Interpretive Study of John's Gospel

Jesus is the Son of God

Chapter links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, God.

John Chapter 7

The Difference Between Spirit Led Religion and Fleshly Religion

Links to sentences in this chapter:

C7-S1 (Verse 1), C7-S2 (Verse 2), C7-S3 (Verse 3), C7-S4 (Verse 4), C7-S5 (Verse 4), C7-S6 (Verse 5), C7-S7 (Verse 6), C7-S8 (Verse 7), C7-S9 (Verse 8), C7-S10 (Verse 9), C7-S11 (Verse 10), C7-S12 (Verse 11), C7-S13 (Verse 12), C7-S14 (Verse 13), C7-S15 (Verse 14), C7-S16 (Verse 15), C7-S17 (Verse 16), C7-S18 (Verse 17), C7-S19 (Verse 18), C7-S20 (Verse 19), C7-S21 (Verse 19), C7-S22 (Verse 20), C7-S23 (Verse 21), C7-S24 (Verse 22), C7-S25 (Verse 23), C7-S26 (Verse 24), C7-S27 (Verse 25), C7-S28 (Verse 26), C7-S29 (Verse 26), C7-S30 (Verse 27), C7-S31 (Verse 28), C7-S32 (Verse 29), C7-S33 (Verse 30), C7-S34 (Verse 31), C7-S35 (Verse 32), C7-S36 (Verse 33), C7-S37 (Verse 34), C7-S38 (Verse 35), C7-S39 (Verse 35), C7-S40 (Verse 36), C7-S41 (Verse 37), C7-S42 (Verse 38), C7-S43 (Verse 39), C7-S44 (Verse 40), C7-S45 (Verse 41), C7-S46 (Verse 41), C7-S47 (Verse 42), C7-S48 (Verse 43), C7-S49 (Verse 44), C7-S50 (Verse 45), C7-S51 (Verse 46), C7-S52 (Verse 47), C7-S53 (Verse 48), C7-S54 (Verse 49), C7-S55 (Verse 50-51), C7-S56 (Verse 52), C7-S57 (Verse 52), C7-S58 (Verse 53)'.

Chapter Outline

In this chapter we see Jesus dealing with various lost religious people who refused to believe His message in spite of His miracles and other signs. They refused to believe that He was the messenger of God. First His physical family said to Him Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. They obviously knew of His miracles and yet, neither did his brethren believe in him. Then we read that Jesus went to Jerusalem, in spite of the fact that the Jews sought to kill him. We read that God the Father protected Him in spite of the fact that they sought to take him.

In this chapter we read that His main defense was My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. Thus, we see that we are to not make ourselves be the authority but to always point to God as our authority no matter what the world threatens, or actually does, to us. In addition, to pointing to God as His authority, Jesus pointed out how their religion was inconsistent with God's law even while they claimed that it was based upon God's law. Here He told them Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Throughout this chapter we see Jesus tell people spiritual truth several times and they were confused because 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. (1Corinthians 2:14). The chapter ends with the religious rulers arguing with each other because their officers did not arrest Jesus after the officers saw the evidence that He was truly a messenger from God. Some of the rulers argued for looking at the evidence and others didn't care what evidence God provided because their position and authority in this world was threatened by Jesus.

Below is a summary of each sentence within this chapter with a link to the note providing the detailed analysis and contextual considerations of each sentence. These sentence summaries also show the basis for the chapter summary provided above.

C7-S1: Jesus used wisdom.
C7-S2: Circumstances which affected what Jesus did.
C7-S3: His family encouraged foolishness.
C7-S4: His family questioned what Jesus did.
C7-S5: His family challenged Him.
C7-S6: Why His family challenged Him.
C7-S7: Warning from Jesus.
C7-S8: Realize the attitude of the world.
C7-S9: Separate the saved from the lost for religion.
C7-S10: Jesus did what He said He would do.
C7-S11: Jesus acted separate from lost family for worship.
C7-S12: The Jews sought Him because of disagreement.
C7-S13: The disagreement defined.
C7-S14: Why people were afraid to say their opinion honestly.
C7-S15: What Jesus did.
C7-S16: The Jews believed only those with formal education could teach.
C7-S17: Jesus told them the source of His doctrine.
C7-S18: Jesus told them how to verify truth.
C7-S19: The evidence that they rejected truth.
C7-S20: Challenge to those who rejected the prior evidence.
C7-S21: Rejection of truth.
C7-S22: First sentence of evidence.
C7-S23: Second sentence of evidence.
C7-S24: Challenge based upon evidence.
C7-S25: Instruction in righteousness.
C7-S26: Some acknowledge the truth.
C7-S27: Inconsistency of evidence.
C7-S28: Questioning motivation of rulers.
C7-S29: The problem that they see.
C7-S30: Jesus tells them their error.
C7-S31: Jesus tells them that He knows what they do not know.
C7-S32: The reaction of the Jewish rulers.
C7-S33: The reaction by many people.
C7-S34: The reaction of the Pharisees.
C7-S35: Prophecy by Jesus.
C7-S36: Prophetic reaction to prophecy.
C7-S37: Current reaction to prophecy.
C7-S38: Confusion from misunderstanding.
C7-S39: Attempt to clear up confusion.
C7-S40: Jesus offered salvation.
C7-S41: Jesus promised the indwelling Holy Spirit.
C7-S42: Clarification of prior sentence.
C7-S43: Some people realized spiritual truth.
C7-S44: Others realized a different spiritual truth.
C7-S45: Still others questioned because of wrong religious teaching.
C7-S46: Source of their wrong belief.
C7-S47: Result of confusion which was not resolved.
C7-S48: Some wanted to act wrong because of religious beliefs.
C7-S49: Some were commanded to act wrong because of religious beliefs.
C7-S50: Why they did not act wrong.
C7-S51: Challenge from the rulers.
C7-S52: Wrong basis for finding God's truth.
C7-S53: Doctrinal error claimed.
C7-S54: Challenge from one of the rulers.
C7-S55: Rebuke from those in error.
C7-S56: Nicodemus points out the error in their rebuke.
C7-S57: Return rebuke from those in error.
C7-S58: Source of their religious error.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides a chapter outline as:

1-9. Jesus reproves the ambition and boldness of his kinsmen;
10-13. goes up from Galilee to the feast of tabernacles;
14-39. teaches in the temple.
40-44. Divers opinions of him among the people.
45-53. The Pharisees are angry that their officers took him not, and chide with Nicodemus for taking his part.'.

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C7-S1 (Verse 1) Jesus used wisdom.

Equivalent Section: What Jesus did.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee:

Equivalent Section: Why.

for he would not walk in Jewry,
because the Jews sought to kill him.

As mentioned in the note for this verse within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, Jesus left the religious lost alone for a time so that God the Father could work on their hearts. At the end of the chapter we see Nicodemus breaking with the rest of the rulers and trying to get them to consider the evidence from God that Jesus was a true messenger from God. They rejected God's evidence because it went against their religious prejudices. Thus, their own attitudes and refusal to accept truth condemned them. Even so, neither God the Father nor Jesus took away their free will but let then have time to consider everything and make their own decision.

Please see the notes for Romans C8S1 and Ephesians C4S1 about the word walk. The functional definition is: 'take small repeated steps. This word is used symbolically for the small things which we do regularly in our life without thinking about those things'. Please also see the note for Romans C9S28 about the phrase live / walk by faith.

Please see the note for John 1:43 about the word Galilee. The functional definition is: 'Part of the Promised Land given to Gentiles'.

Please see the note for John 7:3 about the word Jewry / Judaea / Judea / Judah. The functional definition is: 'The area of land generally associated with the Southern Kingdom and religious control by Jewish rulers but which varies in size from one reference to another'.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

Please see the note for Galatians C2-S9 about the word Jew. The functional definition is: 'a contraction of Judas or Judah. A Hebrew or Israelite. This is the name for God's chosen people who followed the Mosaic Law'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The word sought is the past-tense form of the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the note for Romans C13S12 about the word kill. The functional definition is: 'To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means'.

Please be sure to use the links found within the sentence outline, above, to get further support in understanding the detail doctrine of this sentence. When following such links, Please be sure to go to the start of such Studies to get general information, definitions, applications and links to other places within the Bible which have the same application as the original sentence.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'walked. Joh 4:3,54; 10:39-40; 11:54; Lu 13:31-33; Ac 10:38
Jewry. Jewry, or Judea, as distinguished from Galilee and Samaria, contained the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and Dan, being bounded on the north by the village Annach or Dorceus, on the borders of Samaria; on the south by a village called Jarda in Arabia; and extending in breadth from the river Jordan to Joppa and the Mediterranean, having Jerusalem in its centre. exp: Da 5:13.
because. Joh 7:19,25; 5:16-18; Mt 10:23; 21:38'.

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C7-S2 (Verse 2) Circumstances which affected what Jesus did.
Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand.

We find the phrase feast of tabernacles occurring in: Leviticus 23:34; De 16:13,16; Deuteronomy 31:10; 2Chronicles 8:13; Ezra 3:4; Zechariah 14:16; Zechariah 14:18; Zechariah 14:19 and John 7:2. According to commentators, the Jews' feast of tabernacles was: 'one of the three great festivals of the year, at which all the men of Israel were required to be present. This festival was instituted in memory of the forty years' wanderings of the Israelites in the desert, Le 23:42-43, and also as a season of gratitude and thanksgiving for the gathering in of the harvest. It was held in the autumn, the passover occurring in the spring. It continued several days, (John 7:37).

The spiritual significance of the holiday, was a reminder of the wandering of lost rebellious children of God and the provision of God to His children who obeyed God'.

Here we see the circumstances which led to what the rest of this chapter tells us.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C12S12; Colossians C2S7 about the word hand. The functional definition is: 'close by, within reach of the hand'. Please also see the note for 1Peter 5:6-7 about the phrase hand of God.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Ex 23:16-17; Le 23:34-43; Nu 29:12-38; De 16:13-16; 1Ki 8:2,65; 2Ch 7:9-10; Ezr 3:4; Ne 8:14-18; Zec 14:16-19'.

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C7-S3 (Verse 3) His family encouraged foolishness.

His brethren therefore said unto him,
Depart hence,
and go into Judaea,
that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.

C7-S3 through C7-S6 is a challenge from the unbelieving physical family of Jesus which matches the challenge from Satan found in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:9. They were daring Him to prove that He was 'God in human flesh' by deliberately risking His life in a foolish way. All of these sentences need to be considered together in order to preserve the contextual consideration.

The half brothers and sisters are named in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3.

The therefore, within our sentence, tells us that this remark was made because the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand, as our prior sentence told us. The brethren of Jesus said this while knowing that the Jews sought to kill him in Jerusalem where He had to go in order to attend this feast. C7-S6 tells us that neither did his brethren believe in him and they must have hated Him to some extent because they were telling Him to go risk being killed. This was the true reason why they said this, which means that their claim of: that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest was a lie. Just in the prior chapter we were told about Jesus doing a miracle in their area with His disciples being present. Also, the first two miracles were done in their area with His disciples being present. Therefore, His brethren knew that Jesus did not have to go where the Jews sought to kill him in order to do works, but they encouraged Him to go there anyway. Therefore, the reason which they gave is an obvious lie and the true motive is as John reports in another couple of sentences.

To the best of our knowledge, the authors of the books of James and of Jude were written by His brethren who were saved after His resurrection. However, they had a different attitude at this time. Thus, we see the change in character brought about by true salvation.

Starting in C7-S7 we see the answer from Jesus and our example of how to deal with lost family members. First, He told than that it was not His time to die but warned them that they could die at any time. He then explained why the world had a different reaction to Him, and to all saved, from the reaction to the lost. Finally, he encouraged them to keep the religious holiday with the hope that they would learn the spiritual significance of the holiday, which was a reminder of the wandering of lost rebellious children of God and the provision of God to His children who obeyed God.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C2S1 and Galatians C1-S1 about the word brethren. The functional definition is: 'plu. of brother. It is used almost exclusively in solemn and scriptural language, in the place of brothers'. The Biblical usage of this word is: 'other saved people who are also members of a local church'. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C6S10; Galatians C1-S1 about the word brother. Please also see the note for RomansC12S8 about the word brotherly.

Please see the note for Romans intro about the word therefore. The functional definition is: 'what follows the therefore is a future result that is based upon what came before the therefore and result is only seen there'.

Please see the note for Romans 11:1 about the phrase I say. The functional definition is: 'Uttering in articulate sounds or words; speaking; telling; relating; reciting'. Please also see the note for Romans C10S28 about the word gainsaying. Please also see the notes for Romans C15S15 and 2Corinthians 2:17 about the word speak. Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 3:12-14 about the word speech. Please also see the notes for Ephesians C4S15 and 1Peter 2:1 about the phrase evil speaking. The words speaketh and saith mean that the person 'keeps on keeping on doing the saying'.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 12:8 about the word depart. The functional definition is: 'To go or move from'.

We find the word Jewry / Judaea / Judea / Judah occurring 864 times in 801 verses of the Bible, 46 times in the New Testament and, in the Gospel of John, in: John 3:22; John 4:3; John 4:47; John 4:54; John 7:1; John 7:3; John 11:7. The Morrish Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'This name occurs in Ezr 5:8 for the territory of Judah; in Da 5:13 the same is called JEWRY. In the N.T. the name at times refers to a much larger district, including all south of about 32 5' N with the plain on the west border of the land to mount Carmel as generally shown on N.T. maps. The land was thus divided by Rome, with Samaria in the centre, and Galilee in the north. In Lu 3:1 Judaea embraces the above and Samaria; but in other passages a smaller area than the above is implied. Ac 12:19 speaks of Herod going down from Judaea to Caesarea, whereas Caesarea would be part of the Judaea of the Romans. Paul, in Ga 1:22; 1Th 2:14, speaks of the 'churches of Judaea' which would seem to embrace the whole of Palestine. The context will almost always show the extent of the district intended. It is called JEWRY in Lu 23:5; Joh 7:1.'. The functional definition is: 'The area of land generally associated with the Southern Kingdom and religious control by Jewish rulers but which varies in size from one reference to another'.

Please see the note for John 1:35-36 about the word disciple. The functional definition is: 'A disciple of Christ is one who (1) believes his doctrine, (2) rests on his sacrifice, (3) imbibes his spirit, and (4) imitates his example'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C13S9; 2Corinthians 2:17 and Colossians C1S6 about the words see / sight. The functional definition is: ' perception of objects by the eye; view. This word is often used symbolically for spiritual understanding'. Please also see the note for John 6:40-LJC about the phrase see the Son. Please also see the note for John 6:40-LJC about the phrase see the Son.

Please see the notes for Romans C9S8; 1Corinthians C3S13; Galatians C2-S10 and Philippians 1:1 about the word works. Please see the note for Romans C3S27 about the phrase law of works. Please see the note for Philippians 3:2 about the phrase evil workers. Please see the note for Romans C11S10 about the phrase works are seen of men. Please see the notes for Romans 8:1-LJC; Galatians C5-S6 and Revelation 19:2-LJC about the phrase judged by works. The basic Biblical definition of work is: 'to move, or to labor'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'brethren. Joh 7:5; Mt 12:46-47; Mr 3:31; Lu 8:19; Ac 2:14
Depart. Ge 37:5-11,20; 1Sa 17:28; Jer 12:6; Mt 22:16-17'.

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C7-S4 (Verse 4) His family questioned what Jesus did.

For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret,
and he himself seeketh to be known openly.

Our sentence starts with the word For, which means it is giving the reason for what was said in the prior sentence. There we saw the unbelieving family of Jesus encourage Him to do a foolish thing, at least according the this world's thinking. In addition, our next sentence is also their reasoning and contains a challenge from them to Jesus.

As we saw in the note, above, for the prior sentence, the family of Jesus knew that the Jews sought to kill him. They challenged Him to endanger His life that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. However, as noted above, His disciples saw Him do works in Galilee. Therefore, the excuse that they gave was a lie. Then in this sentence that say that His motivation was he himself seeketh to be known openly. However, in the prior chapter (C6-S69) we saw Jesus deliberately drive off many disciples who were following Him for the wrong reason. Therefore, He did not seeketh to be known openly but only sought to be known by those who had true Biblical faith.

Jesus was not presenting Himself to the world but the Jews as their King and offering them the promised kingdom. In the prior chapter we saw His offer rejected by His disciples because He demanded that they live by faith an not just following religious rules. Now we see Him rejected by His physical family because 'familiarity breeds contempt'. In the rest of this chapter we see the start of the controversy between Jesus and the Jewish rulers which will result in their rejection of Him. It is only after He is completely rejected by all of the Jews that he starts the 'Church Age' and offers salvation to the Gentiles without going through the Jews.

Please see the note for Romans C16S33 about the word secret. The functional definition is: 'hid; concealed from the notice or knowledge of all persons except the individual or individuals concerned'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the notes for Romans C10S25; 1Corinthians C1S11; 2Corinthians C1S5; Galatians C3-S9; Colossians C1S3 and know in 1John about the word know. The functional definition is: 'A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; and the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement between various truths and acts. Within the Biblical usage is the knowledge that comes only from personal intimate experience'. Please see the notes for 2Peter 1:2-LJC; 2Peter 2:20-LJC and Philippians 1:9-11 about the word knowledge. Please see the note for Romans 6:3 about the phrase Know ye not. Please see the note for 1Corinthians C16S17 about the word acknowledge. Please see the note for Romans C11S4 about the word foreknow.

Please see the note for John 18:20 about the word openly. Webster's 1828 defines this word as: '1. Publicly; not in private; without secrecy; as, to avow our sins and follies openly. How grossly and openly do many of us contradict the precepts of the Gospel by our ungodliness and worldly lusts! 2. Plainly; evidently; without reserve or disguise.'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'there. Pr 18:1-2; Mt 6:1-2,5,16; 23:5; Lu 6:45'.

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C7-S5 (Verse 4) His family challenged Him.

If thou do these things,
shew thyself to the world.

Once more we see how the world misrepresents what is being done by God. First, they challenge Jesus by saying: If thou do these things. If nothing else, they were at the marriage in Cana of Galilee (C2) and saw Him do His first miracle. In addition, they admitted to knowing what He did when they said thou do these things. If they were unaware then they could not have said this sentence. Thus, they were aware of the signs given by God but refused to believe, as our next sentence says.

Part of what the physical family of Jesus misunderstood was that Jesus was not offering Himself to the world, like this sentence says. At this time He was still offering Himself to the Jews. Because of the way that God set things up, Jesus could not remain righteous and offer salvation to the world, while not including the Jews, until after the Jews completely rejected Him as their King. That is what we see His physical family doing in this section of this chapter.

Please see the note for Colossians 2S8 about the word shew. This word is the Biblical spelling for what is commonly spelled show today. The functional definition is: 'To exhibit or present to the view of others'. Our sentence actually uses the word shewest which means 'a never-ending sight'.

Please see the notes for Romans C16S33; 1Timothy 1:15; 2Timothy C1S5; 1Corinthians C1S19 and World in 1John about the word world. The functional definition is: 'all of the people in the world as a group'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'shew. Joh 18:20; 1Ki 22:13; Mt 4:6; Ac 2:4-12'.

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C7-S6 (Verse 5) Why His family challenged Him
For neither did his brethren believe in him.

Here we see the author clearly, and literally, telling us the reason why the family of Jesus challenged Him like they did in this start of the chapter. He did not want anyone to misunderstand. The fact is that they did not get truly Biblically saved until after His resurrection.

Please see the notes for Romans C10S15; 1Corinthians C14S25 and Galatians C3-S8 about the word believe. The functional definition is: 'To credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by other circumstances, than personal knowledge. All true Biblical belief results in action based upon that belief'. Please see the notes for Romans 3:26-LJC and John 20:31-LJC about the phrase believe in Jesus / Christ. Please see the note for John 6:40 about the phrase believe on. That note has links to every place in the New Testament where we find forms of this phrase along with an explanation of the usage. Please also see the note for John 12:42 which also has links to every place, in this Gospel, where we find the phrase believe in and the difference in definitions between believe in and believe on.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 1:11-13; Mic 7:5-6; Mr 3:21'.

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C7-S7 (Verse 6) Warning from Jesus.

Equivalent Section: Challenge answered.

Then Jesus said unto them,
My time is not yet come:

Equivalent Section: Warning against challenge.

but your time is alway ready.

C7-S7 through C7-S10 provide the answer from Jesus to His physical family (half brothers and sisters) telling Him to do something which would endanger His life. When true Biblical Christians act like Christ they cause the world to hateth them, as explained in this section. They also, usually, upset lost family members, like Jesus did. Here we see how to deal with haltered from physical family due to our living righteously.

We know from 7:1 that when Jesus said My time is not yet come, He was talking about His death. It was not yet time for His death. However, when He said but your time [of death] is alway ready, He was telling the lost that they could die and go to Hell any instant. He was warning them to get saved while they had a chance. The equivalency of this sentence lets us know that the time that Jesus is speaking about is the time of death.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'My time. Joh 7:8,30; 2:4; 8:20; 13:1; 17:1; Ps 102:13; Ec 3:1-15; Ac 1:7 exp: Mt 26:18.'.

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C7-S8 (Verse 7) Realize the attitude of the world.

First Step: Realize the attitude differences of the world towards the lost.

The world cannot hate you;

Second Step: Realize the attitude of the world towards the saved.

but me it hateth,
because I testify of it,
that the works thereof are evil.

Here Jesus explains why He will not do as they suggested but also tells His half brothers and sisters why The world...hateth ('keeps on keeping on hating') Him. This is also why they get some back-splash of bad feelings since they are his physical family.

In this account, so far, we saw that the half brothers and sisters of Jesus had some form of hatred for Jesus because they told Him to do something which would endanger His life. Now, in this sentence, we see Him try to give them some understanding of the circumstances which led to their feelings. Here He says The world...hateth me. Since they were His family, they were also getting some of the bad feelings directed at them and they didn't like that. So, while they suggested he do something that would endanger His life, they really wanted Him to fix the bad feelings coming at them because of Him. However, righteousness can not compromise with evil and remain righteousness. Therefore, Jesus could not make people happy who were enjoying their sin and refused to become righteous.

Here we see a very clear statement, from our Lord, that the works thereof (of the world) are evil. Here is one very important reason why the saved are to avoid the world and all of its works which includes('keeping on keeping on hating' our Lord and the works of God.

We also see another very clear statement, from our Lord, that He testify of it (of the world), that the works thereof are evil. Since true Biblical Christians are to 'act like Christ so that the world sees that testimony in the way that they live', true Biblical Christians are to also testify of it (of the world), that the works thereof are evil. That is why someone is living a lie when they claim to be a true Biblical Christian while they support the world's programs like abortion.

Please see the note for John 15:16 about the word hate. The functional definition for this word is: 'this is an action verb which encompasses the opposite attitudes and actions from love'. Please also see the note for Galatians C5S20 about the word hatred.

Please see the note for Galatians C5S20 about the word hatred. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: 'Great dislike or aversion; hate; enmity. Hatred is an aversion to evil, and may spring from utter disapprobation, as the hatred of vice or meanness; or it may spring from offenses or injuries done by fellow men, or from envy or jealousy, in which case it is usually accompanied with malevolence or malignity. Extreme hatred is abhorrence or detestation'. Please see the note for John 3:20 for links to every place in this Gospel where forms of this word are found.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

Please see the note for Galatians 5:3 about the word testify. The functional definition for this word is: 'To make a statement which is intended to be used in a court of law if necessary'. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C11S29 about the word testament. Please also see the note for Hebrews 9:15 about the words new testament. Please also see the note for Psalms 119 about the words testimony / testimonies. The functional definition is: 'statements that are used in a court of law to judge the legality of someone's actions' . Please also see the Study called the Testimony of God

Please see the note for Romans 7:19 about the word evil. The functional definition is: 'Both the source and consequence of things which people consider to be really really bad. The source and / or result can be natural or spiritual or any combination thereof. However, even what seems to be a natural source can actually be caused by a devil, especially when the recipient is a child of God. In all cases the result is deliberately intended and caused, which is what separates evil from the accidental'. Please also see the note for 1Peter 4:15 about the word evildoer. Please also see the notes for Ephesians C4S15 and 1Peter 2:1 about the phrase evil speaking. Please also see the note for Philippians 3:2 about the phrase evil workers. Please also see the note for Romans C1S16 about the phrase inventors of evil thing.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'world. Joh 15:19; Lu 6:26; Jas 4:4; 1Jo 4:5
but. Joh 15:18-19,23-25; 17:14; Pr 8:36; Isa 49:7; Zec 11:8; Ro 8:7; 1Jo 3:12-13
because. Joh 3:19; 1Ki 21:20; 22:8; Pr 9:7-8; 15:12; Isa 29:21; Jer 20:8; Am 7:7-13; Mal 3:5; Lu 11:39-54; Ac 5:28-33; 7:51-54; Ga 4:16; Re 11:5-11
General references. exp: Pr 29:27; Joh 8:45; 15:18.'.

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C7-S9 (Verse 8) Separate the saved from the lost for religion.

Equivalent Section: Instruction to family.

Go ye up unto this feast:

Equivalent Section: What Jesus would do.

First Step: His plans.

I go not up yet unto this feast;

Second Step: Why.

for my time is not yet full come.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Section with both talking about Going up unto this feast with the First Equivalent Section telling the family to personally (ye) go now while Jesus will go later (go not yet).

Here we see that Jesus waited until the right time to do the will of God the Father. Going on in this account we see that Jesus also did God the Father's will the right way.

In our Equivalent sections we see Jesus tell His lost physical family to deal with a religious ceremony one way while He personally dealt with it another way. There will be times when a saved person can not attend religious ceremonies with lost physical family and there will be times that they can attend such but must still act differently from their lost physical family.

In the Second Step of the Second Equivalent Section we see why Jesus had to go up unto this feast at a different time and a different way than His physical family did. His time (to die) is not yet full come. Thus, we see that the true Biblical Christian can suffer terrible consequences, including an early death, if they fail to act God's way and in God's time.

The phrase this feast is referring to the Jews' feast of tabernacles which was identified in C7-S2. (Please see the note associated with that sentence for an explanation of the Jews' feast of tabernacles.).

In (Matthew 9:13; 20:4, 7; 22:9; 25:6, 9; 28:19; Mark 14:13; 16:15; Luke 13:32; 19:30; 21:8; John 7:8, 19; 8:21-22; 13:33; 14:4) we find the phrase go ye. In every one of these verses we find a command for multiple people to personally go. In (almost) every one of these verses we find people accepting or rejecting commands to go and do something that is directly or indirectly related to spreading the Gospel. In particular, in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15 we have our risen Saviour giving His saved people a personal order to go to all off the world with the Gospel.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I go not. Joh 7:6,30; 8:20,30; 11:6-7; 1Co 2:15-16'.

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C7-S10 (Verse 9) Jesus did what He said He would do.

When he had said these words unto them,
he abode still in Galilee.

Here we see that Jesus waited until the right time to do the will of God the Father. Going on in this account we see that Jesus also did God the Father's will the right way. In particular, the next sentence tells us how He went to the feast and the rest of the chapter tells us how He testified and how His testifying the right way protected Him in those circumstances. Thus, we see the importance on waiting until God's time and of doing God's will in God's way.

Jesus abode still in Galilee because the Jews sought to kill him...in Jewry. When it was the right time, Jesus did go up unto this feast, but only when He had the protection from God the Father.

Please see the note for John 1:1 for an extensive note explaining the word word. That note explains the differences, and similarities, between the capitalized and the non-capitalized word word. (The capitalized Word is Jesus while the non-capitalized word is scripture.) It also explains the differences between the word of God and the word of the Lord. Further, that note has links to other notes where this word is dealt with within this site. The functional definition is: 'the means for conveying a message'.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C7S9 about the word abide. The functional definition is: 'to dwell, rest, continue, stand firm, or be stationary for anytime indefinitely'.

Please see the note for John 1:43 about the word Galilee. The functional definition is: 'Part of the Promised Land given to Gentiles'.

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C7-S11 (Verse 10) Jesus acted separate from lost family for worship.

But when his brethren were gone up,
then went he also up unto the feast,
not openly,
but as it were in secret.

Here we see Jesus attending this ceremony but doing so in a different way than His lost physical family did. As already explained in earlier notes, Jesus acted as God the Father told Him to do, in the face of real death threats, so that He had the protection of God the Father until it was His time to die (C7-S9).

Sometimes we must separate ourselves from our lost physical family before we act differently in order to preserve our testimony. This allows our lost physical family to deny doing the things of a saved person's testimony. It also avoids pressure from lost physical family to act in a worldly way with them.

Our sentence says not openly, but as it were in secret. Many people claim that we are not being true if we hide something. However, since God keeps secrets until the right time, that claim is false. The fact is that there are circumstances where revealing everything causes harm and we are to avoid causing harm to others. Thus, we see that a true Biblical Christian will ignore danger to self, while trusting God for protection, while considering harm to others when deciding what to reveal and when to do so.

Please see the note for John 4:45 about the word feast. The functional definition is: 'Any time of celebrating. However, in the Bible these were usually holy days which were declared by God to celebrate significant spiritual events'. The phrase the feast is referring to the Jews' feast of tabernacles which was identified in C7-S2. (Please see the note associated with that sentence for an explanation of the Jews' feast of tabernacles.).

Please see the note for Romans C16S33 about the word secret. The functional definition is: 'hid; concealed from the notice or knowledge of all persons except the individual or individuals concerned'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'then. Ps 26:8; 40:8; Mt 3:15; Ga 4:4
not. Joh 11:54; Isa 42:2-3; Am 5:13; Mt 10:16'.

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C7-S12 (Verse 11) The Jews sought Him because of disagreement.

Then the Jews sought him at the feast,
and said,
Where is he?

Jesus had become the biggest subject of gossip because the Jews sought to kill him. However, they were afraid to do it openly because some Jews said Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? (C7-S29) and many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? (C7-S34). In addition, to these comments, our chapter reports other strong differences of opinion. Thus, the rulers of the Jews were afraid of the rising influence of Jesus, and their perceived lessening ability to control Him. However, they were also afraid of causing riots which would cause the Romans to send in the army to suppress things. Therefore, no matter what they did, they were losing power and were upset by that loss.

