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Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Wiersbe - Most scholars seem to agree that the passage is a part of inspired Scripture (“a fragment of authentic Gospel material,” says Dr. F.F. Bruce) regardless of where it is placed. (Bible Exposition Commentary) Believer's Study Bible on Jn 7:53-8:11 - The pericope, or story-unit, of the woman caught in adultery is absent from the entire Alexandrian text and most of the ancient versions. On the other hand, it does occur in numerous manuscripts, as well as in the writings of Augustine and Jerome (NU brackets John 7:53 through 8:11 as not in the original text. They are present in over 900 manuscripts of John). Regardless of whether these verses were originally in the autograph of John or whether they were added later by John or by someone else, there is every probability that the story represents an actual event in the life of Jesus. No questionable doctrine is present in this text, and the event is certainly characteristic of the way Jesus met such circumstances. It is topically appropriate in this place, since the theme of judging is introduced in Jn 7:51; although from a linguistic/literary perspective, Jn 7:52 and Jn 8:12 naturally flow together without the interruption of this pericope. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary) Leon Morris on Jn 7:53-8:11 writes that "if we cannot feel that this is part of John’s Gospel, we can feel that the story is true to the character of Jesus. Throughout the history of the church it has been held that, whoever wrote it, this little story is authentic. It rings true. It speaks to our condition. And it can scarcely have been composed in the early church with its sternness about sexual sin. It is thus worth our while to study it, though not as an authentic part of John’s writing" (Borrow The Gospel according to John) D A Carson - Despite the best efforts of Zane Hodges to prove that this narrative was originally part of John’s Gospel, the evidence is against him, and modern English versions are right to rule it off from the rest of the text (NIV) or to relegate it to a footnote (RSV).....On the other hand, there is little reason for doubting that the event here described occurred, even if in its written form it did not in the beginning belong to the canonical books. (Borrow The Gospel according to John) R C H Lenski on Jn 7:53-8:11 - The language differs decidedly from that of John’s own writing. Yet this spurious section reports quite correctly an actual occurrence in the life of Jesus. Every feature of it bears the stamp of probability, although we are unable to say at what point in the story of Jesus it should be inserted. Since John did not write this section, we give no exposition of it. (Borrow The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel) John
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Wiersbe - To "follow" the Lord Jesus means to believe on Him, to trust Him (ED: BUT REMEMBER THAT IF YOU SAY YOU TRUST IN HIM, YOU WILL OBEY HIM!); and the results are life and light for the believer. The unsaved are walking in darkness because they love darkness (John 3:17ff). One of the major messages in this Gospel is that the spiritual light is now shining, but people cannot comprehend it—and they try to put it out (John 1:4-5). (BORROW The Bible Exposition Commentary) THOUGHT - Jesus was THE Light, but to those who followed Him (disciples), He gave them the privilege and the power to be the Lights of the world (Mt 5:14-16+, cf Php 2:14-15+). Jesus is gone physically, but the influence of His light remains, so the question each of us needs to ask ourselves, is His light shining forth from my innermost being, like a "moon" reflecting the sun (Son)? John Piper on when we follow Jesus, the Light of the world - notice that when you follow Him you have Him—you have Him as the light of life. “I am the light … Whoever follows me … will have the light …” You will have Me, He says, as your light. If you follow Me, you have Me. I am yours. I am your Shepherd and your Sacrifice and your Living Water and your Bread from Heaven and your God, and your Light. (I Am the Light of the World) Will (absolutely) not walk (peripateo) in the darkness (skotia) - Jesus gives the promise for those who follow Him. Notice the future tense "will" which identifies this as a prophecy (a prophetic promise) from Jesus to all His followers or disciples. Next notice that Jesus first gives us the negative aspect of the prophetic promise. Not is a strong double negative in the Greek indicating that the believer's new domain is the kingdom of light NOT the kingdom of darkness. It follows (pun intended) that if we are continually following the One Who is the essence of Light, we cannot walk in darkness because darkness has no existence by itself, being definable simply as an absence of light. As an aside, that descriptive definition ("no existence by itself") could be applied to every soul without the Light of the World as their Savior, for while they have a visible, transient "existence," it is meaningless from the perspective of eternity (cf 1Jn 2:17, 1Pe 1:18, Eccl 1:2)! The world is enshrouded (a shroud is used to wrap a corpse!) in spiritual darkness, a symbol of evil, sin, and ignorance (Isa 9:2; Mt 4:16; 27:45; Jn 3:19). The natural man stumbles and gropes about in this world. He knows nothing other than the temporal things of this world as he sees them (cf 2Co 4:18+). His only hope is the hope of living a long life before death overtakes him. Lost men have only a "hope so." Only followers of Jesus have a "hope sure." The lost man or woman walks in darkness, ignorant of real life now and ignorant of the fact that they must endure eternal darkness in the hereafter (cp. Jn 12:35, 46). Men love the darkness and hate the Light of the world because Jesus exposes their evil behavior (Jn 3:19-20+). So if men do not follow Jesus, the Light, by default they walk in (spiritual) darkness. There is no other option available other than Jesus (light) or darkness. Dear reader, will you follow Jesus today or walk in darkness forever? He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going! -- Jesus Christ (Jn 12:35b) R Kent
