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Tag: John

Love for one another

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What does it mean to have love for one another (John 13:35)?

In John 13:35, Jesus establishes mutual love as the distinctive mark of all Christians: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (ESV). To comprehend the full significance of the command to have love for one another, it is essential to consider the entire context of John 13.

Having announced His imminent departure and insisting that His disciples cannot presently accompany Him (John 13:33), Jesus proceeds to outline His expectations for them during His absence. Unfortunately, the disciples continue to struggle with the fact that Jesus’ departure is imminent (verses 36–38). This prompts Jesus to offer an extended explanation about His departure. The hope is that His words would bring comfort to their troubled hearts (see John 14:1).

In John 13:34, Jesus issues a new command: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (ESV). This is a simple command, yet we consistently fail to comprehend it and obey it. There are many reasons for this:

  • We do not recognize the depth of our sin and self-centeredness (Matthew 26:31–35; Mark 9:33–37).
  • We do not appreciate the love of Jesus (John 1:10–11).
  • We do not measure ourselves against the standard of Jesus’ love (John 13:1–20).

What makes the new command “new” is not that the disciples had never heard it before. In Leviticus 19:18, for instance, Moses writes, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (ESV). And in Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (ESV).

Jesus also taught His disciples that the entire law and prophets are summed up in the commands to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:28–33). So, why does Jesus say that the command to love one another is new?

The newness of the command is to be found in a new standard: “just as I have loved you” (John 13:34, ESV). There may also be an allusion to the New Covenant, which promised a radical transformation of heart and mind (cf. Jeremiah 31:29–34; Ezekiel 36:24–26). At any rate, the disciples are expected to reflect the same kind of mutual love and unity that exist between the Father and the Son (John 8:29; 10:18; 12:49–50; 14:31; 15:10).

The new command, therefore, is the proper response to God saving us and making us His own (1 John 4:19). And it is by showing love for one another that “all people will know that [we] are [His] disciples, if [we] have love for one another” (John 13:35 ESV; cf. Matthew 5:16; Galatians 6:10).

In his Apologeticus, Tertullian reported that the pagan world admired the love that Christians had for one another: “See how they love one another! . . . How they are ready even to die for one another!” (chapter 39). This is precisely what Jesus meant when He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 ESV; cf. 1 John 3:16).

Our love for one another ought to reflect the mutual love between the Father and the Son, as well as the love that Jesus has for us, “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

Truth will set you free

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What does it mean that “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32)?

“The truth will set you free” is a common saying in academic circles that want to promote academic freedom and the power of learning. Many universities have this statement emblazoned on a sign near the entrance of a building. But “the truth will set you free” did not originate in academia; Jesus said it in John 8:32. In context, Jesus’ statement has nothing to do with classroom learning. In fact, John 8:32 speaks of a higher form of knowledge than is capable of being learned in a classroom.

Jesus had just finished a speech at the temple where He delineated differences between Himself and His listeners. “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:23–24). The result of Jesus’ message was that “even as he spoke, many believed in him” (verse 30). Then, in verse 31, Jesus begins to speak just to those who had believed.

“Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples’” (John 8:31). True discipleship is more than intellectual assent; those who are “really” followers of Christ will “hold to” His Word. That means they will not only accept His teachings as truth, but they will also obey His teachings. Action is proof of faith (cf. James 2:17).

True disciples of Jesus believe that He speaks the truth about God and the Scriptures. They also know that He is who He claims to be. Back in verse 25, the people asked Jesus who He was, and He responded, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.” There may be a tinge of exasperation in His response; He had repeatedly made known that He was the Messiah, the one they had anticipated for many years.

Verse 32 begins with, “Then you will know the truth.” “You” refers to those who are true disciples of Jesus. True disciples will know the truth. More than that, their eyes are opened to a greater understanding of the truth (cf. 1 John 5:20).

The truth Jesus’ disciples receive brings with it freedom. Jesus continues, “And the truth will set you free” (verse 32). At that point in history, the Jews were under the rule of the Roman government. Even though Rome gave them an exceptional amount of autonomy, they were keenly aware of the Roman presence around them in the form of soldiers, governors, and empirically appointed kings. When Jesus said the truth would set them free, however, He was not talking about political freedom (though the following verses indicate that’s how the Jews took it). Jesus provides the best commentary for His own statement in verse 34. Jesus explains, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Being a slave to sin is the ultimate bondage.

