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Verses on John the Baptist-3

This document is divided into several web pages to reduce load time.  Please click on the following link to get to John the Baptist 01 and this link for John the Baptist 02 and this link for John the Baptist 03.

John 1:17   For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ .

This verse is part of the basic message of John the Baptist as recorded by John in the start of his gospel.  John the Baptist was sent from God to prepare the people to receive Jesus .  Therefore, John gives us part of the message from the Baptist to prepare our hearts for the message of Jesus .  

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, this verse is part of Johns basic message which is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3. 

This verse is part of Johns message that does not have an equivalent in the story by the other gospel writers.  Where they concentrated on what John the Baptist said and other things related to John the Baptist, this John tells us more about how John the Baptists message related to Jesus Christ .  Notice that this verse starts with For .  That means that it is the reason for the two prior verses.  In John 1:15-16,John tells us that God preferred Jesus to John because Jesus existed before John (and before all men) and Jesus brought fulness (salvation) and grace (John 1:16).  The Jews thought that the Law and their religion gave them salvation.  The message from John the Baptist and from Jesus was that the Law and religion can only condemn.  True salvation requires grace and truth, neither of which can come from the Law or religion.  The main theme of Johns basic message is repent , which was also the first thing that Jesus preached (Matthew 4:17).  Unfortunately, most religions, even conservative Bible believing ones, preach a religious definition for repent and not the true Biblical definition.  This is explained in the separate study on repent and (somewhat) in the note under Luke 1:17.   Unless someone stops trusting the Law and their religion and starts trusting the grace and truth that comes from Jesus Christ , they will go to Hell.  Further, as seen throughout this entire study, that grace and truth must come from the ministry of Jesus and of Christ and it is received personally.  We are not saved while accepting part of Gods salvation and refusing part of Gods salvation.  I have to go to the Lord and ask Him to apply the payment of the blood of Jesus to the debt of my personal sin.  However, unless I also receive a personal relationship with Christ (John 1:12), the Lord is not going to accept my request.  This is all explained in more detail elsewhere in this study.  

This verse is the first time that Jesus or Christ appear in the gospel of John.  As the other gospel writers did at the start of their gospel messages, John tells us that his main objective is to show us that salvation requires repenting of trusting in the Law and religion and receiving the grace and truth that only comes from a personal relationship to Jesus Christ .  

Returning to this verse (John 1:17), we read that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ .  We are told that grace is unmerited favor .  The first man in the Bible to receive grace from God was Noah.  God had determined to destroy all of mankind from the Earth, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:8).  This lets us know that grace is given on a personal level.  Moses is the next person that we are told who received grace from God (Exodus 33:12).  While many men found grace in the eyes of other men, few found grace from God.  We are told that the LORD spake unto Moses face to face (Exodus 33:11).  So, we know that the grace of salvation not only is personal but gives us direct access to talk to God.  People in the Old Testament didn't have this privilege.  This is the grace that is given to New Testament saints through Jesus Christ .  Again, in Ezra 9:8 we read that grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape .  The same is said in Jeremiah 31:2.  Zechariah 12:10 tells us that the spirit of grace and of supplications will come from Jesus Christ .  John is referring to Zechariah in this verse and Zechariah links that grace from God to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ .  Grace is given to very few and is a rare treasure and not something to be taken lightly.  The part of grace that provides personal salvation (Noah) is the main ministry of Jesus .  The part of grace that allows talking to God face to face is the main ministry of Christ .  The few other verses in the Old Testament that talk about grace from God make it very clear that such grace is extremely rare and precious.  

Going on to truth, we Know that Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).  By the way, if you find all of the places in the Bible that the phrase the truth occurs, I believe that you will find that each of those verses is talking about salvation of something else that comes from Jesus Christ .  Men and religions claim to provide lots of ' truths ' that are often in conflict with each other.  However, the means ' there is only one and here it is '.  Jesus Christ is the only truth that stays consistent no matter what circumstances change or what things of this world or of man changes.  That is why he is The Truth .  When John 8:32 tells us And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free , that freedom is personal and ongoing through a personal ongoing relationship with the person who is The Truth .  Again, Jesus told Pilate, and all of the world, To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.  Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice in John 18:37.  Those that live their lives refusing to listen to The Truth from the Bible are fooling themselves when they claim to be saved.  Jesus Christ brought grace and truth .  These are personal, rare, precious, ongoing and give us the privilege of talking to God face to face .  They are one of the main evidences of true Biblical salvation.  

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John 1:20  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ .  

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, this verse is part of Johns basic message which is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.  This verse tells us part of what is also said in Luke 3:15-17;John 1:7-10 and 3:22-36.  John made it clear that he was not the Christ prophesied in the Old Testament.  John was not God the Son come in flesh and told people as much.  He also did not have the authority to change peoples religion like God said Jesus had (Matthew 17:5;Mark 9:7;Luke 9:35 and 2 Peter 1:17).  In this verse, Christ is only used for the one who fulfilled Old Testament prophecy because the Jews didn't understand about the role of Christ in the lives of Christians where He makes our religion an ongoing personal relationship with God.  

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John 1:23   He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord , as said the prophet Esaias.  

