Mon, Feb 16th - 12:01PM
Book of John Chapter 8
Man's Enslavement by Sin
"They answered HIm, We are Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: 'how do you say You shall be made free?' Jesus answered, Verily, Verily, I say to you Whosoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant does not abide in the house for ever: but the Son abides forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."(33-36)
People are enslaved by sin but deny it is so. Personal experience, greed, lust, selfish behavior and world history bear clear evidence of this fact. These Jews misunderstood Jesus. They assumed He meant being conquered and enslaved by a foreign power. They denied their own national history. They had, in fact, been conquered by many nations and were currently being ruled by the Emperor of the Roman Empire. They were speaking technically. They had never surrendered their will to any ruler. But Jesus was talking about something entirely different. He spoke about being slaves to sin. They could not help sinning no matter how much they tried on their own. This is true today for us. We can try to stop sinning but it is doomed to fail.
Many people deny enslavement by sin, they claim a godly heritage and believe that it frees them and makes them acceptable to God. This is a falsehood. These Jews claimed they were descendants of Abraham, the children of one of the godliest men to ever live. They felt this made them very special in the eyes of God. No matter how they lived they believed that the godliness of their forefathers covered them. Today people believe God will accept them, that they have enough good heritage to gain God's approval. They believe that something in their lives is good enough to keep them from being enslaved and doomed.
Need proof? Man commits sin. In this passage the word "poion" (commits) means continuous action. It is habitual and is practiced daily. The word "servant" (doulos) means slave or bond-slave. Bond-slaves were purchased and bound to the person who bought them. This gives us the idea that a person is bought by sin. By sinning a person surrenders their freedom. Jesus warned that the slave has no rights, and no claims to privileges within the family. As a slave they can be rejected and cast out of the house at anytime, but not the Son. The Son has all of the rights and privileges to the house. Yet there is a way for the slave to become a member of the house. The Son can free the slave and ask the Father to adopt them. If the Son makes the slave free the slave is indeed free.
Jesus claims to be the Son of God. He claims that mankind is in slavery to sin. He, Jesus Christ, can free mankind. Mankind can be adopted into God's family.
"I know that you are Abraham's seed; but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with My Father: and you do that which you have seen with your father. They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said to them, If you were Abraham's children you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this Abraham did not do."(37-40)
A second evidence that man is enslaved by sin is that he opposes and makes absolutely no room in his heart for Jesus' Word. He does not want Jesus' claims to control his life; he just wants to do what he wants when he wants to do it. He will go about fulfilling his own personal desires. He will ridicule and belittle Jesus and anyone who believes in Jesus.
The third evidence is that mankind follows the wrong father, Satan. Satan is the father of lies and teaches them well to those who listen to him rather than God. What Jesus speaks is what He saw with His Father. That little word translates as "by the side of." What Jesus saw came from the very side of God Himself, from the very presence of God. But what man does is what hesees and hears from his father. Men are at the very side of Satan when opposing Jesus. Men are in a cage that they cannot even see nor imagine. Why are there so many serial killers, rapists, and extremely wicked/evil people in our world? It is because they do exactly the same things that got Satan kicked out of heaven. Lie, lust, murder, and seek to be just like God.
Jesus told these Jews that they did not do the works of Abraham. What was Jesus referring to? Abraham did not try to kill the messengers of truth. He received and accepted the truth delivered to him by messengers. Abraham believed God and God's truth. A person can't claim the goodness of another person for themselves. The true child of God does the works of the Lord. He hears and accepts the truth. He does not try to kill and eliminate the greatest truth God has ever given to this planet, the Truth of His Son.
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world(I John 2:15-16)" "The world cannot hate you; but it hates Me, because I testify of it, that the works of it are evil(John 7:7)." "When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out saying, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, You take him and crucify him: for I find no fault in him (John 19:6).'
If you and I do the works of God, people will hate us. They hated Jesus and so they will hate us when we speak His words to them. Do not fall in love with money or with the materialistic things that this world creates to distract us. Finally, Jesus was crucified because the religious rulers of Judaea refused to surrender themselves to their very own Messiah. They wanted to remain in control of the people. The Romans were simply a tool used to accomplish that which the Sanhedrin was not allowed to do.