The freedom Jesus offers is a spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin—that is, release from the lifestyle of habitual lawlessness. He continues with an analogy: “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever” (verse 35). The people would have understood Jesus to mean that they were not members of God’s family, despite their biological relationship to Abraham (verse 37), because they were slaves to sin. If they were to become disciples of Jesus, they would know the truth of their condition and the truth about Christ, and Jesus would set them free. Believers would be freed from their bondage and brought into the family of God.

Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). Knowing the Truth will set one at liberty—free from sin, free from condemnation, and free from death (Romans 6:22; 8:1–2). Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives (Luke 4:18). “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16, ESV).

You will know the truth

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What does it mean that you will know the truth in John 8:32?

Jesus stated plainly that the mark of a true disciple of Christ is that he remains faithful to His teachings. He told the Jews who believed in Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32, ESV).

The word know in John 8:32 is translated from a Greek verb that means “to know experientially.” Understanding something with the mind or intellect, often called “head knowledge,” is different than knowing something experientially. We can know that something is bad for us yet still do it. But when we take Jesus at His word and practice “the truth that comes from him,” then we will “throw off [our] old sinful nature and [our] former way of life” and “let the Spirit renew [our] thoughts and attitudes” so that the truth we live by sets us free “to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:20–24).

We shall know the truth in a way that sets us free from our old sinful way of life when we know Jesus experientially, in word, deed, and truth (see Colossians 3:17; 1 John 3:18). “Our actions will show that we belong to the truth” (1 John 3:19, NLT).

Knowing the truth means experiencing Jesus Christ by accepting His teachings as absolute truth and then living in faithful obedience to them. We receive the message of the gospel and the teachings of Christ, and then we abide by them. The apostle John often framed the concept of true discipleship as knowing the truth of Christ experientially: “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments” (1 John 2:3, NLT; see also 1 John 2:29; 3:16, 24).

Knowing the truth is a rock-steady way of life. John 8:32 upholds the biblical concept that truth is the only dependable foundation for constructing one’s life (see also Psalm 26:3). Jesus taught, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash” (Matthew 7:24–27, NLT). If we plant our feet firmly on Christ’s truth and follow the path of His teachings, nothing can shake, derail, or destroy us.

Jesus is the personification of truth (John 14:6). Only He embodies the truth that sets us free (Galatians 5:1; Romans 6:18; John 8:36). Those who know the truth are born-again believers who live in fellowship with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life” (1 John 5:20, NLT).

You will know the truth also expresses the moral commitment of genuine disciples to do the will of God (John 7:17; 14:21, 23; James 1:25). We know the truth in the person of Jesus Christ, who prayed to the Father for us to be “made holy” by His truth and gave His own life as the sacrifice that made it possible for us to live out that truth (see John 17:14–19). Moreover, Jesus asked the Father to send us “the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth” (John 14:16–17, NLT; see also Ephesians 1:13).

When Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” He was telling His followers that obedience to God is the only way to experience true liberation—spiritual freedom from sin. The freedom Jesus offers is restored fellowship with the Father, who is the source of all true life. And the mark of one who has received this life is to remain faithful to His teachings.

I have overcome the world

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “I have overcome the world,” in John 16:33?

As Jesus prepared to depart this world, He knew that difficult days lay ahead for His disciples. He wanted them to be ready for the most challenging times they would ever face. Jesus explained how they could endure through the troubles of this life: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT).

Amid the storms of life in a dark and fallen world, inner peace is only possible through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The disciples could not depend on themselves to survive the trials and persecution they would soon endure. Instead, they would have to rely entirely on Jesus and everything He had taught them while living and ministering with them.

Fearing for their lives, the disciples would abandon Jesus at the cross (Matthew 26:56). They would be scattered (Mark 14:50; Acts 8:1), arrested (Acts 5:17–21), thrown out of synagogues (John 16:2; Acts 13:14–52), and martyred for their faith in Jesus (Acts 7:54–8:3), but they would not go astray because they would remember the Lord’s words: “Take courage! I have overcome the world” (NASB).