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, this verse is part of Johns basic message which is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.  This particular verse is a quote of Isaiah 40:3 and says the same thing as Matthew 3:3 and Mark 1:2-3 and Luke 3:4.  As explained in the note under Luke 3:4,Lord is used for God the Son in this quote.  It was God the Son coming in human flesh that John was to prepare the people to meet.  John did his part but the people, especially the leaders, refused to accept what was offered and God will not take away anyones free will, even to keep them out of Hell.  

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John 1:25   And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ , nor Elias, neither that prophet?

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, this verse is part of Johns basic message which is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.  This verse is a question asked by people sent from the Pharisees ( 1:24).  It is the next question that ask after hearing John the Baptists answer that is found in 1:20.  As shown in the note for 1:20,this verse uses Christ for the one who fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.  See the verses and notes that are listed under Christ in the Verses section.  As John said here, he was not Christ and his baptism was not the same as the baptism of Christ .  Please see below for all of the verses that I found related to baptism.  

There are lots of doctrines about baptism and I will not try to dispute them.  My study of the Bible shows that Baptize can be replaced with ' identified with '.  Please see the verses below for divisions of verses that use some form of Baptize in the Bible.  

  1. John the Baptist
  2. The baptism of  John the Baptist = identification with repentance
  3. The baptism of  the disciples of Jesus before His death = identification with repentance
  4. The baptism of Jesus Christ = identification with Jesus Christ (dead to sin, alive to Gods life) through the Holy Ghost
  5. The baptism of  Moses = identification with Jewish people
  6. The baptism of  fire = identification with persecution and death
  7. The baptism in Pauls (preachers) name = identification with false doctrine
  8. The baptism unto the dead = either identification with false doctrine (baptized to save dead) or identification with those who have died and need to be replaced in the ranks of living witnesses
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John 1:29   The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God , which taketh away the sin of the world.  

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, this verse is part of Johns basic message which is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.  As part of that basic message, it is noted that prophecies by John the Baptist can be found in Luke 3:5-6 and John 1:29-36.  In this verse, we read that John seeth Jesus , which means that John the Baptist saw the physical man named Jesus .  Jesus is used in this verse for the physical man.  In addition, we see that John the Baptist declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God .  That title is best explained in the notes for Revelation.  In this verse, we can know that John the Baptist spoke by revelation from the Holy Ghost because he personally had doubts as seen in the fact that John sent from prison and asked Jesus if He was the Christ (Matthew 11:1-28;Luke 7:18-35).  1Peter 1:12 tells us that Old Testament prophets, including John the Baptist, were given prophecies that they didn't personally understand but were to pass on for our sake.  

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John 1:34   And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God .  

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, this verse is part of Johns basic message which is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.As part of that basic message, it is noted that prophecies by John the Baptist can be found in Luke 3:5-6 and John 1:29-36.  See the note under John 1:29 for more about John the Baptists prophecy.  This verse reports what John heard from God the Father that is recorded in Matthew 3:16-17;Mark 1:10-11 and Luke 3:22. 

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John 1:36   And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God !

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, this verse is part of Johns basic message which is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.As part of that basic message, it is noted that prophecies by John the Baptist can be found in Luke 3:5-6 and John 1:29-36.  See the note under John 1:29 for more about John the Baptists prophecy and Johns use of the name Lamb of God .  This verse uses Jesus to identify the physical man that john the Baptist looked upon.  

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John 1:37   And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus .  

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, Johns basic message is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.  As part of that basic message, it is noted that prophecies by John the Baptist can be found in Luke 3:5-6 and John 1:29-36.  See the note under John 1:29 for more about John the Baptists prophecy.  This verse tells us about the reaction of two of Johns disciples after they heard him proclaim that Jesus was the Lamb of God .  They reacted by following the physical man identified as Jesus .  One of those two was Andrew, who went and got Peter (John 1:40-42).  The other was John.  Matthew 4:22-23 tells us about John and James leaving their fathers fishing business to follow Jesus .  See the note on John 1:36 for more details.  

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John 1:38   Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  In addition, Johns basic message is ooutlined in the note under Matthew 3:3.  As part of that basic message, it is noted that prophecies by John the Baptist can be found in Luke 3:5-6 and John 1:29-36.  See the note under John 1:29 for more about John the Baptists prophecy.  This verse tells us about the reaction of two of Johns disciples after they heard him proclaim that Jesus was the Lamb of God .  They reacted by following the physical man identified as Jesus and that physical man spoke to them, as seen in this verse.  See the note on John 1:36 for more details.  

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John 1:41   He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias , which is, being interpreted, the Christ .  

This verse tells us, doctrinally, that the Christ of the New Testament is the Messias of the Old Testament and that all Jews, event ignorant fishermen, understood this fact.  In John 1:29-34 John the Baptist testified that Jesus had the signs of being the Son of God and Andrew understood that the Son of God come in flesh would be the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ .  

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John 3:13   And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but he that came down from Heaven, even the Son of man which is in Heaven.  

