says to him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, henceforth (not "hereafter," but henceforth) ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man. With regard to John 3:31-36, the question arises as to who was the speaker. What is there in God more truly divine than grace and truth? Thus former things pass away; the old man is judged, dead, and clean gone. Apparently these Christians haven't bothered to read what comes before and after John 3:16-18. 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. Thus solemnly does the meek Lord Jesus unfold these two truths. 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. (Verses John 5:17-18). Cf. Sons they might have been in bare title; but these had the right of children.