The Greek word translated “overcome” means “to defeat, to win a victory over, as in a contest or military conflict.” The “world” is the created physical realm, the domain of existence here on earth, which is considered distinct from the heavenly or spiritual realm. Jesus knows that here on earth we encounter trouble and sorrow. But He has overcome the world and every earthly obstacle for us.

What has Jesus overcome for us in the world?

Anxieties and cares: Christ’s victory over the world is multifaceted. First, He gives His followers peace to overcome their troubled hearts: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Those who believe in Jesus Christ don’t have to live with anxious hearts but can experience the gift of His otherworldly peace (John 14:1). We do this by bringing every situation to Him in prayer, depending wholly on Him to meet our needs (Philippians 4:6). The Lord’s peace transcends all the confusion, fear, and anxiety of this world like a shield set over our minds and hearts as we live secure in Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:7).

Hatred and persecution: It’s important to remember that Christ’s victory over the world does not physically remove us from the battle. We will face the same hatred Jesus did: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:18–20). We overcome the world because we belong to God. His Spirit lives in us and “is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Paul asked the Romans, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” (Romans 8:35, NLT). He answers his own question with a resounding, “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (Romans 8:37, NLT).

Sin and temptation: Temptation to sin will always be a part of our lives in this world, but Christ gives us victory over sin. Before salvation, the Bible says we lived like we were dead in disobedience and sin “just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (Ephesians 2:1–2, NLT). We used to follow only the passions and inclinations of our sinful nature (Ephesians 2:3). “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. . . . For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–6, NLT).

Spiritual forces: Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sin, but He also won a pivotal victory over Satan and all the supernatural powers of evil who are aligned with him (Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14). The devil has been defeated through Jesus Christ. As believers, we appropriate Christ’s victory when we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18).

Sorrow and death: Death is an inevitable reality for all people, but for believers in Jesus Christ, death means victory over our last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26–27). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross and subsequent resurrection, Jesus overcame the world by conquering death. He shares that victory with all who repent and believe in Him as Lord and Sa

Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth (John 16:13)?

In John 13 Jesus begins teaching His faithful disciples in what has come to be known as His “Upper Room Discourse.” In that great discourse, Jesus tells them that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth (John 16:13). Many wonder whether this is something that applies to us as well or simply to the disciples. In the context, Jesus helps us understand the specificity of His promise that the Holy Spirit will “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13, NKJV).

First, it is worth noting that some English translations say “all truth,” while the Greek New Testament actually includes the definite article, so a more precise way to translate what Jesus said is that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all the truth. There is a specific truth to which He is referring, and the Holy Spirit would guide them into that. Specifically, the Spirit would reveal what the Son and the Father would have Him disclose (John 16:13–15)—things about Jesus (John 16:14).

Jesus had already told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—who would teach them and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus had said to them (John 14:26). Jesus’ later reference (in John 16:13) to the coming of the Holy Spirit and His work of guiding them into all the truth was fulfilled literally. Peter later said that God moved the writers of Scripture, and they spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21). When Matthew wrote his gospel, for example, Matthew didn’t need to borrow from anyone; he was in the room when Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. It seems that Mark, who served alongside Peter for some time, wrote down Peter’s account (as church historian Eusebius suggests in his History, 24:5–8). Luke researched reliable sources (presumably including the disciples) as he wrote his account of Jesus’ ministry (Luke 1:1–4). John, another eyewitness, wrote his own gospel, stating that what he had written provided sufficient information for people to believe in Jesus and have life in His name (John 20:30–31).

Before the disciples would begin their ministry, they were to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). After the Holy Spirit came, the disciples were equipped for their work, and we see them proclaiming powerfully the gospel of Jesus Christ (e.g., Peter in Acts 2—4). The Holy Spirit had indeed guided them into the truth (John 16:13) and brought to their remembrance what Jesus had said to them (John 14:26).