This verse is part of what Jesus told Nicodemus, who was a master of Israel (John 3:10).  Therefore, Jesus assumed that Nicodemus understood things that the non-Jew might not understand properly.  The first word in this verse is And , which means it is added unto the prior verse which said If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of Heavenly things? Jesus is telling Nicodemus Heavenly things which He knows will not be believed now, but will be believed later.  After the And , Jesus tells Nicodemus some Heavenly things , starting with the statement that no man hath ascended up to Heaven .  That is, no man can say ' I've been there and come back '.  The only way that men know anything about Heaven is if someone comes from there, as Jesus is telling Nicodemus that He did.  However, more than this is the fact that Jesus is the firstfruits (1Corinthians 15:20-23)of mankind which means that no man went to Heaven before Jesus did because Jesus had to die to open the way.  That payment by death is also specified by Jesus in the following verses.  Ephesians 4:9-10 clarifies these points further by specifically saying that Jesus had to first descend (into Hell to pay for our sins) and then ascend to Heaven (bringing the payment of His blood). 

The second part of this sentence is added to by John 3:17 and other verses.  In particular, we find it expanded upon in John the Baptists message found in John 3:27-36,especially 3:31.  Please see the notes on John the Baptist in Luke 1:5 and the notes on John 3:27-36. 

The third part tells us something that many might miss.  It says that the Son of man which is in Heaven .  That is is present tense, meaning that Jesus was in Heaven at the same time that he was on Earth talking to Nicodemus.  This is parallel to Ephesians 2:6 which says that the saved are currently in Heavenly places .  Basically, we have a body, soul and spirit.  The spirit that we are born with is spiritually dead until we are saved and is with the devil, because we are of our father the devil.  However, the Spirit of Jesus was/is God and while the soul and body of Jesus was on Earth and went into Hell, His Spirit remained in Heaven.  Many might have a hard time understanding this but while our bodies are in the physical plane of existence, our spirit is in the spiritual plane of existence and our soul links the two.  In this verse, Jesus said that the Son of man , which is the ' Son of God in human flesh ' is (current tense) in Heaven .  While this may be hard for some people to believe, that difficulty does not change what Jesus as ' God in human flesh '.  

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John 3:22   After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.  

This verse tells us that Jesus and his disciples...baptized .  See the verses and note for John 4:1-2 which tells us that Jesus personally did not baptize but was responsible for the baptism done by His disciples.  As noted there, Baptize means ' identified with '.  Please see the note for John 1:25 under Christ for references to where Baptize is used in the Bible.  In this verse, the disciples of Jesus baptized people to identify them with the repentance that Jesus preached.  This repentance is directly related to what Jesus just told Nicodemus.  Please see prior verses and notes in John 3.  Nicodemus was a leader of the ' right ' religion and had to turn from trusting what it taught to trusting in the personal promise from god to all those that receive (John 1:12)and love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matthew 22:37;Mark 12:30;Luke 10:27).  Please see the notes on those verses for how they are the true definition of Biblical repentance and for how true Biblical repentance is a prerequisite of proper Biblical baptism.  We are also told that Jesus and His disciples baptized more than John the Baptist did.  Please see the note under Luke 1:5 for references to other verses that deal with John the Baptist.  This verse uses Jesus for the physical man that went and stayed in Judaea.  

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John 3:28   Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ , but that I am sent before him.  

John told them that he was not the Christ in John 1:19-27.  In John 1:23 he told them that he was I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord which is a fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3.  Mark 1:2 also says the same thing.  Please see the notes for John 1:20 and Mark 1:1.  Also see the note for Luke 1:5 which gives references to all of the verses and notes that deal with John the Baptist.  This verse tells us part of what is also said in Luke 3:15-17;John 1:7-10 and 1:20-21.  John made it clear that he was not the Christ prophesied in the Old Testament.  

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John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son , and hath given all things into his hand.  

This verse is part of the basic message from John the Baptist.  Please see the note for Matthew 3:3 under Lord for the outline and details related to Johns message.  

Matthew 11:27;28:18 and Luke 10:22 and John 1:18;3:35 all say that the Father hath given all things into[the Sons] hand in one way or another.  1Corinthians 15:20-28 Paul gives us more details about this while he is discussing another subject.  Ephesians 1:15-23 is a single sentence which contains the same information.  Hebrews 2:5-9 also tells us the same thing and explains that while we don't see it yet, it is still finished.  Basically, God the Father has declared that everything will be subject to the Son and the Son will be subject to the Father.  Satan, death and other things are still fighting the inevitable.  So, while we may not see the end yet, it is settled and going to happen in spite of all of the opposition.  This verse and the others say that The Father...hath given because it was declared in the past.  In the Bible, once the Father declares something to be, it is considered completed even though it may appear to not be started yet.  This verse uses Son for all of His roles.  As Son of man he will judge and rule this physical Earth.  As Son of God He rules angels, devils and everything else.  Son of man and Son of God are two of the sub-divisions of Son .  

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John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.  

There is far too much that can be preached from this verse for me to cover it all in this study.  So, I will only present the bare minimum.  

This verse is part of the basic message from John the Baptist.  Please see the note for Matthew 3:3 under Lord for the outline and details related to Johns message.  This verse is the conclusion of John the Baptists message and incorporates all of that message in it.  I will not go over those details again but hope that you can see how those verses and notes are summarized in this verse.  