Our sentence says that the Jews sought him at the feast because all religiously obedient Jews would attend and they knew that Jesus would be there even when threatened with death. How many others would do what is obedient to God when facing death threats? Yes, many would claim to do right, but how many would really walk into such a situation?

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Jews. Joh 11:56'.

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C7-S13 (Verse 12) The disagreement defined.

Equivalent Section: The disagreement noted.

And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him:

Equivalent Section: One side.

for some said,
He is a good man:

Equivalent Section: The other side.

First Step: Denial.

others said,
Nay;

Second Step: Give reason.

but he deceiveth the people.

Our sentence starts with the word And, which adds it to the prior sentence. That sentence told us that the Jews sought him at the feast and our current sentence adds the explanation of why they sought him. They weren't looking for a message from God. Neither were they looking for a miracle, although they would have liked to see the 'show'. No, here was a controversy which looked to turn violent and promised to be highly entertaining. Thus, we see the sinful nature of our flesh that people are willing for others to suffer, and even die, if it provides entertainment.

This sentence should be very simple to understand if the reader uses the phrase titles in the outline above and the word definitions below.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C10S7 about the word murmur. The functional definition is: 'To grumble; to complain; to utter complaints in a low, half articulated voice; to utter sullen discontent; with at, before the thing which is the cause of discontent'.

Please see the note for Romans 1:1 about the word concern. The functional definition is: 'Pertaining to; regarding; having relation to'.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S16; Romans C11S26 and 2Corinthians 5:10 about the word good. The functional definition is: 'that which comes from God'. Please also see the note for Romans C11S26 about the word goodness. Please also see the note for Mark 2:28-LJC about the phrase Good Friday.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 1:17 about the word nay. The functional definition for this word is: 'A denial and refusal which much more strongly meant than a simple No'.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S15 and 1Corinthians 3:18 about the word deceived. The note in 1Corinthians breaks down the references, in the New Testament, by how the word is used. The note in 1Corinthians breaks down the references, in the New Testament, by how the word is used. The functional definition is: 'Misled; led into error; beguiled; cheated; deluded'. Please also see the note for Galatians C6S3 about the phrase deceiveth himself. The th in the word deceiveth means that they are accusing Jesus of having a 'life style of deceit', which is what Satan has and encourages in people.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'murmuring. Joh 7:32; 9:16; Php 2:14
some. Joh 7:25-27,40-43; 6:14; 9:16; 10:19-21; Mt 10:25; 16:13-16; 21:46; Lu 7:16
is a. Lu 6:45; 18:19; 23:47,50; Ac 11:24; Ro 5:7
deceiveth. Joh 7:47,52; Mt 27:63
General references. exp: Joh 7:43.'.

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C7-S14 (Verse 13) Why people were afraid to say their opinion honestly.
Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.

Here we see that while the rulers feared losing power, the individual people feared being personally persecuted for being identified with Jesus. This is totally different from later martyrs who had been indwelled with God's Holy Spirit and who were assured of heaven. Thus, we see one of the evidences of the difference between a religious lost person who thinks that are saved and a truly saved person.

As shown in the notes found with the links in the word definitions, below, the truly saved are told to fear no one nor anything except our Lord.

Please see the notes for Romans C11S25; Philippians 1:12-14 and the study called Fear The Lord about the word fear. The functional definition is: 'an absolute knowledge that God will hurt me if I deliberately disobey His command'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'spake. Joh 3:2; 9:22,34; 12:42-43; 19:38; 20:19; Pr 29:25; Ga 2:12-13; 2Ti 2:9-13; Re 2:13'.

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C7-S15 (Verse 14) What Jesus did.

Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple,
and taught.

This sentence starts the main subject of the rest of the chapter. Please be sure to see the note for this sentence in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for links to related notes.

Our sentence tells us that Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. It does not say what He taught because that is not the subject of this chapter. What the rest of the chapter deals with the controversy caused by the fact that Jesus taught and that His teaching caused problems with the religious rulers who did not want to submit to God's King. Therefore, they fought against God's wish, just like all lost and carnal people do.

Please see the note for John 20:19 about the word midst. The functional definition for this word is: 'The middle, involved in, surrounded or overwhelmed by, or in the thickest part'.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians 3:16 about the word temple. That note has a lot of detail including several definitions from dictionaries and links from commentators. The functional definition is: 'a sacred house'.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C12S27 about the word teach. The functional definition is: 'To instruct; to inform; to communicate to another the knowledge of that of which he was before ignorant'. Please also see the note for John 3:2 about the word teacher.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'the midst. Joh 7:2,37; Nu 29:12-13,17,20,23-40
the temple. Joh 5:14; 8:2; 18:20; Hag 2:7-9; Mal 3:1; Mt 21:12; Lu 19:47'.

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C7-S16 (Verse 15) The Jews believed only those with formal education could teach.

And the Jews marvelled,
saying,
How knoweth this man letters,
having never learned?

Here we see what is probably the main source of doctrinal error and controversy among religious people. All religion, except so-called atheists, is about dealing with spirits. However, religion teaches people to ignore evidence of someone actually being able to deal with spirits and, instead, look at what education that they received from religious men. This is complete foolishness and explains all of the various religions which claim to tell how to live in this world and how to have the best after-life, even though they have no evidence to back any claim of knowledge about spirits.

As explained in other notes for this Gospel, Jesus claimed several witnesses to show that He was a true messenger from God. The note for John 5:1 lists witnesses given by Jesus to show that He is God's messenger. The main true witness, to be used today, that someone is a messenger from God is when we see the power of God in their life and ministry. (Please see the note for John 5:41 which provides links to every place where we find this phrase in the Bible including where Paul says that this is the true evidence which we are to look for.) Religious education and religious credentials show approval from men while the power of God shows the approval by God. .It is the approval from God and the knowledge which He gives that was demonstrated by Jesus. This knowledge only comes from God and, therefore, can not be received from man. As a result, credentials from man mean nothing and actually deceive.

Our sentence says that the Jews marvelled because Jesus did not have the credentials from men which all types of religions claim are required to have before you can speak for God. However, as Jesus demonstrated many times, He had that knowledge without the credentials which religions claim are required. Therefore, He proved that the claimed of religions are false and that the ongoing claims of religions are designed to deceive people.

Please see the note for Galatians C1-S3 about the word marvel. The functional definition is: 'A wonder; that which arrests the attention and causes a person to stand or gaze, or to pause. '.

Please see the note for Romans C7S6 about the word letter. The functional definition is: 'the detailed portions of the law'.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians 14:31 about the word learn. The functional definition is: 'To gain knowledge of; to acquire knowledge or ideas of something before unknown. We learn the use of letters, the meaning of words and the principles of science. We learn things by instruction, by study, and by experience and observation. It is much easier to learn what is right, than to unlearn what is wrong'. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C14S25 about the word unlearned. The Jews used the phrase having never learned to mean 'having never received a formal education'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'marvelled. Joh 7:46; Mt 7:28-29; 22:22,33; Lu 2:47
How. Mt 13:54; Mr 6:2-3; Lu 4:22; Ac 2:7-13; 4:11-12
letters. or, learning. Am 7:14-15
General references. exp: Lu 2:47.'.

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C7-S17 (Verse 16) Jesus told them the source of His doctrine.

Jesus answered them,
and said,
My doctrine is not mine,
but his that sent me.

C7-S17 through C7-S21 together compromise the answer from Jesus when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education.

Please see the note for John 5:19, in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, which is another place when Jesus said that His doctrine was not His own. It gives you references to other similar verses which tell us that Jesus was not doing His own will but doing what God the Father wanted. That is how a true 'man of God' acts. When Jesus said that His doctrine was his that sent me, He was claiming to be a prophet. A prophets main job was to declare the word of God and not express his personal feelings. In Deuteronomy 18:15-19 God promises prophets in general and for a special prophet, which was Jesus. Among other things, Jesus is declaring Himself to be that special prophet in this verse.

We see a similar doctrine also taught in Matthew 6:1-5; 23; Luke 16:14-15; 20:45-47; John 7:16-18; 2Corinthians 11:12-13; Philippians 2:3-8; Colossians 2:20-23; Philippians 3:18 and Galatians 6:12 where we are told that the enemies of the cross of Christ walk according to religious rules that emphasize fleshly appearances and ignore the true personal spiritual directions.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C14S6 and 2Timothy C3S10 about the word doctrine. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: ', to teach. 1. In a general sense, whatever is taught. Hence, a principle or position in any science; whatever is laid down as true by an instructor or master. The doctrines of the Gospel are the principles or truths taught by Christ and his apostles. The doctrines of Plato are the principles which he taught. Hence a doctrine may be true or false; it may be a mere tenet or opinion. 2. The act of teaching. He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his doctrine. Mark 4. 3. Learning; knowledge. Whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Isaiah 28. 4. The truths of the Gospel in general. That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Titus 2. 5. Instruction and confirmation in the truths of the Gospel. 2 Timothy 3'. Please also see the note for Lord Jesus Christ Overview about the phrase doctrine of Christ.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'My. Joh 3:11,31; 8:28; 12:49-50; 14:10,24; 17:8,14; Re 1:1
but. Joh 5:23-24,30; 6:38-40,44'.

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C7-S18 (Verse 17) Jesus told them how to verify truth.

If any man will do his will,
he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God,
or whether I speak of myself.

C7-S17 through C7-S21 together compromise the answer from Jesus when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. In the answer that requires several sentences, Jesus demonstrates that he has knowledge which could only come from God. We see this in the last two sentences of this answer. In the first three sentences of this answer we are told how to separate doctrine, that comes from God, from doctrine that comes from men. The doctrine that the Jews, and most religious people throughout history, were taught to value the most is that which comes from men. In this chapter Jesus demonstrates that doctrine which comes from God is superior to that which comes from men. In the process, He tells all who will listen that His doctrine is superior to any which comes from any religion.

This particular sentence a very critical and interesting statement. Please notice that our sentence puts do his (God's) will before know of the doctrine. Doctrine is basically defined as 'teaching'. Simply put: some things are only truly learned and understood after having experienced them. That is true for much of the knowledge which comes from God. Thus, we must obey by faith and accept that understanding will only come after our obedience.

Our sentence starts with the word If, which makes this sentence a conditional statement with the results of fulfilling the conditional being knowing whether the doctrine be of God or from the man speaking it. What is not said directly, but is within the message of this sentence, is that the person who does God's will learn how to tell the difference between the Spirit of God and other spirits (1John 4:1). Being able to tell the difference between the Spirit of God and other spirits is the only way to avoid being deceived in spiritual and religious matters.

This sentence is a precept ('a truth which never changes regardless of the circumstances'). While Jesus used it to support His statement that is in the prior sentence, it can likewise be used to support other true statements. That is: this sentence gives a way to verify if the prior sentence is true or not. By doing his (God's) will a person learns the character of God and, thereby, is able to discern if a certain action matches the character of God or not. When a doctrine commands or justifies actions or attitudes which go against the character of God, that doctrine is not of God.

In the prior sentence Jesus told the Jews that His doctrine came from God the Father. In this sentence Jesus tells the Jews how to verify His claim. In the next sentence Jesus tells the Jews why this precept works to verify any claim of this type. In the two sentences after that He challenges them to prove that the opposing doctrine comes from God and not from a devil or fleshly sin.

Please see the note for Philippians 1:15-17 about the word will. The functional definition is: 'That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue'. Please see the note for 1Peter 2:15 about the phrase will of God.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 1:46-49; 8:31-32,43,47; Ps 25:8-9,12; 119:10,101-102; Isa 35:8; Jer 31:33-34; Ho 6:3; Mic 4:2; Mal 4:2; Mt 6:22; Lu 8:15; Ac 10:1-6; 11:13-14; 17:11; Php 3:15-16 exp: Pr 8:9; 28:5.'.

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C7-S19 (Verse 18) The test to use

Equivalent Section: Person who fails the test.

He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory:

Equivalent Section: Person who passes the test.

but he that seeketh his glory that sent him,
the same is true,
and no unrighteousness is in him.

C7-S17 through C7-S21 together compromise the answer from Jesus when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education.

This sentence is talking about boasting ('bragging'). A lot of people believe doctrinal error about this action and claim that we should never do it. The fact is that we are to boast about how God works in and through His church and the lives of His people including ourselves. This is called 'Giving God the glory' so long as we are truly talking about what God does and not ourselves. The purpose is to attract people to God. However, the religious leaders objected to taking the focus off themselves and their religious positions. They taught that people could only understand doctrine if the people were taught by them, which Jesus was not. Here we see that someone who is truly taught by God can know more than someone with the best religious education. The note for Romans C3S21 talks more about boasting.

In this sentence, when Jesus says he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him is stating a truth about people sent from God who are seeking the glory that belongs to God. However, this statement is not always true when applied to other beings. For example, people sent by Satan who want to bring glory to Satan will lie about the consequences of believing Satan and of pursuing sin. They will remain true to Satan, who is the 'father of lies', but their statements will not be true to the consequences of the listener. Thus, the context of this sentence must be kept in mind.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the Second Equivalent Section starting with the word but. That means that the messages of the two Equivalent Sections are polar opposites. Thus, we can know that He that speaketh of himself, and he that seeketh his own glory are not true and there is unrighteousness in them.

As explained in the note above, this sentence tells us why the precept in the prior sentence is true and can be used to verify the statement in the first sentence of this answer from Jesus. In this sentence, Jesus essentially says that he is not seeking his own glory and we see this by the fact that Jesus. refused to do what His brethren urged Him to do in the beginning of the chapter.

Please notice the th in the words of this sentence (speaketh and seeketh). With this suffix on these verbs we sere that Jesus. is talking about life-style actions and not one-time events. Yes, the godly can mess up and act like this once in a while, but they will not make this action and attitude their life-style unless they are truly unrighteous.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the note for Romans C15S14; 1Corinthians C15S36; Ephesians C1S2; 2Corinthians 10:14-LJC and Colossians C1S6 about the word glory. The functional definition is: 'Abundance, wealth, treasure, and hence honour, dignity of God; of the mind or heart; Splendour, brightness, majesty of Jehovah , the infinite perfections of God' . Think about the 'Mount of transfiguration'.

Please see the note for John 1:9 for links to every place within this Gospel where we find any form of the word true. The true Biblical definition is: 'Truth is defined by God. Truth is what God says is truth for this physical reality, the spiritual reality and everything else that is, even if we don't know about it. Truth is personified in Jesus Christ and anything less than 'absolute truth' is a lie. Something that is true matches what God reveals in His unchanging word'. That note has a lot more important information and links to every place in this Gospel where we find forms of this word. In addition, it explains how to use the link in the sentence outline above.

Please see the notes for Romans C3S7 and Romans C1S16 about the word unrighteousness. The functional definition is: 'anything that is not righteous with that word defined below'. Please also see the note for Romans C2S5 about the phrase obeying unrighteousness. Please see the notes for Romans C1S10 and Galatians C2-S16 about the word righteous / righteousness. The functional definition is: 'doing the right thing, as defined by God, the right way and at the right time with the right purpose'. Please also see the notes for Philippians 1:9-11 and James 3:18 about the phrase fruit of righteousness. Please also see the note for Romans C4S7 about the phrase imputeth righteousness. Please also see the note for Ephesians 4:7-LJC about the phrase righteousness of the Law.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'that speaketh. Joh 5:41; 8:49-50; 1Co 10:31-33; Ga 6:12-14; Php 2:3-5; 1Th 2:6; 1Pe 4:11
seeketh his glory. Joh 3:26-30; 11:4; 12:28; 13:31-32; 17:4-5; Ex 32:10-13; Nu 11:29; Pr 25:27; Mt 6:9
General references. exp: Joh 5:41.'.

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C7-S20 (Verse 19) The evidence that they rejected truth.

Did not Moses give you the law,
and yet none of you keepeth the law?

C7-S17 through C7-S21 together compromise the answer from Jesus when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. Part of the contextual consideration is recognizing that this sentence is part of that answer. It would be very easy to ignore the context and deal with this sentence as an independent statement, but part of the understanding would be lost. Consider that this answer is in response to the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. In order for Him to accurately say none of you keepeth the law, He would not only have to know the personal sins of each person who was there but He would also have to know the Mosaic Law well enough to know how each of them violated it. Therefore, while not obvious, this sentence proved to the Jews that Jesus knew the Mosaic Law very well even though their religion taught them that such knowledge was impossible without a formal education.

In addition, to the prior consideration, this sentence is evidence that Jesus is God because He knew the personal sins of each person who was there. As the Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25, Jesus would have been very careful to not accuse anyone falsely because to do so would make Him unrighteous, which God never is. In addition, an accusation from Him could result in an unjust punishment and God is never unjust.

Please notice the th in the word keepeth within our sentence. Yes, some of the people would keep the law for short periods of time but none of them did it as a life-style, which is what the th, in the word keepeth, means.

This question is very clearly about the Mosaic Law. At this point, we do not know for sure how these Jews had broke the Mosaic law. However, even without knowing the details of who did what specifically to break the Mosaic Law, we can know that Jesus said that all of them had broken it one way or another. This fits with Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:12 which tell us that all have sinned. Also, Peter testified in Acts 15:5-10 that none of the Jews were able to keep the Mosaic Law. Therefore, no one should question this statement by Jesus.

It should be interesting to note that the response from the Jews, in C7-S22 did not include an objection to this accusation. They questioned His accusation in the next sentence, even though the next recorded statement from some of the Jews, in C7-S27, acknowledges the truth of the next accusation. Therefore, we see these Jews deliberately lie to Jesus while looking Him in the face. Thus, we see another piece of evidence for the antagonism which was first mentioned at the start of the chapter.

Please see the note for Hebrews 3:1 about Moses. Since Moses is identified as: 'the law-giver', his name is often used to signify the Mosaic Law.

Please see the notes for 2Corinthians 5:5 and Philippians 4:15 about the word give. The functional definition is: 'ppr. Bestowing; confering; imparting; granting; delivering. GIV'ING, n. The act of confering'. Please see the note for 2Corinthians 9:8-11 about the word given. Please see the note for 2Corinthians 9:7 about the word giver.

The functional definition of the word law is: 'A written code or rule that is enforced by God or some government. In most, but not all, New Testament usages this word is used for the Mosaic Law'. Please also see the following notes about law: law of works: Romans C3S27. kinds of laws that apply to us today: Romans C3S31; 1Corinthians 9:21-LJC. Law defined: Romans C6S16; 1Corinthians C6S1. religious part of Moses' law: Hebrews 19:29-LJC. righteousness of the Law: Ephesians 4:7-LJC. Law and faith: Romans C3S25. Mosaic Law added: Galatians C3S22

Please see the note for 1Timothy 5:22 about the word keep. The functional definition is: 'To hold; to retain in one's power or possession; not to lose or part with'. Please also see the note for 1John 5:2 about the phrase keep his commandments.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'not. Joh 1:17; 5:45; 9:28-29; Ex 24:2-3; De 33:4; 1:17; Ac 7:38; Ga 3:19; Heb 3:3-5
yet. Mt 23:2-4; Ro 2:12-13,17-29; 3:10-23; Ga 6:13'.

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C7-S21 (Verse 19) Challenge to those who rejected the prior evidence.
Why go ye about to kill me?

C7-S17 through C7-S21 together compromise the answer from Jesus when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education.

While the account suggests that there were people who might not have been seeking to kill Jesus, or at least changed their mind about it, there definitely were people in the crowd who were seeking that. In addition, when the time of the crucifixion came, they were all united in their desire to kill Him. Being caught up in crowd mentality is no excuse for murder. Murder is a personal crime, which is why Jesus uses the personal pronoun of ye in this sentence.

Another consideration is the fact that the people who were there were seeking the fleshly pleasure of being part of a crowd. Thus, while they personally might not have been actively seeking to kill Jesus, they were indirectly doing so by seeking to be part of the crowd and agreeing to be part of the crowd mentality. We need to be very careful of what we give even indirect support to. If someone drives the car in a bank robbery and stays in the car, they are still guilty of any murder done in the bank during the robbery even though they were not even within the building. This is why 1Thessalonians 5:22 says Abstain from all appearance of evil..

Please see the note for Romans C13S12 about the word kill. The functional definition is: 'To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Why. Joh 7:25; 5:16,18; 10:31-32,39; 11:53; Ps 2:1-6; Mt 12:14; 21:38; Mr 3:4,6'.

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C7-S22 (Verse 20) Rejection of truth.

Equivalent Section: False accusation.

The people answered and said,
Thou hast a devil:

Equivalent Section: Question based upon error.

who goeth about to kill thee?

This sentence is the response from the Jews to the answer that Jesus gave in C7-S17 through C7-S21 when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. This entire chapter is a discussion with each side having their say and the end of the chapter tells us the results of this discussion. Therefore, the entire chapter needs to be considered together in order to preserve the context.

As already mentioned, the Jews ignored the accusation from Jesus that they did not keep the Mosaic Law. They knew that the accusation was true. Instead of confessing and getting right, or trying to answer the accusation, they attacked Jesus with this unfounded accusation. People often attack with a wrong accusation in order to distract from a truth that they don't want to admit.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the accusation, in the First Equivalent Section, being made equivalent to the question in the Second Equivalent Section. Therefore, the Jews are trying to use this false accusation to justify their going about to kill Jesus. They are asking the question in hope that Jesus will identify someone else and not accuse them personally. In addition, they throw in the false accusation hoping that Jesus will defend Himself and not notice that they did not answer His true accusation against them.

Finally, Please notice the th in the word goeth. This means that Jesus was identifying a life-style sin and not a one-time action. Thus, people could be guilty of the attitude which matched this life-style sin even while not actively acting upon it at the moment.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Matthew 4:1-LJC about the word devil. That note has references to every place here we are told that Jesus dealt with devils and separates the references according to how He dealt with them. Please also see the Word Study on Spirit for links to every place in the Bible where we find 'Other Spirits', which are devils. Please note that there are no 'daemons' within the Bible. That word is doctrinal error deliberately taught by devil-motivated men to cause God's children to ignore or think less about the true danger that true devils are.

Please see the note for Romans C13S12 about the word kill. The functional definition is: 'To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Thou. Joh 8:48,52; 10:20; Mt 10:25; 11:18-19; 12:24; Mr 3:21-22,30; Ac 26:24'.

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C7-S23 (Verse 21) First sentence of evidence.

Jesus answered and said unto them,
I have done one work,
and ye all marvel.

C7-23 through C7-26 have the answer from Jesus to the Jews attacking His character and making a false accusation against Him instead of answering His true accusation against them. All of these sentences need to be considered together and kept within the context of the discussion which fills the entire chapter. The last sentence in this answer is a precept which is always true regardless of circumstances. Therefore, it can be used outside of the context of this chapter and always remain true.

When Jesus said I have done one work, He meant He only did one thing on the sabbath which was the healing that He did in John 5:1-9. John 5:16 reports And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. That is when they first decided to kill Him. He goes on in the next few verses and explains how they are judging wrong because they are using the wrong standard. They accepted and regularly did circumcision on the sabbath. (Look at the next two sentences where Jesus explains this truth about circumcision.) They were looking at the physical and religious and saw a difference between healing and circumcision. Jesus was using a spiritual standard whereby both were physical signs of spiritual truths. According to the spiritual standard, there was no difference. However, just like in John 6 and other places, the religious people missed the truth because they insisted upon looking at thee spiritual through a physical religious standard.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Galatians C1-S3 about the word marvel. The functional definition is: 'A wonder; that which arrests the attention and causes a person to stand or gaze, or to pause. '.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I have. Joh 5:9-11
General references. exp: Joh 9:14.'.

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C7-S24 (Verse 22) The included section of this sentence is separated below.

First sentence of evidence.

First Step: Reference scripture.

Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision;

Second Step: Explain application of reference.

(See Below);

Third Step: Show their error.

and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.

Below is the part of the sentence from the parenthesis.

Explain application of reference

(not because it is of Moses,
but of the fathers)

This sentence is added to the prior sentence and, as explained in the note for the sentence above, Jesus equated His healing a man on the sabbath day to the Jews doing circumcision on the sabbath day. We get this understanding by considering the prior sentence combined with this sentence. Then, in the next sentence, Jesus shows their inconsistency by treating the two acts differently. Jesus finishes His answer by telling them how to judge properly (C7-26).

After this answer the Jews have a choice if they want to be right. They can prove that there is a difference between healing a man on the sabbath and doing circumcision on the sabbath, or they can correct their doctrine. As we see further within our chapter, they do neither and choose to follow wrong doctrine and receive the consequences of being a Biblical fool who rejects correction from God's word.

As has been shown many places on this site, the Son of God left all of His personal power and authority as Creator in order to be conceived as a literal weak human being. He could not die for our sins as God but died as a literal human man. He took back His personal power and authority after Satan took Him into Hell, but did not have, nor used, that power and authority before His resurrection. During His Earthly ministry, which is told in the Gospel accounts, He used the Power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, it was the Holy Ghost who actually supplied the power to heal the man on the sabbath and the Jews criticizing that act were actually criticizing God.

Circumcision was first given to Abraham as a physical sign of the agreement to keep the covenant which God made with man and formally declared their personal relationship. That is what is explained in the section from the parenthesis. Today, baptism serves the same function. In both cases religious men try to claim that having the symbol provided the blessings. However, it is truly the relationship, which is behind the symbol, which provides the blessings. Therefore, circumcision and baptism are not considered to be work because they are only symbolically providing an agreement to God's covenant and personal relationship.

When Moses provided the Mosaic Law, part of it was the 'Moral Law' which formally stated the agreements between God and man in relationship to the personal relationship between God and man. When the New Testament was enacted, none of the 'Moral Law' was replaced nor removed although the symbol of that relationship was changed from circumcision to baptism. Circumcision symbolized cutting away the lusts of the flesh and the sin associated with it. However, the Jews never understood the symbolism and did not remove fleshly sins from their life. Likewise, baptism. symbolizes the Gospel, as explained in Romans 6. However, lost and carnal religious people misunderstand the symbolism of it also and want to argue about the physical symbol instead of understanding the spiritual relationship which the symbol represents.

In our sentence, Jesus did not bother explaining the symbolism because the Jews weren't really listening and considering what He was saying. They were only trying to win the argument so that they could feel good about themselves even while they continued in life-style sin. However, since their religious justifications were based upon the Mosaic law, Jesus said Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision in recognition that circumcision was formalized by the Mosaic Law. He ignored how it was used before the Mosaic Law in order to avoid another distracting argument.

After He got them on the ground of the Mosaic Law, which they agreed with, then, in the third Step, Jesus applied the Mosaic Law to them personally with the pronoun of ye. The application was that they personally allowed exceptions to the religious practice that they were trying to claim was a law as they tried to apply it to Jesus in order to justify their trying to kill Him. In the next sentence Jesus takes this personal exception to show them their own inconsistency and to prove that their attitude was wrong and sin.

Please see the note for Hebrews 3:1 about Moses. The functional definition is: 'While this name is often used for the physical man, it is also used in the Bible to refer to the Law that God gave to His people through the man'.

Please see the note for Matthew 12:8-LJC about how Jesus dealt with the sabbath in the Gospels. That note has links to several places in the Gospels where Jesus did things on the sabbath day which went against the religious rules of the Jews. That sentence, in Matthew, tells us For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day, which means that He was the one to determine what could or could not be done on the sabbath day. The religious leaders did not have that right. In addition, Mark 2:27-8 tells us: And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.. Further, Mark 2:27-8 tells us: And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.. The functional definition is: 'a day to rest from our work and fellowship with God'. Please also see the Chapter 5 Summary for a note on the doctrinal dispute over the sabbath which occurred between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders.

Please see the notes for Galatians C2-S3 and Colossians C2S7 about the word circumcise. The functional definition is: 'circumcision is used symbolically for the spiritually cutting away of the fleshly parts of our heart and soul'.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

Please see the note for Hebrews 1:5 about the word father. The functional definition is: 'the being who passes his character to the son'. In context with 1:14 we see that God wants to be a Father to all men.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'circumcision. Ge 17:10-14; Le 12:3; Ro 4:9-11; Ga 3:17
General references. exp: Ge 21:4; Le 12:3; Joh 9:14.'.

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C7-S25 (Verse 23) Challenge based upon evidence.

First Step: Specify the conditional.

If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision,
that the law of Moses should not be broken;

Second Step: Apply the conditional.

are ye angry at me,
because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?

This sentence is a continuation of the logic found in prior sentence and the explanation within the note above applies to this question also. Please be sure to understand the note above and how it applies to this sentence.

Jesus asked them a question in order to get, at least some of the people, to think. In order to dispute His logic, which is posed in the prior sentence combined with this sentence, they would have to explain the spiritual and religious differences between healing on the sabbath and circumcision on the sabbath. Also, since healing required the power of God, they would have to explain why God would be upset with something that he participated in. Since God is always righteous, it should have been obvious that it was OK for God to heal on the sabbath. However, these people weren't thinking and were only reacting emotionally based upon prior religions indoctrination. They saw the man named Jesus do healing and reacted to a perceived religious violation done by a man without thinking that it is God who provided the actual power to heal. Therefore, Jesus posed His answer as a question in order to get some of them to think.

Once Jesus got some of them to think, with this question, He then told them how to judge righteous judgment in the next sentence. Please also see the note for the next sentence as all of these sentences within this answer need to be considered as a single group.

Please see the notes for Romans C14S1; 1Corinthians C15S1 and Colossians C2-S4 about the word receive. The functional definition is: 'To take, as a thing offered or sent; to accept'.

Please see the note for Hebrews 3:1 about Moses. Since Moses is identified as: 'the law-giver', his name is often used to signify the Mosaic Law.

Please see the notes for Ephesians C4S11 and Colossians C3S6 about the word anger. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines this word as: 'to choke strangle, vex; whence angor, vexation, anguish, the quinsy, angina. Gr. to strangle, to strain or draw together to vex. The primary sense is to press, squeeze, make narrow; Heb. to strangle.'. Thus, they wanted 'to choke off' the words of Jesus.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 11:5 about the word whit. The functional definition is: 'A point; a jot; the smallest part or particle imaginable'.