While we certainly benefit from that work of the Holy Spirit—as we have the writings of these men whom the Holy Spirit guided into the truth—it is clear from other contexts that this is not how the Holy Spirit works with all believers. Guiding into the truth was simply a purpose for which He was sent to empower and equip the disciples. Paul tells Timothy, for example, that Timothy should be diligent as a workman, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Timothy would have to work to understand what had been written, and he would have to be diligent to hold true and pass along the things he had heard from Paul (2 Timothy 2:2). Similarly, we are told that all Scripture is from God’s mouth and is profitable for believers’ growth and equipping (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

We are thankful for and benefit greatly from the Holy Spirit guiding the apostles into all the truth, and we recognize that, because of the Spirit’s work through the disciples, we have His record: the Bible. We should be diligent in studying the Bible to know the Lord better.

Be of good cheer

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

On what basis can believers be of good cheer (John 16:33)?

Jesus told the disciples to “be of good cheer” (John 16:33) just as they were about to face the darkest, most troubling time of their lives. The Lord would soon be leaving them (John 16:5–7), and He knew that severe persecution, suffering, and the possibility of death awaited each of His followers.

The disciples were grieved and confused as Jesus explained, “In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again” (John 16:16, NLT). They would all scatter, and most would abandon Him at the cross (John 16: 32). But soon after, their doubt and fear would be transformed into faith and peace: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NKJV).

In the original language, the words translated as “be of good cheer” (NKJV) or “take heart” (NIV, ESV, NLT) can also be understood as “be bold,” “be confident,” or “be courageous” (CSB). Jesus taught the disciples that inner peace and courage amid tribulation could only be experienced through abiding in Him (1 John 2:28).

In the world, believers encounter persecution and suffering, just as Jesus did (Ephesians 3:13; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:3). Jesus said the disciples would soon be “handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues” (Mark 13:9). The world would despise them (John 15:18–25), and some would be martyred for their faith (Acts 11:19).

Despite being hated by the world, believers can be confident and courageous based on the knowledge that Jesus Christ has overcome the world. As Christians, our lives are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). We are born of God (1 John 5:1), and “everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4; see also 1 John 2:13–14).

We can be of good cheer because we’ve learned how to trust the Father in every situation (Romans 8:28). We don’t have to live in fear because we are secure in His love (1 John 4:18). We know that, if God is on our side, no one can stand against us (Romans 8:31). And nothing can separate us from His love—no trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, poverty, danger, or conflict (Romans 8:35–39).

Even if we face the threat of death, we can say, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). The apostle John asked and answered this question: “Who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5, NLT). We can be of good cheer because Jesus conquered the world. If we believe in Jesus and belong to the Father, we too have overcome the world because the One living in us is greater than the one in the world (1 John 4:4).

Inner peace is ours in Jesus. He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). While the world offers only trouble, threat, and danger, followers of Christ do not have to be anxious or afraid. We can be of good cheer because we belong to the One who overcame the world. Nothing in this world can harm us because we triumph through our Lord Jesus Christ in the end.

Who the Son Sets Free Is Free Indeed

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What does it mean that “So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed” in (John 8:36)?

In John 8 Jesus exhorts His listeners that if they abide in His word they would be truly His disciples, they would know the truth, and that truth would make them free (John 8:31–32). They were a bit surprised to hear that because, as they were descendants of Abraham, they thought they had never been enslaved (John 8:33). Jesus then explained that, if a person is committing sin, that person is enslaved by sin, and slavery is not fitting for sons (John 8:34–35). But if the Son—Jesus says, referring to Himself—makes us free, then we “are free indeed” (John 8:36). He is the Son who remains forever, so what He determines shall stand. When He gives the recipe that we are “free indeed,” it is a reliable recipe because of who He is. The condition for becoming “free indeed” is that His hearers should abide (or dwell) in His word. He later explains that keeping His word results in eternal life (John 8:52), and He challenges His hearers that they need to believe in Him (John 8:46).

The apostle Paul gives us a further implication of “we are free indeed” (John 8:36). After expressing that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), Paul adds that in Christ Jesus we have been set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). Because of that new freedom, we are no longer in bondage to sinfulness, and now we can choose righteousness (Romans 9:12–15). Peter adds a caution that we use this freedom not as an excuse for evil but that we use this freedom to walk in devoted service to God—as bondslaves (1 Peter 2:16).