This verse is divided into two equivalent parts by a colon.  The first part tells us:

  1. The verb is believeth .  This is an action verb that is well explained throughout this study and in James (with the parallel word of faith ) and in Hebrews 11.  We are taught all through the Bible to ' inspect fruit '.  1John, Romans 6 and other places in the Bible make it clear that someone who has believeth on the Son will have fruit from God evident in their life.  If they don't have the right spiritual fruit, we are not to judge them as lost but to treat them as lost until they either truly get saved or start showing spiritual fruit or God kills them.  True Biblical belief is the result of someone obeying the Biblical definition of the word repent .  
  2. The subject of this phrase is the Son .  It is NOT the Bible.  John 5:39 says Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.    While the Bible points us to the Son , we are not to base our salvation on the Bible but upon the person of the Son that the Bible points us to.  
  3. hath is current tense.  That means that I have it right now if I'm saved.  This is not something that happened after I live for hell and die.  hath means that I will have the effects and results of Gods live in my physical life right now.  
  4. everlasting is a modifier of life .  That means that it is less important than life .  Everlasting life (in Heaven) is considerable different than everlasting death (in the Lake of Fire [Revelation 19:20;20:10,14-15 ]).  2Timothy 2:15 tells us how to study Gods Word and says that requires rightly dividing the word of truth .  Dividing is a function of math.  If I divide unequally, I am not rightly dividing .  If I have a pile of 6 books to divide into two piles and put 5books in one pile and 1 in the other, I am not rightly dividing .  If Gods word speaks on one subject 935times (the name of Jesus ) and speaks on another subject only 3times (Pentecost) and I preach mainly on Pentecost and hardly mention Jesus , I am not rightly dividing the word of truth .  Even so, If I always preach about everlasting in reference to salvation and hardly ever preach on life , I am not rightly dividing the word of truth .  
  5. life is the main thing that God gives as salvation.  Again, there is too much to present here but the most basic is in the term born again .  A man plants his seed in a woman.  Life grows until birth with the man dealing with that life one way.  After birth, it is the same life and the relationship continues, but the relationship between the man and that life changes and should become far more active.  Even so, God puts His seed (Word) in us and it grows until the ministry of Jesus produces birth.  Then the relationship between God and that life changes to the ministry of Christ (mainly) but it is the same life/salvation.  Anyone who claims a salvation tat denies the personal ministry of Jesus or the ongoing personal ministry of Christ did not receive Gods life and they are not Biblically saved.  That is clearly stated in the equivalent part of this sentence.  
  6. In this first half, we find that the person doing this action is he .  That is a pronoun which can be applied to anyone.  

The second, equivalent part of this sentence provides the mirror opposite of the first part.  (While the definition of ' equal ' does not allow for a mirror opposite, the definition of ' equivalent ' does.  That is why a colon provides the equivalent and not the equal).  In the second part we have:

  1.   And means ' in addition to '.  God is not giving us only one half of the equation and letting us guess the other part.  God is telling us both sides and no one will be able to accuse God of leaving part of the message out.  
  2. In this second half, we find that the person refusing to do the believing is still he .  However, this he is also the him that has the wrath of God abideth on him .  
  3. the wrath of God is an eternity in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20;20:10,14-15).  
  4. believeth not   means that you fail to believe.  This includes those liars who say they believe but never act.  As said many times, true Bible belief is an action verb.  
  5. believeth not the Son takes us back to John 5:39 and other verses.  Lots of people are like the devil in that they believe the Bible but are still condemned.  Lots claim to believe the Father one way or another, but 1John and other places tell us that they are lost.  Son here doesn't just mean Son of God but it also means Son of man and everything that the Bible tells us about the son of man.  Lots of people tell me ' I'm saved and I believe God and the Bible but I don't believe you ' when I tell them things that are in the Bible.  I don't want them to believe me.  But if they really don't believe ' me ', then they will use the Spirit of God to check the word of God.  If they don't do that, the Bible teaches that they are not really rejecting me but are in fact believeth not the Son .  They may be saved, but lots of saved people experience the wrath of God in the form of sickness and death.  
  6. abideth means ongoing, living and growing.  One of the hardest things to convince saved people is that they are not helping their loved ones by getting between God and their loved ones sin.  God may put off judgment until He moves them out of the way, but His wrath is growing all while He waits for you to move and it ends up being a whole lot worse when it finally comes.  
  7. shall not see life refers back to John 3:3 and more.  In John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus that this person cannot see the kingdom of God which means they won't even see Heaven.  However, this also means that the person who refuses to believe the Son won't see the things of salvation and spiritual life while they are still in this physical life.  Many times when I tell people things that are in the Bible, they not only say they can't believe the things I say but they also say they can't see it, meaning it doesn't make sense to them.  In 1Corinthians 1 and 2 and 3:19 we are told that there is a difference between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world.  Further, 1Corinthians 2:14 says But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.    The lost person will never see [understand] life [the things of the Spirit of God] until after they receive the Spirit of God in salvation.  
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John 4:1   When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  John 4:1-3 is a single sentence.  The subject of it is unique to Johns Gospel.  This sentence provides a transition from the subject of John 3 into the subject of John 4.  In John 3,we have the message from Jesus to the religious Pharisee named Nicodemus.  John then tells us that Jesus baptized people in one place of Judea and John the Baptist baptized in another place of Judea (John 3:22-24).  John tells us more of the message from John the Baptist in the rest of John 3.  Then we have this sentence in John 4 which tells us that Jesus went to Galilee.  Matthew 4:14-17 and Mark 1:14-15 tell us that Jesus went to Galilee when he heard that john the Baptist was thrown in prison.  This report in Matthew and mark appears to be, but is not necessarily, the same time as this report in John.  If they are the same, then we have two different reasons for Jesus to go to Galilee.  Both indicate that Jesus would have had a confrontation if He stayed in Judea , and it was not yet time for that to happen.  In either case, this sentence tells us that the Lord sent Jesus to Galilee.  As our example, Jesus shows us to obey our personal Lord when He gives us personal orders, including moving to another state or country.  I believe that Lord in this verse refers to God the Father, but even if the reader believes that this refers to God the Son, we still have the same use of the role of Lord .  Namely, we are to obey our personal Lord without question.  