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Wiersbe points out that "We have seen from John 5:37-47 that the witness of the Father is found in the Word of God." (Bible Exposition Commentary) Chrysostom and Theophylact both remark that our Lord here claims equality of honour with the Father, by putting His testimony and the Father’s side by side. Matthew
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Wiersbe - The true believer has his citizenship in heaven (Luke 10:20; Phil. 3:20-21). His affection and attention are fixed heavenward. But the unsaved belong to this world; in fact, Jesus called them "the children of this world" (Luke 16:8). Since they have not trusted Christ and had their sins forgiven, their destiny is to die in their sins. The Christian dies "in the Lord" because he lives "in the Lord" (Rev. 14:13); but the unbeliever dies in his sins because he lives in his sins. (Bible Exposition Commentary) Excerpt from The Johannine Dualism by George Eldon Ladd - The Two Worlds - The most difficult problem in the Johannine theology is its apparently different dualism from that of the Synoptics. The dualism in the Synoptic Gospels is primarily horizontal: a contrast between two ages -- this age and the Age to Come. The dualism of John is primarily vertical: a contrast between two worlds -- the world above and the world below. "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world" (Jn. 8:23). The Synoptics contrast this age with the Age to Come, and we know from the Pauline use that "this world" can be an equivalent of "this age" in an eschatological dualism. But in John, "this world" almost always stands in contrast with the world above. "This world" is viewed as evil with the devil as its ruler (Jn 16:11), Jesus has come to be the light of this world (Jn 11:9). The authority of his mission does not come from "this world" but from the world above -- from God (Jn 18:36). When his mission is completed, he must depart from "this world" (Jn 13:1). The same dualism is obvious in the language of Jesus descending from heaven to earth and ascending again to heaven. "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven" (Jn 3:13). Jesus has come down from heaven to fulfill a mission that he received from God (Jn 6:38). He has come down from heaven as the "living bread." If anyone eats of this bread, she or he shall never die but have eternal life (Jn 6:33, 41, 50, 51, 58). When his mission is fulfilled, he must ascend to heaven whence he had come (Jn 6:62). After the resurrection, when Mary would cling to him, he told her not to hold him, for he had not yet ascended to the Father. She was instead to go to the disciples and say to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (Jn 20:17). Darkness and Light The world below is the realm of darkness, but the world above is the world of light. Christ has come into the realm of darkness to bring the light. Light and darkness are seen as two principles in conflict with each other. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn 1:5). Jesus is himself the light (Jn 8:12) and has come that people may not remain in darkness but may have the light of life and be enabled to walk in the light so that they may not stumble (Jn 8:12; 9:5; 11:9; 12:35, 46). Those who receive the light become children of light (Jn 12:36). However, in spite of the fact that the light has come into the world, people loved darkness rather than light and refused to come to the light because their deeds were evil. Whoever "does the truth" comes to the light that his or her true nature may be disclosed (3:19-20). In John the crowning evil is hatred of the light -- unbelief in Jesus. (BORROW A Theology of the New Testament - see page 222). Above (upward) (507) ano is an adverb of place and means higher in place, a position above another position, and used figuratively of heaven (Jn 8:23, Gal 4:26, Php 3:14, Col 3:1,2), of the direction upward (Lxx of Ex 20:4, Dt 4:39; when Jesus prayed Jn 11:41ESV, the sky Acts 2:19, figuratively of a root growing He 12:15). Ano is the root of the more "famous" adverb anothen (ano + -then = from) used by Jesus in John 3:3 speaking of men's need to be born "from above". Ano - 9x in 9v -John 2:7; 8:23; 11:41; Acts 2:19; Gal 4:26; Phil 3:14; Col 3:1, 2; Heb 12:15. NAS = above(5), brim(1), upward(1). John 8:24 'Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Barclay I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you will not believe that I am who I am, you will die in your sins.’ BGT John 8:24 εἶπον οὖν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν. KJV John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. NET John 8:24 Thus I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins." CSB John 8:24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." ESV John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins." NIV John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." NLT John 8:24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins." NRS John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he." NJB John 8:24 I have told you already: You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. NAB John 8:24 That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins." YLT John 8:24 I said, therefore, to you, that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye may not believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.' GWN John 8:24 For this reason I told you that you'll die because of your sins. If you don't believe that I am the one, you'll die because