Please see the note for Mark 10:52 about the word whole. The functional definition for this word is: 'All; total; containing the total amount or number, or the entire thing; Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'that the law of Moses should not be broken. or, without breaking the law of Moses. Mt 12:5
I have made. Rather, "I have healed a whole man" holos G3650 anthropos G444, and not the circumcised member only. This reasoning was in perfect accordance with the principles of the Jews. So Tanchuma, "Circumcision, which is performed on one of the 248 members of man, vacates the sabbath; how much more the whole body of a man!" Joh 5:8-9,14-16
General references. exp: Ge 21:4; Le 12:3; Mr 2:27; Joh 9:14.'.

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C7-S26 (Verse 24) Instruction in righteousness.

Judge not according to the appearance,
but judge righteous judgment.

C7-23 through C7-26 have the answer from Jesus to the Jews attacking His character and making a false accusation against Him instead of answering His true accusation against them. All of these sentences need to be considered together and kept within the context of the discussion which fills the entire chapter. This sentence is the main point of this answer. It is a precept which is always true regardless of circumstances. Therefore, it can be used outside of the context of this chapter and always remain true.

The devil gets many people to scream judge not (Matthew 7:1 and Luke 6:37) when they are rebuked for sin. However, they are taking those verses out of context. The context of those verses is that we are to not judge for the purpose of making the other person feel that they are less and that we are more. Those verses were never meant to say 'never judge under any circumstance' because that interpretation goes against many other places in the Bible such as this sentence and places where the church is told to punish the unrepentant church member for life-style sins.

In addition, 1Corinthians 4:5 says Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. . As a result, we are best to avoid judging but if we must do so, then we are to judge according to how the Bible tells us that God will judge. That way, when we are judged the same way by God, there is no change in how God judges us based upon the Bible references already given.

This sentence is the actual precept to use when judging under all circumstances. If we judge according to what the Bible says, we will judge righteous judgment. In addition, since we will all be judged according to what the Bible says, we have no additional consequences from Matthew 7:1 and Luke 6:37 which the context actually says: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again..

In addition, to that, we have the first part of our sentence which says Judge not according to the appearance. People can, and do, manipulate appearance to get people to support something which is wrong. For example, they use the Devil's method and claim that they are quoting the Bible when they say judge not and leave out the context of those verses. They then scream that people are disobeying the Bible when people tell them that their actions and / or attitudes are sin. These people have the appearance of obeying the Bible while they are actually acting like a devil. In order to judge righteous judgment, people need to actually verify Bible claims by finding the so-called Bible reference within the Bible and verifying what is actually said within the Bible context. Without verification, we Judge according to the appearance and do sin ourselves.

What we actually have here is a commandment to Judge according to Biblical principles and this is the precept which we are to always use.

One more thing to be careful about is the fact that we are to judge if someone is saved or not (Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37; John 7:24; 1Corinthians 4:3).Think about Lot. Based upon what we read about his life most people would judge him as lost. Yet 2Peter 2:8 tells us that he was righteous. One of the problems with 'Works Salvation' is that people claim that we can use physical evidence to prove a spiritual matter. While physical evidence can indicate, it can not prove. Since we can not prove the matter, we are to refuse to judge it.

Please see the notes for Romans 8:1-LJC; 1Corinthians 1:10 and Revelation 19:1-LJC about the word judge. The functional definition is: 'To hear and determine, as in causes on trial; to pass sentence'. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians C4S5 and Ephesians C5S6 about the phrase judge, we are to. Please also see the notes for Romans 8:1-LJC; Galatians C5-S6 and Revelation 19:2-LJC about the phrase judged by works. Please also see the notes for Romans C2S2; Philippians 1:9-11 and Psalms 119 about the word judgment. Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 5:10 about the phrase judgment Seat. Please also see the notes for Romans C14S16 and 2Corinthians 5:10 about the phrase judgment Seat of Christ. Please also see the notes for Romans 14:8-LJC and 2Thessalonians 1:9-LJC about the phrase judgment without mercy.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:10 about the word appear. The functional definition is: 'To come or be in sight; to be in view; to be visible'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 8:15; De 1:16-17; 16:18-19; Ps 58:1-2; 82:2; 94:20-21; Pr 17:15; 24:23; Isa 5:23; 11:3-4; Jas 2:1,4,9 exp: De 13:14; Pr 31:9; 1Co 11:13.'.

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C7-S27 (Verse 25) Some acknowledge the truth.

Then said some of them of Jerusalem,
Is not this he,
whom they seek to kill?

This sentence is the response from the Jews to the answer that Jesus gave in C7-S23 through C7-S25 when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. This entire chapter is a discussion with each side having their say and the end of the chapter tells us the results of this discussion. Therefore, the entire chapter needs to be considered together in order to preserve the context.

At this point it seems that at least some start to question their prior emotional religious response. They don't admit their own desire to see someone killed but they admit that the rulers want to kill someone and are now wondering if Jesus is that person. When we consider this sentence along with the next three, we see that the people were confused at this point and not united in 'group think'.

Please see the note for Galatians C1-S12 about the word Jerusalem. The functional definition is: 'the central place of worship of the true God'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the note for Romans C13S12 about the word kill. The functional definition is: 'To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'of Jerusalem. Joh 7:10-11
Is not. Joh 7:20'.

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C7-S28 (Verse 26) Inconsistency of evidence

But,
lo,
he speaketh boldly,
and they say nothing unto him.

Our sentence starts with the word But, which means it is continuing the subject from the prior sentence while going in a different direction. With these two sentences we see their confusion. The people knew that the rulers wanted to kill Jesus, even though they weren't positive who the man was that the rulers wanted to kill. However, they were confused why He wasn't arrested since He was in the open and he speaketh boldly. The rulers not only didn't arrest Him but they say nothing unto him. Here we see the protection which God provides to those who serve God and it is not time for that person's death.

Please see the notes for Romans C15S13 and Philippians 1:19-20 about the word bold. The functional definition is: 'Daring; courageous; brave; intrepid; fearless; applied to men or other animals; as, bold as a lion. Requiring courage in the execution'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'he speaketh. Ps 40:9-10; 71:15-16; Pr 28:1; Isa 42:4; 50:7-8; Mt 22:16; Ac 4:13; Eph 6:19-20; Php 1:14; 2Ti 1:7-8'.

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C7-S29 (Verse 26) Questioning motivation of rulers.
Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?

As explained in the note for this sentence, within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, not only were to people confused but the rulers were not united and were saying different things. Some rulers wanted Jesus dead while others didn't. This caused confusion among the people. In addition, some of the people looked for signs, such as the miracles that. Jesus did, to verify that He was a messenger from God. Others didn't bother to verify anything but only spouted what their favorite ruler said. The end result was the confusion seen in these sentences.

We find forms of the word ruler occurring 164 times in 155 verses of the Bible, 44 times in 43 verses of the New Testament and, in the Gospel of John, in: John 2:9; John 3:1; John 7:26; John 7:48; John 12:42. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: '1. One that governs, whether emperor, king, pope or governor; any one that exercises supreme power over others. 2. One that makes or executes laws in a limited or free government. Thus, legislators and magistrates are called rulers. 3. A rule; an instrument of wood or metal with straight edges or sides, by which lines are drawn on paper, parchment or other substance. When a ruler has the lines of chords, tangents, sines, etc. it is called a plane scale.'.

Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 10:14-16 about the word rule.

Thompson Chain Topics provides links for this word as: 'Wisdom and Integrity Essential to: Ge 41:33; Ex 18:21; De 1:13; 16:18; Pr 24:23; 25:2; 31:4. Duties of: De 17:16; 2Sa 23:3; 2Ch 19:6; Ps 2:10-11; Pr 16:12; 20:28; 29:4,14 . Warnings to: De 27:19; Ne 5:7; Ps 110:5; Isa 1:23; 3:14; 10:1; 28:14; Eze 22:27; 28:2; 45:9; Ho 5:10; Mic 3:1; 7:3 . Ruler's Duty: De 17:16; 2Sa 23:3; 2Ch 19:6; Ps 2:10-11; Pr 16:12; 20:28; 29:4,14 . Examples of Honour Rendered to: Ge 41:43; 1Sa 10:24; 2Sa 19:15; 1Ki 8:66; Da 3:9; Ac 26:2. Rebuked by the Prophets and Messengers of God: 1Sa 15:23; 2Sa 12:7; 1Ki 14:7; 16:1; 18:18; 21:20; 2Ki 3:13; 2Ch 12:5; 16:9; 26:18; Da 5:23; Mr 6:18; Ac 23:3. Appointed by God: Ge 45:8; 1Sa 2:7; 2Sa 7:8; 1Ki 14:7; Ps 75:7; Da 2:21 . Honour Rulers: Ex 22:28; 1Sa 24:6; Ec 10:20; Ac 23:5; Ro 13:1; 1Pe 2:17; Jude 1:8 . Rebellion against: De 17:12; Ezr 7:26; 10:8; Ro 13:2; Jude 1:8. To be Reverenced: Ex 22:28; 1Sa 24:6; Ec 10:20; Ac 23:5; Ro 13:1; 1Pe 2:17; Jude 1:8'.

Nave's Topical Bible provides links for this word as: 'Chastised: Da 4. Patriarchal: Ge 27:29,37. Nimrod: Ge 10:8-10 . Abraham: Ge 14:13-24; 17:6; 21:21-32 . Melchizedek: Ge 14:18 . Isaac: Ge 26:26-31 . Judah: Ge 38:24 . Heads of families: Ex 6:14 . Ishmael: Ge 17:20 . Esau, and the dukes of Edom: Ge 36 . Theocratic: Ge 41:33; Ex 18:21-22; 23:8; De 1:13; 16:18-20; 27:19; 2Sa 23:3-4; Ezr 7:25; Ps 2:10-11; 72:1-17; Pr 16:10,12; 17:7; 19:12; 20:8,26,28; 21:1; 24:23-26; 25:2-3,5; 28:2,16; 29:2,4,14; 31:4-5,8-9; Ec 8:4; 10:16-17; Isa 5:22-23; 16:5; 28:6; 60:17; Jer 13:18; Ro 12:8; 13:1-7; 1Ti 2:1-2; 1Pe 2:13-14. DUTIES OF: Ex 18:16,20-21; 23:3,6-7,9; Le 19:15; 24:22; Nu 27:16-17; De 1:16-17; 16:18-20; 17:16-20; 19:18-19; 24:16; 25:1; Jos 1:7-8; 2Ch 9:8; 19:6-7; Ezr 7:25-26; Ps 82:2-4; 148:11,13; Isa 58:6; Jer 21:12; 22:1-3; Zec 7:9-10; 8:16; Ro 13:3; 1Ti 2:2; 1Pe 2:14. Pharaoh, in his treatment of Abraham: Ge 12:15-20 . Abimelech, in his treatment of Isaac: Ge 26:6-11 . Joseph, in how he conducted the affairs of Egypt: Ge 41:37-57 . Pharaoh, in his treatment of Jacob and his family: Ge 47:5-10; 50:1-6 . Moses, in his administration of the affairs of the people of Israel: Nu 16:15 . Samuel, in not receiving compensation for judgment: 1Sa 12:3-4 . Saul, after the defeat of the Ammonites: 1Sa 11:12-13 . Solomon, in his judgment between the two women who claimed the same child: 1Ki 3:16-28 . Solomon, according to the testimony of the queen of Sheba: 1Ki 10:6-9 . Asa, in abolishing sodomy and other abominations of idolatry: 1Ki 15:11-15; 2Ch 14:2-5 . Jehoshaphat, in walking in the ways of the Lord: 1Ki 22:41-46; 2Ch 17:3-10; 19; 20:3-30 . Hezekiah, in his fear of the Lord: 2Ki 18:3; 20:1-11; 2Ch 30; 31 . Josiah, in repairing the temple and in other good works: 2Ki 22; 23; 2Ch 34; 35. Cyrus, in emancipating the Jews: Ezr 1. Darius, in advancing the rebuilding of the temple: Ezr 6:1-12. Artaxerxes, in commissioning Ezra to restore the forms of worship at Jerusalem: Ezr 7; Ne 2; 5:14. Nehemiah: Ne 4; 5. King of Nineveh, in repenting, and proclaimimg a fast: Jon 3:6-9. WICKED: Ge 15:13-14; Ex 3:9; De 27:19; 1Sa 8:10-18; 2Ch 28:19; Ne 5:7-9; 9:34-37; Job 24:22,24; 35:9; Ps 10:17-18; 12:5,8; 49:20; 58:1-2; 82:2; 94:20-21; 110:5; Pr 17:15,26; 28:15-16,28; 29:2,4,12; 30:21-22; Ec 3:16-17; 4:1,13-14; 5:8; 8:9; 10:5-7,16-17; Isa 1:23; 3:12,14-15; 5:7; 10:1-3; 14:4-20; 28:14-15; 29:20-21; 30:33; 33:1; 40:23; 52:5; 59:14-15; Jer 5:28-29; Eze 21:25-26; 22:6,27; 28:2; 34:2-4,7-10; 45:9; Ho 5:10; 7:3; 10:7; Am 3:10-11; 4:1-2; 5:11-12; 6:12-13; Mic 3:1-3,9-11; 7:3-4; Hab 1:4; 2:5-13; Zep 1:8; 3:3; Ac 23:3; Jas 2:6,9. Potiphar, putting Joseph into prison: Ge 39:20; 40:15. Pharaoh, oppressing the Israelites: Ex 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11. Adoni-bezek, torturing seventy kings: Jg 1:7. Abimelech, killing his seventy brothers: Jg 9:1-5. Eli's sons, desecrating the sacrifices: 1Sa 2:12-17. Debauching themselves and the worshipers: 1Sa 2:22. Samuel's sons, taking bribes: 1Sa 8:1-5. Saul, sparing Agag and the best of the booty: 1Sa 15:8-35. Saul, jealously plotting against David: 1Sa 19. Saul, killing Ahimelech and the priests: 1Sa 22:7-19. Hanun, maltreating David's servants: 2Sa 10:4; 1Ch 19:2-5. David, numbering Israel and Judah: 2Sa 24:1-9; 1Ch 21:1-7; 27:23-24. Solomon, luxurious, and idolatrous: 1Ki 11:1-13. Solomon, oppressing the people: 1Ki 12:4; 4:7-23. Rehoboam, making the yoke heavy: 1Ki 12:8-11; 2Ch 10:1-15. Jeroboam, perverting the true worship: 1Ki 12:26-33; 13:1-5; 14:16. Exalting debased persons to the priesthood: 1Ki 12:31; 13:33; 2Ki 17:32; 2Ch 11:14-15; Eze 44:7; Nu 3:10. Abijam, walking in the sins of Rehoboam: 1Ki 15:3. Nadab, walking in the ways of Jeroboam: 1Ki 15:26. Baasha, walking in the ways of Jeroboam: 1Ki 15:33-34. Asa, imprisoning the seer, and oppressing the people: 2Ch 16:10. Zimri, walking in the ways of Jeroboam: 1Ki 16:19. Omri, walking in the ways of Jeroboam: 1Ki 16:25-29. Ahab, serving Baal: 1Ki 16:30-33; 21:21-26. Confiscating Naboth's vineyard: 1Ki 21; 1Sa 8:14; 1Ki 22:38; 2Ki 9:26. Jehoram, cleaving to the sins of Jeroboam: 2Ki 3:2-3. Hazael, committing pillage (plundering): 2Ki 8:12; 10:32; 12:17; 13:3-7. Jehoram, walking in the ways of the kings of Israel: 2Ki 8:18; 2Ch 21:13. Jehu, departing not from the sins of Jeroboam: 2Ki 10:29. Jehoahaz, in following the sins of Jeroboam: 2Ki 13:1-2. Jehoash, in following the wicked example of Jeroboam: 2Ki 13:10-11. Jeroboam II, not departing from the sins of Jeroboam: 2Ki 14:23-24. Zachariah, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah, following the sins of Jeroboam: 2Ki 15:9,18,24,28. Conspiring against Pekahiah and assassinating him: 2Ki 15:25. Hoshea, who conspired against Pekah: 2Ki 15:30. In permitting Baal-worship: 2Ki 17:1-2,7-18. Ahaz, burning his own children in idolatrous sacrifice: 2Ki 16:3; 2Ch 28:2-4. Manasseh, who committed the abominations of the heathen: 2Ki 21:1-17; 2Ch 33:2-7. Amon, who followed the evil example of Manasseh: 2Ki 21:19-22. Jehoahaz, who followed in the ways of his forefathers: 2Ki 23:32. Jehoiakim, in walking in the ways of his forefathers: 2Ki 23:37. Jehoiachin, in walking in the ways of his forefathers: 2Ki 24:9. Zedekiah, following the evil example of Jehoiakim: 2Ki 24:19; 2Ch 36:12-13. And persecuting Jeremiah: Jer 38:5-6. Joash, killing Zechariah: 2Ch 24:2,17-25. Ahaziah, doing evil like the household of Ahab: 2Ch 22:1-9. Amaziah, worshiping the gods of Seir: 2Ch 25:14. Uzziah, invading the priest's office: 2Ch 26:16. Ahasuerus and Haman, decreeing the death of all Jews (genocide): Es 3. Nebuchadnezzar, commanding to destroy the wise men: Da 2:1-13. Nebuchadnezzar, committing the three Hebrews to the furnace: Da 3:1-23. Belshazzar, in drunkenness and committing sacrilege: Da 5:22. Darius, in deifying himself: Da 6:7,9. The princes, conspiring against Daniel: Da 6:1-9. Herod the Great, killing the infants in Bethlehem: Mt 2:16-18. Herod Antipas, in beheading John the Baptist: Mt 14:1-11. Herod Antipas, in craftiness and tyranny: Lu 13:31-32; 23:6-15. Herod Agrippa I, persecuting the congregation in Jerusalem: Ac 12:1-19. Pilate, delivering up Jesus for crucifixion: Mt 27:11-26; Mr 15:15. The chief priests, elders, and the Sanhedrin, seeking false witness against Jesus: Mt 26:59. Ananias, the high priest, commanding to strike Paul: Ac 23:2'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Do. Joh 7:48; 9:22; 11:47-53; 12:42; Lu 7:30
General references. exp: Joh 7:48.'.

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C7-S30 (Verse 27) The problem that they see.

Equivalent Section: What they think that they know.

Howbeit we know this man whence he is:

Equivalent Section: What they think does not match religious traditions.

but when Christ cometh,
no man knoweth whence he is.

This claim is false. This sentence is a continuation of the prior sentence and gives us an argument from one group of people. Like many religious people, they were positive hat they knew everything about an unfulfilled prophecy, even while they were 100% wrong. God always hides the true interpretation of prophecy until it is fulfilled because prophecy isn't to let us know the future but to show that an all powerful God can say what he is going to do before it is done. He shows His power by always fulfilling prophecy, in detail, and in spite of the devil and all forces of evil opposing Him. Here, these Jews thought they knew that Jesus was from Nazareth but didn't realize that He had been born in Bethlehem. In Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 and Luke 4:22 they said Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? So, while they were positive that they knew where Jesus was from, even though they were wrong, they did not know where Christ because, in truth, no man living then knew where Christ was from, even though the prophecy telling where Christ comes from can be found in: Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 53:8; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 30:21 and Micah 5:2. In addition, others, who were alive Jews at that time, knew the truth as recorded in: John 7:41-42 and Matthew 2:5-6.

While these people were positive that they were experts, they were wrong and ignorant of the truth in many ways. While trying to be experts, all they did was increase the confusion. Jesus gives a clue to the truth in the next sentence, but confusion was increased even more because the people did not understand His statement and also did not ask for clarification.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'we know. Joh 7:15; 6:42; Mt 13:54-57; Mr 6:3; Lu 4:22
no man. Joh 7:41-42; Isa 11:1; 53:8; Jer 23:5; 30:21; Mic 5:2; Mt 2:5-6; Ac 8:33'.

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C7-S31 (Verse 28) Jesus tells them their error.

Equivalent Section: Jesus tells them what they know.

Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught,
saying,
Ye both know me,
and ye know whence I am:

Equivalent Section: Jesus tells them what they do not know.

and I am not come of myself,
but he that sent me is true,
whom ye know not.

The notes for this sentence, especially in ether Word Study on Truth, give explanation that is not included here. Those notes should be accessed using the links in the sentence outline above.

Our sentence starts with the word Then, which means that it is a reaction to the disagreement that the Jews were having as reported in the sentences before this one. Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee but was born in Bethlehem. Part of the problem was that the Jews were convinced, like Nathanael said, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46). We also read, in 7:52 that the rulers were convinced that no one from God could come from Galilee because none had ever come from there before. They, obviously, taught this to the common Jews. Thus, we see how the Jews were confused about where Jesus came from and how that, supposedly, prevented Him from being a prophet of God. However, part of their confusion was because they were looking at the wrong thing in order to deterring if He was a prophet from God.

In the First Equivalent Section of our sentence Jesus cried in the temple as he taught, so that those who were listening to Him would hear. He said: Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am because they were arguing about if he told the truth based upon ye know whence I am but should have based their opinion on what they knew about Him.

Then, in the Second Equivalent Section, Jesus adds (and) that they each personally (ye) knew I am not come of myself. As a prophet of God He came from God and they knew that He was a prophet from God because of the miracles that they had personally witnessed.

After answering their argument and telling them the correct way to find the answer that they wanted, He then added the last two phrases of this sentence. The he in this sentence is 'God the Father'. The phrase he that sent me is true states an obvious truth that 'God the Father is truth and the source of all truth'.

Finally, Jesus adds the phrase whom ye know not to explain why they didn't go to God the Father in order to find the truth.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Ye both. Joh 1:46; 8:14; Mt 2:23; Lu 2:4,11,39,51
and I. Joh 3:2 5:43 8:16,42 10:36 12:49 14:10,31
is true. Joh 3:33; 5:32; 8:26; Ro 3:4; 2Co 1:18; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18; 1Jo 5:10
whom. Joh 8:19,54-55; 16:3; 17:3,25; 1Sa 2:12; Ps 9:10; Pr 2:3-5; Jer 9:6; 31:34; Ho 4:1; 5:4; 6:3-6; Mt 11:27; Lu 10:22; Ac 17:23; Ro 1:28; 2Co 4:6; 1Jo 2:3-4'.

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C7-S32 (Verse 29) Jesus tells them that He knows what they do not know.

Equivalent Section: What Jesus knows.

But I know him:

Equivalent Section: Why He knows.

for I am from him,
and he hath sent me.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the Second Equivalent Section giving the reason (for) why the First Equivalent Section is true. Before any head of a government sends an official representative to other people, especially when those other people believe lies about the head of the government, that head of the government is going to be sure that his representative knows the head of the government personally and knows how to represent the head of the government. That is what our Second Equivalent Section tells us is the relationship between Jesus and God the Father.

Our First Equivalent Section starts with the word But, which makes it continuing the subject of the prior sentence while going in a different direction. There we read he that sent me is true, whom ye know not with the he, in that sentence is 'God the Father'. Therefore, our First Equivalent Section is continuing the subject of knowing 'God the Father' with the prior sentence saying that the Jews did not know 'God the Father' while our current sentence says that Jesus did know 'God the Father'. In addition, as explained in the word definitions, below, the Biblical definition of the word know includes 'a personal intimate level of knowledge' as shown by Genesis 4:1 and Genesis 4:25 which tell us And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare a son. Add in John 1:18 which says No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. and we see that Jesus did have the required 'personal intimate knowledge of God the Father' which no other man can have while living in this life.

The him, and the he, in this sentence is 'God the Father', the same as the he in the prior sentence. Here we see that Jesus was sent from God the Father. We saw this same statement, with different words, back in C6-S26 where Jesus said for him (the Son of man) hath God the Father sealed. Thus, we see, as part of the 'Doctrine of the Humanity of the Son of God' that Jesus was the official (hath God the Father sealed) human representative of God the Father. In addition, our two sentences tell us that Jesus knows God the Father in a way that no other man does and that Jesus was sent from God to be the representative of God the Father. Therefore, there is no other man who has the ability or the authority to dispute the doctrine which Jesus tells us comes from God the Father.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I. Joh 1:18 8:55 10:15 17:25,26
for. Joh 3:16-17; 13:3; 16:27-28; 17:18; 1Jo 1:2; 4:9,14 exp: Joh 8:14.'.

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C7-S33 (Verse 30) The reaction of the Jewish rulers.

Equivalent Section: Their reaction.

Then they sought to take him:

Equivalent Section: Their failure.

but no man laid hands on him,
because his hour was not yet come.

This sentence is the response from the Jews to the answer that Jesus gave in C7-S31 through C7-S32 when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. This entire chapter is a discussion with each side having their say and the end of the chapter tells us the results of this discussion. Therefore, the entire chapter needs to be considered together in order to preserve the context.

Our sentence starts with the word Then, which means it is telling us what happened after the statement from Jesus in the prior sentences and in response to His statement. Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the First Equivalent Section telling us that the Jews sought to take him, that they might kill Him, while our Second Equivalent Section tells us that they failed because God the Father did not allow that action. We know that the reason that the Jews sought to take him was so that they might kill Him because the Second Equivalent Section tells us his hour was not yet come with the phrase his hour being used to refer for the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus.

The principal of this sentence is that God the Father protected Jesus from people who sought to kill Him until it was time for Him to die. We also can see this truth in other places within the Gospels. Likewise, God the Father will protect any saved person who is really doing the will of God the Father for as long as they are doing the will of God the Father and while it is not yet time for them to die. However, saved people who are not doing the will of God the Father should expect God the remove His protection. This is taught in other places within the Bible. Also, this loss of protection happens most quickly and assuredly when we refuse to submit to our God-given authority.

Please see the note for 1Timothy 6:17-19 about the phrase lay hold. The functional definition is: 'secure'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C12S12; Colossians C2S7 about the word hand. The functional definition is: 'the part of the body used to grab and hold'. Please also see the note for 1Peter 5:6-7 about the phrase hand of God.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

Please see the note for John 2:4 about the word hour. The functional definition is: 'a short period of time relative to the perspective'. Thus, a thousand years can be considered to be an 'hour / short period of time' from the perspective of eternity. That note tells all of the applications found within the Gospels.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'they. Joh 7:19,32; 8:37,59; 10:31,39; 11:57; Mr 11:18; Lu 19:47-48; 20:19
but. Joh 7:6,8,44-46; 8:20; 9:4; 11:9-10; Ps 76:10; Isa 46:10; Lu 13:32-33; 22:53
General references. exp: Joh 10:39.'.

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C7-S34 (Verse 31) The reaction by many people.

And many of the people believed on him,
and said,
When Christ cometh,
will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?

Our sentence starts with the word And, which adds this sentence to the prior sentence. There we saw that God the Father protected Jesus even though the rulers wanted to arrest and kill Him. Now this sentence adds the fact that many of the people believed on him. The note for the prior sentence showed how saved people who are serving God can expect God the Father to protect them until it is time for their death. The added application, of this sentence, is that the saved people who are really serving God will also cause many of the people (to) believe on him (Jesus Christ). Saved people who are not causing this result have little reason to expect God the Father to protect them from harm and / or an early death.

Please notice that the people who believed on him asked When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? This is important berceuse miracles were one of the evidences given to the Jews, by God, to show that a man truly was a messenger from God. Thus, these people were looking at the true God-given evidence that Jesus was the Christ while the people who refused to believe trusted the man-given positions of the rulers. (Please see the note for this verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for every place where the Bible uses the phrase the Christ.) This difference, in how someone verifies the claim that someone is a true 'man of God', makes the difference between everlasting salvation and everlasting torment in the lake of fire. It also makes the difference between saved carnal people who will be everlasting paupers in heaven and saved people who will have true eternal riches and positions of leadership.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C12S28; Matthew 14:16-LJC; Luke 4:41-LJC; Miracles in Gospels; Miracles in NT and miracles in OT about the word miracle. The functional definition for this word is: 'an event or effect contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event'.

Please also see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'believed. Joh 2:23-24; 4:39; 6:14-15; 8:30-32; 12:42; Mt 12:23; Lu 8:13; Ac 8:13; Jas 2:26
When. Joh 3:2; 6:2; 9:16; 10:41-42; Mt 11:3-6'.

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C7-S35 (Verse 32) The reaction of the Pharisees.

First Step: Their motivation.

The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him;

Second Step: Their action.

and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.

Two sentences ago we read no man laid hands on him (Jesus), because his hour was not yet come. Now, in this sentence, we read the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. Then in C7-S50 we read Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The rest of the chapter tells how the Pharisees and the chief priests used doctrinally wrong excuses to justify their acting in sin and seeking to murder Jesus.

Our sentence has two Steps with the First Step telling us what motivated the Pharisees and the chief priests to act when they were hesitant to act before, as reported in C7-S27-S29. They acted because the people murmured such things concerning him (Jesus). When a ruler acts because the people murmured, he is more concerned about popular opinion than about doing right. Such rulers always produce corrupt governments because the popular opinion is the sinful opinion of people fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.

In the Second Step we see the Pharisees and the chief priests act in a way that will be unpopular with a lot of people. However, they feel that their own personal power and positions are threatened and that is one thing which will cause a corrupt ruler to go against popular opinion. However, while they did act, they acted indirectly because they sent officers to take him. This gave them personal deniability because each could say that they just went with the majority opinion in order to have peace, or for some other excuse. While they were personally responsible, their indirect action allowed them to deny personal responsibility before men. However, such people will find that their lies and excuses do not fool God when they are judged for the actions of this life.

Please see the note for John 3:1 about the word Pharisee. The functional definition is: 'One of a sect among the Jews, whose religion consisted in a strict observance of rites and ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders, and whose pretended holiness led them to separate themselves as a sect, considering themselves as more righteous than other Jews'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C12S14 and Galatians C3-S7 about the word hear. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: 'Perceiving by the ear, as sound. 1. Listening to; attending to; obeying; observing what is commanded. 2. Attending to witnesses or advocates in a judicial trial; trying'. Please pay attention to the word 'obey' within this definition. That is what most people refuse to do when the Bible says that they do not hear. Please also see the note for James 2:5 about the word hearken. Please also see the note for Mark 4:9 about the phrase He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Please see the note for Romans 1:1 about the word concern. The functional definition is: 'Pertaining to; regarding; having relation to'.

Please see the note for Hebrews 4:14 about the word priest. The functional definition is: 'One who represents men before God'.