Have a glorious week! Next time we will look at mankind's depravity.
Comment (0)
|
Fri, Feb 13th - 11:52AM
Book of John Chapter 8
Man's freedom from sin is conditional.
"Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in My word, then you are indeed My disciples; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (8:31-32)
All of us are enslaved by sin and all of the consequences of it. You and I can not keep from sinning; thus, we bear the consequences of sin: guilt, shame, hurt, pain, sorrow, suffering, destruction, devastation, brokenness, death, and judgment. We all need to be freed from sin and its enslaving tentacles. We can be freed from sin but it is conditional and not universal.
There are two conditions for being delivered from sin, two conditions for being saved and entering into discipleship.
1) The first is belief. Verse thirty says that many believed on Christ. The Gospel was proclaimed and they listened. They heard and their hearts were stirred. This resulted in them sensing an emptiness, a hunger, a darkness, a guilt, and a hope. They experienced the beginning, the infancy of faith. They were as newborn babies. Nothing happens further without first having belief in Christ. "That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."(John 3:15-16) "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins.'(Acts 10:43)
2) The second condition completes this deliverance and salvation. It is of continuing or abiding in the Lord's Word. The idea is that of dwelling, just as a person dwells at home. God's Word becomes the believers dwelling place. The person will continue to study and do the Word (II Timothy 2:15). If there is no evidence of continuing to study and dwell in the Word of God then does that person truly believe? Do they, in fact, have salvation from their sin?
There are two results of being delivered from sin.
1) First of all, they will know the truth. They will now know the moral truth. It is something not only to know but to also do. The believer now sees true reality rather than the false reality. It is the direct opposite of sham and hypocrisy. It allows no compromise with evil. It abstains from the appearance of evil(I Thessalonians 5:22). The person believes it, reverences it, speaks it, acts it, hopes for it, and rejoices in it. This truth frees the person from all the bondages and impediments of life in this world. God's Word is said to be the Truth(John 17:17) and Jesus claimed to be the Truth(John 14:6). God's Word is the Written Truth while Jesus is the Living Truth.
One truth is that we do not struggle against human beings, we struggle against spiritual wickedness. Knowing the truth allows a person to observe what is happening all around them and see that God's Word has already spoken about these things happening and why they are happening. Can we create the kingdom of Heaven here on earth through our own efforts? God has already said "No." Conditions in the world will continue to get better and then get worse. Finally, conditions on earth will reach the point that Satan more directly enters into the spiritual battle taking place every day. The Book of Revelation reveals to the reader what the end point of human history will be. People are seeking for personal liberty. But the only true liberty is to be found in God. "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."(II Corinthians 3:17)
2) A person no longer needs to get power to conquer other people or to overcome other people or to attain possessions. All things are to be found in Christ Jesus. He gives the person the power to become a son of God. (John 1:12)
But why do I continue to sin? "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin that is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:23-25)." The Truth sets believers free from the bondage of death. The person no longer has to be afraid of death. Jesus has already conquered death. The Truth sets believers free from the bondage of judgment and hell. The fear of an unknown future and the fear of an impending judgment constantly faces all people. At best unbelievers hope for total extermination upon death. Nothingness. At worst, there is the expectation of torture by the gods that be. But Jesus has already come and borne the judgment for us, if we will just believe.
The Truth sets a person free to be saved to the uttermost. All one must do is come to Christ for salvation, for He lives forever to intercede for each and every person. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them(Hebrews 7:25)."
Won't you come to Christ today? Won't you really listen to what God is saying to you today? Just believe Jesus and what He has already said.
Comment (0)
|
Sat, Jan 31st - 10:31AM
Book of John Chapter 8
What is the basic question most people have about Jesus? What is it that most people simply fail to grasp?
"Then they(the Jews) said to Him, Who are you? And Jesus said to them, Even the same that I said to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: buy He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world of those things which I have heard of Him. They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father has not left Me alone; for I always do those things that please Him. As He spoke these words, many believed on Him." (8:25-30)
Who is Jesus? Just a man of God? Just a prophet? Just an illiterate carpenter? Or is Jesus the God-Man, the Prophet and High Priest. Was Jesus a man and God was with him? Or was he a man and God at the same time?