of your sins." BBE John 8:24 For this reason I said to you that death will overtake you in your sins: for if you have not faith that I am he, death will come to you while you are in your sins. RSV John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he." NKJ John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." ASV John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. MIT John 8:24 Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I am who I am, you will die in your sins." I said: Jn 8:21 for: Jn 3:18,36 Pr 8:36 Mk 16:16 Ac 4:12 Heb 2:3 10:26-29 12:25 John 8 - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: John 8:58+ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” John 13:19 “From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. John 18:5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. Exodus 3:14+ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (THIS was the answer to Moses when Moses asked for credentials to prove to Israel that God had indeed authorized him to lead them out of bondage and into freedom. The disclosure of the name given from the burning bush which was not consumed, represents that this entity was eternal and constant.) Deuteronomy 32:39+ ‘See now that I, I am He (Lxx = ego eimi), And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. Isaiah 41:4 “Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He (Lxx = ego eimi),.’” Isaiah 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He (Lxx = ego eimi). Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. COMMENT - It’s more than ironic that the Jehovah’s Witnesses take their name from Isaiah 43:10, but deny the deity of Jesus. They fail to see that, in part, Jesus bases His claim to be God on it! - Steven Cole Isaiah 43:25 (DOUBLE EGO EIMI!) “I (Lxx = ego eimi), even I, am (Lxx = ego eimi) the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am (Lxx = ego eimi) the LORD, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22 (THE WORD SPIRIT USED TO SAVE C H SPURGEON - READ HIS TESTIMONY!) “Turn (KJV = Look) to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am (Lxx = ego eimi) God, and there is no other. (THIS IS JESUS SPEAKING!) Isaiah 45:19 (ANOTHER DOUBLE EGO EIMI!) “I have not spoken in secret, In some dark land; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a waste place’; I (Lxx = ego eimi; Lxx = ego eimi), the LORD, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright. Isaiah 46:4 (ANOTHER DOUBLE EGO EIMI!) Even to your old age (Lxx = ego eimi) I will (Lxx = ego eimi) be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you. Isaiah 46:9 “Remember the former things long past, For I am (Lxx = ego eimi) God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Isaiah 47:8 “Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in your heart, ‘I am (Lxx = ego eimi), and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.’ Isaiah 48:12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am (Lxx = ego eimi) He, I am (Lxx = ego eimi) the first, I am also the last. COMMENT - Compare with Revelation 1:17 where Jesus says “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last" and in Revelation 2:8 where Jesus calls Himself "The first and the last." Isaiah 48:17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am (Lxx = ego eimi) the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. Isaiah 51:12 (ANOTHER DOUBLE EGO EIMI!) “I (Lxx = ego eimi), even I, am (Lxx = ego eimi) He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies And of the son of man who is made like grass, Isaiah 52:6 “Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am (Lxx = ego eimi) the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’” JESUS' GRACIOUS INVITATION BELIEVER I AM WHO I AM Therefore (oun). Consequently. Since they were from below and of this world, Jesus pronounces His verdict on their eternal fate! While His attention was fixed heavenward, the attention of the unsaved was tethered to this fallen world which is passing away (1Jn 2:17+). In Lk 16:8+ Jesus referred to them as "sons of this age (world)." I said to you that you will die (apothnesko) in your sins (hamartia) - Like a good Rabbi (Teacher) Jesus repeats this critical important truth. Compare in your sin in Jn 8:21. Their unbelief would seal their eternal destiny. If they would continue to reject the Sin-Bearer (Jn 1:29 Isa 53:12 1Pe 2:24 Heb 9:28), even in their short time left on earth, they would continue under the dominion of and penalty of sin as their "master" (cf Jn 8:34+, 2Pe 2:19b+). Furthermore dying in one’s sin left no opportunity for repentance, no second chance! This declaration would surely have angered any Pharisees who may have been in the audience, because they thought they were spiritually "healthy" and in no need of a divine physician or divine cure! (Mk 2:17+) They did not see themselves like the "tax gathers and sinners." (Lk 5:30+) They thought they were righteous and in no need of repentance (Lk 5:31-32+). In short, Jesus' declaration would have raised their blood pressure and made their nostrils begin to flare (as when one is very angry)! D A Carson on in your sins - The plural sins contrasts with the singular in Jn 8:21, and refers to the diverse and ugly forms of corruption that mushroom from the one sin of unbelief. (Borrow The Gospel according to John) For - (gar) Term of explanation. What is Jesus explaining? The way to avoid eternal death in one's sins! THE "ESCAPE HATCH" An escape hatch is a hatch used for emergency escape, as from a submarine or aircraft, and thus is a means used avoid imminent danger, punishment, etc. The Jews in the audience were in imminent danger of eternal destruction and Jesus (belief in His Name) was the only "escape hatch" available (Acts 4:12+) To go to heaven, believe the truth about yourself and the truth about Jesus while there is still time. -- Steven Cole Unless - (ean) - This is a word of grace! "IF you do not." KJV = "for IF ye believe not." This IF identifies this sentence as a third class conditional sentence (see also Dana's Greek Grammar page 303) which means potential action, in this case the act of believing in Jesus. In other words, the possibility of the condition is assumed. The door of salvation, the "escape hatch," was still open in the day of grace, but just as God did in the great global flood (see Ge 7:16), one day He will shut the door of the "Ark" (Jesus) and none of those who refuse His gracious offer will escape from God's wrath and judgment! THOUGHT - Have you escaped by the "Escape Hatch" by believing in Jesus Christ? Read John 3:15–16, 36; John 6:40, 47; Acts 16:31; Ro 10:9–10; Gal. 3:26; 1Jn 5:10–13. "How will (you) escape if (you) neglect so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3+) R C H Lenski on the "if clause" (unless) - The sins of these men will destroy them by robbing them of life eternal only if they refuse to believe in Jesus. The “if” clause [in the KJV] is pure gospel, extending its blessed invitation anew. Yet it is again combined with the warning about dying in sins. This note of warning with its terrifying threat persists because these Jews had chosen the course of unbelief. Yet the “if” opens the door of life in the wall of sin. (Borrow The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel) Alas! that the farthest end of all our thoughts should be the thought of our ends. --Thomas Adams You believe (pisteuo) that I am (see note on ego eimi) He, (note "He" is not in Greek) you will die (apothnesko) in your sins (hamartia) - Believe is in the aorist tense calling for them to make a definite act of faith. The active voice speaks of making a volitional choice, a choice of one's will. Jesus explains the divine escape clause which is simply to believe that He is the great "I Am." Obviously implicit in this belief is acknowledgement that they are sinners in need of Him as Savior and that if they received/believed, He would be their Substitute and taste death in their place giving them eternal life. There is clearly a warning "unless" or "if you don't" for if you don't believe the door to the day of grace may be shut. And no man knows when God in His omniscience and justice deems it is time to shut that door in an individual's life. It behooves these Jews (and all souls) to walk through this door labeled "unless." The consequence to fail to believe is to receive the wages of sin which is death forever in one's sins. “You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may be too late.” -- Thomas Fuller It is notable that Jehovah had used "I Am" in the Old Testament in Isaiah 43:10 where He declared “that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He (ego eimi).’ In fact as shown above, ego eimi is used repeatedly in Isaiah 41-48, in passages that would have been very familiar to these Pharisees who prided themselves on their knowledge of the Old Testament. It is difficult to imagine that they did not understand that Jesus was clearly stating that He was the eternal God repeatedly described by their own prophet Isaiah! Hendriksen on I am... - The meaning is: that I am all that I claim to be; the One sent by the Father, the One who is from above, the Son of man, the only-begotten Son of God, equal with God, the One Who has life in himself, the very essence of the scriptures, the bread of life, the light of the world, etc. The fact that rejection of the Son—failure to believe in him and to obey him—results in everlasting death is expressed not only here in Jn 8:24 but also in Jn 3:36 (see on that verse), which may be viewed as an explanation of Jn 8:24. (BORROW Exposition of the Gospel according to John - Chapters 7-21) John MacArthur on I Am - Jesus was applying to Himself the tetragrammaton (YHWH, often transliterated as Yahweh)—the name of God that was so sacred that the Jews refused to pronounce it. Unlike many modern cult groups (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses), the Jews of Jesus’ day understood perfectly that He was claiming to be God. In fact, they were so shocked by His use of that name, in reference to Himself (cf. vv. 28, 58), that they attempted to stone Him for blasphemy (v. 59). (ED: See also Jehovah - I Am and the Tetragrammaton).... To be a Christian one must believe the full biblical revelation about Jesus: that He is the eternal second person of the Trinity, that He entered space and time as God incarnate, that He was born of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, that His death on the cross is the only sufficient, substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all who would ever believe in Him, that He rose from the dead and ascended to the Father in heaven, that He now intercedes for His own redeemed people, and that He will one day return in glory. To reject those truths about Him is to “be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3), to worship “another Jesus” (v. 4), to be cursed by God (Gal. 1:8–9), and ultimately to hear the Lord say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23). Notice the Jews' question in (Jn 8:25, cp Jn 10:24 and His answer in Jn 10:30!) even though He clearly has just told them He is "I AM"! Jesus emphasized that the fatal, unforgivable, and eternal sin is failure to believe in Him as Messiah and Son of God. All other sins can be forgiven if this one is repented of. I AM is the self-designation for God in many Scriptures .