What Divides Us?

Lesson #148

With this lesson we will finish up the section defined by John 8:39 – 47. We finished the last lesson with Jesus describing the devil as a murderer and the father of lies who does not stand in the truth. Jesus claims that the Jews do not have God as their father, as they claim, but the devil. Thus, when Jesus tells them the truth they are unable to believe him (John 8:45). By opposing what Jesus is telling them, with their hateful and intolerable view of the truth, the Jews plainly show they are children of the devil and not children of God.

Jesus then asks them two questions: “Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” (John 8:46 ESV). Out of perfect confidence that the Jews would be unable to, Jesus asks them to show evidence of his sin; to justify why they should level such slander toward him and the truth he presents. At this time Jesus is not claiming he is sinless as the Son of God, but in the context of this passage they would be unable to present anything that would show that he was not a faithful servant of God. Then, as a faithful servant of God, he asks the Jews why they do not believe him. Jesus is not here defending his behavior as a person, but the truth given him by his Father that he was to deliver to sinful men.

Jesus then summarizes what he has been saying about the Jews: “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God” (John 8:47 ESV). Since they cannot bring forth any evidence to convict Jesus that what he is saying is not from God, he concludes that they have nothing in common with God because they do not believe what they hear and follow its instruction. Here Jesus provides an important standard in which to measure one’s mind. That standard is the doctrine of Christ; he who rejects it excludes himself from righteousness and life and shows evidence of a reprobate mind; he who embraces it shows evidence of the seal of election. We must be careful to note where we stand and what we do with the doctrine of Christ because it determines who our father really is.

Prayer

Father, when Jesus walked among us he told us that he was the only way that we could come to you; that he and he alone was able to provide us with eternal life. As with the Jews, today Jesus and his doctrine is rejected by most as unimportant and in fact useless; to be repressed even at the cost of the believers’ life. Father, thank you that obedient belief in the doctrine of Christ is indeed evidence of our seal of election.