I converse with many people in discussion groups and am always confronted with the question of who do I think Jesus is. I end up explaining my reasons as best I can and leave it to them to decide for themselves. But here in this eighth chapter of John Jesus has made some incredible claims. He is the Light of the world, He is the Son of man, He is the great "I AM', He is never alone for God is always with Him. Jesus puts each person in the position of having to choose what to believe about Him. Is Jesus who He says He is, or is He not?
One thing that many people do not understand is that Jesus is God's spokesman and Judge. He brought the message of God to the world one last time. "I speak to the world those things which I have heard of God." Jesus' words were given to Him by God. Go back to earlier chapters in John and see that over and over Jesus said the same thing. My doctrine is not mine, what I have seen with My Father, the Father gave Me a commandment, the Father that dwells in Me does the work.
Jesus was sent to speak the words of God. He was here for a very special mission of proclaiming the message of God. Jesus was sent to the entire world, not just one part of it. His is the only message for the entire world. As the Spokesman of God He not only had the duty to say many things but to also judge many things. First of all he was to proclaim the message of salvation. The second mission will be to judge mankind. First advent to earth: proclaim salvation. Second advent to earth: judgment of mankind.
Most people do not understand that Jesus is the Son of Man. He is the One to be lifted up, to be elevated. This refers to Him being nailed to the cross and the subsequent exaltation of Him. He is the Perfect and Ideal Man and thus was able to die for all people to secure for them salvation from their sin.
People still do not understand that Jesus is the great "I AM." His being nailed to the cross, burial, resurrection, and ascension was meant to convince people that He is the great "I AM." The cross is to awaken people to the glorious love and salvation of God(John 3:16). While all of us were still sinners Christ agreed to die in our place, to secure our salvation(Romans 5:8). "For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves, but to Him which died for them, and rose again.(II Corinthians 5:14-15). The resurrection declares Jesus to be the Son of God with divine power(Romans 1:4). The ascension allowed the Holy Spirit to replace Jesus on earth. It initiated the pouring out of the Spirit and His convicting power(John 16:7-11).
As the Son, Jesus never failed the Father. He obeyed God perfectly and completely, never sinning. He is the picture of what a son should be to a father in this world. As a result of all of these things many who heard these words chose to believe. They became convinced that Jesus was who He claimed to be. He was the Light of the world, the spokesman and judge of God, the Son of Man, the great "I AM", and the one whom God never left alone.
If we choose to accept that the scriptures accurately record what God wants us to know then we must decide whether to believe Jesus is who He says He is or to not believe. There is no middle ground or neutral zone to live in. We must then choose wisely.
Next time I shall look at our conditional freedom from sin and our enslavement by sin.
Comment (0)
|
Thu, Jan 29th - 4:52PM
Book of John Chapter 8
Why is a person's search for the Messiah futile?
"Then Jesus said again to them, I go My way, and you shall sek Me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come. Then the Jews said, Will he kill himself? because he said, Where I go you cannot come. And Jesus said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you do not believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." (8:21-24)
This passage is very brief but it is earth shattering. Mankind continually searches for Utopia and enlightenment. Jesus proclaims that He is the Light of the world, the promised Messiah for the Hebrew people, and the author of salvation from sin. He tells these Jews that where He is going they can't follow. Why? Because He is from above this world while they are here below in this world. It is a tale of two very different realms of existence. Jesus is from the spiritual realm while all of us live down here in the physical realm that God created for us. So we search for the supernatural, try to contact our dearly departed loved ones. It is all an exercise in futility and failure. Mankind seeks for a great deliverer here on earth. Whether people realize it or not, they seek for a Messiah to save them from failed societies and governments. They yearn for someone to lead them to utopia. It is tragic for the Messiah has already come and brought the presence of utopia to mankind but He and it were rejected.