(Ex 3:14 Dt 32:39; Isa 41:4, 43:10, 11, 13, 25; 44:6 46:4; 48:12; etc.), to render Hebrew “I (AM) He.” Jesus' use of this phrase is clearly a claim to Deity as the reaction to His claim clearly demonstrates in (Jn 8:58,59). The incorrect rendering of the Jehovah's Witnesses in their NWT only serves to illustrate the difficulty of evading the meaning of the phrase and the context. Ray Stedman -How blind they were! Our Lord is saying, "Because you are so limited in your outlook, because you are looking at life only from the standpoint of what is happening from day to day you are in unconscious bondage to the god of this world. You are living in slavery that will end finally in death and hell. I am the only way out." How faithful he was to these men! This is what many people today say they do not want to hear -- they do not want to hear anything about hell. But, in the New Testament, Jesus is the one who says most about hell. Now he does not describe it except in terms of these words in this passage, "Where I am you cannot follow." Hell is a place of eternal separation from all that is beautiful, all that is true, all that is lovely, all that is exciting, all that is living and fulfilling. The opposite of all that, the removal of all that, the removal of God from life, is what people choose when they refuse to hear the claims of Jesus Christ. I amazed and awed at how earnestly Jesus deals with these men in their blindness. These are not words of anger or bitter rejection or accusation or condemnation. This is an earnest pleading on his part: "You are going to die -- everybody is -- and you will die in sin unless you lay hold of the provision God has made for the sin of mankind." But they in their pride were blinding their eyes and rejecting this word because they thought they were good enough already; they thought they did not deserve any rejection from God. Believe (4100) pisteuo (click in depth discussion) means to be persuaded of, place one's confidence in, to trust, express reliance upon. Belief in the New Testament sense that effects the new birth denotes more than intellectual assent to a set of facts or truths. The demons believe (pisteuo) but they are clearly not saved (Jas 2:19+). Genuine belief does involve an intellectual assent (or reception) and consent in one's mind, but also includes an act of one's heart and will. Biblical saving faith is not passive assent but an active staking of one's life on the claims of the Bible that Jesus is the Son of God and the Redeemer of lost sinners. The respected Greek lexicon author W E Vine defines belief as consisting of (1) a firm conviction which produces full acknowledgment of God's revelation of Truth, (2) a personal surrender to the Truth (3) a conduct inspired by and consistent with that surrender. (ED: In other words, there is spiritual fruit that validates a genuine root of faith)
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Wiersbe - The words believed in John 2:23 and commit in John 2:24 are the same Greek word. These people believed in Jesus, but He did not believe in them! They were “unsaved believers”! It was one thing to respond to a miracle but quite something else to commit oneself to Jesus Christ and continue in His Word (John 8:30, 31). John was not discrediting the importance of our Lord’s signs, because he wrote his book to record these signs and to encourage his readers to trust Jesus Christ and receive eternal life (John 20:30, 31). However, throughout the book, John makes it clear that it takes more than believing in miracles for a person to be saved. Seeing the signs and believing in them would be a great beginning; in fact, even the disciples started that way and had to grow in their faith (compare John 2:11 and Jn 2:22). (Bible Exposition Commentary) Scott Harris commenting on Jn 8:37 says "Some have said that these people could not be "those Jews who had believed in Him" that Jesus was speaking to mentioned in Jn 8:31. Yet, there is no place in the text in which any other group is introduced or addressed. This is the only group in the context to which the "they" of Jn 8:33 can refer to. There is not a problem in the Greek text or the English translation. The difficulty is that this text shows that a belief in Jesus that only lasts a short time is not saving faith. As Jesus has been speaking, some came to a belief in Jesus that was nothing more than a mental assent for the moment. They continued to believe in Jesus until Jesus addressed what it really meant to believe in Him – discipleship. The transition that occurs in this text is not from one group to another, but the attitude of one group from accepting Jesus as the Messiah of their dreams at one moment to an utter rejection of Him only a few minutes later. Brief belief is a fickle faith that sinks salvation and heads to hell. (John 8:31-47 Children Of God & Children Of The Devil) Steven Cole on Jn 8:30 - It’s possible to have a superficial, false faith in Christ that does not save from sin. John 8:30 tells us, “As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.” Jn 8:31 states that Jesus was addressing the following comments to the Jews who had believed Him. So you would think that these people had come to know Christ through faith. But as the dialogue continues through the chapter, we learn that not only were they slaves of sin (Jn 8:34), also they were seeking to kill Jesus (Jn 8:37, 40); God was not their Father (Jn 8:42); in fact, they were children of the devil (Jn 8:44); they accused Jesus of having a demon (8:48); they were liars (8:55); and they attempted to kill Jesus (Jn 8:59). So why does John say that these Jews believed in Jesus? Some have tried to resolve this by saying that Jn 8:30-31 speaks about true believers, while “they” in Jn 8:33 refers to the hostile Jews that we encountered earlier in the chapter. But the text does not indicate that there is a change of subject. Others argue that there is a difference in meaning between the Greek construction used with the verb “to believe” (Jn 8:31), but this distinction doesn’t hold up in other places (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John[Eerdmans/Apollos], pp. 346-347). Other solutions have been proposed. The best interpretation is that the “believers” in Jn 8:30, 31 are like those