We find forms of the word officer occurring 121 times in 117 verses of the Bible and, in the New Testament, in: Matthew 5:25; Luke 1:8-9; Luke 12:58; John 7:32; John 7:45; John 7:46; John 18:3; John 18:12; John 18:18; John 18:22; John 19:6; Acts 5:22; Acts 5:26; Romans 11:13; Romans 12:4; 1Timothy 3:1; 1Timothy 3:10; 1Timothy 3:13; Hebrews 7:5. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: 'OF'FICER, n. A person commissioned or authorized to perform any public duty. Officers are civil, military or ecclesiastical. There are great officers of state, and subordinate officers. Military and naval officers of the same grade usually take rank according to the dates of their commissions. Non-commissioned officers are nominated by their captains, and appointed by the commanding officers of regiments.
OF'FICER, v.t. To furnish with officers; to appoint officers over.'. Fausset's Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'In New Testament used to translated hufretes "minister" (Mt 5:25), and practor "exacter" or "officer of the court," only in Lu 12:58.'.

Nave's Topical Bible provides links for this word as: 'CIVIL: chosen by the people: De 1:13-16. Appointed by kings: 2Sa 8:16-18; 20:23-26; 1Ki 4:1-19; 9:22; Ezr 7:25'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Pharisees heard. Joh 7:47-53; 11:47-48; 12:19; Mt 12:23-24; 23:13
sent. Joh 7:45-46; 18:3; Lu 22:52-53; Ac 5:26'.

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C7-S36 (Verse 33) Prophecy by Jesus.

Then said Jesus unto them,
Yet a little while am I with you,
and then I go unto him that sent me.

This sentence is another of the prophecies made by Jesus Christ. Please use this link to see all of the prophecies which I have located. (These are not from someone else. Therefore, some other reference may have different, or more, prophecies identified.)

As explained in the note for this sentence within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, Jesus repeated the same message to His disciples in private. He said it twice so that they would know that it was established by God but only said it once in public so the lost would have the truth said to them and would be condemned for rejecting the truth. Please see that note for several links related to this sentence.

Our sentence starts with the word Then, which means that this is a response to the action by the Pharisees and the chief priests as reported in the prior sentence. They wanted to take him at that time but could not because his hour was not yet come (C7-S33). However, Jesus said Yet a little while am I with you because He knew that his hour (to suffer and die) would come soon. He also knew that he would return to heaven after His death and resurrection, which is why he said and then I go unto him (God the Father) that sent me.

Jesus adds the next sentence to this one, which causes further confusion because the Jews are still using physical reasoning to try and understand spiritual truths. With this we see that we must understand the things within the Bible with the perspective which was used when they were said / written.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Yet. Joh 12:35-36; 13:1,3,33; 16:5,16-22; 17:11,13; Mr 16:19'.

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C7-S37 (Verse 34) Prophetic reaction to prophecy.

Equivalent Section: How the people will react in the future.

Ye shall seek me,
and shall not find me:

Equivalent Section: Their ultimate end.

and where I am,
thither ye cannot come.

In the prior sentence Jesus used the group prefix of you. Now, in this sentence, He switches to the personal noun of ye ('each and every one of you personally'). In our First Equivalent Section Jesus tells the people Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me because, in spite of the popular doctrinal error which disputes this truth, people can 'sin away their day of grace'. Genesis 6:3 says: And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh. In this First Equivalent Section Jesus is warning these people that when they reject Him, and His Kingdom, they will not get another chance to change their mind. As explained in the chapter summary, in this chapter we see Jesus dealing with various lost religious people who refused to believe His message in spite of His miracles and other signs that He was the messenger of God. None of us is promised more than one chance to accept God's salvation and these people have wasted their last chance.

Look at the Second Equivalent Section which says and where I am, thither ye cannot come. The phrase and where I am is referencing the prior sentence where Jesus said and then I go unto him that sent me ('I return to heaven to be with God the Father'). Thus, Jesus is telling them that they will not be able to go to heaven (thither ye cannot come). Since the two Equivalent Sections give the same message, we see that these people will not be able to go to heaven because they 'sin away their day of grace'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the note for John 1:41 about the word find. The functional definition is: 'To obtain by seeking'. The important part of this definition is the ongoing effort which is required until the desired object is found. The Bible does not use this word for 'stumbling upon something'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 8:21-24; 13:33-36; 14:3,6; 17:24; Pr 1:24-31; Ho 5:6; Mt 23:39; Lu 13:24-25,34-35; 17:22-23'.

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C7-S38 (Verse 35) Current reaction to prophecy.

Then said the Jews among themselves,
Whither will he go,
that we shall not find him?

This sentence is the response from the Jews to the answer that Jesus gave in C7-S36 through C7-S37 when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. This entire chapter is a discussion with each side having their say and the end of the chapter tells us the results of this discussion. Therefore, the entire chapter needs to be considered together in order to preserve the context.

Once more we find the Jews thinking only of the physical. Jesus was speaking about going to heaven as was explained in the note for the prior sentence. Our sentence starts with the word Then, Which means that it is telling us the reaction of the Jews to what Jesus just said.

Once more we see the Jews talking among themselves instead of asking Jesus for an explanation. And, once more, they arrive at the wrong conclusion because they are seeking answers from the wrong source. In addition, they are using the wrong perspective because they are looking at a spiritual statement from a physical perspective. We see this from their additional question in the next sentence.

Finally, they are using the wrong method of reasoning. The first three chapters explain that the wisdom of this world / man goes in the opposite direction from the wisdom of God. They needed the wisdom of God to understand the things which Jesus tells them in this chapter. However, they are using the wrong type of wisdom and arrive at the wrong conclusion. As a result, they reap the consequences of being Biblical fools.

Please see the note for John 13:36 about the word Whither. The functional definition for this word is: 'continually seeking many places or going to another place and remaing there, not returning'.

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C7-S39 (Verse 35) Confusion from misunderstanding.

will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles,
and teach the Gentiles?

This sentence is a continuation of the reasoning by the Jews which was started in the prior sentence. The note above explains their reasoning.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 9:8-11 about the word disperse. The functional definition is: 'Scattered; driven apart; diffused; dissipated'. This is a reference to the Jews who did not live in Judaea.

Please see the notes for Romans C15S13 and Galatians C2-S4 about the word Gentile. The functional definition is: 'In the scriptures, a pagan; a worshipper of false gods; any person not a Jew or a Christian; a heathen. The Hebrews included in the term goim or nations, all the tribes of men who had not received the true faith, and were not circumcised'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'the dispersed. Isa 11:12; 27:12-13; Zep 3:10; Ac 21:21; Jas 1:1; 1Pe 1:1
Gentiles. or, Greeks.
teach. Ps 67:1-2; 98:2-3; Isa 11:10; 49:6; Mt 12:21; Lu 2:32; Ac 11:18; 13:46-48; 22:21; Eph 3:8; Col 1:27; 1Ti 2:7; 2Ti 1:11'.

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C7-S40 (Verse 36) Attempt to clear up confusion.

Equivalent Section: First source of confusion.

What manner of saying is this that he said,
Ye shall seek me,
and shall not find me :

Equivalent Section: Second source of confusion.

and where I am,
thither ye cannot come?

This is a reference to what Jesus said in C7-S37. Please notice that they ignored His statement in C7-S36, which tells us where Jesus was going and provides the basis for understanding the sentence which they are questioning here and in the prior sentences.

Please notice that we do not have any response from Jesus to thus last set of misunderstanding by the Jews. Jesus kept telling them spiritual statements which they kept misunderstanding because they kept using the wrong perspective and the wrong type of wisdom, as already explained in prior notes. Also, as explained in the note for C7-S37, Jesus had given them their last chance to get saved. Therefore, He is done talking to the group and, yet, in the next two sentences we see Him offer a last chance for salvation to anyone who will come to Him on a personal basis. This is where this Gospel shows us that Jesus stopped offering the kingdom to the Jews and has started the church.

Please see the note for 1Peter C1S4 about the word manner: (singular). The functional definition is: 'way of performing or executing'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'manner. Joh 3:4,9; 6:41,52,60; 12:34; 16:17-18
Ye shall. Joh 7:34; 1Co 2:14'.

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C7-S41 (Verse 37) Jesus offered salvation.

In the last day,
that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried,
saying,
If any man thirst,
let him come unto me,
and drink.

In John 4:10-11, Jesus offered living water to the woman at the well. Here in John 7:37-39, Jesus offered the same living water to anyone who would come to Him. We are also told that the living water is the Holy Ghost that was given to all believers after the resurrection. While Jesus could not give the Holy Ghost before His resurrection, He could promise the Holy Ghost just as He did here and in John 4:10. The doctrine of this verse is also related to John 6:35 where we are told And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Please see that note.

Our author mentions that this happened in the last day, and this is a symbolic reference to the last days, which is one of the identifiers used by the Bible for the 'Church Age'. As the note for the prior sentence explained, Jesus has stopped offering the kingdom to the Jews and has now started the church.

In this sentence Jesus offers If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. This saying, like all of the sayings from Jesus found within this chapter, is spiritual in nature. The basic definition of water is: 'the liquid basis of life'. Therefore, Jesus is offering 'the basis of spiritual life', which is God's Holy Spirit indwelling us. Please notice that the next sentence gives a scripture reference and this sentence, combined with the next sentence, are promising that the saved will be a source of spiritual life to others.

The Jews did not understand that scripture because only God's prophets received the Holy Spirit before the 'Church Age' and they did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them like the saved have in the 'Church Age'. (Please see C7-S43 for the scripture which says what I just wrote.) With this promise we see one more evidence that Jesus has stopped offering the kingdom to the Jews and has now started the Church.

Please see the note for Luke 1:5 about the word day. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Le 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps 55:17). "The heat of the day" (1Sa 11:11; Ne 7:3) was at our nine o'clock, and "the cool of the day" just before sunset (Ge 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (La 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Jg 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex 14:24). In the New Testament the division of the Greeks and Romans into four watches was adopted (Mr 13:35). (See Watches.) The division of the day by hours is first mentioned in Da 3:6,15; 4:19; 5:5. This mode of reckoning was borrowed from the Chaldeans. The reckoning of twelve hours was from sunrise to sunset, and accordingly the hours were of variable length (Joh 11:9). The word "day" sometimes signifies an indefinite time (Ge 2:4; Isa 22:5; Heb 3:8, etc.). In Job 3:1 it denotes a birthday, and in Isa 2:12; Ac 17:31; 2Ti 1:18, the great day of final judgment.'. The functional definition, of the phrase last day is: '(end of the) Church Age'. Please see the notes for Philippians 1:6-LJC and 1Thessalonians 5:2 about the phrase day of:. There are many days which have special meanings within the Bible and many people, including preachers, confuse them. The notes provided lists various days and their meanings within the Bible.

Please see the notes for Romans C14S5 and 1Corinthians C15S1 about the word stand. The functional definition is: 'to be upon the feet, as an animal; not to sit, kneel or lie'. Please also see the note for Galatians C5S1 about the phrase stand fast.

Please see the notes for Romans C12S18 and 1Corinthians C4S13 about the word thirst. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines this word as: 'One of the most powerful natural appetites, the craving for water or other drink. Besides its natural significance, thirst is figuratively used of strong spiritual desire. The soul thirsts for God (Psalms 42:2; 63:1). Jesus meets the soul's thirst with water of life (John 4:13 ff; Joh 6:35; 7:37). It is said of the heavenly bliss, They shall hunger no more; neither thirst any more (Revelation 7:16-17; compare Isaiah 49:10)'. The functional definition is: 'lacking a basic need of life'.

Please see the note for Mark 14:23 about the word drink / drank. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'The drinks of the Hebrews were water, wine, "strong drink," and vinegar. Their drinking vessels were the cup, goblet or "basin," the "cruse" or pitcher, and the saucer. To drink water by measure (Eze 4:11), and to buy water to drink (La 5:4), denote great scarcity. To drink blood means to be satiated with slaughter. The Jews carefully strained their drinks through a sieve, through fear of violating the law of Le 11:20,23,41-42. (See Mt 23:24. "Strain at" should be "strain out.")'. The symbolic meaning was well understood in the ancient cultures and is still considered significant by many religions of today.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'the last. Le 23:36,39; Nu 29:35; 1Ki 8:65-66
and cried. Joh 7:28; 1:23; Pr 1:20; 8:1,3; 9:3; Isa 40:2,6; 55:1; 58:1; Jer 2:2; Mic 6:9; Mt 3:3
If. Joh 4:10; 6:35; Ps 36:8-9; 42:2; 63:1; 143:6; Isa 12:3; 41:17-18; 44:3; 55:1; Am 8:11-13; Re 21:6; 22:1,17
let. Joh 5:40; 6:37; 14:6; Isa 55:3; Jer 16:19; Mt 11:28
drink. Joh 6:55; Song 5:1; Zec 9:15; 1Co 10:4,21; 11:25; 12:13; Eph 5:18
General references. exp: Ps 78:15; Pr 8:1; Ac 10:12.'.

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C7-S42 (Verse 38) Jesus promised the indwelling Holy Spirit.

He that believeth on me,
as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

With this offer from Jesus we can see that Her has started the 'Church Age' since one of the main differences between the 'Church Age' and other so-called dispensations is the indwelling Holy Spirit. (I say so-called dispensations because many people claim things which are not true such as the way of salvation changing between dispensations. Salvation has always been by faith but the application and evidence of our true Biblical faith, along with certain promises from God, is all that truly changed.). The phrase out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water is a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit working through the lives of truly saved to provide the basis of spiritual life (water is the liquid basis of physical life) to all who will receive it.

When Jesus says He that believeth on me, He is referencing Deuteronomy 18:15 says: The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. Thus, He is declaring Himself to be that prophet (John 1:21; John 1:25; John 6:14 and Acts 3:23). Here Jesus is declaring Himself to be that prophet.

When our sentence says as the scripture hath said it is not giving us a direct word-for-word quote but is repeating the message found within the scripture. This is a Biblically correct thing to do and is often true with New Testament references to Old Testament references.

As explained in the word definitions, below, the word belly is used for: 'the seat of the carnal affections (Tit 1:12; Php 3:19; Ro 16:18). The word is also used symbolically for the heart (Pr 18:8; 20:27'. What we see here is a promise that the truly saved person will get physical pleasure out of being used by God to bring spiritual messages from God to other people.

The note for John 4:10 has references to every place in the Bible where we find the phrase living water. The meaning of this phrase is: 'a symbolic phrase that is basically used for a God-changed life providing spiritual life to others through God (Holy Ghost) guided witnessing'. Once more we see that God intends for the saved to be witnesses who let God's Holy Spirit use their life to help the lost to know how to get saved (receive God's spiritual life) and help the saved to grow God's spiritual life that is within them.

Our sentence, and scriptural reference, includes the words rivers and water. There are 66 verses with both of these words. However, the following, I believe, are the must applicable.

Exodus 7:17-18 says: Thus, saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lother to drink of the water of the river. Here we see God condemn the false religion of the Egyptians. In the Bible, Egypt is used symbolically for the world. Thus, we see that the religions of the world will bring death while promising life (dead blood). This is contrasted with the true spiritual life which is symbolically promised with rivers of living water.

Psalms 1:3 says: And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. This first Psalm describes the person who is blessed by God. (Please see the Study on Psalm 1 .) Within this sentence, we see that the promise of: whatsoever he doeth shall prosper is added (and) to that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither. That is, this person's life produces true Biblical fruit (spiritual results) and he is faithful in his religious activities such as worship to God (his leaf also shall not wither). The phrase he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water tells us that these results are due to the influence of God in his life (tree planted by the rivers of water) and that this result is added (and) to the prior sentences within this Psalm which include his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night..

Psalms 78:16 and Psalms 105:41 both tell us that the waters come from the rock. The word study on Rock, within the note for John 1:42-LJC, shows that every place where this word is used in the Bible it is used symbolically for Christ. Therefore, these verses are telling us that our personal relationship with God through Christ is the true source of the living waters within our life.
Proverbs 15:5-18 tells us to Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. It goes on and adds more to affect the instruction to receive 'the liquid basis of life' from the Holy Spirit within us and then Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Once more we see that our life is to provide this spiritual water to others from what God puts within us.

Isaiah 32:1-6 tells us how people shall be during the 1,000 years reign of Christ and how true Christians are supposed to be today. Among other things, such people are described as; And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Jeremiah 17:18 restates Psalms 1:3 and gives us another view of that truth.

Revelation 22:1 says: And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Here we see the Bible literally tell us that the rivers of water comes from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now, this in not the only symbolic usage of the phrase rivers of water, but it definitely applies in many Bible passages as shown in the references above.

There are many more references than what are listed here, and also more associated messages. However, what are presented here should be sufficient for the reader to understand the symbolic meaning of this phrase within this statement from Jesus.

Please see the notes for Romans C16S33; Galatians C3-S10 and 2Timothy C3S10 about the word scripture. The functional definition is: 'This word occurs but once in the Old Testament, where an angel speaks of 'the scripture of truth.' Da 10:21. In the New Testament the various parts of the Old Testament are referred to as "the scriptures"'.

Please see the note for Philippians 3:18-19 about the word belly. The functional definition is: 'the seat of the carnal affections (Tit 1:12; Php 3:19; Ro 16:18). The word is also used symbolically for the heart (Pr 18:8; 20:27'.

Please see the note for John 4:10 about the phrase waters: living. Please also see the note for John 7:38 about the phrase waters: rivers with water.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'He that. De 18:15 exp: Re 3:1.
out. Joh 4:14; Job 32:18-19; Pr 10:11; 18:4; Isa 12:3; 44:3; 58:11; 59:21; Eze 47:1-12; Zec 14:8; Ga 5:22-23; Eph 5:9'.

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C7-S43 (Verse 39) Clarification of prior sentence.

Equivalent Section: What Jesus meant.

(But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive:

Equivalent Section: Why Jesus said it.

First Step: Future reason.

for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;

Second Step: Current reason.

because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The entire sentence is within parenthesis, which means that it was added by the translators to retain the message of the original Greek even though there were not Greek words in the original text. The KJV is not a 'word-for-word translation' like many writers erroneously claim. This verse, and all others within parenthesis, prove that claim to be a lie and this distinction is critical because a 'word-for-word translation' is erroneous. There are NO errors in the 1611-KJV.

This sentence is a parenthetical sentence. There is too much involved in the rules of language translation to go into all of the detail here, but there are certain general rules for translating between languages are the same regardless of what languages are involved. I was the technical expert in charge of doing the translation three times when there were hundreds of millions of dollars at stake and an absolute guarantee of multiple law suits if there was even one mistake. It should be obvious that I would not have been put in charge the second and third time if I made a mistake. Now, I was translating between computer languages, and yes, there are differences between computer languages and human languages, but the general rules for translation are the same regardless of the languages involved. Now, I am not just making this claim but I have spoken with professional translators of human languages several times including lawyers who translate legal contracts. None of those professionals have ever disagreed with any of the rules which I stated to them. The only people who ever disagreed were preachers who did not have the qualifications to be a professional interpreter but who, pride fully, wanted to claim to be an expert who could correct God's preserved word.

1John 4:1 says: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.. The Biblical definition of try is: 'test repeatedly until you feel certain'. This is less than what is required to prove, but still requires considerable testing in order to avoid being deceived. (Please see the Study called Prove for more details.) Therefore, I will give a couple of simple tests for people to pass before they can truthfully claim to be an 'expert on Bible languages'. The first test is simple. 1Corinthians 12:10 tells us that there is a spiritual gift called the interpretation of tongues with the Biblical definition of tongues being 'a human language'. Therefore, the first test for a self-proclaimed 'expert on Bible languages' is to translate verses written in a language which they know nothing about while someone who knows the language is there to verify their translation. That test should shut the mouth of all self-proclaimed 'experts on Bible languages'.

The next test is one of pride. Both James 4:6 and 1Peter 5:5 tell us God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. In addition, the First Commandment says I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. ( 20:2-3). Therefore, if her insists that you can not know what God's word says unless you have him, or some other self-proclaimed 'experts on Bible languages' tell you the meaning of God's word, he is prideful and putting himself before God because he claims that God can't talk to His people, whom God has a personal relationship with, unless God goes through the self-proclaimed 'expert on Bible languages'.

Now I could go on with these points, but I will turn to some of the considerations for a true translation after making one critical observation. God's word tells us that God will use another tongue, but the context makes this usage for getting the application within a given context and not for providing the single perfect interpretation of the Bible. So, yes, the 'Bible languages' are to be used, but only for clarification of verses within the given context and not for correcting our God-given translation which God has preserved unto every generation.

The first consideration for translation is that languages reflect thought processes. When there is a thought process that is basic to one language, it has a simple expression, sometimes only a single word ('run'), to express it. If the same thought process is not common in another language, there will not be a single word to convey that same thought process. Thus, there are supposedly more than 35 words in the Alaskan Native language that we translate to 'snow' in English. There are 6 or 7words in Biblical Greek that we translate to 'wine'. Baptize is a Greek word forced into English because we didn't have anything equivalent. Most other modern human languages have forced the English word of 'computer' and other technical terms into their language because they didn't have an equivalent. (Think about all of the arguments about this word. One self-proclaimed 'expert on Bible languages' insisted that baptize should always be translated as 'dunked'. However, 1Corinthians 10:1-2 tells us that the Jews were baptized unto Moses as they walked across the Red Sea on dry ground. So how were they 'dunked'?) All of this is leading up to the fact that we do not have a smooth translation from one language to another and lots of people insist upon proving their ignorance and foolishness by thinking that they can take some Greek class and then translate (what they are told is) the Greek Bible into English and have something better than the God directed translators of the 1611.

Listen to one simple illustration. I have worked with people from India for over 25 years. The language that they use at work is English because they have over 30 different 'native' languages and English is their only common language. They grow up with at least two languages, English and their native language. Now, how many Americans have complained about not understanding people from India when they answered Customer Service numbers? How many have complained about the people in India did not understanding them and that they could not understand the Indians? Yes, there was a problem with accents but, after over 25 years of personal experience, I can say that there was a greater problem with the way that phrases are constructed. We have this communication problem with people who have 16 years of formal language training and over 20 years of experience. Now, how good is your few months of training in Greek compared to a reality in life?

The simple truth is that a true translator not only needs to know the official rules of the language, such as the rules of grammar, and the proper definitions of words especially words with specific meanings such as legal or medical words, but they also need a 'conversational level of understanding'. This lack is why people can take several years of language training in one country and then go to a country which speaks that language and not be able to communicate. It is also why Americans insisted that Indians manning Customer Service Centers could not speak English. They could, but Indian English is a derivative of England English, which has different phrases and a different 'conversational level of understanding'. Companies in America lost many customers until they moved their Customer Service Centers to the Philippines where the people speak a derivative of American English. The entire problem was not with the formal rules of language as taught by a school but with the 'conversational level of understanding'. This is why NO person today is qualified to correct the KJV-1611. When it was translated into English, scholars from different countries spoke in the 'Konia Greek' as a common intellectual language. They literally had the 'conversational level of understanding', which no one has today.

This sentence was added into the KJV1611 by the translators that God used to keep His promise to preserve His Word for a thousand generations (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1Chronicals 16:15; Psalms 105:8). In order to keep the thought process as they went from Greek thoughts to English thoughts, they some times had to add in words that a word-for-word translation does not provide. The Jews of the day that Jesus lived in would have understood that living waters had a spiritual meaning and apparently understood that living waters meant God's Holy Spirit. Without this sentence, English speakers would have lost this significance.

Now, more could be wrote on that subject but we will move on and look at the sentence structure. In it we see two Equivalent Sections with the Second Equivalent Section having two Steps. In the First Equivalent Section, we are told that everyone who believe on him (Jesus) should receive the Spirit that he would give. In the Second Equivalent Section, we are told that the Holy Ghost was not yet given and that is the reason that was true was because the prior sentence has the future-tense verb of shall. We are also told that this future-tense verb would become a present-tense verb when Jesus was glorified at his resurrection. (Please see the document called Jesus used the Power of the Holy Ghost for more details).

In the prior sentence, combined with this sentence, Jesus is making a future promise of the Spirit for present day faith in His word as the Son of God. That's the same way that God deals with saved people today. This sentence is telling us the doctrine that the Holy Ghost could not be given until after Jesus was glorified after His resurrection. Of course, Acts 2 tells us of this happening at Pentecost. This sentence is critical to maintaining the thought process that John was conveying in this chapter.

Moving on, we see that this sentence starts with the word But, which means that it is continuing the subject from the prior sentence while going in a different direction. In addition, the phrase he spake is referencing what Jesus said in the prior sentence. Thus, we see that the phrase out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, in the prior sentence, was a reference to God's Holy Spirit, which is what this sentence literally tells us. In addition, we see that the phrase He that believeth on me, in the prior sentence, is clarified by this sentence to mean: which they that believe on him should receive. Thus, we see that, during the 'Church Age', the truly saved would receive God's Holy Spirit. An earlier sentence within this chapter tells us that Jesus had started the 'Church Age'.

One doctrinal error that people believe is that the 'Church Age' replaced Genesis through Malachi. That is doctrinal error and the truth is that only the religious part of Moses' law was replaced with a personal relationship provided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. We read about the indwelling Holy Spirit in: Matthew 3:6; Luke 4:1; John 1:32-33; 3:5-6, 8; 4:24; 7:39; 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; Acts 2:4, 17-18; 5:9; 8:29, 39; 10:19; 16:7; 21:4; Romans 8:1-2, 4-5, 9-11, 13-16, 23, 26-27; 15:19, 30; 1Corinthians 2:4, 10-11, 14; 3:16; 6:11; 7:40; 12:3-4, 7-9, 11, 13; 2Corinthians 1:22; 3:3, 17-18; 5:5; Galatians 3:2-3, 5, 14; 4:6, 29; 5:5, 16-18, 22, 25; 6:8; Ephesians 1:13; 2:18, 22; 3:5, 16; 4:3-4, 30; 5:9, 18; 6:17-18; Philippians 1:19; 2:1; Colossians 1:8; 1Thessalonians 4:8; 5:19; 2Thessalonians 2:13; 1Timothy 3:16; 4:1; Hebrews 9:14; 10:29; 1Peter 1:2, 11, 22; 3:18; 1John 3:24; 4:2, 13; 5:6; Jude 1:19; Revelation 1:10; 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 11:11; 14:13; 22:17). While there is a whole separate doctrine about the Holy Spirit and our relationship to Him, just a fast reading of these verses listed (these are not all in the New Testament that deal with this subject) makes it clear that we have a personal relationship to the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit is a person and is God.

Please see the notes for Romans C14S1; 1Corinthians C15S1 and Colossians 2:6-7 about the word receive. The functional definition is: 'To take, as a thing offered or sent; to accept'.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S16; 1Corinthians C3S17; Philippians 1:3-7 and Colossians C1S6 about the word holy. The functional definition for this word is: 'Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character; and man is more or less holy, as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions'. Please also see the Word Study on Spirit for links to every place in the Bible where we find the phrase Holy Ghost. It is my belief that the Bible uses Holy Ghost when speaking about His dealing in this physical world and uses Holy Spirit when telling us about His dealing in spiritual matters. Please also see the note for 1John C2S25 about the phrase Holy One.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'this spake. Joh 14:16-17,26; Pr 1:23; Isa 12:3; 32:15; 44:3; Joe 2:28; Lu 3:16; 24:49; Ac 1:4-8; 2:4,17,38; 4:31; Ro 8:9; Eph 1:13-14; 4:30
for. Joh 16:7; Ps 68:18; Isa 32:15; Ac 2:17,33; 2Co 3:8 exp: Ps 36:9; Isa 35:6.
glorified. Joh 12:16; 13:31-32; 14:13; 17:5; Ac 3:13
Of. Joh 7:12; 1:21,25; 6:14; De 18:15-18; Mt 16:14; 21:11; Lu 7:16; Ac 3:22-23'.

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C7-S44 (Verse 40) Some people realized spiritual truth.

Many of the people therefore,
when they heard this saying,
said,
Of a truth this is the Prophet.

This sentence is the response from the Jews to the answer that Jesus gave in C7-S40 through C7-S42 when the Jews questioned His Bible knowledge without a formal Bible School education. This entire chapter is a discussion with each side having their say and the end of the chapter tells us the results of this discussion. Therefore, the entire chapter needs to be considered together in order to preserve the context.

In C7-S44 through C7-S48 John gives us a sampling of the differing opinions which the people expressed. With these we can see the division among the people as John calls it. All of the sentences in this section need to be considered together for proper context.

The therefore of this sentence refers back to C7-S42 because C7-S43 was not in the original Greek. While they probably did not understand the spiritual message of what Jesus said, these people did recognize it as a spiritual message and, therefore from God. According to tradition, they had not had any prophet, other than John the Baptist, for 400 years and John the Baptist said that he was not the prophet (which Moses told them would come). At this point these people did not have absolute proof, which means that this sentence is an expression of faith. The context tells us that others expressed different opinions, which means that only some of the people had this opinion.

Please see the notes for Romans C16S33; Romans C12S5; Jude and false prophets about the word prophet. The functional definition is: 'In Scripture, a person illuminated, inspired or instructed by God to announce God's word; as Moses, Elijah, David, Isaiah, etc. An interpreter; one that explains or communicates sentiments'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. exp: Joh 10:19.'.

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C7-S45 (Verse 41) Others realized a different spiritual truth.

Others said,
This is the Christ.

In C7-S44 through C7-S48 John gives us a sampling of the differing opinions which the people expressed in response to what Jesus said in C7-S41 and C7-S42. With the telling of these opinions we can see the division among the people as John calls it. All of the sentences in this section need to be considered together for proper context.

As mentioned in the note above for the prior sentence, the people probably did not understand the spiritual message of what Jesus said. However, these people did recognize it as a spiritual message and, therefore from God. According to tradition and the accounts within the Gospels, these people were really looking forward to the coming of Christ because they wanted out from under the rule of Rome and wanted to rule the world under Christ. (Many rulers actually believed that they would dictate to Christ about how to rule the world.) At this point these people did not have absolute proof for their belief, which means that this sentence is an expression of hope. The context tells us that others expressed different opinions, which means that only some of the people had this opinion.

Please see the note for John 7:31-LJC for links to every place where the Bible uses the phrase the Christ.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'This is. Joh 7:31; 1:41,49; 4:25,29,42; 6:69; Mt 16:14-16'.