Thus man fails to find the Messiah, he dies in his sin. Our sin is singular in that it is the sin of unbelief. As long as we disbelieve we are in a position of unbelief. If we die in this state we go right on into the next world still in sin. The tragedy back then and still today, separation from where Christ Jesus is. That is exactly what Jesus told these Jews: Where I go you cannot come. Since Jesus is the Light and sinners are in the darkness, they cannot be in the same place together. So the unbeliever is separated forever from the presence of God.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 An often repeated verse it informs us that we owe a debt to God as a sinner. If we die in sin the debt has been paid but there is no forgiveness of sin. The debt must be paid before we die. This is transactional. Accept Christ and believe in Him and God considers the debt paid in full. Reconciliation is accomplished. Believe that Jesus came and died in your place, the price being Him spilling out His divine blood upon the cross. But so many people mock the idea of Jesus Messiahship and that God could die upon a wooden cross. They continue to think only in terms of the physical world around them and listen to the wisdom of learned scholars. Those Jews in this text understood that Jesus was referring to death. They simply refused to follow, considering it utter folly. Today people do not care to follow Christ in His death. They are unwilling to take up the cross and follow Him. They only want the world and what it can provide them with. They seek for a human deliverer, but such a person will be flawed and imperfect and will seek his/her personal agenda.
UTOPIA
This is the ideal world, full of perfection, provision, possessions, comfort, protection, peace, and security for all people. It would be freedom from all negative circumstances, from sin and its bondages, from death and from hell. Mankind believes that its vaunted scientific technology if employed correctly will relieve and escape the reality of all these negative things and their results. And the Church has begun to believe that God wishes it to create this utopia (kingdom of god) and that then Jesus will return to earth to rule. Sounds so nice. But it is unbiblical. Scripture informs us that the world will not turn into a peaceful and prosperous place until Christ returns to rule over all. In fact, the last book of the bible plainly reveals to us that many will turn away from God to run after worldly pleasures and possessions.
INCARNATION
Jesus was born into this world from above, from heaven. Born of God as well as of Mary. He therefore is not only Man but He is also God. You and I were born into this world by earthly fathers and mothers. Jesus is Man through the flesh of His mother, and He is the eternal Son of God by the miraculous act of the Holy Spirit through Mary. Thus the only utopia that will not waste away is the one created by the Messiah.
Next time I will explore Man's tragic failure to understand the Light. Peace and grace be with you all.
Comment (0)
|
Mon, Jan 19th - 11:59AM
Book of John Chapter 8
The Light of the World, what mankind needs.
"Then Jesus spoke again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (verse12)
What often is missed in reading this verse is the "I am"statement. This is a deity statement that is emphatic. It began what is a two-fold promise to people: follow Me and you shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. I do not possess light by nature. I am in darkness by nature. I was delivered "out of darkness" by following Jesus. This is a continuous action, not just a one time event. Colossians 1:14-15 informs us as to why we are to follow Jesus.
A man exists in darkness until he follows Jesus. The meaning, purpose, and significance of life can't be seen and known except to follow Jesus. It is He that throws light upon life, revealing what life really is.
"The Pharisees therefore said to Him, You bear record of Yourself; your record is not true. Jesus answeredand said to them, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true: for I know whence I came, and where I go; but you cannot tell whence I come and where I go. You judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, My judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of Myself and the Father that sent Me bears witness of Me." (verse13-18)
Of course, the religionists objected to this claim made by Jesus. They understood what Jesus was claiming: that He was the Messiah and that only He could give light to the world. In their mind only God could do this. They tried to box Jesus in by saying that only He was witnessing this claim. But Jesus brought God the Father into the debate. If you recall Jesus provided five witnesses to who He was back in John 5:31.
"Then they said to Him, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You neither know Me, nor My Father: if you had known Me you should have known My Father also. These words Jesus spoke in the treasury as He taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was not yet come." (verse19-20)
What is tragic is that Jesus was rejected while teaching inside the temple. The religionists wanted nothing to do with Jesus, opposing Him and desiring to get rid of Him. Note that it says no one laid hands on Jesus. It was not the appointed time for man to be able to put their hands upon Him and drag Him off to be murdered. How often does this scene of disbelief among leaders of religion get repeated within the church? Down through the centuries many religionists have wanted nothing to do with Jesus, choosing self over Him. It continues to happen even today. II Timothy 3:5 says to us, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it: from such turn away." Or perhaps in Titus 1:16 "They profess that they know God; but in works thy deny Him, being abominable, and diobedient, and to every good work reprobate."