back in Jn 2:23, who believed in Jesus after seeing some of His miracles, but Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to them, because He knew that their faith was superficial. We saw that same false faith in Jn 6:60, when many of Jesus’ disciples turned away from Him after He said some difficult things that they didn’t like. False faith is implied in Jn 8:31, where Jesus says that if they continue in His word, they are truly His disciples. And so we should conclude that it’s possible to have a superficial, false faith in Christ that does not save from sin. Other New Testament texts support this view. Jesus’ parable of the sower (Luke 8:5-15) mentions the seed that was sown on the rocky, thin soil. These people received the word with joy, but they had no root. They believed for a while, but in a time of temptation or trial, they fell away. The same was true of the seed sown among the thorny ground. Eventually the thorns choked out the word, so that it did not bear fruit. We see the same thing in the warning passages in Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31 and in John’s mention of the false teachers who went out from the church, but never were genuine believers (1 John 2:19). Paul mentions false apostles who disguise themselves as workers of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:13-15). I’ve seen the same thing many times, even with some who have served for a while in some capacity in the church. Perhaps they came to faith at a time when many of their friends were professing faith in Christ. It was the cool thing to do. Or, maybe they came to Jesus because they were told that He would give them some blessing or solve some difficult problem that they were wrestling with. But when things didn’t go as they had hoped, they fell away. Some now even deny the faith that they once professed. How can we know that our own faith is genuine? I’ll say more about that in a moment, but for now, note two marks of false faith that we see in these “believing unbelievers” (See full sermon True Freedom - John 8:30-36) (Bolding added) In summary, from this section in John, we can see that Jesus taught the same truth concerning the vital relationship between faith and works which His half brother taught in James 2:14-25+. AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT JOHN 1-9 SAYS ABOUT BELIEF/UNBELIEF John 1:7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. (JOHN WAS A WITNESS. AM I?) John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (TO RECEIVE JESUS = TO BELIEVE. IN HIS NAME = ALL THAT HE IS.) John 2:11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. (DISCIPLES BEGAN TO BELIEVE IN HIM, NOT IN HIS SIGNS, BUT BECAUSE OF HIS SIGNS.) John 2:19-25 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. 23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting (BELIEVING) Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. (DISCIPLES BELIEVED IN WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAID ABOUT JESUS. OTHERS BELIEVED IN HIS NAME OBSERVING HIS SIGNS, BUT JESUS PUTS DOUBT IN THEIR BELIEF.) John 3:14-18 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (BELIEF IN HIM YIELDS ETERNAL LIFE = SALVATION = NOT BE JUDGED. NO BELIEF = JUDGED ALREADY). John 3:36 “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.” (BELIEF IS IN THE SON => ETERNAL LIFE. TRUE BELIEF => YIELDS OBEDIENCE. NO BELIEF/OBEDIENCE => WRATH OF GOD EVEN NOW!) John 4:39-42 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” (NON-JEWS BELIEVED BECAUSE OF A WITNESS. MANY BELIEVED BECAUSE OF HIS WORD = TODAY THIS IS THE SCRIPTURES.) John 4:48-53 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” 49 The royal official *said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus *said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. 51 As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. 52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household. (BELIEF IN JESUS WORD =>NOT SEEING IS BELIEVING BUT BELIEVING IS SEEING! BELIEF OF HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD MAY LEAD TO BELIEF IN FAMILY.) John 5:16; 18; 24; 38 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. (5:18) For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. (5:24) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (5:38) “You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. (HEARS JESUS' WORD - SCRIPTURE TODAY - BELIEVES IN FATHER => ETERNAL LIFE. NO JUDGMENT. DEATH =>LIFE. TO NOT BELIEVE = NOT HAVE HIS WORD ABIDING WITHIN.) John 5:44-47 “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? 45 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (NO BELIEF IF YOU SEEK GLORY FROM MEN NOT GOD. BELIEF IN MOSES [SCRIPTURES] = BELIEVE JESUS & HIS WORDS.) John 6:29-31 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’” (WORK OF GOD = BELIEVE. BEWARE OF PROCRASTINATING ASKING FOR SIGNS!) John 6:35-36 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. (COME TO JESUS = BELIEF IN HIM = SATISFACTION OF SPIRITUAL HUNGER AND THIRST). John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (BEHOLD SON TODAY IN HIS WORD. BELIEVE IN HIM => ETERNAL LIFE. RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.) John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. (BELIEF => ETERNAL LIFE) John 6:60-69 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? 62 “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? 63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” 66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (FALSE DISCIPLES DO NOT BELIEVE, DEPART AND EVEN BETRAY. TRUE DISCIPLES BELIEVE, STAY AND HONOR HIM.) John 7:31 But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?” (BELIEVED IN HIM. DRAWN BY HIS SIGNS.) John 7:38-39 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (BELIEF IN JESUS => RECEIVE SPIRIT WITHIN AFTER HE WAS GLORIFIED) John 7:48 “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? (MOST RULERS DID NOT BELIEVE, cf 1Co 1:26-27+) John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am (Ex 3:14), you will die in your sins.” (NOT BELIEVE JESUS IS "I AM" => DIE IN YOUR SINS). John 8:30-31 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. 