Jesus came offering something very special, and if we take Him at His word then we are free indeed. He is “the truth” (John 14:6), and He desires that we abide in Him and walk in Him. As He expresses in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus wants to set us free from the curse of sin, shame, and death. He gave His own life so that we could be “free indeed” and asks us simply to believe in Him.

The true freedom that Jesus gives is freedom (1) from the penalty of sin—there is no more condemnation for those in Him (Romans 8:1), and no longer are we children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1–3); (2) from the power of sin—no longer are we in bondage to sin, but now we can do righteousness; without faith it is impossible to please Him, but, with faith, we can please Him (Hebrews 11:6); and one day we will be free (3) from the presence of sin—when our eternal life is fulfilled, we will be like Him and without sin (Romans 8:28–30).

If you love me, keep my commandments

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What did Jesus mean when He said, “If you love me keep my commandments”?

On the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus Christ gave a lengthy private teaching to His disciples. This discourse in the upper room takes place right after the Lord’s announcement that one of the disciples will betray him and Judas leaves the room. As part of the instruction, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV). The unmistakable meaning of the passage is that obedience to Christ’s commandments is both a sign and a test of our love for Him.

The connection between love for Christ and obedience to Him is a recurring theme in the apostle John’s writings: “This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands” (1 John 5:2–3). In the same upper room discourse, John quotes Jesus saying yet again, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21; see also 15:14).

What does Jesus mean when He says, “Keep my commands?” Is Jesus referring to keeping a list of rules and laws like the Ten Commandments, or does He have something else in mind? The words John uses in the original language are not merely to be understood as obeying a series of moral instructions. These “commands” encompass all of Jesus’ words and teachings, which, in truth, are God the Father’s words: “Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me’” (John 14:23–24).

These commands involve the full scope of Christ’s revelation: “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word’” (John 8:31–37; see also John 12:44–50). Only those who believe and receive the truth of who Jesus is (John 14:6) are set free and thus “hold to His teachings” or keep His commands. Praying to God His Father, Jesus says, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word” (John 17:6).

Immediately after Jesus makes the statement “If you love me, you will keep my commands,” He says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever” (John 14:16, CSB). Jesus knows that keeping His commands in this fallen world will require a divine source of power in the form of the Holy Spirit’s presence living within us.

Thankfully, we have a model for loving Jesus and keeping His commandments: the love of Jesus Christ and His life of obedience to the Father (John 14:31). Obeying Christ’s commands means copying the example of Jesus (John 13:15–16). Loving Jesus is not merely a feeling; it is an active, abiding, ongoing relationship of following and obeying our loving Master: “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands” (1 John 2:3).

Salvation is of the Jews

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What does it mean that salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22)?

In John 4:22 Jesus says, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews” (NKJV). Those words are immediately followed by this beautiful truth: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (verse 23).

Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman remains a favorite for many modern Bible readers, both for how it breaks cultural boundaries and for salvation truth. When a Samaritan woman left her house to fetch water alone, she never expected to encounter a Jewish man or for Him to initiate a conversation. What started as a simple request for water turned into Jesus revealing the salvation plan applicable to both Jews and Gentiles. The interaction reached its pinnacle when the wary woman turned into an enthusiastic evangelist: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29). Within the discourse, Jesus stated that salvation is of the Jews in response to the woman’s statement in verse 20 pointing out that the Samaritans had a different holy site than the Jews.

In stating that salvation is of the Jews, Jesus asserted that the Jews hold a pivotal role in God’s redemptive plan. God chose them to be the people through whom the Messiah came to earth. He also entrusted them with His covenant, as Paul affirms in Romans 3:1–2, “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (ESV; cf. Deuteronomy 4:8; Psalm 147:20). The Old Testament, often referred to as the Hebrew Scripture, reflects this deep-rooted connection.