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C7-S46 (Verse 41) Still others questioned because of wrong religious teaching.

But some said,
Shall Christ come out of Galilee?

As explained in the note for this sentence, within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, people had wrong 'facts' which they believed. This caused them to reject the truth. We all need to verify 'facts' which we believe in order to avoid being deceived.

Please see the note for John 1:43 about the word Galilee. The functional definition is: 'Part of the Promised Land given to Gentiles'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Shall. Joh 7:52; 1:46
General references. exp: Lu 12:52; Joh 10:19.'.

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C7-S47 (Verse 42) Source of their wrong belief.

Hath not the scripture said,
That Christ cometh of the seed of David,
and out of the town of Bethlehem,
where David was?

We see a very important lesson here. These people believed that Jesus came from Nazareth, because that is where He was raised after Joseph and Mary returned from Egypt. However, He was born in Bethlehem and this was something that they could have verified if they only asked. These people were probably among the many Jews who died lost because they failed to verify their religious beliefs.

Please see the note for Galatians C3-S17 about the word seed. The functional definition is: 'The substance, animal or vegetable, which nature prepares for the reproduction and conservation of the species'.

The phrase seed of David is another way of saying son of David. Please us this link for all of the Verses that use son of David. Although this phrase is used in the Old Testament for other men, every reference in the New Testament refers to Jesus.

Please see the note for Mark 8:23 about the word town. The functional definition for this word is: 'Originally, a walled or fortified place; a collection of houses inclosed with walls, hedges or pickets for safety'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'not. Joh 7:27; Ps 132:11; Isa 11:1; Jer 23:5; Mic 5:2; Mt 2:5; Lu 2:4,11
where. 1Sa 16:1,4,11-13,18; 17:58
General references. exp: Lu 12:52; Joh 10:19.'.

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C7-S48 (Verse 43) Result of confusion which was not resolved.
So there was a division among the people because of him.

In this sentence John gives us the conclusion (So) of the reaction by the people to the saying of Jesus. To this day, Her is believed to be the most controversial person in history.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 7:12; 9:16; 10:19; Mt 10:35; Lu 12:51; Ac 14:4; 23:7-10 exp: Lu 12:52.'.

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C7-S49 (Verse 44) Some wanted to act wrong because of religious beliefs.

First Step: How some wanted to act.

And some of them would have taken him;

Second Step: Why they didn't act.

but no man laid hands on him.

This is a reference back to 7:32 where we read: the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. That's why our sentence says And some of them would have taken him. However, our sentence goes on to say but no man laid hands on him. The next couple of sentences tell us that the Pharisees and the chief priests were upset with the officers and expressed their opinion. The second next sentence gives us the reason which the officers expressed, which was the best way that lost men had to explain the power and working of God. Thus, we see that lost people recognize the power and working of God at some level, they do not truly understand it because they do not have the Holy Spirit to explain it to them.

Please see the note for 1Timothy 6:17-19 about the phrase lay hold. The functional definition is: 'secure'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'no man. Joh 7:30; 8:20; 18:5-6; Ac 18:10; 23:11; 27:23-25
General references. exp: Joh 10:39.'.

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C7-S50 (Verse 45) Some were commanded to act wrong because of religious beliefs.

First Step: Who was to act wrong.

Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees;

Second Step: Their lack of action was questioned.

and they said unto them,
Why have ye not brought him?

In C7-S50 through the end of the chapter we see a division among the rulers which matches the division reported earlier in the chapter that was among the people. In both cases, the division was caused by some people believing scriptural truth while others believed doctrinal error taught by religious tradition. With this we see the need to verify everything which we are told against the Bible and to especially verify any religious tradition.

As explained in the note above, the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him back in 7:32. In the sentences between there and here we were told why they did not obey their command. Thus, we see that when God chooses to act, God can override the commands of evil men and protect His own people.

Please see the note for John 7:32 about the word officer. The functional definition is: 'A person commissioned or authorized to perform any public duty. Officers are civil, military or ecclesiastical'.

Please see the note for Hebrews 4:14 about the word priest. The functional definition is: 'One who represents men before God'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'the officers. Joh 7:32; Ac 5:21-27'.

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C7-S51 (Verse 46) Why they did not act wrong.

The officers answered,
Never man spake like this man.

In this sentence we see that the officers responded to the power of God protecting Jesus even though, apparently, they did not realize exactly what they were responding to. In they had recognized the power of God, then their answer would have reflected that truth just like Peter's answer did in Acts 11:17.

When they said Never man spake like this man they were testifying to the power of God within the words of Jesus. Just as God the Father protected Jesus from those people who wanted to kill Him, because He was doing the will of God, so also will God protect His saved people, in many instances, while they work for God's kingdom. The true witness for God will only lost that protection when it is best for God's glory, and the person's own eternal reward. In addition, when we are not doing the work for God we can expect to lose God's protection. This I write based upon many personal experiences.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Never. Joh 7:26; Mt 7:29; Lu 4:22
General references. exp: Lu 2:47.'.

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C7-S52 (Verse 47) Challenge from the rulers.

Then answered them the Pharisees,
Are ye also deceived?

Please note that this answer came from the Pharisees even though the people who were supposed to be over the officers were the rulers. Thus, we see where the true political power was at and even when there is a formal organization of authority, the true power and authority is sometimes different.

Please notice that the Pharisees asked the officers if they were deceived and never considered the possibility that they (the Pharisees) were the ones who were deceived. Pride and positions of authority cause this blindness to self deception.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S15 and 1Corinthians 3:18 about the word deceived. The note in 1Corinthians breaks down the references, in the New Testament, by how the word is used. The functional definition is: 'Misled; led into error; beguiled; cheated; deluded'. Please also see the note for Galatians C6S3 about the phrase deceiveth himself.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Are. Joh 7:12; 9:27-34; 2Ki 18:29,32; 2Ch 32:15; Mt 27:63; 2Co 6:8 exp: Joh 9:40.
General references. exp: Pr 16:25; Joh 3:1.'.

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C7-S53 (Verse 48) Wrong basis for finding God's truth.
Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?

In this sentence we see the major source of doctrinal error all throughout the world and all throughout history. The, wrong, assumption of this question is that these men are the source of truth. As proved by the Word Study on Truth, The Biblical definition of truth is 'Truth is defined by God. Truth is what God says is truth for this physical reality, the spiritual reality and everything else that is, even if we don't know about it. Truth is personified in Jesus Christ and anything less than 'absolute truth' is a lie.' Something that is true matches what God reveals in His unchanging Word.'. In reality, what most of the rulers and the Pharisees believed was doctrinal error. However, in two more sentences Nicodemus proves that their assumption, that all of the rulers and the Pharisees were united in their doctrinal error, was wrong. Therefore, the answer to this question is .'YES!!'. However, like all self-proclaimed experts on truth, they ignored facts which proved them wrong.

Please see the note for John 7:26 about the word ruler. The functional definition is: 'One that governs, whether emperor, king, pope or governor; any one that exercises supreme power over others'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 7:26,50; 12:42; Jer 5:4-5; Mt 11:25; Ac 6:7; 1Co 1:20,22-28; 2:8 exp: Pr 16:25; Lu 11:35; Joh 3:1.'.

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C7-S54 (Verse 49) Doctrinal error claimed.
But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.

The major doctrinal error of this statement is that God does not curse people for ignorance ('lack of knowledge') but for disobedience. History has shown that this people were cursed because they followed the rulers and the Pharisees into disobedience.

Please see the note for Galatians C1-S4 about the word curse. The functional definition is: 'Doomed to destruction or misery'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 9:34,40; Isa 5:21; 28:14; 29:14-19; 65:5; 1Co 1:20-21; 3:18-20; Jas 3:13-18 exp: Pr 16:25; Jer 5:4; Lu 11:35; Joh 3:1.'.

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C7-S55 (Verse 50-51) The included section of this sentence is separated below.

Nicodemus points out the error in their rebuke.

Nicodemus saith unto them,
(See Below),
Doth our law judge any man,
before it hear him,
and know what he doeth?

Below is the part of the sentence from the parenthesis.

Who the ruler was.

(he that came to Jesus by night,
being one of them)

Here we see Nicodemus stand up for the truth, which shows that he is saved even though he is careful about how much he goes against the doctrinal error of those in power. (Please see the note for this sentence within the Lord Jesus Christ Study for links to verses which show the spiritual growth of Nicodemus.) While in John 3 Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, here we see Nicodemus openly stating a truth which points out the error by the other rulers and the Pharisees. No, this is not as openly courageous as he will be later but it is more than we saw in John 3, which shows some spiritual growth and is probably why John included it in this account.

Please see the note for John 3:1 about Nicodemus. He was Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews who received true Biblical salvation as shown by his changed life.

Please see the note for John 11:10 about the word night. The functional definition for this word is: 'The part of the day when the sun does not shine. This word is often used symbolically for the absence of the influence from God'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'he that. Joh 3:1-2; 19:39
to Jesus. Gr. to him.
General references. exp: Joh 7:48.
General references. De 1:17; 17:8-11; 19:15-19; Pr 18:13 exp: Ac 25:27.'.

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C7-S56 (Verse 52) Return rebuke from those in error.

They answered and said unto him,
Art thou also of Galilee?

With this question we see how low of an opinion the rulers and the Pharisees had of anyone from Galilee. This is an expression of pure prejudice which is always wrong. Earlier in this chapter (7:24) we were told Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Here we see the rulers and the Pharisees do the exact opposite of that command.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for John 1:43 about the word Galilee. The functional definition is: 'Part of the Promised Land given to Gentiles'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Art. Joh 9:34; Ge 19:9; Ex 2:14; 1Ki 22:24; Pr 9:7-8'.

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C7-S57 (Verse 52) Source of their religious error.

Equivalent Section: Command to verify.

Search,
and look:

Equivalent Section: Wrong way to verify.

for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.

I have not researched the physical birth place of known prophets, but it would not matter. First, we do not know about all of God's prophets which did not write scripture. Therefore, we must assume that we can not completely verify the answer to this question. Secondly, they were not speaking about the physical location but were referencing that since Israel was first taken captive, many people from other lands were moved into Galilee and Samaria. Therefore, both locations were known to have people with mixed physical blood, and the Jews were concerned with the purity of physical blood and not with the purity of worship. Thirdly, their religious prejudices caused them to dismiss everyone from the physical region and to not verify the purity of the physical blood in the person whom they dismissed. Therefore, their prejudice led them into religious error and destruction. Thus, we see the danger of holding any type of prejudice.

This sentence is part of the answer which started in the prior sentence and tried to justify the doctrinal error of the rulers and the Pharisees. What did or did not occur in the past does not limit God in what he can do. Once more we see doctrinal error result from a bad assumption and a bad way of verifying your belief.

Please see the note for Romans C11S36 about the word search. The functional definition is: 'To look over or through for the purpose of finding something; to explore; to examine by inspection; as, to search the house for a book; to search the wood for a thief'. Please also see the note for Romans C11S36 about the word unsearchable.

Please see the note for Philippians 2:4 about the word look. The functional definition is: 'The primary sense is to stretch, to extend, to shoot, hence to direct the eye. We observe its primary sense is nearly the same as that of seek. Hence, to look for is to seek'. Please also see the note for Galatians C6S6 about the phrase LORD looketh on the heart.

Please see the note for John 1:43 about the word Galilee. The functional definition is: 'Part of the Promised Land given to Gentiles'.

Please see the note for Mark 10:1 about the word arise / arose. The functional definition for this word is: 'To ascend, mount up or move to a higher place; as, vapors arise from humid places. To begin; to spring up; to originate'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Search. Joh 7:41; 1:46; Isa 9:1-2; Mt 4:15-16 exp: Joh 5:39.'.

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C7-S58 (Verse 53) And every man went unto his own house.

Our sentence starts with the word And, which adds it to the prior sentence. After rejection the true and proper statement from Nicodemus, the rulers and the Pharisees went unto his own house, which closed the discussion. They made it very clear that they had made up their mind and resented Nicodemus trying to 'confuse them with the facts'.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:1 about the word house. The functional definition is: ' a building or shed intended or used as a habitation or shelter for animals of any kind; but appropriately, a building or edifice for the habitation of man; a dwelling place'. Please also see the note for 1Peter 4:17 about the phrase house of God.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Job 5:12-13; Ps 33:10; 76:5,10 '.

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John Chapter 8

The Conflict Between Spirit Led Religion and Fleshly Religion

Links to sentences in this chapter:

C8-S1 (Verse 1), C8-S2 (Verse 2), C8-S3 (Verse 3-4), C8-S4 (Verse 5), C8-S5 (Verse 6), C8-S6 (Verse 6), C8-S7 (Verse 7), C8-S8 (Verse 8), C8-S9 (Verse 9), C8-S10 (Verse 10), C8-S11 (Verse 10), C8-S12 (Verse 11), C8-S13 (Verse 11), C8-S14 (Verse 12), C8-S15 (Verse 13), C8-S16 (Verse 14), C8-S17 (Verse 15), C8-S18 (Verse 16), C8-S19 (Verse 17), C8-S20 (Verse 18), C8-S21 (Verse 19), C8-S22 (Verse 19), C8-S23 (Verse 20), C8-S24 (Verse 21), C8-S25 (Verse 22), C8-S26 (Verse 22), C8-S27 (Verse 23), C8-S28 (Verse 24), C8-S29 (Verse 25), C8-S30 (Verse 25), C8-S31 (Verse 26), C8-S32 (Verse 27), C8-S33 (Verse 28), C8-S34 (Verse 29), C8-S35 (Verse 30), C8-S36 (Verse 31-32), C8-S37 (Verse 33), C8-S38 (Verse 34), C8-S39 (Verse 35), C8-S40 (Verse 36), C8-S41 (Verse 37), C8-S42 (Verse 38), C8-S43 (Verse 39), C8-S44 (Verse 39), C8-S45 (Verse 40), C8-S46 (Verse 41), C8-S47 (Verse 41), C8-S48 (Verse 42), C8-S49 (Verse 43), C8-S50 (Verse 43), C8-S51 (Verse 44), C8-S52 (Verse 44), C8-S53 (Verse 44), C8-S54 (Verse 45), C8-S55 (Verse 46), C8-S56 (Verse 46), C8-S57 (Verse 47), C8-S58 (Verse 48), C8-S59 (Verse 49), C8-S60 (Verse 50), C8-S61 (Verse 51), C8-S62 (Verse 52), C8-S63 (Verse 52), C8-S64 (Verse 53), C8-S65 (Verse 53), C8-S66 (Verse 54-55), C8-S67 (Verse 56), C8-S68 (Verse 57), C8-S69 (Verse 58), C8-S70 (Verse 59)'.

Chapter 8 Summary:

The incidents in this chapter probably happened at the same time as the accounts in Matthew 21; Mark 12 and Luke 20. Later, in our current chapter at 8:20, we are told These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple and the accounts in the other Gospels happened in the Temple and end with Jesus being by the treasury. In addition, while the specific accounts differ, all Gospels report the same types if incidents between the religious leaders and Jesus.

In this chapter we see the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, with other Jewish religious leaders, become an open conflict. The Pharisees, with other Jewish religious leaders, keep looking at things from a physical religious perspective and refuse to understand things from a spiritual perspective. They accuse Jesus of having a devil in C7-S22; C8-S58; C8-S62 and C10-S21. They claim this because the doctrine of Jesus disagrees with their traditional doctrine. However, Jesus denies their accusation and counters with Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do in C8-S51. He bases His judgment upon the spirit displayed by these people which matches what John tells us in 1John 4:1. Thus, we see the argument between religious people and the truly saved in the most basic form. Jesus, the word of God and the truly saved all say that you must judge spiritual matters only according to the spirit that a person displays. However, the religious insist that spiritual matters are judged according to physical religious credentials with the religious leaders having the greatest authority even if they display the spirit of a devil. This entire chapter is giving us various examples of this conflict so that we can learn how to apply the true and proper judgment of someone's spirit.

8:31 through the end of the chapter tells us the argument between Jesus and the Jews over salvation with Jesus saying that true salvation requires a change in the person's spirit and the Jews arguing that salvation only requires their physical religious requirement.

The note for 8:11, in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, is large and was written before this Book Study was written. It presents a different perspective of the doctrine found within this chapter. There is only one interpretation, which is God's true interpretation, but there are many applications of doctrinal truth. The two different perspectives are two different applications (points of view) of the same truths found within this chapter. The two perspectives agree with each other even while providing different perspectives and different references to other places within the Bible which tell us the same truths. Therefore, Please read and consider both perspectives.

C8-S1: Jesus prayed before teaching.
C8-S2: Jesus taught.
C8-S3: The scribes and Pharisees interrupted with a trap.
C8-S4: The scribes and Pharisees present their challenge.
C8-S5: Why the scribes and Pharisees tried to trap Jesus.
C8-S6: How Jesus reacted.
C8-S7: The scribes and Pharisees continue to badger Jesus.
C8-S8: Jesus returns to His writing.
C8-S9: The reaction of the scribes and Pharisees to what Jesus wrote.
C8-S10: Jesus acknowledges that the false accusers are gone.
C8-S11: Jesus has her acknowledge the changed circumstance.
C8-S12: She acknowledges the changed circumstance.
C8-S13: Jesus renders His judgment of the sin she was accused of.
C8-S14: Jesus said why people should follow His example.
C8-S15: False accusation by the Pharisees based upon prior statement by Jesus.
C8-S16: Jesus answers their accusation.
C8-S17: The wrong basis for judgment used by the Pharisees.
C8-S18: Why they can believe how Jesus judged.
C8-S19: Basis for verifying the claim by Jesus.
C8-S20: Identification of the two witnesses required by law.
C8-S21: Challenge from the Pharisees.
C8-S22: Jesus responds to the prior question.
C8-S23: The reaction to these statements by Jesus.
C8-S24: The next message from Jesus.
C8-S25: The Jews failed to understand the prophecy.
C8-S26: Why the Jews failed to understand the prophecy.
C8-S27: The explanation of the prior sentence.
C8-S28: Why Jesus started this section like He did.
C8-S29: The Jews finally ask the right question.
C8-S30: Jesus refers them back to the answer which they rejected in the past.
C8-S31: The present action of Jesus versus future action by Him.
C8-S32: The misunderstanding of the Jews.
C8-S33: Jesus prophesies of future salvation of some Jews.
C8-S34: Why Jews will believe in the future.
C8-S35: Immediate result of the words from Jesus.
C8-S36: Addition needed for true salvation.
C8-S37: The Jews answer from unbelief.
C8-S38: Jesus explains the bondage of sin.
C8-S39: A difference between a servant and a son.
C8-S40: Why to have a relationship with God's Son.
C8-S41: Why being a seed is not enough.
C8-S42: The difference between the Father of Jesus and the father of the Jews.
C8-S43: Denial from the Jews.
C8-S44: Evidence against their claim.
C8-S45: Further evidence against their claim.
C8-S46: Conclusion from the evidence.
C8-S47: The Jews finally understood, and denied, the spiritual message.
C8-S48: Why their claim is wrong.
C8-S49: Question to make the Jews think.
C8-S50: Why the Jews had a problem understanding.
C8-S51: A clear statement of accusation.
C8-S52: Description of the character of the devil.
C8-S53: Further description of the character of the devil.
C8-S54: Why they rejected the truth from Jesus.
C8-S55: Challenge from Jesus.
C8-S56: Second challenge from Jesus.
C8-S57: True evidence proving the point from Jesus.
C8-S58: False accusation with no basis.
C8-S59: Answer from Jesus.
C8-S60: Jesus is not the one seeking glory.
C8-S61: Obedience is required for true Biblical salvation.
C8-S62: False accusation again.
C8-S63: Reasoning behind prior false accusation.
C8-S64: Question of incredulity.
C8-S65: Statement from Jesus goes against evidence.
C8-S66: Answer from Jesus proves that they misapply their evidence.
C8-S67: Return to claims about Abraham.
C8-S68: Reaction of Jews to claim about Abraham.
C8-S69: Truth about the life of Jesus.
C8-S70: End of confrontation.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides a chapter outline as:

1-11. Christ delivers the woman taken in adultery.
12-30. He declares himself the light of the world, and justifies his doctrine;
31-32. promises freedom to those who believe;
33-47. answers the Jews that boasted of Abraham;
48-58. answers their reviling, by shewing his authority and dignity;
59. and conveys himself from their cruelty. '.

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C8-S1 (Verse 1) Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

In this sentence we see that Jesus prayed before teaching and before dealing with doctrinal disagreements. As explained in the note for this sentence within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, this entire chapter is about a disagreement between Jesus and the religious leaders of the Jews about judgment and the basis of doctrine which was because Jesus used a spiritual point of view and they use a physical religious point of view. In this verse the physical man named Jesus went to be alone with God and pray before He got into this disagreement. As shown in the prior chapter, this disagreement had been building and Jesus had to know that it was coming even if He was not 'God in human flesh'.

We find the mount of Olives / mount of Olivet only in: 2Samuel 15:30; Zechariah 14:4; Matthew 21:1; Matthew 24:3; Matthew 26:30; Mark 11:1; Mark 13:3; Mark 14:26; Luke 19:29; Luke 19:37; Luke 21:37; Luke 22:39; John 8:1; Acts 1:12. The Morrish Bible Dictionary defines the mount of Olives / mount of Olivet as: 'The mountain range on the east of Jerusalem, separated from the city by the Kidron valley. It doubtless derived its name from the olive-trees that grew on it. This name occurs but seldom in the O.T., and apparently the mountain is not referred to under any other name. David when he hastened from Jerusalem at the rebellion of Absalom ascended Mount Olivet. 2Sa 15:30. In a future day its configuration will be changed, for the prophet says the feet of the Lord will stand upon it and the mount will be cleft asunder. Zec 14:4.
It comes into prominence in the N.T. because of the Lord's association with it: He was 'wont' to go there and "at night he went out and abode in the mount." Lu 21:37; 22:39; Joh 8:1. The Lord sat on this mount, opposite to the temple, when He spoke to His disciples of the future tribulations and coming judgement. Mr 13:3. Apparently the Lord ascended to heaven from a low part of the mount near to Bethany, Luke 24: 50; Ac 1:12; and, as noticed above, He will again stand on that mount on His return.
On the northern slope of the mount is a walled garden kept by the Franciscan monks, with a few old olive trees, said to be the garden of Gethsemane, but another site is now shown by the Greek church. There are two principal roads over the mount. One nearly due east from St. Stephen's gate which passes the old so-called garden of Gethsemane. This was doubtless the road most frequented by the Lord in retiring for the night. The other road, from the same gate but farther south, led to Bethany and thence to Jericho. It was doubtless by this road that the Lord came when riding on an ass.
A great part of the mount is cultivated with wheat and barley, with a vine here and there; also a few fig trees, but of trees there are still more of olives than any other. Its modern name is Jebel et Tor, 'Mount of the Summit,' signifying 'mount of importance,' or Jebel ez Zeitun, 'Mount of Olives.' It is 2,683 feet above the sea, and about 250 feet above Moriah. From its summit the best view of Jerusalem is obtained.'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Mt 21:1; Mr 11:1; 13:3; Lu 19:37 exp: Lu 21:38.'.

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C8-S2 (Verse 2) Jesus taught.

First Step: Jesus gathered the people to teach

And early in the mourning he came again into the temple,
and all the people came unto him;

Second Step: Jesus taught.

and he sat down,
and taught them.

Here we see that Jesus went about His business and the next sentence tells us that the scribes and Pharisee came to Him looking to start a doctrinal fight. We see here that godly people don't need to look for a fight. If they are truly doing the work of God then Satan will have his ministers attack the Godly.

Please see the note for John 21:4 about the word mourning. The functional definition for this word is: 'The first part of the day'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'early. Joh 4:34; Ec 9:10; Jer 25:3; 44:4; Lu 21:37
and he. Mt 5:1-2; 26:55; Lu 4:20; 5:3
General references. exp: Lu 21:38.'.

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C8-S3 (Verse 3-4) The scribes and Pharisees interrupted with a trap.

First Step: What they did.

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery;

Second Step: What they claimed.

and when they had set her in the midst,
They say unto him,
Master,
this woman was taken in adultery,
in the very act.

We are first told that the scribes and the Pharisees started to accuse Jesus of blasphemy in Matthew 9:2 and Mark 2:6 and Luke 5:21 and John 8:3. Other earlier places we are told that they reacted poorly but these are the first reports of this accusation.

C8-S3 through C8-S13 is a single account which is almost always misinterpreted and used to teach doctrinal error. Please read all of the sentences in this section, and related notes, in order to avoid having the same doctrinal error as the scribes and Pharisees had.

Our sentence starts with the word And, which means it is added to the prior sentence. That means that while Jesus was teaching the people, the scribes and Pharisees came and interrupted Him to make the false accusation which this sentence is the start of the account. Thus, we see that they were not interested in His teaching and were not willing to show even common courtesy but deliberately interrupted Jesus in order to make a commotion and discredit Him in front of all of the people. It is important to note that Jesus did not respond in kind but wrote on the ground so that we do not know what He wrote. Thus, we see His kindness in keeping their sins private even while they tried to publicly discredit Him

C8-S5 tells us the motivation of the scribes and Pharisees in this account when it says This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. We see the phrase accuse him, within the Gospels and aimed at Jesus, in: Matthew 12:10; Mark 3:2; Mark 15:3; Luke 11:54; Luke 23:2; Luke 23:10; Luke 23:14 and John 8:6. We also see the same concept, with different words, in Matthew 22:15-46. Further, we see that they sought to lay hold / hands on him in Mark 12:12-34 and Luke 20:19-40.

We see the name of Jesus used in this account until we get to the woman's response where she calls Him Lord in recognition of His true position as 'God in human flesh'. (Please also see all of the notes in the Lord Jesus Christ Study in order to consider the full context of how these names are used.) In this account we see the scribes and Pharisees treating Jesus as 'just a man', even though they claimed to be the experts of all things related to God. Yet we see this 'terrible sinner' (the woman) recognizing the truth. In addition, this account is not independent, even though everyone who I've ever heard treats it as so, but, in fact, it is just the opening incident of this chapter which presents several incidents which are all related and give us the theme of the chapter.

This chapter is showing us the open conflict between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees over who has ultimate authority for doctrine, judgment and everything else related to God. Thus, the true context is the entire chapter and by the time that we get to the next chapter, the scribes and Pharisees have completely rejected Jesus and started trying to turn the people against Him. Thus, we really need to consider this incident to be the opening shot by the scribes and Pharisees after they have decided to have open war with Jesus.

There are people who claim that this woman was Mary Magdalene and other who claim that she was the Mary who was sister to Martha and Lazarus. However, the Bible does not support such speculation and it only serves as a distracting argument which keeps people from thinking about what was really going on in this incident and chapter. Therefore, such speculation should be avoided.

In the First Step, of our sentence, we see the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery and in the Second Step we read their accusation of this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. However, as explained in the note for this sentence within the Word Study on Adultery, she was not guilty of violating the Biblical definition of adultery but had violated the religious definition, which is still used today to teach doctrinal error. Now, it should be obvious to everyone who has not shut down their brain and put on mental blinders so that they will not be 'confused by the facts', that any doctrinal position taken by the scribes and Pharisees, while they were trying to trap Jesus with their doctrine, must be wrong. Therefore, any truly thinking saved person must understand that the definition for adultery, which was used by the scribes and Pharisees, is wrong. That is: their claim of: this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act, is doctrinal error. Let me be perfectly clear, the doctrinal claim that adultery is a sexual act is doctrinal error.

If the reader will use the link provided in the sentence outline, above, the Word Study on Adultery explains the true doctrine. Please be sure to look at the start of that Study as well as at the specific note for this sentence. The true Biblical definition of the word adultery is: 'A spiritual sin of violating a covenant agreement (spiritual contract) that is enforced by the court of God'.

As of the writing of this note, I have had several hundred preachers say that they disagree with my doctrine or that they knew of someone else who had as much detail analysis which showed that there are no errors in the KJV-1611. All have claimed to be able to show me where my doctrine goes against the Bible or would show me where I could find this other 'authority' who had better evidence of the power of God upon his doctrine, but NO ONE has ever come back with evidence of either claim. In addition, Romans 6:16 warns us about doing a sin unto death when we choose a life-style of serving doctrinal error. I say this because I have seen four pastors removed from the pastorate (death of their ministry) where they no longer determine what doctrine is taught to God's people. I have also seen four physical deaths after people refused, for years, to let God's word correct their doctrinal beliefs. While I could go into more detail I won't but will warn the reader that there can be severe consequence to the child of God who refuses to let the word of God correct their doctrine and who continues to claim to be a representative of God while teaching doctrines from devils.

With these truths in mind, we need to consider how people end up in this type of doctrinal error. First, they are deceived by religious traditional teaching and fail to verify their beliefs when they are told that their traditional teaching is wrong. In addition, many people believe they do verify the truth but they only see if there is even a partial basis for the traditional teaching and do not really consider what the Bible literally says. They end up following the way of Satan by leaving out part of what the Bible tells them. Not only do people accept doctrinal error by failing to consider everything which is within this account, but they also fail because they do not consider that the true full context is the entire chapter. When the entire chapter is considered then it becomes obvious that the main theme of this chapter is a disagreement over authority. That is: who defines doctrine and the rules which God will use to judge men. It should be obvious to all saved people that only God has that power and authority. Therefore, the only conclusion of a truly thinking person is that the definition of adultery, which these Jews used to deliberately pick a public fight with Jesus, must be wrong. Any other conclusion is an agreement that sinful men tell God the basis for judgment which God must use. Only a true Biblical fool would continue to hold to that position.

OK. Enough preaching. Either people have stopped reading or they are now willing to consider all that is involved in this Bible account. Therefore, further notes will concentrate on what is really being said.

We already discussed this sentence having two Steps with the word adultery used in both Steps and the definition, in this sentence, being that used by religious people who taught doctrinal error. This is similar to when Jesus taught in parables so that the lost and carnal would get the wrong understanding while saved people who sought the truth from God would get the true meaning.