31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; (BELIEF IN HIM => TESTED BY ABIDING IN HIS WORD. ABIDING IN HIS WORD = TRUE DISCIPLES.) John 9:18 The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, (DID NOT BELIEVE THE SIGN) John 9:34-38 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. (JESUS SEEKS UNBELIEVERS. HE REVEALS HIMSELF TO THEM. BELIEF RESULTS IN WORSHIP AS LORD ~ RECOGNITION THAT HE IS LORD. SO MUCH FOR THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST "LORDSHIP SALVATION!") John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; BGT John 8:31 ἔλεγεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους· ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μού ἐστε KJV John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; NET John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, "If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples CSB John 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. ESV John 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, NIV John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. NLT John 8:31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. NRS John 8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; NJB John 8:31 To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples; NAB John 8:31 Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, YLT John 8:31 Jesus, therefore, said unto the Jews who believed in him, 'If ye may remain in my word, truly my disciples ye are, and ye shall know the truth, GWN John 8:31 So Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you live by what I say, you are truly my disciples. BBE John 8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had faith in him, If you keep my word, then you are truly my disciples; RSV John 8:31 Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, NKJ John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ASV John 8:31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; MIT John 8:31 Jesus said to those Jews who had put their faith in him, "If you stay within my message, you are truly my disciples. DBY John 8:31 Jesus therefore said to the Jews who believed him, If ye abide in my word, ye are truly my disciples; NIRV John 8:31 Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. "If you obey my teaching," he said, "you are really my disciples. If you continue in My word: Jn 6:66-71 15:4-9 1Sa 12:14 Mt 24:13 Ac 13:43 14:22 26:22 Ro 2:7 Ro 11:22 Col 1:23 1Ti 2:15 4:16 2Ti 3:14 Heb 3:14 8:9 10:38,39 Jas 1:25 1Jn 2:19,24 then you are truly disciples of Mine: Jn 8:36 Jn 1:47 Jn 6:55 15:8 1Ti 5:3-5 John 8 - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Hebrews 3:14 (PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS) For we have become partakers of Christ, IF (third class conditional sentence) we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end (GENUINE BELIEVERS WILL HOLD FAST BECAUSE OF THE SPIRIT IN THEM WHO HOLDS THEM FAST AND ENABLES THEM TO ENDURE ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THIS LIFE OR THIS AGE!) Acts 14:21+ After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples (NOT MADE "MANY BELIEVERS"!), they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, (NOTE THE FRUIT OF THEIR PREACHING WAS "MADE MANY DISCIPLES!" IT COULD NOT BE MORE CLEARLY STATED THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE BELIEVING DISCIPLES FROM THE OUTSET!) A TEST OF THE REALITY OF ONE'S BELIEF Paul Apple introduces this next pericope noting that there is "Debate over what group of people is being addressed here. Some commentators want to make an artificial distinction and say that the “They” of Jn 8:33 is somehow a different group than the normal antecedent of Jn 8:30-31. The problem is that people want to assume that any reference to “belief ” always involves saving faith. That is just not the case in the Gospel of John." So (oun) in this context means consequently, based on the fact that many of the Jews professed to believe in Jesus. Whenever people put their faith in Him, He often tests their faith. Here the test is simple - true believers/disciples will hold to/remain in His teaching, reading, studying and obeying it. Merrill Tenney - There is little change in time between this address and the one immediately preceding it. Although given to “those Jews that had believed him” (31), there seems to have been no more definite response to Him nor any less severe strictures on His part than when He was dealing with the Pharisees. Probably the belief of the Jews was shallow (ED: THERE IS NO "PROBABLY" TO IT - SEE JESUS' ASSESSMENT IN Jn 8:45-46 - IN TRUTH FROM Jn 8:31-58 THERE ARE AT LEAST 12 REASONS TO UNDERSCORE THEY WERE NOT GENUINE BELIEVERS!), and Jesus knew it (cf Jn 2:23-24). He was attempting to deepen it, but His instruction encountered resistance. (Borrow John the Gospel of Belief: An Analytic Study of the Text) It is not beginning, but “continuing” a religious profession, that is the test of true grace. -- J C Ryle Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed (pisteuo) Him - In this important verse Jesus gives us a clear explanation of how we can know someone's belief (as in Jn 8:30) is true, genuine, saving belief and not just intellectual assent. The difference between these two types of belief is the difference between spending eternity in Heaven and eternity in Hell! It is therefore not surprising that some evangelical teachers try to "soft pedal" these passages and claim they do not really mean what they mean! Beware of this genre of teaching! Jesus is speaking to