As Christians, we can appreciate God’s intentionality and careful progress in orchestrating the Savior’s arrival through the Jews. Christ’s birth “in the fulness of time” (Galatians 4:4) and sacrifice on the cross were not an accident or a backup plan. Speaking of the people of Israel, Paul says, “Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen” (Romans 9:4–5). The simple fact is that God chose Israel—the people and the land—to set the stage for the Savior of the world. In this way, salvation is of the Jews.

However, while salvation is of the Jews, it is not for them alone. Jesus made this quite clear in His conversation at the well: “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24, NLT). We now live in an era where the gospel has gone far beyond Jewish borders, “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The time has arrived for genuine worshipers to worship God in spirit and truth, as Jesus declared. His conversation with the Samaritan woman and her enthusiastic response foreshadowed what we now experience today: true worshippers emerging from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds.

The propagation of the gospel commenced on the day of the Pentecost when over 3,000 Jews turned to Christ (Acts 2:41). Thereafter, the message moved to Gentiles, from the Ethiopian eunuch to the Roman Cornelius (Acts 8:26–40; 10—11). After the conversion of Paul, missionary activity to Gentiles took formal shape, and we continue to see the message spread to more Gentiles today.

To sum up, salvation is of the Jews because they had God’s covenant and were the custodians of the Scriptures and keepers of the temple. Physically, they were the Savior’s people. However, God’s blueprint always encompassed people of all nations. He promised Abraham, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3), and that continues to be fulfilled today.

in Him was life

Written by LWOM Amsterdam on . Posted in John, What’s new?.

What does it mean that “in Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4)?

Several elements are required to sustain life. Among the top are food, water, air, and light. In Scripture, Jesus is the source of each of these. He is the “bread of life” (John 6:48), the supplier of “living water” (John 4:10), and the One who fills every creature with the “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7; John 3:8; 20:22). John’s Gospel says, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4, ESV).

Jesus Christ came into the world to bring life. He is equal to God the Father, who “has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son” (John 5:26, NLT). The Greek term translated as “life” in John 1:4 is zōē. It means “life source; the inherent capacity for producing (and maintaining) living beings.” This “zoe-life” is an overarching theme in John’s Gospel. As the Creator (John 1:3) and Sustainer of all life (John 5:21; 6:40, 57; 14:6), Jesus offers physical, spiritual, and eternal life to humanity. The life source that is in Him, John reveals, has become “the light of men” (John 1: 4, ESV), “the light of all mankind” (NIV), or “light to everyone” (NLT).

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men means that the life and light of salvation now extend beyond the chosen people of Israel to the whole world. John calls Jesus the “true light that gives light to everyone” (John 1:9), echoing Isaiah’s prophecy that the coming Messiah would “do more than restore the people of Israel” and become “a light to the Gentiles” and bring “salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6, NLT).

Jesus left no doubt regarding this aspect of His identity. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). While restoring sight to a blind man, Jesus stated, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). And again, Jesus emphasized that He had come to save the whole world: “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46).

In the Bible, darkness is often a symbol of sin and its effects (John 3:19–20; Matthew 6:23; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:18). Jesus is the light that pierces all the darkness of this world with the brilliance of His truth (John 1:5). In Him “there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ “believe in the light” and become “children of light” (John 12:35–36).

As the light of men, Jesus calls believers “out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NLT), just as Isaiah foretold: “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine” (Isaiah 9:2, NLT). Shortly after His blinding-light conversion experience, the apostle Paul testified that, according to the prophets, Israel’s Messiah would bring the message of salvation—“the message of light”—both to Jews and Gentiles (Acts 26:23; cf. Isaiah 42:6–7; 51:4; 53:11). Later Paul wrote, “For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ’” (2 Corinthians 4:6, NLT).

The message of salvation is that Jesus Christ—the “one who is life itself”—is the source of eternal life for all people (1 John 1:2, NLT). Salvation and everlasting life are found only in Him (1 John 5:11). Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).

As Christians, our life is Jesus (Colossians 3:4). Everything we need comes from Him, in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The life that is the light of men continues to shine in this dark world through believers who “live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8–14; see also 1 John 1:7; 2:8–10; 1 Thessalonians 5:5–6). Jesus taught His followers, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16).