Bible Studies

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We continue this verse-by-verse study of John chapters 5-8 here in Part 2, starting with John 5:24, which is a very important verse.

(24) Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word [[Compare John 8:47. We cannot hear Jesus' word (mostly referring to the gospel of salvation through and in Christ Jesus) in an adequate way (with faith, which includes obedience) until we know and are committed to the fact that He is God the Son, the Messiah/Christ, who has been sent from God the Father.]], and believes Him [[Compare John 12:44. I prefer a translation like the following: "believes in Him" NKJV; Jerusalem Bible; "believeth on Him" KJV; "has faith in him" NAB; and "believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him" Amplified Bible. We must believe in (be committed in faith to) God the Father (and God the Son) to be saved.]] who sent Me [cf., e.g., John 3:17, 34; 5:36, 38; 6:29, 38, 57; 7:29; 8:42; and 10:36], has eternal life, and does not come into judgment [[I would translate "into condemnation" with the KJV; the NIV has "will not be condemned." The Greek noun is "krisis" (derived from the Greek verb "krino"). The BAGD Greek Lexicon (third edition, page 569, under krisis) lists John 5:24 (and John 5:29 and other verses) under this sub-heading: "The word often means "judgment" that goes against a person, "condemnation," and the sentence that follows...." See the discussion of John 3:18, 19 in my paper on John 1:19-4:54; krino is used in John 3:18 (twice); krisis is used in John 3:18.]], but has [already] passed out of death into life. [[Compare John 6:40, 54. Those who submit (in faith) to the Lord Jesus Christ and His word (mostly referring to the gospel) have already had their final judgment and already participate in the eternal life of God. Those disciples who had faith in Christ in the days before He died and poured forth the promised LIFE-GIVING, sanctifying, gift-dispensing Spirit (starting on the day of Pentecost) couldn't be born again yet - they could only participate in eternal life in a very preliminary sense through their relationship with Christ. Those who are BORN AGAIN/BORN FROM ABOVE by the LIFE-GIVING Spirit already participate in ETERNAL LIFE in a very substantial sense through the indwelling SPIRIT OF LIFE (cf., e.g., John 3:3-8, 15, 36; 4:14; 7:37-39; 17:2, 3 [These verses from the Gospel of John are all discussed in this present paper or my papers on John 1:19-4:54 and John chapters 18-20, which are available on this Christian article site.]; Rom. 8:1-17 [These super-important verses are discussed in my book, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin."]; 1 John 3:14; and 5:11-13). The fullness of eternal life, however, is reserved for the end of this age, when we will be born into the fullness of eternal life and glorified with Christ (cf., e.g., Rom. 2:7; 5:21; 6:22, 23; Gal. 6:8; 1 Tim. 6:12; Titus 3:7; Rev. 7:17; and 12:5).]] (25) Truly [Amen], truly [amen], I say to you, an hour is coming and now is [See John 4:21, 23 9 (see under John 4:21, 23 in my paper on John 1:19-4:54); 5:28], when the dead [spiritually dead; cf. Matt. 8:22; Luke 9:60; 15:24, 32; Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13; and 1 Pet. 4:6] will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. [[Here Jesus is speaking of the fact that the spiritually dead will hear (they will hear with repentance and faith) the voice of the Son of God (they will hear the new-covenant gospel of salvation in Christ) and they will live, starting with the new birth/being born from above. See under verse 24.]] (26) For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself [cf. John 1:4; 5:21; and 6:57]; (27) and He gave Him authority to execute [or, "to do"] judgment [[The Greek noun behind "judgment" here is "krisis." See under verse 22. His "executing/doing judgment" here includes His giving eternal life to those who submit to Him and the gospel in faith and His condemning those who reject Him and the gospel throughout this age, and it includes His judging (both positive and negative judging) at the end of this age.]], because He is the Son of Man. [[On the "Son of Man" see under John 1:51 in my paper on John 1:19-4:54. I'll quote a few sentences from what Leon Morris says regarding this title, Son of Man ("Gospel According to John" ["Eerdmans, 1971], page 172). "In the Gospels it is used by Jesus as His favourite self-designation, occurring in this way over eighty times. Nobody else ever uses it of Him except Stephen (Acts 7:56) and the people in this Gospel [John] who inquire who Jesus means by the term (12:34). ... The origin of the term is probably to be sought in Dan. 7:13f...."

John (and the New Testament in general) makes it clear that the title "Son of Man" was not chosen to focus on the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, but His humanity is included; for one thing, the Son of Man came from heaven (John 3:13; 6:62), being God the Son (cf., e.g., John 1:1-18). I'll quote a few verses that relate to the Son of Man's having authority to execute judgment; then I'll list some other relevant verses: "...son your sins are forgiven. ... ...but so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." (Matt. 9:2-8). "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, (42) and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (43) Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, He who has ears, let him hear" (Matt. 13:41-43). "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. (25) For whoever wishes to save his life [his life in this world] will lose it [will lose his soul and real life]; but whoever loses his life [his life in this world] for My sake will find it [will save his soul and find real life]. (26) For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (27) For the SON OF MAN [my emphasis] is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS [WORKS]" (Matt. 16:24-27). "...hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN [He is coming to reign, which includes His works of saving and judging]" (Matt. 26:64). Also see Matt. 19:28; 24:30, 31; 25:31-46; Mark 2:10; 8:38; 13:26; 14:62; Luke 5:24; 21:27; and Acts 7:56.]] (28) Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice [[At the end of this age, all the dead (physically dead) will be raised/resurrected. If we were limited to the information contained here in verses 28, 29, we would have to assume that all the dead, the righteous and the unrighteous, will be raised at the same time. Other verses make it clear, however, that the believers (the righteous) will be raised earlier, at the time Jesus returns ((cf. Luke 14:14; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 12:5; and 20:4, 5 [I had a footnote: Revelation 20:4 pictures the resurrection of the believers who will be martyred during the reign of Antichrist in the second half of Daniel's 70th week. They will be resurrected at the end of Daniel's 70th week to join the large number of saints raptured at the time Christ returns (in the middle of Daniel's 70th week). Those raptured in the middle of Daniel's 70th week have already been reigning with Christ for three and one-half years. The fact that they are pictured seated on thrones at the beginning of Rev. 20:4 shows that they are reigning; that verse shows them reigning before the saints killed by Antichrist are resurrected.)) and that the "rest of the dead" (Rev. 20:5) will not be raised (for their final judgment at the great white throne judgment) until the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:5, 11-15). (The verses cited in this sentence are all discussed in my paper on Revelation chapters 20-22 that is available on this Christian article site.)]], (29) and will come forth; those who did the good deeds [or works] to a resurrection of life [[Compare Dan. 12:2. The righteous (the believers) will be resurrected into the fullness of eternal life with glorified bodies when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to begin to reign. This will include the believers of Old Testament days and all true Christians who will have died before that time. Their good works (their righteous lives) will demonstrate that their faith was real, and especially in the case of Christians (new-covenant believers) because they had been born again/born from above by the life-giving, sanctifying Spirit of God. As I mentioned, I believe the Lord Jesus Christ will return and the resurrection, glorification, and rapture will take place right in the middle of Daniel's 70th week.]], those who committed the evil deeds [or works] to a resurrection of judgment [[Greek krisis. I would translate "resurrection of condemnation" with the NKJV. The NIV has, "will rise to be condemned

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