professors. Notice He does not exclaim that it is so wonderful that you have finally come to your senses and seen the "Light," (the Light of the world) and been born again and therefore are now in the Kingdom of God! Instead He addresses them with a conditional statement (identified by beginning with "IF" [Gk = ean]). Technically, Jesus is responding to the professors with what is known as a third class conditional sentence which speaks of potential action. "It may therefore be said that a third class condition is undetermined but with the objective possibility of fulfillment." In other words, the condition may or may not be fulfilled, and that depends on what choice the individual makes (as noted by "if you continue" is in the active voice = volitional choice). What Jesus is in a sense warning about is that the only way an individual who professes to believe in Him can know that he or she is a genuine, born again, heaven bound believer is by the fact that he or she continues to abide in His Word. What is required for true, lasting discipleship is not merely immediate assent, but continued adherence to Jesus’ word. -- Andreas Kostenberger Kostenberger - The “many” referred to in John 8:30 could have been the crowds that followed Jesus rather than his opponents (Morris 1995: 402). More likely, though, the “many” of Jn 8:30 and the “Jews” in Jn 8:31 are the same group of people. (So the majority of commentators, including Ridderbos 1997: 305–6; Carson 1991: 346–47; Morris 1995: 404; Beasley-Murray 1999: 132; D. M. Smith 1999: 185; Borchert 1996: 301 n. 182; Burge 2000: 259; Bultmann 1971: 252 n. 2; contra R. Brown 1966: 354–55, 358; Schnackenburg 1990: 2.204–5; Moloney 1998: 277; Westcott 1908: 2.13–14.) A comparable statement is found in Jn 2:23. Quite apparently, the faith of these “believers” is shallow. (A semantic distinction between πιστεύω + εἰς (pisteuo + eis, believe + in) and the verb alone followed by an object in the dative case cannot be maintained (Carson [1991: 346–47] and the vast majority of commentators; see also Croteau 2002). Concerning the perfect participle πεπιστευκότας (pepisteukotas, having believed), Swetnam (1980 citing E. Abbott 1906: 365–66) notes that the perfect participle in Greek can also serve as a pluperfect. If so, the meaning here would be “those who had [previously] believed in him [but did so no longer].”) What is required for true, lasting discipleship is not merely immediate assent, but continued adherence to Jesus’ word (Jn 8:31) By definition, true faith perseveres. Jesus was more concerned about deepening the faith of his disciples than about numerical growth among his followers (Carson 1991: 345, 347–48).... One abides in the word of Christ by making it the rule of one’s life. In other words, obedience is the same thing as abiding in the word.- (Bolding added) (See John - Page 261) NET Note on to those Jews - Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple and had believed his claim to be the Messiah, hence, “those Judeans who had believed him.” J C
João 8:12
Wiersbe - To "follow" the Lord Jesus means to believe on Him, to trust Him; and the results are life and light for the believer. The unsaved are walking in darkness because they love darkness (John 3:17ff). One of the major messages in this Gospel is that the spiritual light is now shining, but people cannot comprehend it—and they try to put it out (John 1:4-5). (BORROW The Bible Exposition Commentary) THOUGHT - Jesus was THE Light, but to those who followed Him (disciples), He gave them the privilege and the power to be the Lights of the world (Mt 5:14-16+, cf Php 2:14-15+). Jesus is gone physically, but the influence of His light remains, so the question each of us needs to ask ourselves, is His light shining forth from my innermost being, like a "moon" reflecting the sun (Son)? Will (absolutely) not walk (peripateo) in the darkness (skotia) - Notice again the future tense "will" which identifies this as a prophecy (actually a prophetic promise) from Jesus to all His followers or disciples. Next notice that Jesus first gives us the negative prophetic promise (identified by future tense "will"). Not is the strong double negative in the Greek indicating that the believer's new domain is the kingdom of light not the kingdom of darkness. It follows (pun intended) that if we are continually following the One Who is the essence of Light, we cannot walk in darkness because darkness is in essence the absence of light. Darkness has no existence by itself, being definable simply as an absence of light. As an aside that descriptive definition ("no existence by itself") could be applied to every soul without the Light of the World as their Savior, for while they have a visible, transient "existence," it is meaningless from the perspective of eternity (cf 1Jn 2:17, 1Pe 1:18, Eccl 1:2)! The world is enshrouded (a shroud is used to wrap a corpse!) in spiritual darkness, a symbol of evil, sin, and ignorance (Isa 9:2; Mt 4:16; 27:45; Jn 3:19). The natural man stumbles and gropes about in this world. He knows nothing other than the temporal things of this world as he sees them (cf 2Co 4:18). His only hope is the hope of living a long life before death overtakes him. He walks in darkness, ignorant of real life now and eternal darkness in the hereafter (cp. Jn 12:35, 46). Men love the darkness and hate the Light of the world because Jesus exposes their evil behavior (Jn 3:19-20). Peter writes that in Christ we have been "called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1Pe 2:9) In Col 1:12-13 Paul writes believers are to be giving thanks "to the Father, Who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain (exousia - the right and the might) of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son." NET Note - The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to Him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.