It is possible for the Light, Jesus Himself, to be in men and for men to become children of Light. John uses the word light 21 times. So wht exactly is meant by the Light? Light is the symbol of purity and holiness and means the absence of darkness and blindness. It has no spots of darkness or blackness, nor of sin and shame. Light reveals what darkness hides. Jesus therefore, clearly shows the nature, the maning, and the destiny of all things. His light shines into every nook and cranny, opens up, identifies, illuminates, and shows things as they truly are and not as men want them to be. The Light shows the truth about the world and man and God. It reveals how much that God loves and cares for people and wants people to love and care for Him.
Following the Light allows us to walk out of darkness for He reveals the path to freedom. You and I no longer have to grope, grasp, and stumble around trying to find our way through life. The path of life can now be clearly seen. Light does away with chaos for it routs, wipes out, and strips away and erases the darkness. In the beginning the empty chaos of creation was routed by the light given by god in Genesis 1:3. Go back and reread John 7. Jesus proclaimed to be the Light of the World at the great feast of Tabernacles. The first ceremony was the Illumination of the Temple and was held in the Court of the Women. Four huge candelabra sat in the open space of this court. At darkness these were lit, and the elders danced nad led the people in singing psalms before the Lord of light. Against this background Jesus made His claim to be the Light of the World.
Darkness is translated from "skotos, skotia."In Scripture it is used to describe both the state and the works of man. Darkness refers to the world of the natural man who does not know Jesus(John 8:). Natural people walk in ignorance of Jesus, of God, and of the real purpose and destiny of life as shown by Jesus. These are people who know nothing other than the things of this world as they see them. They hope for a long life before death inevitably overtakes them. Darkness also symbolized unpreparedness and unwatchfulness for the time when evil happens. Sinful people love darkness because it covers their actions. They hate the light since it reveals and uncovers their sinful behavior. Darkness is hostile to Light.
Now Jesus' claim to have come from the Father in heaven is objected to by unbelievers. They can't penetrate nor see the spiritual world hence they claim that it simply does not exist. Physical eyes are blind to the spiritual realm. For there to be any communication with the spiritual dimension, the spiritual world must come into this physical world. This is exactly what happened when Jesus was born of Mary. Jesus came from heaven, from the spiritual realm of being. He had been an eye-witness of heaven. He had been in the very presence of God the Father, God had sent Him from heaven into this world to declare the glorious message of salvation. Good News!!
People judge after the flesh: by what they can see, hear, taste, touch, and detect/measure. But people are limited since we are physical beings dwelling in a physical dimension. So how can people judge Jesus' claims? They can't do so based on physical evidence because God/Jesus is not of this physical dimension. People must judge solely by faith. They are reduced to either accept or reject His testimonies. Jesus claimed that He was not alone, that the Father was with Him.
Jesus also appealed to the law of man. It required two witnesses to validate a claim. The life, words, and works of Jesus' demonstrated God's presence and power. Of course, the Pharisees mocked Jesus. They told Him to go get Him and bring Him so He can bear witness of your claims. They judged strictly by the flesh, by sight and appearance. They wanted physical evidence. Jesus had provided ample evidence in His own person and miracles but their unbelief blinded them to the truth.
When they saw Jesus all that they could see was the Man. But Jesus was also the Son of God. Unbelievers do not know Jesus. They also do not know God. To ever know God is for God to reveal Himself: God must come from the spiritual dimension and enter this physical world to reveal the truth about Himself. It is still up to the person to accept and believe, if not, then they will never believe.
Jesus said that He was God incarnate in human flesh. That is a revelation of God! He is the express image of the invisible God (Col :). The great tragedy back then was the utter rejection of Jesus in the temple by the Pharisees. The tragedy today is that supposedly really smart people continue to reject Jesus' claims based upon lack of physical evidence. I hope some day that that changes.
Next time I shall look at our futile search for a messiah and utopia. Until then, peace and love of Christ Jesus be with you all!
Comment (0)
|
|
|
| About Me |
|
| Feb. 2026 |
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13
|
14 |
|
15 |
16
|
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
|
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
|
prev
|
|
next
|
|
|
Archives
|
| |
Name: Eric Rajaniemi