Going on, it says that the man Jesus baptized because His disciples baptized under His authority.  Just as God held Adam responsible (Romans 5:14)for Eve eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3), so also does God hold all leaders responsible for the actions of their followers (Hebrews 13:7).  This sentence uses Jesus for the physical man who did not baptize and for the man who will answer for the actions of His followers.  Jesus Himself did not baptize because He baptizes with the Holy Ghost and it was not yet time for giving the Holy Ghost.  Baptize means ' identified with '.  Please see the note for John 1:25 under Christ for references to where Baptize is used in the Bible.  In this verse, the disciples of Jesus baptized people to identify them with the repentance that Jesus preached.  

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John 4:2   (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples, )

See notes under John 4:1 and 3:22 for more details on this verse about baptism.  This verse tells us that the man Jesus did not personally baptize anyone at this time.  According to John the Baptist, he would not baptize personally until, as Christ , he baptized with the Holy Ghost.  

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John 4:25   The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ : when he is come, he will tell us all things.  

John tells us about the time that Jesus went from Judaea to Galilee (John 4:3)by way of Samaria (John 4:4).  We are told that this was When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (John 4:1).  For an understanding of John the Baptist, look at the note under Luke 1:5.  For an understanding of the specific events that led up to this decision, look at the note under John 4:1.  On this trip, Jesus dealt with the Samaritan woman at Jacobs Well (John 4:5-45)and Jesus healed a noblemans son (John 4:46-54).  This verse is part of the story about the Samaritan woman at Jacobs Well.  Here, we have a doctrinal declaration that Christ is another name for Messias which only occurs 4 times in scripture (Daniel 9:25-26 and John 1:41;4:25).  However, the Jews had found many more prophecies related to Messias , which don't use that term.  Therefore, we know that this was a far more significant statement than what a simple Bible search would reveal.  In fact, we need to consider the entire story to understand all that is in this verse.  Unfortunately, such a consideration is beyond the scope of this study.  What can be simply said is that the Samaritans, like all religious people, confused physical things (water in well) with spiritual (living water [John 4:10 ]).  The explanation from Jesus in John 4:10 tells us how Christ maintains an ongoing flow of the Spirit through the believers life and out to others.  They also thought that their religious differences were important (John 4:9,19-20)while Jesus taught that our physical religious worship isn't important but our worship in Spirit is (John 4:21-24).  This type of teaching is part of the personal ministry of Christ in the lives of believers and Jesus was showing this woman (and us) that He is Christ .  When the woman wanted the gift of God, He showed her that her sin had to be gotten out of the way first (John 4:15-17).  True Christians confront people about their sin so that God can forgive it.  When confronted with her sin, the woman said The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.   (John 4:19).  This is a reference to the Prophet like Moses promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-16 (See Verses for more references).  Both the Jews and the Samaritans were looking for that prophet because He would be Christ .  This is the point in the story that the woman realized that she was hearing from God and wanted to know how to be right with God (John 4:19-20).  Then the disciples returned and wondered what Jesus was doing and he taught them that they needed to be reaping souls for Heaven just like He was doing.  After that we read of the changed life that Christ truly brings because this woman brought her neighbors to Christ and didn't make herself important by telling them that they were dependant upon her relaying messages from God.  The salvation that she spread was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (John 4:42).  In this story, we see many of the personal blessings that true Christians receive through the role of Christ .  In this particular verse, we see that Christ is a role, that Christ is Messias (fulfills Old Testament prophecy), and that Christ brings spiritual maturity into the saved persons life.  

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John 5:1   After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  

All of John 5 is related.  In John 4 Jesus dealt with those from His home town and country and they refused to believe that He was/is ' God in human flesh ' because of familiarity.  Now, in John 5,Jesus will deal with the religious crowd in Jerusalem.  They also will to believe that He was/is ' God in human flesh ' because religion rejects the truly spiritual.  However, Jesus offers several proofs to the religious crowd.  If the religious person honestly looks at these proofs, they will see that Jesus is greater than their religion.  The proofs that Jesus offers are:

  1. He healed a man who could not get healing from the angel (John 5:1-9).  The angels can't heal when they want but are sent from God the Father.  Jesus healed when He wanted.  Hebrews 1 and 2 tell us that Jesus is greater than the angels.  
  2. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and if the Jews violated the Sabbath, God would judge them and not give them the power to do miracles.  Jesus said that he was Lord of Sabbath (Matthew 12:8;Mark 2:28;Luke 6:5;13:15)which meant He could change their laws about Sabbath.  In the New Testament period, Sabbath is still Saturday and the Holy Days of the Bible but they are part of the Mosaic Religious Law that the New Testament replaces (Hebrews, etc).  By healing on the Sabbath, He proved that He had Gods blessings while violating their rules.  Thus, He was not under but was above those rules.  Only God was above the Mosaic Law.  
  3. Jeremiah 27:20-27promised blessings from God, and specifically promised that Jerusalem and rulers would remain.  The Jews disobeyed and had Romans ruling them.  But as religion always does, after suffering for disobedience, they over-reacted.  Jeremiah was preaching against doing commerce on the Lords Day.  The Jews forbid any work even to not carrying personal possessions and in John 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.    Here and elsewhere, Jesus proved that he understood the Bible better than their best scholars.  
  4. Jesus told them that he was the Son of God , thereby making Himself equal to God ( 5:17-18).  He also offered the proof of His works (miracles, healing, etc) that can only be done by God.  That proved that he was equal to God or approved of God in a way that no one else was because God worked through Him in ways that God refused to work through others.  In 5:19-23,Jesus proclaims Himself to be the representative of God the Father among men and directly links His works to the works of the Father.  
  5. In John 7:25-29 Jesus offers the prophecy, and proof, of the dead rising at His command and testifying of Him.  We see this fulfilled in:
    1. Physical dead    => John 12:9-11 with Lazarus and Matthew 27:51-53
    2. Spiritually dead => John 5:24 (prior verse) lost that are truly saved will testify of Him
    3. Eternally dead   => In 5:29 Jesus said they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life , which matches Revelation 21:1-5. In 5:29Jesus also said and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation The eternal dead are raised and cast into the Lake of Fire according to Revelation 20:11-15.  (Also see Revelation 19:20;20:10.)  As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God (Isaiah 45:23;Romans 14:11;Philippians 2:9-11)means that the eternal dead will recognize Him as God before they are cast into the Lake of Fire .  
  6. The Jewish Law required the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:7;Matthew 18:16;26:60;John 8:17;2Corinthians 13:1;1Timothy 5:19;Hebrews 10:28;Revelation 11:3).  Jesus offered the witness of:
    1. His works (John 5:17-23,36)
    2. John the Baptist (John 5:31-35)
    3. The Father (John 5:37;Matthew 3:17;17:5;Mark 1:11;9:7;Luke 3:22;9:35)
    4. The Scriptures (John 5:39)
    5. Moses (John 5:45-47)

Back in our original verse, we are told that Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the feast.  Jesus made a point to go to Jerusalem each of the three Passovers of His ministry.  Passover was a special Holy Feast where God showed the Jews that they were saved by blood.  The first Passover is found in John 2:13.  The second is here in John 5.  John 6 through the rest of Johns gospel deal with the time starting just before the third Passover until Jesus returned to Heaven.  According to John, at the first Passover Jesus drove out the money lenders and basically told the religious Jews to repent and change their actions.  Here at the second Passover, Jesus told them to clean up their attitudes and authorities.  At the third Passover, they rejected Him and His message and brought judgment upon themselves and their descendants.  This verse uses Jesus for ' God in human flesh ' that physically went to Jerusalem and talked to the Jews with the authority of God after proving that hew was/is God.  

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John 8:14   Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.  

Please read the note on John 8:11 under Lord Jesus to understand the context of this verse. 

As stated there, John 8 has an ongoing argument between Jesus and religious Jewish leaders.  Jesus is arguing that true salvation is a spiritual life that shows Gods light and that those relying upon religious deeds will be judged as children of adultery by God and sent to spend eternity with their father the devil.  The religious Jews, of course, don't have Gods Spirit and can't understand anything from a spiritual point of view.  Therefore, they judge everything by the world and flesh and according to those standards, they're really good religious people that God should be proud to have represent Him to unlearned and ignorant men (Acts 4:13).  In John 8:12 (see that note), Jesus said I am the light of the world .  In response, The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true (John 8:13).They called Jesus a liar for saying that He was the light of the world , which meant that the world could only see truth by Him.  When you have two opposing sides calling each other liars, and your eternal soul depends upon which one you choose to follow, you had better know the rules for separating right from wrong.  In Genesis 4:31 we are told for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God .  So there we know that something that is established by God has two witnesses.  In a couple more verses, Jesus tells them It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true (John 8:17).  There is a separate study that I will not include here, which shows that doctrinal items that are established by God to apply to everyone are clearly written in at least two places in the Bible.  If you only have one place, or it is not clearly written, that is something for your personal life and possibly for those that God has appointed you to lead but it is not something for you to lay on others.  We are supposed to be children of God.  Anyone who has raised more than one child knows that there are family rules and separate rules for individuals within the family that deal with that persons particular needs.  For example, I raised some girls.  There were family rules that applied to all.  However, two gained weight easily and had to have personal rules about what they ate and how much and when.  A third could eat anything she wanted without getting fat, so the rules on diet didn't apply to her.  However, if she didn't get enough sleep she became extremely mean and would think a broken bone was hilarious.  She had personal rules about sleep.  Our Heavenly Father deals with us the same.  There are personal rules and rules established by God for all.  The main division is that rules established by God for all are to have at least two witnesses in the Bible that clearly state the rule.  Even Jesus , in the gospel that presents Him as the Son of God (John), submitted to this requirement.  When the Jews challenged His authority, he refused to answer.  When they demanded witnesses, He provided at least two.  Here, He says that the Father and Himself are His witnesses.  In John 5,Jesus said that John the Baptist, His works and the Father were His witnesses.  So, without going into everything involved in a full Bible study on this doctrine, we can say that Jesus , as the Son of God, submitted to the rule to provide two or more witnesses to back His doctrine.  These religious Jews did not.  They demanded that people follow them because of their religious position.  When you have to choose between two opponents, find out which one is following the rules of the Bible, especially which one is willing to provide at least two clear independent witnesses from the Bible.  Reject the one that is depending upon their religion or their religious position.  