In addition, both Steps say that this woman was taken in adultery with the Second Step saying in the very act. Since the wrong definition used by the scribes and Pharisees was 'a sexual act', and such almost always involves two people, they are presenting a 'half truth', at best, since they only are presenting one person for judgment. At explained in the Word Study on Truth, 'a half truth is a whole lie'. Therefore, we have one more indication that the claim by the scribes and Pharisees was a lie and, as such, is not valid testimony on a righteous court Obviously, since they are asking Jesus to judge, they are not seeking a righteous judgment (John 7:24).

As already mentioned, this sentence starts with the word And, which means that it is added to the prior sentence. There we saw Jesus sitting down and teaching a bunch of people. Therefore, these scribes and Pharisees not only interrupted Jesus while He was teaching, but they had to rudely push their way into the middle while dragging this woman who was most likely struggling to escape. (What would you do if a bunch of religious fanatics set you up so that they could publicly embarrass you and then stone you to death?) As already mentioned, Jesus did not respond in kind, but the point here is that the attitude of these scribes and Pharisees is pretty apparent.

We also see this attitude in their calling Jesus Master. Once more we see mockery and the challenge by the scribes and Pharisees to the right of Jesus to rule and reign. Some preachers make the mistake of claiming that the Biblical meaning of Master is 'teacher' because John 1:38 says that Rabbi is . being interpreted, Master and John 20:16 says that Rabboni...is to say, Master. and both of those words are titles of teachers. However, the scribes and Pharisees are not dealing with Jesus as a 'teacher' but are dealing with Him as a 'ruler', which is the main definition as seen in the word definitions below. (A 'teacher' is a Master or a 'ruler' of the education of the students.) We know that they are dealing with Him this way because they demand that He judge. (A 'teacher' does not legally judge where there is a punishment of death but a 'ruler' does.) However, as shown by their setting this whole incident up based upon lies, they do not expect Him to render righteous judgment but expect Him to fail. Unfortunately for them, Jesus not only renders righteous judgment but He also shows mercy and then uses this incident to say I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, and proceed from there to give further evidence that he is truly the Christ.

We saw people declare a belief that Jesus was truly the Christ in 4:42; 6:69 and 7:26-42. As a result, the scribes and Pharisees were trying to prove that Jesus could not render righteous judgment and, therefore, could not be the Christ since he was not fit to rule and the Christ would set up His kingdom and rule the world. They were trying do this because they had already decided We will not have this man to reign over us (Luke 19:14). However, Jesus not only proved them wrong but used their own actions to teach truth. Thus, we see another evidence that this incident is not a stand-alone incident but is truly introducing the main theme of this entire chapter.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians 1:20 about the word scribe. The functional definition is: 'anciently held various important offices in the public affairs of the nation. The scribes acted as secretaries of state, whose business it was to prepare and issue decrees in the name of the king (2Sa 8:17; 20:25; 1Ch 18:16; 24:6; 1Ki 4:3; 2Ki 12:9-11; 18:18-37, etc.). They discharged various other important public duties as men of high authority and influence in the affairs of state.'.

Please see the note for Galatians C4-S2 about the word woman. Morrish Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'It is evident from scripture that women were anciently held in much more honour and esteem in Eastern countries than they are now. Solomon, speaking of women, said that such as his soul sought for he did not find one in a thousand. Ec 7:28. This tells of fallen human nature; but the true thought of woman is that she is the glory of the man, his true helpmeet. This is fulfilled in the relationship of the church to Christ. In the N.T. the true place of the woman in subjection to the man is plainly stated, as indicated in creation; and in the assembly the woman is to be silent, and not to teach. Her bearing and deportment are expressive of what she learns as taught of Christ. 1Co 11:3-15; 14:34-35; 1Ti 2:11. 12. Nevertheless women were greatly honoured in ministering to the Lord, and are accredited as helping on the work of the Lord in the Gospel and among the saints. Lu 8:2-3; 23:27,55-56; Ro 16:1,3,6; Php 4:2-3; 2Jo 1:10.' . Please see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man.

Please see the note for John 20:19 about the word midst. The functional definition for this word is: 'The middle, involved in, surrounded or overwhelmed by, or in the thickest part'.

Please see the note for 1Peter 2:18 about the word master. The functional definition is: 'A man who rules, governs or directs either men or business'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. exp: Joh 9:13.
General references. exp: De 22:22; Joh 9:13.'.

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C8-S4 (Verse 5) The scribes and Pharisees present their challenge.

Equivalent Section: What they claimed.

Now Moses in the law commanded us,
that such should be stoned:

Equivalent Section: What they hoped was a trap.

but what sayest thou?

Our sentence is a continuation of the challenge which the scribes and Pharisees threw at Jesus after rudely interrupting His teaching, as we saw in the note for the prior sentence. Our sentence starts with the word Now, which means 'after understanding what was just said'. In addition, our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the Second Equivalent Section starting with the word but which means that the Second Equivalent Section is the polar opposite of the First Equivalent Section Therefore, these scribes and Pharisees are openly challenging Jesus to go directly against Moses in the law. In addition, since the scribes and Pharisees represent the God appointed civil and religious authority, they are challenging Jesus to go directly against the God appointed authority while He taught submitting to the God appointed authority.

In addition, to that challenge, we see that they had just dragged a woman into the middle of the teaching by Jesus and claimed this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Therefore, they are referring to her, in this sentence, when they say that such. (They are dehumanizing this woman whom they plan to murder using God's law.)

Obviously, they thought they had Jesus is an inescapable trap. However, only fools challenge God to a match of wits, as seen in the rest of this account.

Please see the note for Hebrews 3:1 about Moses. Since Moses is identified as: 'the law-giver', his name is often used to signify the Mosaic Law.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S11; 1Corinthians C7S6 and Psalms 119 about the word commandment. The functional definition is: 'a mandate; an order or injunction given by authority; charge; precept'. Please also see the note for 1John 5:2 about the phrase keep his commandments.

Please see the note for 1Peter 2:4-5 about the word stone. The functional definition is: 'The same composition as a rock or a pebble but with a size between the two'. Please also see the note for Ephesians 2:20 about the phrase corner stone. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C3S13 about the phrase precious stones.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Moses. Le 20:10; De 22:21-24; Eze 16:38-40; 23:47
but. Mt 5:17; 19:6-8; 22:16-18
General references. exp: De 22:22; Joh 9:13.'.

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C8-S5 (Verse 6) Why the scribes and Pharisees tried to trap Jesus.

This they said,
tempting him,
that they might have to accuse him.

Here the author, John, add in his own comment to be sure that we understand the motivation of the scribes and Pharisees.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C10S6 about the word tempt. The functional definition is: 'To incite or solicit to an evil act; to entice to something wrong by presenting arguments that are plausible or convincing, or by the offer of some pleasure or apparent advantage as the inducement'. Please also see the note for 1Thessalonians 3:5 about the word tempter. Please also see the note for Galatians C4-S11 about the word temptation. It should be obvious that they were following the way and motivation of Satan.

Please see the note for Titus 2:3 about the word accuse. That note has links to every place in the New Testament where we find forms of this word. The functional definition for this word is: 'To charge with, or declare to have committed a crime, either by plaint, or complaint, information, indictment, or impeachment; to charge with an offense against the laws, judicially or by a public process; as, to accuse one of a high crime or misdemeanor. Satan is the accuser of the brethren and false accusers are acting like Satan'. Please also see the note for John 8:3 about the phrase accuse him (Jesus).

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'tempting. Nu 14:22; Mt 19:3; Lu 10:25; 11:53-54; 20:20-23; 1Co 10:9 exp: Mt 16:1; Mr 10:2.'.

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C8-S6 (Verse 6) How Jesus reacted.

But Jesus stooped down,
and with his finger wrote on the ground,
as though he heard them not.

Our sentence starts with the word But, which means that it is continuing the subject of the prior sentence while going in another direction. In the prior sentence, the scribes and Pharisees were sure that they had Jesus in a trap which He could not get out of and one which would allow them to accuse him no matter what He did or how He answered. In this sentence we see that He was not bothered by their trap. In the next sentence we see that the scribes and Pharisees missed that He was answering them and in the two sentences after that they found out that only a Biblical fool tries to trap God in a game of wits.

Please notice that our sentence says that He acted as though he heard them not. He was giving them a chance to see His answer and avoid public embarrassment, which they, obviously, did not understand. Therefore, His statement in the next sentence made it clear to them what He was doing. C8-S9 tells us their reaction when they finally realized what His answer was and that they had not trapped Him even though they were sure that they had Him in a trap which had no escape.

Please see the note for Romans C15S13; 2Corinthians 1:13-14; Galatians C3-S12; and John 20:31-LJC about the word write. The functional definition is: 'To form by a pen on paper or other material, or by a graver on wood or stone. Things are written so that we can rely upon their not being changed over time nor for any other reason' . Please also see the note for Romans 4:23-25 about the word written. In addition, Please see the note for John 6:45 for links to where we find the phrases It is written or have ye not read.

We find forms of the word finger occurring 41 times in 39 verses of the Bible and, in the New Testament, in: Matthew 23:4; Mark 7:33; Luke 11:20; Luke 11:46; Luke 16:24; John 8:6; John 20:25; John 20:27. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: 'FIN'GER, n. fing'ger. 1. One of the extreme parts of the hand, a small member shooting to a point. The fingers have joints which peculiarly fit them to be the instruments of catching, seizing and holding. When we speak of the fingers generally, we include the thumb; as the five fingers. But we often make a distinction. The fingers and thumb consist of fifteen bones; three to each. The word is applied to some other animals as well as to man. 2. A certain measure. We say a finger's breadth, or the breadth of the four fingers, or of three fingers. 3. The hand. Who teacheth my fingers to fight. Ps. 146. 4. The finger or fingers of God, in scripture, signify his power, strength or operation. The magicians said to Pharaoh, this is the finger of God. Ex. 8. 5. In music, ability; skill in playing on a keyed instrument. She has a good finger.
FIN'GER, v.t. 1. To handle with the fingers; to touch lightly; to toy. The covetous man delights to finger money. 2. To touch or take thievishly; to pilfer. 3. To touch an instrument of music; to play on an instrument. 4. To perform work with the fingers; to execute delicate work. 5. To handle without violence.
FIN'GER, v.i. To dispose the fingers aptly in playing on an instrument.'.

Please see the note for Colossians C1S6 about the word ground. The functional definition is: 'The surface of land or upper part of the earth, without reference to the materials which compose it'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'But. Joh 8:2; Ge 49:9; Jer 17:13; Da 5:5 exp: Joh 8:37.
as though. Ps 38:12-14; 39:1; Pr 26:17; Ec 3:7; Am 5:10,13; Mt 10:16; 15:23; 26:63
General references. exp: Joh 9:13.'.

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C8-S7 (Verse 7) The scribes and Pharisees continue to badger Jesus.

So when they continued asking him,
he lifted up himself,
and said unto them,
He that is without sin among you,
let him first cast a stone at her.

Our sentence starts with the phrase So when they continued asking him, which lets us know that the scribes and Pharisees continued to try and badger Jesus while ignoring what He was doing. They were so busy being sure that they had trapped Him, and enjoying themselves, that they ignored what He was doing while He was, in fact, answering their badgering. We see this in the next couple of sentences by their reaction when they finally paid attention to what He was doing.

Lots of people speculate on what Jesus...wrote on the ground, and most of the speculation is probably pretty close to the truth because there is little choice in what would cause the reaction we see here, but we can not say, fort positive, what He actually wrote because we are not told. However, given the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees, which our account conveys, it is pretty clear that there was no doubt in their minds that they also would be stoned if they continued with their accusations. Of course, the mortal lesson here is: 'Be careful of being a child of God and accusing others because God may choose to expose your own sin'.

Please see the note for Philippians 1:25-26 about the word continue. The functional definition is: 'To remain in a state, or place; to abide for any time indefinitely'. Please also see the note for James 1:25 about the word continueth.

Please see the note for Romans C7S26 about the word sin. Please see the notes for Sin in 1John; Romans C2S4; 1Corinthians 8:11-LJC and Galatians C3-S26 about the phrase sin unto death. The functional definition is: 'a violation of God's law' (1John 3:4). Please see the note for John 1:29 for every place in the Gospel of John where the word sin is used along with a small note about the usage.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'and said. Joh 7:46; Pr 12:18; 26:4-5; Jer 23:29; 1Co 14:24-25; Col 4:6; Heb 4:12-13; Re 1:16; 2:16; 19:15
He that. De 17:6; Ps 50:16-20; Mt 7:1-5; 23:25-28; Ro 2:1-3,21-25
General references. exp: Joh 9:13.'.

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C8-S8 (Verse 8) Jesus returns to His writing.

And again he stooped down,
and wrote on the ground.

Here we see that after He challenged the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus went back to shutting their mouths without revealing anything against them to anyone else. Thus, we see how we are to respond when attacked unjustly and without cause.

Please see the note for Colossians C1S6 about the word ground. The functional definition is: 'The surface of land or upper part of the earth, without reference to the materials which compose it'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. exp: Joh 9:13. '.

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C8-S9 (Verse 9) The reaction of the scribes and Pharisees to what Jesus wrote.

Equivalent Section: Their reaction.

And they which heard it,
being convicted by their own conscience,
went out one by one,
beginning at the eldest,
even unto the last:

Equivalent Section: The result of their reaction.

and Jesus was left alone,
and the woman standing in the midst.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections which tell us the reaction by the scribes and Pharisees when they heard the challenge from Jesus in the prior sentence. Our second phrase of: being convicted by their own conscience makes it pretty clear that what Jesus...wrote on the ground identified their own sin, even though our account does not tell us that. In addition, it is reasonable to speculate that Jesus identified the sins of the ldest first, because our sentence says that they: went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last. However, as reasonable as this speculation is, we can not make a doctrinal statement of it because our account does not provide enough for such. What we can say for positive is that Jesus made them leave and He was not trapped even though the scribes and Pharisees started out positive that they had Him trapped with no way of escape.

This is the only place in the Bible where we find forms of the word convict. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: '1. To determine the truth of a charge against one; to prove or find guilty of a crime charged; to determine or decide to be guilty, as by the verdict of a jury, by confession, or other legal decision. The jury convicted the prisoner of felony. 2. To convince of sin; to prove or determine to be guilty, as by the conscience. They who heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one. John 8. 3. To confute; to prove or show to be false. 4. To show by proof or evidence.
CONVICT, pp. For convicted. Proved or found guilty.
CONVICT, n. A person proved or found guilty of a crime alledged against him, either by the verdict of a jury or other legal decision.'.

Nave's Topical Bible provides links for this word as: 'OF SIN: Ge 4:13; De 28:65-67; Job 40:4-5; Ps 31:10; 38; 51:1-4,7-17; Isa 6:5; La 1:20; Eze 7:16-17,25-26; 33:10; Mic 7:17; Lu 5:8; Ac 2:37; 9:6; 16:29-30; Ro 2:15; 1Co 14:24-25. INSTANCES OF : Adam and Eve, after their disobedience: Ge 3:8-10. Joseph's brother, on account of their cruelty to Joseph: Ge 42:21-22; 44:16; 45:3; 50:15-21. Pharaoh: After the plague of hail: Ex 9:27-28. The plague of locusts: Ex 10:16-17. The death of the firstborn: Ex 12:32. The Israelites: After being rebuked and punished for worshiping the golden calf: Ex 33:4. The death of the ten spies and their being sentenced to wander for forty years: Nu 14:39-40. Their complaining against God and being bitten by fiery serpents: Nu 21:7. Saul, after sparing Agag and the best of the spoils: 1Sa 15:24. David after the pestilence sent on account of his numbering the people: 1Ch 21:30. Widow of Zarephath, when her son died: 1Ki 17:18. Belshazzar, when he "saw the part of the hand that wrote,": Da 5:6. Darius, when Daniel was in the lions' den: Da 6:18. Mariners: After casting Jonah into the sea: Jon 1:16. At the preaching of Jonah: Jon 3; Mt 12:41; Lu 11:32. Jonah, in the belly of the great fish: Jon 2. Herod, when he heard of the fame of Jesus: Mt 14:2; Mr 6:14; Lu 9:7. Jews, when Jesus commanded the guiltless man to cast the first stone at the woman taken in adultery: Joh 8:9. Judas, after his betrayal of Jesus: Mt 27:3-5. Saul of Tarsus, when he saw Jesus on the way to Damascus: Ac 9:6. Felix, under the preaching of Paul: Ac 24:25. Philippian jailer, after the earthquake: Ac 16:30. FROM GOD: Job 33:14-30; Joh 6:44-45; 16:7-11; Ac 16:14'.

Thompson Chain Topics provides links for this word as: 'Conviction of Sin results of: Unrest: Ps 32:3. Burden of Soul: Ps 38:4. Misery: Ps 51:3; 73:21; Joh 16:8. Sting of Conscience: Ac 2:37; 16:29. Terror: Ac 24:25 . Examples of: Ahab: 1Ki 21:27. Josiah: 2Ki 22:19. Israel in Ezra's Time: Ezr 10:1. Job: Job 42:1,6; Ps 38:18; Jer 3:21; Ho 6:1. The Ninevites: Jon 3:6-9. Peter: Mr 14:72. The Prodigal Son: Lu 15:21. The Publican: Lu 18:13'.

Please see the note for Romans C9S1 about the word conscience. The functional definition is: ' Internal or self-knowledge, or judgment of right and wrong; or the faculty, power or principle within us, which decides on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our own actions and affections, and instantly approves or condemns them'.

The word beginning occurs 106 times in the Bible. The functional definition is: 'First entering upon; commencing; giving rise or original; taking rise or origin'. Please see the note for John 1:1 for a list of every place in this Gospel where this word is found.

Please see the notes for Romans C14S5 and 1Corinthians C15S1 about the word stand. The functional definition is: 'remain upright upon a foundation'. Please also see the note for Galatians C5S1 about the word stand fast. The th, in the word standeth, means: 'to keep on keeping on standing'.

Please see the note for John 20:19 about the word midst. The functional definition for this word is: 'The middle, involved in, surrounded or overwhelmed by, or in the thickest part'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'being. Ge 42:21-22; 1Ki 2:44; 17:18; Ps 50:21; Ec 7:22; Mr 6:14-16; Lu 12:1-3; Ro 2:15,22; 1Jo 3:20
went out. Job 5:12-13; 20:5,27; Ps 9:15-16; 40:14; 71:13; Lu 13:17
alone. Joh 8:2,10,12'.

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C8-S10 (Verse 10) Jesus acknowledges that the false accusers are gone.

When Jesus had lifted up himself,
and saw none but the woman,
he said unto her,
Woman,
where are those thine accusers?

It should be pretty obvious that Jesus knew that he had driven off the false accusers. Therefore, it should also be obvious that he asked this question to make this woman acknowledge what He had done. Her answer, in the second next sentence, makes it clear that she not only knew what Jesus had done but also recognized the true power that it took for Him to do so. We see this in her addressing Him as Lord even though no other person did the same.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'where. Isa 41:11-12'.

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C8-S11 (Verse 10) hath no man condemned thee?

In this sentence Jesus acknowledges that the false accusers are gone. We also see that Jesus has her acknowledge the changed circumstance. We see that she has acknowledged this truth by her answer, in the next sentence, of No man, Lord. (As explained in the note for that sentence, her use of the title Lord is the acknowledgement this note is speaking about.) God wants us to acknowledge His power so that we will turn to Him in need and so that we will help others to turn to Him in need. When we see what Jesus says after this account, in C8-S14, we see that He tells people to followeth me, and tells us why to. Thus, we see the truth that God wants us to turn to Him and follow Him, as this note explains.

In this sentence, we see Jesus has her acknowledge what he did for her and God wants us to do the same.

In this sentence we see as very important legal precept enacted. In Romans 2 we see Paul argue that even the lost natural man understands some things about God because there are some laws that are like spiritual precepts in that they are all throughout creation and never change for any circumstances. The laws of math are part of those groups of laws and the Bible never has wrong numbers nor any error in math. The laws of true science are also part of those groups of laws and the Bible never has anything which goes against the laws of true science. (Miracles can overcome laws of science, just like the law if gravity is overcome by an airplane. However, laws of true science are not canceled.) Righteous laws and righteous legal principles are also part of those groups of laws and God is always righteous. Therefore, as Abraham argued in Genesis 18:25, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

As wrong as the scribes and Pharisees were in what they were trying to do here, Jesus still had to do right. They brought this woman to Him to judge and a righteous judge can not refuse to judge a matter after there has been a legal charge placed in his court unless he recluse himself (*'disqualify himself because of a prior personal relationship between the judge and the accused'). As a lost sinner, she did not have that relationship with God. Therefore, Jesus, as the righteous judge of all the earth, had to judge her unless there were none left to accuse her. Thus, we see part of the reason why Jesus had her accusers withdraw.

Another reason is given in the note for the next sentence within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, and that is that he wanted her to acknowledge Him as 'God in human flesh', and Lord, so that Her could save her. Another reason has already been mentioned and that is God's wish for the saved to be thankful and let their lives be a witness to the lost. And, others can probably list additional reasons but what we see here is that God usually has several goals in mind for most things which He does.

One last thing to note here is that condemnation must be personal (thee) if it is to be righteous. Prejudice, which is group condemnation, is never approved by God.

Please see the note for Romans C8S1 about the word condemn. The functional definition is: 'the judicial act of declaring one guilty, and dooming him to punishment'. Please also see the note for Romans C9S28 about the phrase condemnation of fools.

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C8-S12 (Verse 11) Each phrase below has equal importance.

She said,
No man,
Lord.

The note for this sentence, in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, is large and was written before this Book Study was written. It presents a different perspective of the doctrine found within this chapter. There is only one interpretation, which is God's true interpretation, but there are many applications of doctrinal truth. The two different perspectives are two different applications (points of view) of the same truths found within this chapter. The two perspectives are in agreement with each other even while providing different perspectives and different references to other places within the Bible which tell us the same truths. Therefore, Please read and consider both perspectives.

In this sentence, she acknowledges the changed circumstance and recognizes that Jesus could do what He did only if He was truly 'God in human flesh'. That is why she calls Him Lord in this sentence, and keeps her comments to only what answers His question.

Please see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man:.

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C8-S13 (Verse 11) Jesus renders His judgment of the sin she was accused of.

Equivalent Section: Jesus renders His judgment of the sin she was accused of.

And Jesus said unto her,
Neither do I condemn thee:

Equivalent Section: Jesus shows mercy for the sin she actually did.

go,
and sin no more.

This sentence has already been discussed in all of the notes for the various sentences which came earlier within this account. Jesus did not condemn her personally (thee) for adultery, because she had not violated the Biblical definition, which is what the court of God would use for judgment. However, she was guilty of fornication, which both she and Jesus knew. Therefore, his command to go, and sin no more was a command to stop her fornication. What we see here, as an application, is that if someone has a profession which involves sin, when they get saved they are to go, and sin no more.

1John 3 tells us 'How to be a true son of God'. When Jesus told her to go, and sin no more, He was commanding her to live like 1John 3 tells us to live. This is His command to all truly saved people.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Neither. Joh 8:15; 3:17; 18:36; De 16:18; 17:9; Lu 9:56; 12:13-14; Ro 13:3-4; 1Co 5:12
go. Joh 5:14; Job 34:31; Pr 28:13; Isa 1:16-18; 55:6; Eze 18:30-32; Mt 21:28-31; Lu 5:32; 13:3,5; 15:7,10,32; Ro 2:4; 5:20-21; 1Ti 1:15-16; 2Pe 3:15; Re 2:21-22'.

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C8-S14 (Verse 12) Jesus said why people should follow His example.

Equivalent Section: Why people should follow Jesus.

Then spake Jesus again unto them,
saying,
I am the light of the world:

Equivalent Section: The result of following Jesus.

he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.

C8-S14 through C8-S23 is a single account of Jesus trying to tell people why they should follow His example in the way that He judged the matter found in C8-S3 through C8-S13 (the account of the scribes and Pharisees accusing a woman with adultery). The Pharisees challenged Him in this matter because He was claiming greater authority than they had and, as a result, reduced their power and authority.

Our sentence starts with the word Then, which means that it occurs after the prior account which was told in C8-S3 through C8-S13. Our chapter started with Jesus going to the temple to teach. Then the scribes and Pharisees interrupted His teaching to drag a woman into the middle and accuse her of adultery. As 8:6 says: This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. That plan blew up in their face and they left and then Jesus dealt with the woman. As explained in the notes above, the scribes and Pharisees were trying to discredit Jesus and claim that they were the representatives of God and the final authority for doctrine and anything related to God. Jesus proved them wrong and, repeatedly, proved that He was the true representatives of God and the final authority for doctrine and anything related to God. The account that ended within our chapter just before this sentence told of such a conflict. That is why Jesus said what He did in this sentence and why our sentence starts with the word Then. The people just saw this big conflict and the scribes and Pharisees run off. Therefore, in this sentence, Jesus is telling His audience, including us, 'Don't follow self-appointed religious authorities or you will walk in darkness. However, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life'.

Continuing with the contextual considerations, our next sentence tells us that The Pharisees once more disputed what Jesus said. So, even though they just lost the fight they started and that Jesus just finished, they didn't run very far. Now they are on the outside of the group that Jesus was teaching, instead of on the inside, but they are still fighting and will continue to do so until they die in your sins (C8-S24; C8-S28). As mentioned at the start of this note, this particular argument continues through C8-S23. Since the Pharisees were losing this argument, they try another after this one and continue until the end of the chapter where they try to kill Jesus but can't.

The note for this sentence, within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, goes through the rest of this chapter and shows, somewhat, how what happens in the rest of this chapter is an application of this sentence. That is: the scribes and Pharisees pretty much prove that they walk in darkness and do not have the light of life by their reactions to what Jesus tells them. The reader should look at the rest of this chapter for themselves and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they should be able to see this truth for themselves.

So, having dealt with the context, we can now look at the details of our sentence. Back in 8:1-2, before Jesus was interrupted by the scribes and Pharisees, we read that He was teaching people. Then the scribes and Pharisees, interrupted Him to start their argument and 8:9 tells us that they left. So, while it could be argued that the them, of our sentence, is the scribes and Pharisees, who were still hanging around, I believe that it is the original people whom Jesus was teaching at the start of this chapter. Now, it is true that the Pharisees interrupt again in the next sentence, but I believe that, in this sentence, Jesus gives them a chance to walk away while He returns to His original audience and returns to teaching them. Like any good teacher, He starts to explain the spiritual conflict which was truly behind the interruption, but I personally doubt if He said this to agitate the scribes and Pharisees, especially after He went out of His way to not publicly embarrass them when they rudely interrupted His teaching to start the fight in the first place. Before the end of the chapter He condemns them to never being saved (ye die in your sins [C8-S24; C8-S28]). However, at this point I personally believe that Jesus has returned to His original audience and is giving the scribes and Pharisees, a chance to leave without further embarrassment or condemnation.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the Second Equivalent Section providing details to explain why Jesus said I am the light of the world. (We also see this exact same phrase in John 9:5.) Our Second Equivalent Section literally tells us he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Our Second Equivalent Section also makes it pretty clear that if we refuse to followeth Jesus we will walk in darkness and not have the light of life. So, we need to look at these symbolic phrases in order to completely understand what Jesus is saying in this Second Equivalent Section.

The th in the word followeth means to 'keep on keeping on following'. When a person 'backslides', they are not doing this and lose their spiritual light.

The functional definition of the word light is: 'The spiritual gift from God that overcomes spiritual darkness from sin and Satan. Spiritual light allows us to see and understand things from God's view. Spiritual light allows us to see how to walk, work and live in this world in a godly way'. Every place in this Gospel where the word Light is used, it is used symbolically for 'directions from God on how to live in this world'. As seen below, not only is light used quite a bit in this Gospel and the epistles of John, but it is used quite a bit throughout the Bible and, based upon usage, is one of the more important doctrines of the Bible. This doctrine is too large to cover in a single note of this Study but a couple of things, related to what is said here, can be noted.

Many places on this site say that Jesus shows us how to live in this flesh using the Power of the Holy Ghost. That is what our sentence is literally saying. The word walk means to 'take small repeated steps'. Thus, shall not walk in darkness means: 'shall not have the darkness of sin and Satan guiding the every-day little things of life'. We can not control the big things in life but we can control the little things and quite often disasters happen because people have accumulated so much bad, and not accumulated enough good, that relatively small things can overwhelm them. They are like a person in rough water with a boat so loaded down that even a two-inch wave comes into the boat and they are soon sinking. However, the person who followeth Jesus is like someone whose boat has twenty foot of sides above the water. their life is a lot harder to swamp.

Another thing which our sentence tells us is that when we walk in the light we have the light of life. The figure-of-speech that is 'shed some light on the subject' is used to mean: 'help people to have a better understanding'. One of the things which our sentences promises is that if we followeth Jesus we will have a better understanding of what is happening in life. When some liar stands up and says a lie we will not only know it for the lie that it is, but we will have a better understanding of what he is really trying to do. With that knowledge, we can, often, avoid being caught in something designed to hurt a lot of people just so that the liar can take advantage. Also, aside from avoiding problems, when we understand what devil motivated people are really trying to do, we are surprised and upset less often. In addition, if we truly have faith in God, we can anticipate God taking care of His children in spite of the devil motivated people trying to hurt them. Thus, when things like the Communists taking over China happen, the true ministers of God were not surprised by the persecution which followed. Some left to avoid the persecution and some stayed, knowing of the coming persecution but were willing to stay and help for greater spiritual reward. However, regarded of the reaction, those who walked in the light of Jesus were not caught by surprise when the results of evil came on society.

There are 13 verses which use light and walk within the Bible. While I will not go over them here, the reader can glean understanding just by skimming them. They are: 1Kings 16:31; Psalms 56:13; 89:15; Isaiah 2:5; 50:11; 59:9; John 8:12; 11:9-10; 12:35; this verse; 1John 1:7; Revelation 21:24.

We find forms of the word light occurring 469 times in 414 verses of the Bible, 125 times in 100 verses of the New Testament and, in the Gospel of John in: John 1:4; John 1:5; John 1:7; John 1:8; John 1:9; John 3:19; John 3:20; John 3:21; John 5:35; John 8:12; John 9:5; John11:9; John11:10; John 12:35; John 12:35; John 12:36; John 12:46. The Morrish Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'Besides the references to physical light as existing distinct from the sun, and then emanating from the sun as the great light-bearer, the term is mainly used in scripture in a moral sense. Light from God is His word revealing Himself, and not only making manifest the dangers here, but acting as a lamp in showing the true path. Ps 119:105. The Psalmist asked Jehovah to lift upon him the light of His countenance ( Ps 4:6 ), and declared that Jehovah Himself was his light, Ps 27:1. As natural light brings vigour and health to the body, so the light of God gives cheerfulness and strength to the soul.
"God is light," and the Lord Jesus came to the earth as the true light which lighteth every man. He not only exposed all the evil in the world and all the false pretensions of the leaders of Israel; but "the life was the light of men." Joh 1:4; 8:12. Christians are "light in the Lord," and are exhorted to walk as "children of light." Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:5. In the midst of darkness they are set to shine as lights in the world. Php 2:15. A grave responsibility rests upon them lest they should not have the heavenly lustre that would characterise them as having in their hearts the light of the glory of the Lord. If the light in the Christian become darkness by his not walking in the reality of it, how great is that darkness! Mt 6:23.
It has been very properly said that light is appropriately descriptive of God; for light, invisible in itself, manifests everything. Christians, as we have seen, are 'light in the Lord,' and thus convict the unfruitful works of darkness; but here we may notice that it is not said of them, as of God, that they are 'love,' for love is the sovereign spring of activity in God.'. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'the offspring of the divine command (Ge 1:3). "All the more joyous emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all the happy hours of domestic intercourse were habitually described among the Hebrews under imagery derived from light" (1Ki 11:36; Isa 58:8; Es 8:16; Ps 97:11). Light came also naturally to typify true religion and the felicity it imparts (Ps 119:105; Isa 8:20; Mt 4:16, etc.), and the glorious inheritance of the redeemed (Col 1:12; Re 21:23-25). God is said to dwell in light inaccessible (1Ti 6:16). It frequently signifies instruction (Mt 5:16; Joh 5:35). In its highest sense it is applied to Christ as the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal 4:2; Lu 2:32; Joh 1:7-9). God is styled "the Father of lights" (Jas 1:17). It is used of angels (2Co 11:14), and of John the Baptist, who was a "burning and a shining light" (Joh 5:35), and of all true disciples, who are styled "the light of the world" (Mt 5:14).'. According to the science of physics, Light: 'is possibly the only thing which is both matter and energy'.

Nave's Topical Bible provides links for this word as: 'Created: Ge 1:3-5; Isa 45:7; 2Co 4:6. Miraculous: Mt 17:2; Ac 9:3. FIGURATIVE AND SYMBOLICAL: 1Ki 11:36; Ps 27:1; 119:105,130; Pr 6:23; Ec 2:13; Isa 8:20; 49:6; 58:8; 60:19-20; Mt 4:16; 5:14,16; Lu 2:32; 11:34; 16:8; Joh 1:4-5,7-9; 3:19-21; 5:35; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36; Ac 26:18; Eph 5:8,14; Php 2:15; 1Th 5:5; 1Ti 6:16; Jas 1:17; 1Pe 2:9; 2Pe 1:19; 1Jo 1:5,7; Re 21:23'.

Torrey's Topical Textbook provides links for this word as: 'God the only source of: Jas 1:17. Created by God: Ge 1:3; Isa 45:7. Separated from darkness: Ge 1:4. Sun, moon, and stars appointed to communicate to the earth: Ge 1:14-17; Jer 31:35. DIVIDED INTO. Natural: Job 24:14; Isa 5:30. Extraordinary or miraculous: Ex 14:20; Ps 78:14; Ac 9:3; 12:7. Artificial: Jer 25:10; Ac 16:29. Communicated to the body through the eye: Pr 15:30; Mt 6:22. DESCRIBED AS. White and pure: Mt 17:2. Bright: Job 37:21. Shining: 2Sa 23:4; Job 41:18. Diffusive: Job 25:3; 36:30. Useful and precious: Ec 2:13. Agreeable: Ec 11:7. Manifesting objects: Joh 3:20-21. The theory of, beyond man's comprehension: Job 38:19-20,24. ILLUSTRATIVE OF. Glory of God: Ps 104:2; 1Ti 6:16. Purity of God: 1Jo 1:5. Wisdom of God: Da 2:22. Guidance of God: Ps 27:1; 36:9. Favor of God: Ps 4:6; Isa 2:5. Christ the source of all wisdom: Lu 2:32; Joh 1:4; 8:12; 12:46. Glory of Christ: Ac 9:3; 26:13. Purity of Christ: Mt 17:2. Word of God: Ps 119:105,130; 2Pe 1:19. Gospel: 2Co 4:4; 1Pe 2:9. Ministers: Mt 5:14; Joh 5:35. Wise rulers: 2Sa 21:17; 23:4. The soul of man: Job 18:5-6. Saints: Lu 16:8; Eph 5:8; Php 2:15. Future glory of saints: Ps 97:11; Col 1:12. The path of the just: Pr 4:18. The glory of the church: Isa 60:1-3. Whatever makes manifest: Joh 3:21; Eph 5:13'.

Thompson Chain Topics provides links for this word as: 'Physical: Ge 1:3,17; Ex 10:23; Job 36:30. Reflected from Believers. Jg 5:31; Isa 60:3; 62:1; Mt 5:14; Ac 13:47; Eph 5:8; Php 2:15; 1Th 5:5 General References to: 2Sa 22:29; Ps 36:9; Isa 58:10; Ac 26:18; 1Pe 2:9 Worshipping: 2Ch 5:13-14. Working: Joh 9:4. Warring: Ro 13:12. Walking: Eph 5:8. Witnessing: Php 2:15. Watching: 1Th 5:5-6 . Christ the: Isa 9:2; 42:6; Mt 4:16; Lu 1:79; Joh 1:4,9; 8:12; 12:35,46; 2Co 4:6; Eph 5:14; 1Jo 2:8; Re 21:23 . God a: Ps 27:1; 36:9; 84:11; 118:27; Isa 60:20; Mic 7:8; Hab 3:4; 1Jo 1:5; Re 22:5 . God's Word Furnishes a Light in Darkness: Ps 19:8; 119:105,130; Pr 6:23; 2Pe 1:19. To the Obedient: Job 22:28; Ps 97:11. To the Upright: Ps 112:4. To the Just: Pr 4:18. To the Benevolent: Isa 58:8. To the Church of the Future: Isa 60:20. To the Followers of Christ: Joh 8:12; 1Jo 2:10. Sons of Light: Lu 16:8; Joh 12:36; Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:5. Universal: Joh 1:9; 3:19; Ro 1:20; 2:15'.

Please see the notes for John 1:4;John 1:9; John 9:5; Romans C13S15; 2Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians C5S6 about the word light. The functional definition is: 'The spiritual gift from God that overcomes spiritual darkness from sin and Satan. Spiritual light allows us to see and understand things from God's view. Spiritual light allows us to see how to walk, work and live in this world in a godly way'. Every place in this Gospel where the word light is used, it is used symbolically for 'directions from God on how to live in this world'. In addition, John tells us that people who do not obey these 'directions from God' are living like lost people while people who are truly living like saved people do obey these 'directions from God'. The notes within this Gospel have several links to other places where light is used and each note provides a different doctrine related to the word light. Please see the notes for Light and Darkness in 1John; Romans C13S15; Hebrews 12:18-24 about the phrase light and darkness. Please see the note for John 11:9-LJC about the phrase Jesus is our light. Please see the note for Hebrews 6:4 about the word enlightened. The functional definition is: 'Rendered light; illuminated; instructed; informed; furnished with clear views'. Please see the note for Psalms 119:16 about the word delight. True delight is one of the effects of God's light.

Please use this link to see other the 'Minor Titles of the Son of God' found within the Bible along with links to where the Bible uses those titles. The title in this sentence is light.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C4S16 about the word follow. The functional definition is: 'To go after or behind; to walk'. Please also see the note for Romans C14S25 about the phrase follow after.

Please see the note for John 8:12 about the word darkness. It has links to every place in this Gospel where forms of this word are used. The symbolic definition for this word is: 'lack of spiritual light and guidance from God'.

The word life is used 44 times in the Gospel of John. The word definitions, within the note for C1-S4, have links to many other places on this site where this word is also dealt with. 17:3 gives us the definition, from Jesus Christ, when it says: And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.. In the Bible, the word know includes a personal intimate relationship (Genesis 4:1). All life moves and changes by its own ability. Only dead things do not move and change by their own ability. Further, a study of this word, within John's Gospel, will also show that those people who truly have received God's life also demonstrate a God caused change in their own life which makes them more holy and more righteous. Further, John 20:31 tells us: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. Thus, we see that our receiving God's life is the main purpose of John's Gospel. Therefore, it should be obvious that this is a major theme of John's Gospel.

Please see the notes for 2Corinthians 2:15; Philippians 1:19-20; Life in 1John about the word life. The functional definition is: 'Life is that by which a created being enjoys the place in which the Creator has set it' . Please also see the note for Life in 1John about the phrase eternal life. Please also see the notes for Hebrews 1:8-LJC; Philippians 1:27-LJC about the phrase life everlasting. Please note that eternal life is different from everlasting life in that while eternal life is 'Without beginning or end of existence', everlasting life 'has a beginning but is without end of existence'. Please see the note for John 5:24 about the phrase everlasting life. Please also see the note for Life in 1John about the phrase eternal life. Please also see the note for Romans C10S15 about the phrase belief changes life. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C6S16 about the phrase kingdom of God rejected by lifestyle sins. Please also see the notes for Romans C14S11; Galatians C2-S14 and Philippians 1:21 about the word live. Please also see the note for Colossians C3S4 about the phrase Christ lives through us. Please also see the note for Ephesians C1S2 about the phrase just shall live by faith. Please also see the note for Romans C11S6 about the phrase just shall live by his faith. Please also see the note for Romans C9S28 about the phrase live / walk by faith.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I am. Joh 1:4-9; 3:19; 9:5; 12:35; Isa 9:2; 42:6-7; 49:6; 60:1-3; Ho 6:3; Mal 4:2; Mt 4:14-16; Lu 1:78-79; 2:32; Ac 13:47; 26:23
shall not. Joh 12:35,46; Ps 18:28; 97:11; Isa 50:10; 2Pe 2:4,17; Jude 1:6,13
shall have. Joh 7:17; 14:6; Job 33:28; Ps 49:19; Re 21:24
General references. exp: Ex 40:24; Pr 4:18.'.

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C8-S15 (Verse 13) False accusation by the Pharisees based upon prior statement by Jesus.

First Step: Statement of fact.

The Pharisees therefore said unto him,
Thou bearest record of thyself;

Second Step: Accusation based upon that fact.

thy record is not true.

Please note that, as already explained in other notes, Jesus had already ran off the scribes and Pharisees and had given them a chance to continue walking while He returned to teaching the people Her had gathered before they interrupted him. However, as this sentence shows, they refused to keep walking and returned to interrupt again and to attack again. So, after this second unprovoked attack, Jesus keeps giving them statements which they could end the fight on but which they will not end the fight on. Because of their own prideful and sinful attitude, they continue until He condemns them to an eternity in the lake of fire with no chance of redemption even though they continue to suck air.

There is a good-sized note for this sentence in the Word Study on Truth which explains how the word truth is used several times within this chapter and how the Pharisees failed to meet the legal and godly requirements to prove that their claims were true. This was even while they said to Jesus thy record is not true. The scribes and Pharisees claimed the be the legal and religious experts on doctrine and all things religious and related to God. That means that they were supposed to know the proper procedure for proving is something was true. They not only failed to use the required procedure before accusing Jesus, but they refused to apply the required procedure to their own statements.

As already mentioned in several other notes, the scribes and Pharisees were attacking based upon judgment and legal matters and they had no excuse for failing to follow proper legal procedures when making legal charges because they were the experts on those procedures. Jesus gaver them several chances to drop the fight, in this chapter, before He declared their eternal judgment of ye shall die in your sins (John 8:21; John 8:24).

Now, continuing with legal concepts, which are actually all throughout this chapter, we see the Pharisees say Thou bearest record. They didn't say 'you say', or something similar. However, by using the words Thou bearest record, in a legal disagreement where they have already demanded that legal judgment be made in the court of God, they are demanding that this discussion become part of the legal record in God's court. (that's the meaning of bearest record within the context of this discussion and chapter.) It's one thing to disagree with someone. However, as any honest lawyer can tell you, it is something totally different for a lawyer or government official to demand that something become part of the legal record. Only a fool does something like that without first being positive of every word that goes into the legal record.

When they said bearest record, they were challenging the legal record which backed what Jesus said. However, while they meant the statement from Jesus in the prior sentence, the true legal record was all of the miracles which Jesus had done and which, according to their law, proved that He was the legal spokesman for God the Father. So while their accusation was Thou bearest record of thyself that accusation would be rejected by court. Since they were insisting upon legalities, they needed to keep to the legally accepted record, which they obviously deliberately ignored. In addition, when they said thy record is not true, they were lying and calling God a liar because God the Father kept the true record, which was all of the miracles which Jesus had done along with all of the Bible based truths which He had taught.

The word therefore, within our sentence, means that the legal record, which the Pharisees were complaining about, was the statement from the prior sentence, where Jesus said I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Now it should be obvious that they could not prove His statement false, especially since He had already done many miracles which proved that he spoke for God. In truth, while they probably objected to the entire statement, their main problem would have been the phrase he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, which implied that following the scribes and Pharisees, who led a different way, meant that people would be walking in darkness. However, instead of limiting their objection, and the amount of things which they could be proven wrong about, they objected to everything. Therefore, they were legally liable for rejecting every part of God's truth which Jesus spoke.

As explained in the note for this sentence in the Word Study on Truth, their accusation, in the Second Step, had no basis for it. In the next several sentences, Jesus shows them their error by showing them that they have the wrong basis, and the wrong procedure, for their judgment. However, instead of acknowledging their error, they attack on a different point since they obviously lost the fight on this point.

Please see the note for Romans C15S1 about the word bear. The functional definition is: 'to carry a load over a period of time'.

Please see the notes for 2Corinthians 1:23 and Philippians 1:8 about the word record. The functional definition is: 'Witness; used both of a person, as in Php 1:8, 'God is my record', and 2Co 1:23, 'I call God for a record', and in the sense of 'evidence, testimony,' as in the common phrase 'bear record' which is equivalent to "testify"'.

Please see the note for John 1:9 for links to every place within this Gospel where we find any form of the word true. That note has a lot more important information and links to every place in this Gospel where we find forms of this word. In addition, it explains how to use the link in the sentence outline above. In addition, to the other Bible references which support the interpretation given here, we have the true interpretation and application of the word truth found in our sentence along with all of the other Bible verses which use the word truth the same way. The definition of the word truth is: 'Truth is defined by God. Truth is what God says is truth for this physical reality, the spiritual reality and everything else that is, even if we don't know about it. Truth is personified in Jesus Christ and anything less than 'absolute truth' is a lie.' The application of the word truth, which this sentence is part of is: 'Liars will claim to desire the truth when they are shown to be fools for desiring a lie. When liars call God as a witness of their lie they only compound their judgment.'. The conclusion, from the Word Study on Truth is: 'Every use of truth in this chapter shows that the spiritual perception is true and the physical / religious perception claims to be true but is a lie.'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Thou. Joh 5:31-47
General references. exp: Joh 5:31.'.

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C8-S16 (Verse 14) Jesus answers their accusation.

Equivalent Section: Statement of truth.

Jesus answered and said unto them,
Though I bear record of myself,
yet my record is true:

Equivalent Section: Why His statement is true.

First Step: Why Jesus speaks the truth.

for I know whence I came,
and whither I go;

Second Step: Why the Pharisees can not say what is truth.

but ye cannot tell whence I come,
and whither I go.

As explained in the note for this sentence in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, in this sentence Jesus tells us why my record is true. Here, He says that he comes from heaven, and the spiritual realm, and, as a result, speaks spiritual truth. In the next sentence He adds Ye judge after the flesh. Since the physical reality was made from the spiritual reality, the spiritual is greater and more powerful. Miracles, which Jesus had done many of, are basically a spiritual being overcoming the laws of the physical reality and proving that the spiritual has power over the physical. Since they were judging based upon the physical reality and physical laws and the flesh, while He spoke from the spiritual reality and spiritual laws, Jesus spoke from the more powerful reality and laws. While His basis had power to over-ride their reality and laws, their basis had no power to affect His basis nor even to keep his basis from doing whatever it wanted to their basis.

As also pointed out in the note for this sentence in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, the Pharisees started a legal argument but refused to follow proper procedure to provide evidence to back their claims against Jesus while He not only provided the required evidence He also specified the basis of His argument within this sentence.

In this Gospel, we read several times that He was asked for His witness (John 5:31-39; 8:13-19; 10:24-30; 15:22-27) that He was righteous and represented God.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Romans C15S1 about the word bear. The functional definition is: 'to carry a load over a period of time'.

Please see the note for John 13:36 about the word Whither. The functional definition for this word is: 'continually seeking many places or going to another place and remaing there, not returning'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'yet. Nu 12:3; Ne 5:14-19; 2Co 11:31; 12:11,19
for. Joh 8:42; 7:29; 10:15,36; 13:3; 14:10; 16:28; 17:8
but. Joh 7:27-28; 9:29-30
General references. exp: Joh 5:31.'.

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C8-S17 (Verse 15) The wrong basis for judgment used by the Pharisees.

First Step: How they judged.

Ye judge after the flesh;

Second Step: How Jesus judged.

I judge no man.

In our First Step Jesus says how they judge and says that their judgment is based upon the flesh. This is contrasted to how He judges, which was stated in the prior sentence and explained in the note above. Jesus judges based upon the spiritual reality, which is powerful enough to over-ride the laws of the physical reality and of the flesh. Therefore, they have no power to back their judgment while He has power that they can not influence.

Please notice that in the Second Step Jesus says I judge no man while He adds, in the next sentence, And yet if I judge. Here he is warning them that He has not yet made a judgment, but if they continue to push their argument He will judge them. They refuse to listen to the warning and, before the chapter is over, He does judge and condemn them because we read ye shall die in your sins (John 8:21; John 8:24).

Please see the notes for Romans C8S1; 2Corinthians C1S7; Galatians C6S8; Philippians 1:22 and Colossians C1S6 about the word flesh:. The functional definition is: 'our body and all influences upon our mind, our will and our emotions which come through our body and concerns for our body'. Please see the note for Romans C8S7 about the phrase after the flesh. Please see the note for Romans C8S7 about the phrase in the flesh. Please see the note for 2Corinthians 12:7 about the phrase thorn in the flesh.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'judge. Joh 7:24; 1Sa 16:7; Ps 58:1-2; 94:20-21; Am 5:7; 6:12; Hab 1:4; Ro 2:1; 1Co 2:15; 4:3-5; Jas 2:4
I judge. Joh 8:11; 3:17; 12:47; 18:36; Lu 12:14 exp: Joh 5:30.
General references. exp: Joh 7:24.'.

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C8-S18 (Verse 16) Why they can believe how Jesus judged.

Equivalent Section: Statement of truth.

And yet if I judge,
my judgment is true:

Equivalent Section: Second witness to the truth.

for I am not alone,
but I and the Father that sent me.

Our sentence starts with the word And, which adds it to the prior sentence. As explained in the note above, the first phrase of our sentence is giving these Jews a warning against pushing their argument to the point that Jesus must do an eternal judgment. They ignore the warning and He condemns them eternally as a result.

Our second phrase adds my judgment is true while the Second Equivalent Section tells us why this is so. There we see the two witnesses required by God's law, as also stated in the Mosaic Law, and stated in the next sentence, that the testimony of two men is true. Between this sentence and the next two sentences, Jesus gives them a legal argument which they can not dispute. Therefore, they change arguments in C8-S21.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'yet. Joh 5:22-30; 1Sa 16:7; Ps 45:6-7; 72:1-2; 98:9; 99:4; Isa 9:7; 11:2-5; 32:1-2; Jer 23:5-6; Zec 9:9; Ac 17:31; Re 19:11 exp: Joh 16:32.
for. Joh 8:29; 16:32'.

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C8-S19 (Verse 17) Basis for verifying the claim by Jesus.

It is also written in your law,
that the testimony of two men is true.

In this sentence we see Jesus give these Jews an argument which they can not dispute without proving that they are fools before the people whom they are trying to impress to trust them more than they trust Jesus. As said here, the Mosaic Law, which they claimed to follow, wrote that the testimony of two men is true. In the next sentence He says that He and God the Father are His two witnesses.

Please see the note for Romans C15S13; 2Corinthians 1:13-14; Galatians C3-S12 and John 20:31-LJC about the word write. The functional definition is: 'To form by a pen on paper or other material, or by a graver on wood or stone. Things are written so that we can rely upon their not being changed over time nor for any other reason'. Please also see the note for Romans 4:23-25 about the word written. In addition, Please see the note for John 6:45 for links to where we find the phrases It is written or have ye not read.

Please see the notes for 2Corinthians 13:1 and Colossians C3S13 about the phrase two or three witnesses. The functional definition is: 'the legal requirement for a court to accept testimony'. Our sentence specifically stated this law.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'also. Joh 10:34; 15:25; Ga 3:24; 4:21
that. De 17:6; 19:15; 1Ki 21:10; Mt 18:16; 2Co 13:1; Heb 10:28; 1Jo 5:9; Re 11:3
General references. exp: Nu 35:30; De 17:6.'.

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C8-S20 (Verse 18) Identification of the two witnesses required by law.

I am one that bear witness of myself,
and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

This is a direct follow-up of the prior sentence where Jesus reminded the Pharisees, who were accusing Him of wrong legal actions, that, according to their own law, that the testimony of two men is true. Thus, He follows that statement with this sentence where Her lists Himself and the Father that sent me as the required two men. Of course, the Father that sent me, in this sentence, is God the Father.

Back in John 5:31-40 Jesus told these Pharisees that John the Baptist was a witness of Him. He also told them that the miracles which He did and the prophecies within scripture were witnesses that he came from God the Father and all of them were evidences that God the Father was His second wiriness. Please also see the note for John 5:1 for links to several other places where Jesus provided witnesses to show that He is God.

In addition, to the prior witnesses, we see the phrase beloved Son applied to Jesus in: Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5; Mark 1:11; Mark 9:7; Luke 3:22; Luke 9:35 and Luke 20:13.

Please see the note for Romans C15S1 about the word bear. The functional definition is: 'to carry a load over a period of time'. Please note that while he says that He bear witness of myself,. He says that the Father that sent me beareth witness of me,. The th in the word beareth means that 'the Father keep on keeping on bearing witness of Jesus'. As already mentioned, this is shown by the Father continuing to provide the miracles which Jesus did.

Please see the note for Hebrews 11:4 about the word witness. Please also see the notes for 2Corinthians 13:1; Colossians C3S13 about the phrase two or three witnesses. While men define a witness as someone who sees or hears an event, the Bible also includes the ability to testify in God's court for the definition of this word. Satan is not a witness because he is a liar and not qualified to testify in God's court. Every usage within John's Gospel includes this extra qualifier. In addition, when we study the use of this word within this Gospel, we see that God punishes people who reject the witness which He sends.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'one. Joh 8:12,25,38,51,58; 10:9,11,14,30; 11:25; 14:6; Re 1:17-18
and. Joh 5:31-40; Heb 2:4; 1Jo 5:6-12 exp: Zec 4:9.
General references. exp: Nu 35:30; De 17:6.'.

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C8-S21 (Verse 19) Challenge from the Pharisees.

Then said they unto him,
Where is thy Father?

Either the Pharisees truly did not know that Jesus spoke of God the Father or they did know but were in denial. Either way, they could not claim ignorance when they faced God in judgment. As explained in the note above, for the prior sentence, Jesus and God the Father had provided many signs and evidences that Jesus came from God the Father and was His messenger ( see sealed in John 6:27).

If people truly consider the answer that Jesus gave as to Why speakest thou unto them in parables? (Matthew 13:10, they would truly know that 'ignorance of the law is no excuse'. The Bible literally says that people will be condemned when they were given the opportunity to know God's truth and deliberately remained ignorant. Such people are true Biblical fools and will suffer the consequences for being such as we see happen in this chapter when Jesus eternally condemns these Pharisees when He says ye shall die in your sins (John 8:21; John 8:24).

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C8-S22 (Verse 19) Jesus responds to the prior question.

Equivalent Section: Jesus states and obvious truth.

Jesus answered,
Ye neither know me,
nor my Father:

Equivalent Section: Jesus tells why His statement is truth.

if ye had known me,
ye should have known my Father also.

The note for this sentence, in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, explains how these Pharisees were deliberately ignorant of Who Jesus was and the fact that God the Father was His Father. They had lots of evidence such as all of the miracles which Jesus did and their own religion told them that those were evidence that He came from God the Father. There is nor recorded prophet for the 400 years before John the Baptist and John told them that Jesus was the promised Christ. Therefore, their ignorance was deliberate.

The repeated use of ye, in this sentence, makes it clear that 'each and every one of you personally' were guilty. Here we see that 'ignorance of the truth is no excuse', especially when we deliberately deceive ourselves as these religious leaders did.

In addition, to the prior truth, our sentence tells us that if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. Thus, we see the doctrine associated with the word son. That is: the son receives and displays the character of the father. These religious people claimed the be the experts on God and yet knew nothing of the character of God. 1John 4:1 tells us Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. The main doctrine for a saved person to learn is the character of the Son of God and of God the Father. Any prophet (preacher, teacher, etc) who does not display the true character of God is not of God but is from a devil.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Ye neither. Joh 8:54-55; 1:10; 7:28; 10:14-15; 15:21; 16:3; Jer 22:16; 24:7; 1Co 15:34; Ga 4:9; Col 1:10; 1Jo 5:20
if. Joh 1:18; 14:6-9; 17:3,25-26; Mt 11:25; Lu 10:21-22; 2Co 4:4-6; Eph 1:17; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3; 2Jo 1:9'.

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C8-S23 (Verse 20) The reaction to these statements by Jesus spoke.

Equivalent Section: Where Jesus

These words spake Jesus in the treasury,
as he taught in the temple:

Equivalent Section: Why they reacted like they did.

and no man laid hands on him;
for his hour was not yet come.

This sentence tells us that it probably happened at the same time as Luke 21:1 when Jesus saw the widow toss in two mites and then warned His disciples of judgment to come on lost people, especially the religious Jews, for rejecting Jesus. This sentence ends this second account of this chapter and the next sentence starts the next account. As mentioned in the note for the chapter summary, many people try to teach the various accounts of this chapter as separate from each other because they emphasize the message of a particular account while missing the greater theme of the chapter. Please don't do that and read the chapter summary for more details on the chapter theme.

We find forms of the word treasury occurring in the Bible in: Joshua 6:19; Joshua 6:24; 1Chronicles 9:26; 1Chronicles 28:11-12; 2Chronicles 32:27; Nehemiah 13:12-13; Esther 3:9; Esther 4:7; Psalms 135:7; Jeremiah 38:11; Matthew 27:6; Mark 12:41; Mark 12:43; Luke 21:1 and John 8:20. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines this word as: '(Mt 27:6; Mr 12:41; Joh 8:20). It does not appear that there was a separate building so called. The name was given to the thirteen brazen chests, called "trumpets," from the form of the opening into which the offerings of the temple worshippers were put. These stood in the outer "court of the women." "Nine chests were for the appointed money-tribute and for the sacrifice-tribute, i.e., money-gifts instead of the sacrifices; four chests for freewill-offerings for wood, incense, temple decoration, and burnt-offerings" (Lightfoot's Hor. Heb).'. The Morrish Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'the gold, silver, and vessels of brass and iron captured from Jericho. Jos 6:19. The free-will offerings of the people were also given in at 'the treasury.' Mr 12:41,43. On one occasion the Lord spoke to the people 'in the treasury, as He taught in the temple,' doubtless in the outer part where He could watch the people bringing in their gifts. Lu 21:1; Joh 8:20'.

Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 4:7 about the word treasure. Please also see the notes for Hebrews 12:2-LJC and Laying up Treasure in heaven about the phrase treasure in heaven.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'in the treasury. 1Ch 9:26; Mt 27:6; Mr 12:41,43
and no. Joh 8:59; 7:8,30,44; 10:39; 11:9-10; Lu 13:31-33; 20:19'.

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C8-S24 (Verse 21) The next message from Jesus.

Equivalent Section: Prophecy of future.

Then said Jesus again unto them,
I go my way,
and ye shall seek me,
and shall die in your sins:

Equivalent Section: Why the prophecy was true.

whither I go,
ye cannot come.

In C8-S24 through C8-S32 Jesus adds a message of future consequences because these people did not understand Him and they did not believe Him. As in prior chapters, they did not understand because Jesus spoke from a spiritual perspective and they tried to understand the spiritual from a physical religious perspective.

This sentence is the start of the third account in our chapter which shows the disagreement between Jesus and the Pharisees over who truly represented God the Father and was allowed to specify what was true doctrine from God the Father. Also, within this dispute was how we can tell true doctrine from false. The Pharisees, who represent doctrinal error, insisted that human given credentials specified the true authority over doctrine and what we are to believe about God. However, Jesus used the scriptures, God's Holy Spirit and the evidence of God's power, as seen in the miracles which He did, as the true evidence of authority over doctrine and what we are to believe about God.

In the note for this sentence, within the Lord Jesus Christy Study, is the explanation that this sentence uses Jesus for 'God in human flesh' Who pronounced eternal judgment upon these Jews who not only kept, personally and repeatedly, rejecting Him for Who He was, but who also helped the devil by trying to turn others away from Jesus and God's truth.

In addition, our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the Second Equivalent Section clearly saying that these Jews, personally (ye) cannot come to whither I go (heaven). We see the reason why in the First Equivalent Section where we read: ye...shall die in your sins. Jesus was pronouncing personal (ye) condemnation on 'each and every one of them' because they each had personally rejected Him as their personal Saviour. In addition, the phrase of: ye shall seek me tells us that 'each and every one of them personally' would seek true salvation but would not find it because God the Father would not draw them (John 6:44).

In this sentence we see Jesus pronounce eternal damnation upon these Jews who kept rejecting Him and tried to turn others away from Him. Jesus repeats the condemnation of ye shall die in your sins, and adds an explanation of why this is true, in C8-S28. That fulfills the legal requirement of two or three witnesses and makes this a doctrine which all believers are to accept. Here we see proven to be a lei is that doctrine which claims that 'so long as you are still sucking air you can be saved'. The truth is that God's Spirit shall not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3).