Going on, this sentence is divided into two parts by a colon.  The first part tells us Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true .  The second (equivalent) part tells us that Jesus came from Heaven (the spiritual realm) and is returning there but the lost religious people cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go because they are spiritually dead.  Basically, Jesus is saying that His record is true because a truth from the eternal spiritual realm is greater than anything from this world.  Any time that you have to choose between a spiritual truth from the Bible and human reasoning, always choose the spiritual truth.  Human reasoning is too short-sighted and ignorant to ever be considered something to compare to what comes from Heaven.  In the rest of this sub-section, Jesus tells them that they were judging Him (by calling Him a liar) but He did not judge them back.  He goes on with the fact that if he did choose to judge them, His judgment would be true because the Mosaic Law requires accepting the witness of two persons and Jesus had Himself and the Father to witness against these lost religious people.  As we saw before, this verse uses Jesus for the physical man that is speaking spiritual truths as ' God in human flesh '.  However, this instance is no more special than a saved person letting the Holy Ghost (God) speak through them.  

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John 8:39   They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father.  Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.  

Please read the note on John 8:11 under Lord Jesus to understand the context of this chapter.  That note gives a detailed overview of the chapter and how the entire chapter is a disagreement between Jesus and the religious Jews about judgment and adultery that is because Jesus uses a Spiritual point of view and they use a physical religious point of view.  In 8:31 through 8:36 Jesus spoke a few comments to only those who believed on him and excluded those who refused to accept Him as ' God in human flesh '.  Then in 8:37 He starts talking to the non-believers and, as noted above, excludes them from the claim of being Abrahams children .  We also saw John the Baptist do this in Matthew 3:9.  Notice the reason that Jesus gives (in this verse) for excluding them.  The principal of this verse is also used in Romans 8:9 which says But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.    The first sentence says that people are saved (in the Spirit ) if if so be that the Spirit of God [Holy Spirit] dwell in you .  Notice that the second sentence of Romans 8:9 speaks of the Spirit of Christ .  Christ and the Spirit of God [Holy Spirit] are different persons in the Trinity.  If you read Romans 8 to get the context, you find out that it is talking about our ' walk ', which is how we live.  Compare Romans 8:9 to this verse and understand the principal.  People may be saved, but if they don't live so that the Spirit of Christ is seen in their works then they are none of his[ Christs] .  These verses and many more make a clear distinction between those who are just saved (in Jesus ) and those that are true Christians because Christ has spiritually matured them and changed their walk .  Like all religious lost people, the Jews of John 8 are claiming salvation based upon some religious criteria that they met (born a Jew, baptized, said a prayer of salvation, etc).  Back in 8:37 Jesus recognized their claim of being the physical descendants of Abraham (I know that ye are Abraham's seed ) but went on to call them children of Satan (ye do that which ye have seen with your father ) because of their actions.  When our actions don't match our mouth, we prove ourselves to be liars and ' sons of Satan '.  Jesus is telling them (and us) to put up or shut up .  This verse uses Jesus for the physical man who spoke as ' God in human flesh ' and warned of future judgment.  

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John 9:35   Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God ?

See the note for Matthew 12:8 under Lord about how Jesus dealt with the Sabbath in the gospels.  All of John 9 is the story of Jesus healing a man born blind.  Since Jesus did this on the Sabbath, the Jewish religious leaders used that as an excuse for saying that Jesus must not be of God.  All of the verses and related notes for John 9 should be considered together, especially the note for 9:36 and 9:22.  In this verse, we see the dilemma of Jews everywhere.  They are looking for the Christ .  They know that the Christ is the Son of God .  They know that the Christ will become a physical man.  Yet, their religion says that if anyone is what they are looking for, they have to kill that person.  The only way that they can kill that person and have Him be still alive to rule as King of the Jews is if he comes back from the dead.  Jesus did exactly that, but their religion insists that they still reject the truth.  This verse says that the physical man named Jesus talked to this other man and asked him Dost thou believe on the Son of God ?  In John 1:7,John the Baptist tells us that we need to believe on Him to be saved.  In John 1:12 we are told that those who do believe receive power to become the sons of God .  John 3:18 clearly says there is a direct inverse relationship between condemnation and belief with nothing mattering.  So when Jesus asked this man Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He was asking this man to publicly declare a faith that would probably get him kicked out of the temple and could result in death.  How many professions would we get under those circumstances?  While this verse uses Jesus for the physical man who spoke, it uses Son of God for Saviour and for Christ and for ' God in human flesh ' that was prophesied in the Old Testament.  

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John 10:32   Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father ; for which of those works do ye stone me?

Note: in John 10:33 the Jews plainly say that Jesus , as a man, claimed to be ' God in human flesh '.  

In John 9 we saw that we have to choose between a personal belief in Jesus Christ or in our religion and the one that we truly follow is shown not by what we say but by what we do.  Then in John 10,Jesus distinguishes salvation through Him from false salvation through religion and tells us what he does for His followers that false religious leaders can't provide.  He also calls those that claim to represent God and lead through religion a thief and a robber (John 10:1).  Please see all of the verses and notes for John 10 together, especially the note for John 10:24 and 10:32.  In this verse we see the man named Jesus challenge the refusal by the Jews to accept His answer.  He then gave them proof to back His answer.  Part of His proof was the witness of John the Baptist.  Further, they understood His answer and His proof because in this verse they tried to kill Him.  They gave their reason for trying to kill Him in the very next verse which says The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.  

Returning to the witness of John, there are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  The main note, with the address of all other verses, is under Luke 1:5. Jesus said that John the Baptist was a witness that he is the Son of God.  In John 5:31-47,Jesus said that John the Baptist, the Father and the scriptures were His witnesses.  In John 8:13-18 Jesus said that He Himself and the Father were witnesses that he said the truth.  In John 10:24-30,Jesus said that the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me .  In John 15:21-27 Jesus said that the Comforter that was to come and the disciples of Jesus would be His witnesses.  There is an entire doctrine that has been forgotten by many Bible believers which says that there must be at least two witnesses for something to be established by God (meets the requirement to be doctrine in the church).  This Biblical requirement has been forgotten because Satan wants good godly men to preach things that God has not established as doctrine for the whole church.  Genesis 41:32 tells us And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.    This verse, the Mosaic Law quoted by Jesus in the verses mentioned above, the actions by Jesus in the verses quoted above, and many other places in the Bible show us that for something to be declared to be established by God (meets the requirement to be doctrine in the church), it must have at least two witnesses.  I say that it doesn't matter how godly a man is proclaimed to be, if he claims to be above Jesus and not have to meet the same minimum requirements that Jesus met, he is not of the God of the Bible.  This verse, and many others, tells us that the man called Jesus met the requirements for two or more witnesses for the doctrine that he taught.  This is in the gospel of John which was written to teach that the man called Jesus was actually ' God in human flesh '.  Therefore, the Son of God, while in the flesh as the man called Jesus , provided at least two witnesses any time that he was requested to provide witnesses for His doctrine.  One of the witnesses that He cited was John the Baptist.  This verse actually uses Jesus as ' God in human flesh ', although the listeners insisted that Jesus was only a man.  

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John 10:34   Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods ?

Jesus is referring to Psalms 82:6.  Note that Jesus calls Psalms part of your law .  In John 10,Jesus distinguishes salvation through Him from salvation through religion and calls those that come through religion a thief and a robber (John 10:1).  Please see all of the verses and notes for John 10 together, especially the note for John 10:24 and 10:32.  In this verse we see the man named Jesus talk to these religious Jews who refused to accept that He was Christ and ' God in human flesh ' even when He plainly told them that he was and gave them proof.  

 This verse is part of the section where Jesus offers proof that He is Christ.  Part of that proof is the witness of John the Baptist.  There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  This verse is explained in the note for John 10:32.  This verse actually uses Jesus as ' God in human flesh ', although the listeners insisted that Jesus was only a man.  

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John 10:36   Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God ?

In John 10,Jesus distinguishes salvation through Him from salvation through religion and calls those that come through religion a thief and a robber (John 10:1).  Please see all of the verses and notes for John 10 together, especially the note for John 10:24 and 10:32. 

This verse is part of the section where Jesus offers proof that He is Christ.  Part of that proof is the witness of John the Baptist.  There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist.  This verse uses Son of God because Jesus proved beyond a doubt, according to the Mosaic Law, that he was the Son of God .  Just a couple of verses earlier (in 10:33)the Jews said 'thou, being a man, makest thyself God .  So the claim in this verse is something that all there understood that Jesus was claiming for Himself.   There are people today that deny that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.  This verse shows that claim to be the lie that it is.  In addition, John 10:42 says And many believed on him there.    What He was plainly claiming in this chapter (and especially in these last verses) was that He was/is ' God the Son in human flesh '.  Here, He plainly claims that He is different (sanctified = set apart) from other men (whom the Father hath sanctified ) and also plainly says I am the Son of God .  In John 6:27 Jesus said 'the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.    There we see that He said He was sealed / sanctified as a human (Son of man ).  He was a special human because He was ' God the Son in human flesh '.  And NO other man had that claim.  What the angel told Mary (in Luke 1:35)before His birth He now openly proclaims to the world.  In this verse Jesus plainly says that he is the ' God the Son in human flesh '.  

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John 18:22   And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?

This verse is part of the trial of Jesus by Caiaphas and the scribes and elders and the council .  See Matthew 26:1-5;26:57 - 27:2;Mark 14:53 - 15:1;Luke 22:54 - 23:1;John 18:12-28 and related notes.  This action by the guard is in response to the question of 18:19 and the answer of 18:20-21.  See the notes related to those verses for the context this verse.  Some people will do anything for money or favor of those in power and those who desire power often surround themselves with this type of person who is easily manipulated.  The truly honest are usually in desert places like john the Baptist was.  This verse uses Jesus for the physical man who suffered in the flesh for telling the truth.  

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This document is divided into several web pages to reduce load time.  Please click on the following link to get to John the Baptist 01 and this link for John the Baptist 02 and this link for John the Baptist 03.

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