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C4S17 and Psalms 119 about the word way. The functional definition is: 'how we get from where we are at to our destination'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the notes for Romans C6S4; 2Corinthians 2:15; Philippians 1:19-20 and Colossians C1S4 about the words dead / death / die The functional definition is: 'an ongoing process of corruption which starts at conception and continues until the body is completely destroyed. Physical death is used for the one-time point when the soul and spirit are forced to leave the corrupted body. Spiritual death is also used for the one-time point when the soul and spirit are forced to leave the presence of God. When the Bible uses death for these events, it assumes that the reader understands that the one-time-event is the pinnacle of an ongoing process. Within the Bible, death is to be understood to be an ongoing process, even while highlighting the ultimate point of victory for the process'. Please also see the notes for Sin in 1John; Romans C2S4; 1Corinthians 8:11-LJC and Galatians C3-S26 about the phrase sin unto death. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C11S34 about the phrase sleep is physically dead but spiritually alive.

Please see the note for John 13:36 about the word Whither. The functional definition for this word is: 'continually seeking many places or going to another place and remaing there, not returning'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I go. Joh 7:34; 12:33,35; 1Ki 18:10; 2Ki 2:16-17; Mt 23:39; 24:23-24
and shall die. Joh 8:24; Job 20:11; Ps 73:18-20; Pr 11:7; 14:32; Isa 65:20; Eze 3:18-19; Lu 16:22-26; 1Co 15:17-18; Eph 2:1
whither. Joh 7:34; 13:33; Mt 25:41,46
General references. exp: Mr 8:13; Lu 14:24; Joh 7:34.'.

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C8-S25 (Verse 22) The Jews failed to understand the prophecy.

Then said the Jews,
Will he kill himself?

This sentence shows that the Jews were close to the truth but, like all critical doctrinal errors, they missed the truth by a critical factor which totally changes the perspective. Jesus would not kill himself but the Jews would kill Him.

Please see the note for Romans C13S12 about the word kill. The functional definition is: 'To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Will. Joh 8:48,52; 7:20; 10:20; Ps 22:6; 31:18; 123:4; Heb 12:3; 13:13
General references. exp: Joh 7:34.'.

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C8-S26 (Verse 22) Why the Jews failed to understand the prophecy.

because he saith,
Whither I go,
ye cannot come.

Our sentence starts with the word because and explains thy the Jews asked the question found in the prior sentence. This makes it clear that they understood that Jesus spoke of death. However, like all religious people, they were sure of their own goodness and that they could not do murder. So much for self-righteous religious beliefs.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

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C8-S27 (Verse 23) The explanation of the prior sentence.

Equivalent Section: Jesus and the Jews came from different places.

First Step: Where they were from.

And he said unto them,
Ye are from beneath;

Second Step: Where Jesus was from.

I am from above:

Equivalent Section: What the different places were.

First Step: Where they received their understanding from.

ye are of this world;

Second Step: Where Jesus received His understanding from.

I am not of this world.

In this sentence, Jesus explains to the Pharisees why they could not understand His prior prophecy and eternal condemnation. Here we see two different Equivalent Sections which deliver the same message two different ways and provide the legal requirement for two witnesses. Thus, this sentence will be used to judge these Jews and all other religious people who reject Jesus for the same reason.

When Jesus says Ye are from beneath, He is telling them 'your spirit and reasoning is from hell'. When Jesus says I am from above, He is telling them 'My Spirit and reasoning is from heaven'. When Jesus says ye are of this world, He is telling them 'your spirit and reasoning is from this world'. When Jesus says I am not of this world, He is telling them 'My Spirit and reasoning are different from what comes from this world'. This matches what we find in the first three chapters of 1Corinthians which explain how the wisdom of this world / man / devils goes in the opposite direction from the wisdom of God.

Please see the note for Mark 14:66-67 about the word beneath. The functional definition for this word is: 'Under, in a figurative sense'.

Please see the note for John 13:36 about the word Whither. The functional definition for this word is: 'continually seeking many places or going to another place and remaing there, not returning'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Ye are from. Joh 1:14; 3:13,31; Ps 17:4; Ro 8:7-8; 1Co 15:47-48; Php 3:19-21; Jas 3:15-17; 1Jo 2:15-16
ye are of. Joh 15:18-19; 17:14,16; Jas 4:4; 1Jo 2:15-16; 4:5-6; 5:19-20
General references. exp: Joh 7:34; 16:9.'.

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C8-S28 (Verse 24) Why Jesus started this section like He did.

Equivalent Section: Why they would die in their sins

I said therefore unto you,
that ye shall die in your sins:

Equivalent Section: The requirement to not die in your sins.

for if ye believe not that I am he,
ye shall die in your sins.

This sentence is a reference back to C8-S24 where Jesus pronounce eternal damnation upon these Jews who kept rejecting Him and tried to turn others away from Him. Our current sentence repeats the condemnation of ye shall die in your sins, and adds an explanation of why this is true. That fulfills the legal requirement of two or three witnesses and makes this a doctrine which all believers are to accept. Here we see proven to be a lei is that doctrine which claims that 'so long as you are still sucking air you can be saved'. The truth is that God's Spirit shall not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3).

Our Second Equivalent Section gives us a conditional (if) and specifies the basic requirement for salvation (believe that I am he) but presents it as a negative (believe not) so that the condemnation is presented as an absolute. The sorry fact is that many religious people, including 'Good godly Bible believing fundamental KJV only Baptist preachers' present a doctrinal lie as the way of salvation. No religious act, including a 'prayer of salvation' provides true Biblical salvation. John 14:6 says: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.. The word am is a 'present tense ongoing verb of existence'. The person Who is 'God in human flesh' is our salvation and it is not anything else. That is why this sentence says if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. We must believe in the person Who is 'God in human flesh' in order for Him to truly Biblically save us.

By presenting this Second Equivalent Section as a negative conditional (if ye believe not), Jesus is eliminating any other condition which people might claim will keep us personally (ye) from dying in our sins. Our Second Equivalent Section starts with the word for, which means that it is giving us the reason why the First Equivalent Section is true. Jesus told them ye shall die in your sins because they kept (I said therefore unto you) refusing to listen and understand spiritually what Jesus told them in our second account of the chapter and in prior disagreements between these Jews and Jesus. Since these Jews refused to personally believe that I am he (God's Christ and only way of true Biblical salvation).

, . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I said. Joh 8:21
for. Joh 3:18,36; Pr 8:36; Mr 16:16; Ac 4:12; Heb 2:3; 10:26-29; 12:25
General references. exp: Lu 14:24; Joh 7:34; 16:9.'.

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C8-S29 (Verse 25) The Jews finally ask the right question.

Then said they unto him,
Who art thou?

Now they are finally getting the idea that they might have made a mistake. However, it is too late because Jesus has just condemned them for the second time in the prior sentence (ye shall die in your sins [John 8:21 and John 8:24]). We have already seen where people speculated that Jesus was the Christ or that prophet. We also saw things like where Jesus said things like I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (C8-S14) and these Jews rejected everything that was told to them as well as they rejected all of the miracles and other signs.

One problem that they had is that they had not considered Jesus personally like they did in this sentence where they finally used the personal pronoun of thou. However, as said, they were too late in this consideration as they had repeatedly rejected the personal for the generic religious teachings. We see that God the Father is no longer trying to draw them and, before the end of the chapter, they forget this start of a personal relationship and go back to their hater as they try to kill Him.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Who. Joh 1:19,22; 10:24; 19:9; Lu 22:67'.

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C8-S30 (Verse 25) Jesus refers them back to the answer which they rejected in the past.

And Jesus saith unto them,
Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

This sentence is the answer from Jesus to the personal question which just preceded it. Notice that Her answers their question but in a way that they have to accept what they rejected before. Please also notice that this ended their arguments until Jesus told them that they had to If ye continue in my word. In the sentence just before that saying, we were told many believed on him. What we see in those sentences and ones that follow it is something which is common today. Lots of people want to claim that they believe on Jesus and are going to heaven but refuse to become disciples or accept that they must personally (ye) continue in His word so that they might be made free from their sins. Just like these religious Jews, many people today what to receive all of the blessings from God while they continue their life of sin and God rejects such people, just as our chapter shows us.

The answer from Jesus starts with the word even, which means that His answer has the same weight as when He answered before. He already answered this question and they rejected His answer and He refuses to change their answer. Therefore, they will have to accept what they rejected before. However, Please notice that Jesus uses the group pronoun of you and not the personal pronoun of ye. God deals with the Jews as a nation and they, as a nation, had rejected Jesus as their King. At this point, the entire nation would have to truly repent and accept Him as King before Jesus again offers them the kingdom. As all saved people know, the Jews refused to accept this offer.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Even. Joh 8:12; 5:17-29'.

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C8-S31 (Verse 26) The present action of Jesus versus future action by Him.

Equivalent Section: Jesus says what He will do in the future.

I have many things to say and to judge of you:

Equivalent Section: Jesus says that He is not doing judgment at that time.

First Step: tell the character of God the Father.

but he that sent me is true;

Second Step: tell what God the Father has Jesus doing.

and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the titles in the sentence outlines, above, giving the basic meaning of each Equivalent Section. Beyond that basic fact, the equivalency itself is important. For example, the Second Equivalent Section starts with the word but, which means that it is the polar opposite of the First Equivalent Section.

The application is that, what Jesus will do in the future (First Equivalent Section) He is not doing now (Second Equivalent Section). Said another way, in the future Jesus will judge all men and will reveal (say) things which are now hidden. Likewise, the First Equivalent Section and the Second Equivalent Section being polar opposites means that what Jesus is doing now (Second Equivalent Section), He is not going to do in the future (First Equivalent Section). Said another way, right now Jesus is delivering the message from God the Father. However, in the future, neither He, nor God the Father, will reveal things directly to men but will work through prophets like Paul.

In this sentence we see Jesus teaching that He does not say or teach what He wants but what the Father wants him to teach. Many preachers make the mistake of preaching the 'their convictions' instead of what the Father and the Bible tell them to preach.

Here we see the religious leaders tempt Jesus We see links to the many Bible references where men tempt God the Father and God the Son in 1Corinthians 10:9.

What we have here is a doctrine that I have never heard preached. Basically, the Gospels deliver the message from God the Father while the Epistles deliver the message from God the Son. That said, I do not believe this should be considered as significant since God the Father and God the Son have the same character. Thus, the message from each will be basically the same message with the Epistles being a more detailed set of instructions on the doctrine which is found within the Gospels.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C12S14 and Galatians C3-S7 about the word hear. The functional definition is: 'Listening to; attending to; obeying; observing what is commanded'. Please also see the note for Mark 4:9 about the phrase He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'have many. Joh 16:12; Heb 5:11-12
to judge. Joh 8:16; 5:42-43; 9:39-41; 12:47-50
but. Joh 8:17; 7:28; 2Co 1:18
and I. Joh 8:40 3:32 7:16 15:15 17:8
General references. exp: Joh 12:49.'.

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C8-S32 (Verse 27) The misunderstanding of the Jews.
They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.

This sentence is qualifying what we read in the Second Equivalent Section of the prior sentence where we read he that sent me is true, meaning that God the Father that sent me is true. It also means that Jesus spoke to the world those things which He had heard of God the Father. Our author was quoting Jesus but wanted to be sure that the reader understood Who was the him within the prior sentence.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C14S2 about the word understand. The functional definition for this word is: 'under and stand. The sense is to support or hold in the mind'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 8:43,47; Isa 6:9; 42:18-20; 59:10; Ro 11:7-10; 2Co 4:3-4'.

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C8-S33 (Verse 28) Jesus prophesies of future salvation of some Jews.

First Step: When some will understand and believe.

Then said Jesus unto them,
When ye have lifted up the Son of man,
then shall ye know that I am he,
and that I do nothing of myself;

Second Step: Why some will understand and believe.

but as my Father hath taught me,
I speak these things.

In C8-S33 through C8-S35 Jesus explains the true source of salvation and many believed on him. However, as further sentences within our chapter prove, this was not a saving belief. Please see the note for C8-S35 for every place in the New Testament where we find forms of the word save with forms of the word believe in order to understand the difference between a saving belief and a non-saving belief.

Our chapter started out with Jesus teaching a group of people in the Temple. The scribes and Pharisees broke into the middle of His teaching, dragging a woman whom they accused of doing adultery, and demanded that He judge her. They were sure that they had Jesus in a trap which would allow them to accuse Him no matter what He did. However, they all ran away and Jesus forgave the woman then tried to go back to His teaching. However. the Pharisees interrupted His teaching again and picked another fight over doctrine and authority with them insisting that they were the ultimate authority for doctrine. They lost that fight and the next fight with Jesus condemning them eternally at the end of the third fight. That's when they, finally, asked Him Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. (8:25).

At this point the Pharisees finally figured out that they were not going to win a fight based upon wits and doctrine. Therefore, they are ready to quit and try to figure out another method. However, they refused to quit earlier, when Jesus gave them the chance, and they pushed the fight until He had to condemn them eternally after he said that he did not want to judge. Therefore, Jesus now makes this prophecy in order to eliminate any remaining question about authority in the minds of people who are listening and who still might be saved. He says this sentence, and the remainder of the chapter, to the Pharisees, but He says these things for the other people who are listening and who have not yet committed themselves to the point that they can not be saved.

As the first paragraph in this note said, this sentence and the next couple tell us how Jesus explains the true source of salvation and many believed on him. That is: He had to die (be lifted up) and people had to believe that He was the Christ Whom God the Father sent to save people. Those people who believe the truth of these sentences will be saved.

Please notice that our sentence has two Steps. In the First Step we see that Jesus had to die, by the plan of God the Father, so that Jesus could pay for our sins and provide eternal salvation. (Yes, this explanation is the spiritual consequence, which is the true message, and not the literal interpretation of the words spoken.)

In our Second Step we see that we must believe and obey what God the Father said, which is in the Bible. And, yes, this explanation is also the true message, and not the literal interpretation of the words spoken. Jesus was speaking to Jews who knew the scripture and their heritage which taught them to obey God. Therefore, a message to this audience about what God the Father said included an automatic understanding that such things were to be obeyed.

Returning to the First Step, the phrase ye have lifted up the Son of man should be understood as the crucifixion by anyone reading this site. The phrase shall ye know that I am he is interpreted within the context where the scribes and Pharisees, all throughout this chapter and before it, were challenging the belief that Jesus that prophet and the Christ. The phrase I do nothing of myself answers their challenge that Jesus did things for His own selfish purpose. In addition, and as our Second Step tells us, since He did nothing of myself He was obeying the commands of another, which is God the Father. This paragraph provides the more detailed explanation of the First Step where the earlier explanation did not so that the prior paragraph could deal with the broader view of this sentence.

THe phrase When ye have lifted up the Son of man is talking about God sacrificing His only begotten son for our sin. The basis of this goes back to Genesis 22:1-19 which tells us that Abraham also started to sacrifice His son of promise. Because of his willingness to prove that He would obey God, we are told that Abraham was justified by works and the crucifixion of God's only begotten son justifies us. We can find related doctrine in Joshua 24:3; Isaiah 51:2; Matthew 3:9; 8:11; 22:23; Mark 12:16; Luke 1:73; 3:8; 13:28; 16:15-31; 19:1-10; 20:37-38; John 8:31-59; Acts 3:12-26; 7:1-34; Romans 4:1-25; 9:3-13; 3:1-29; Galatians 4:21-31; Hebrews 2:16-18; 7:1-10; 11:8-12, 14-22 and James 2:21-24.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'When. Joh 3:14; 12:32-34; 19:18
then. Mt 27:50-54; Ac 2:41; 4:4; Ro 1:4; 1Th 2:15-16
and that. Joh 5:19,30; 6:38; 11:42; 12:49-50; Nu 16:28-30; Heb 2:2-3
but. Joh 3:11'.

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C8-S34 (Verse 29) Why Jews will believe in the future.

Equivalent Section: God the Father is with Jesus.

And he that sent me is with me:

Equivalent Section: Why God the Father is with Jesus.

First Step: God the Father is with Jesus.

the Father hath not left me alone;

Second Step: Why.

for I do always those things that Please him.

Our sentence starts with the word And, which means it is added to the prior sentence. (Please see the note above for the details of that sentence.) Jesus just said that He would be crucified, basically, because of the message which he brought from God the Father. Even though He would go through terrible circumstances, Jesus knew that the Father hath not left me alone. Jesus was sent to do the will of God the Father which He did, (I do always those things that Please him) and, as a result, Jesus knew that God the Father was always with Him (he that sent me is with me). From this we see a promise that God will always be with us if we do always those things that Please him.

Once more we see the same thing said two different ways, which makes this a promise that meets the legal requirements to be a law of God and something which we can rely upon regardless of circumstances.

Please see the notes for 2Timothy 2:4 and Galatians 1:10-LJC about the word Please. The functional definition is: 'To excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to gratify'. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C10S2 about the phrase well pleased.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'he that sent. Joh 8:16; 14:10-11; 16:32; Isa 42:1,6; 49:4-8; 50:4-9; 2Ti 4:17,22
for. Joh 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 14:31; 15:10; 17:4; Isa 42:1,21; Mt 3:17; 17:5; Heb 4:15; 5:8-9; 7:26; 10:5-10; 1Jo 2:1 exp: Mt 3:15; Joh 8:16.
General references. exp: Isa 50:5.'.

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C8-S35 (Verse 30) Immediate result of the words from Jesus.

As he spake these words,
many believed on him.

In 8:28 through 8:30 Jesus explains the true source of salvation and many believed on him. However, as further sentences within our chapter prove, this was not a saving belief. One way that we know this is because in 8:37 Jesus says my word hath no place in you and it is through the word of God that we learn God's plan of salvation. Without God's word, we do not get truly Biblically saved. In addition, in 8:39 Jesus says If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. True saving belief causes a change in our works. Further, in 8:47 Jesus says He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. There are many more evidences in this chapter that their belief was not a true saving belief, but the most damning is the final sentenced of the chapter which says: Then took they up stones to cast at him.

Please see below for every place in the New Testament where we find forms of the word save with forms of the word believe in order to understand the difference between a saving belief and a non-saving belief.

Matthew 27:42 says: Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. These Jews had already seen many miracles and refused to believe regardless of the evidence given to them and of their own religious rules which required them to believe that a person doing miracles was a messenger from God the Father. This claim to believe is obviously a lie.

Mark 16:16 says: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. This sentence is part of The Great Commission. That Message should be considered along with the note in the Book Study on the Gospel of Mark. This sentence, and the ones with it, are used to justify a doctrinal error which causers people to have a false belief. The false belief claims that physical baptism is required for salvation, but the 'thief on the cross' was saved even though he was never physical baptized (Luke 23:43).

Luke 8:12 says: Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. This is part of the 'parable of the sower'. Our sentence is talking about seed which fell by the way. Even though Jesus says that the devil does this lest they should believe and be saved, the devil often lets such people accept a false belief of salvation based upon the fact that they said a 'Sinner's prayer'. Our saying a prayer does not make us any more saved than any other religious act does. Such people are putting their faith in their own prayer instead of in the person Who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 12:47 says: And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. If this sentence is taken out of context then it can be used to justify doctrinal error. The time when Jesus was speaking was before His crucifixion and resurrection. The note for C8-S31eady explained how, at that time, Jesus was not judging but was simply delivering the message from God the Father. However, in the future Jesus is the person Who will judge all men. The context of this sentence says that the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. That is: Jesus will use the word, which is recorded in the Bible, as the law book that guides His judgment.

Acts 15:11 says: But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. This is part of 'The Counsel of the Jerusalem Church' where it was doctrinally determined that Gentiles did not have to keep Jewish traditions, nor all of the Mosaic Law, in order to be saved. However, just like then, we still have many people who believe that certain religious traditions must be kept in order to be saved. Those groups argue over the specific traditions but agree that keeping religious traditions is required for salvation. True Biblical salvation requires true Biblical faith in the Lord Jesus Christ plus nothing and minus nothing.

Acts 16:31 says: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. This is part of the account of the jailer in Philippi. The people who had Paul and Silas beaten and jailed did it because they made money from a devil-possessed girl whom Paul made the devil leave alone (Acts 16:16-24). We have an example of true belief here because not only was the life of the jailer changed but his change also caused he household to be saved. People who are truly saved not only are changed by God but they become soul-winners. However, the magistrates tried to get rid of Paul and Silas quietly (Acts 16:35-39). There are always those in government who will tell churches they can do whatever they want so long as they don't disturb society. Such government officials usually include a partially hidden threat of reprisals if the church does disturb the existing society. Unfortunately, many churches become spiritual nurseries or filled with false believers because they go along with the government officials demands. Such a compromise is not Godly, leads to many having a false belief, and does not match the example which the Bible records of the true believers in this church.

Acts 21:25 says: As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. This is part of the account where Paul was falsely accused and arrested and, eventually, beheaded. In this account, the rulers of the Jerusalem church acknowledged that some religious practices of Jews and Gentiles were different even while the basics were the same. However, they compromised with the people who wanted to Jewish impose religious practices on the Gentiles and demanded that Paul do a Jewish ceremony which was supposed to prove that he did not preach heresy but was actually demanded because the multitude must needs come together. No ceremony could prove what someone taught other places. Since these church leaders choose a compromise with people within the church who taught doctrinal error, God eventually destroyed the Temple and this church. Compromise with someone who teaches doctrinal error destroys the belief of many people and, eventually, brings judgment from God. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (1Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9).

Romans 10:9 says: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. The Biblical definition of the word confess is understood to be 'the way that you live'. Thus, the phrase confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus means: 'live and witness in a way that others see that Jesus is your personal Lord Who tells you how to live in this world'. In addition, the phrase shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead requires us to have no regard for our physical life, as we obey Him, because, in our personal heart, we truly believe that God will also raise us from the dead just like He did for the Lord Jesus. Unfortunately, many pervert the message of this sentence by claiming that God only requires us to 'say the magic words of the Sinner's Prayer' and 'believe that God will raise us up regardless of how we live'. If anyone truly looks at the context of this sentence, and accepts even a basic understanding of what is written there, they will know this perversion to be a lie. Therefore, this perversion is believed because people accept the most basic way that the Devil has to pervert the word of God. He has people take parts of the Bible out of context.

1 Corinthians 1:21 says: For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. This verse, especially when kept in context, is almost impossible to pervert. Therefore, the devil has his ministers deny it, try to hide it and try to get God's true ministers to forget it while they follow doctrinal error in a subtil way. There, supposedly, was a famous American preacher who preached 'Everything rises and falls on leadership. Therefore, lift up the man and the ministry'. This belief has filled God's preachers with pride and God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble (James 4:6 and 1Peter 5:5). It also has many other bad effects upon the true ministry and message of God. The bottom line is that, since the devil could not deny the difference between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of this world / the flesh, he got God's leaders to ignore and then deny the wisdom of God. Once that was done, it was simple to turn them, and the sheep that they led, into error. The lesson is that true believers need to be constantly checking their beliefs against what the Bible actually says because they might not have a false belief which will send them to Hell but they might have a false testimony which is based on a compromised belief and which will send others to hell.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 says: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. This sentence is very clear on its own. It has a conditional (if) which makes it clear what is required for true belief and that those people who fail to fulfill the conditional have believed in vain. Have you ever met someone who claims to be saved but can't tell you how they got saved or how someone else got saved? According to this sentence, they have believed in vain. Have you ever met someone who can tell you 'the date and time of their salvation' but not the how and why and their so-called faith is just going to church with no personal development? According to this sentence, they have believed in vain. Many people preach truths found later in this chapter but skip over this truth which is introductory to the subject of this chapter. God wants true believers, from time to time, to verify that they have not left their roots of a personal relationship with the Son of God.

Hebrews 10:38-39 says: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. These two sentences go along with 1John 2:19, which says They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Many people claim to 'back-slide' but a true believer will not stay in that condition nor will they keep 'back-sliding' the same way. The phrase draw back unto perdition means: 'leaving a true life of a believer and turning to sin which is up to and including acting like Judas Iscariot'. True saving of the soul means: 'having God change the way we think and the way that we make decisions of our will and the way that we react emotionally to the circumstances of life so that others see changes in out life which only God could cause'. With these sentences we have a clear way to separate a true belief from a false profession.

Jude 1:4-5 says: For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. There is a lot of doctrine in these two sentences but the simple message about belief is clear. If someone is a true child of God and they start denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ by turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, then God will destroy them. Such people either never had a true belief or they left their true belief. Therefore, those who have a true belief need to follow the example of Jude and warn others who claim a true belief but do not live a life which backs their claims.

Our sentence says many believed on him but the context makes it clear that this was not a true saving belief. In addition, this note shows many other places where the Bible tells us how to have a true saving belief and how false preachers pervert even these verses to teach doctrinal error. If the reader truly paid attention to this note, and the Bible references which were dealt with, they should have seen many ways of identifying a false belief and what leads to such. It should also have been obvious that the main way to avoid such error is to always verify claims about what the Bible says and to be sure to consider the context of all claims about the Bible.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'many. Joh 2:23; 6:14; 7:31; 10:42; 11:45
General references. exp: Ps 106:12; Joh 10:42.'.

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C8-S36 (Verse 31-32) Addition needed for true salvation.

First Step: Conditional requirement for true salvation.

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed;

Second Step: Benefits of true salvation.

And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.

The sentence outline, above, provides links to two notes in other Studies which are important to understanding our sentence. In addition, to reading those notes, which provide the application of those words within this sentence, Please also read the general information about each word so that you have a Biblical definition of the words used and can then have a proper interpretation of this sentence.

This sentence starts with the word Then, which means that it followed (and is a result of) what came prior. In the sentence before this, we read that many believed on him (Jesus). However, as explained in the prior note, this was not a saving belief and Jesus wanted them to have a saving belief. Therefore, He adds this sentence to let those Jews which believed on him know that there was more required beyond 'intellectual ascent'. From what we read in the rest of this chapter, we should believe that these religious Jews refused this additional requirement just like most religious people do.

The next thing to keep in mind is the context of the chapter. This is in a chapter whose main theme is an argument between Jesus and the Pharisees over doctrine and authority with the Pharisees arguing that they were the authority in a non-personal religion while Jesus claimed to be the true authority from God and insisted that God wanted a personal relationship with His children. When we look at how our sentence uses the personal pronoun of ye, the requirement for a personal relationship should be easy to understand. However, when we look at the next sentence with the answer from those Jews, we see them claim a relationship with God based upon their non-personal relationship which comes from being Abraham's seed. Thus, once more we see those Jews holding onto doctrinal error based upon a wrong understanding of what God requires from the truly Biblically saved.

Having dealt with the context, we can now look at the sentenced structure. We see two Steps with the Second Step starting with the word And. that means that it is added to the First Step and can not be done until after the First Step is completed. The note for this sentence, within the Word Study on Truth deals wit the doctrine of the Second Step.

In our First Step we see that Jesus spoke to those Jews which believed on him. Our chapter started with an attack by the scribes and Pharisees. After the first fight which Jesus won, only the Pharisees continued the fight until just a few sentences prior to this sentence. Now, since He has shut the mouths of the self-proclaimed religious authorities, Jesus is going to correct the most critical doctrinal error which those self-proclaimed religious authorities have taught to God's people. Specifically, Jesus tells them what is required to be truly Biblically saved and what is the main result of being . truly Biblically saved. Our First Step gives the requirement and the Second Step gives the main result.

God doesn't give spiritual life (salvation) for that life to die or remain comatose. Life grows and this sentence (this verse and next) tell us the basic plan for spiritual growth. Notice that, in our First Step, Jesus says: If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. This implies that those who do not continue in [His] word are not His disciples. One of the things found in this study is that the Bible makes a very definite distinction between those that claim to be saved through Jesus, but never grow spiritually, and those that are true 'Christians' because they follow Christ. In our Second Step we read the results of doing the First Step And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.). Those who do not continue in [His] word are not made free and will believe religious lies. We find similar teaching in John 14:15 and John 14:23.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C7S29 about the word free. The functional definition is: ' Being at liberty; not being under necessity or restraint, physical or moral; a word of general application to the body, the will or mind, and to corporations'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'If. Joh 6:66-71; 15:4-9; 1Sa 12:14; Mt 24:13; Ac 13:43; 14:22; 26:22; Ro 2:7; 11:22; Col 1:23; 1Ti 2:15; 4:16; 2Ti 3:14; Heb 3:14; 8:9; 10:38-39; Jas 1:25; 1Jo 2:19,24 exp: 1Th 3:8.
my disciples. Joh 8:36; 1:47; 6:55; 15:8; 1Ti 5:3-5
General references. exp: Nu 29:25; Ps 106:12; Lu 22:28; Joh 7:17; 8:36.
ye shall. Joh 6:45; 7:17; 14:6; 16:13; Ps 25:5,8-9; Pr 1:23,29; 2:1-7; 4:18; Song 1:7-8; Isa 2:3; 30:21; 35:8; 54:13; Jer 6:16; 31:33-34; Ho 6:3; Mal 4:2; Mt 11:29; 13:11-12; 2Ti 3:7 exp: 1Jo 2:27.
and the. Joh 8:36; 17:17; Ps 119:45; Isa 61:1; Ro 6:14-18,22; 8:2,15; 2Co 3:17-18; Ga 5:13; 2Ti 2:25-26; Jas 1:25; 2:12; 1Pe 2:16
General references. exp: Joh 7:17; 8:36.'.

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C8-S37 (Verse 33) The Jews answer from unbelief.

Equivalent Section: The answer from the Jews.

They answered him,
We be Abraham's seed,
and were never in bondage to any man:

Equivalent Section: The unbelieving challenge from the Jews.

how sayest thou,
Ye shall be made free?

Please notice their claim in C8-S43, which is slightly different from the claim in this sentence. Here they claim to be seed and there they claim to be children. Now notice that the response from Jesus (in C8-S41) to the claim in this sentence, that the Jews are Abraham's seed is different from the response from Jesus (in C8-S44 and C8-S45) to their claim in to be Abraham's children. This shows us that there is a doctrinal difference between the Biblical meaning of seed and of children. C8-S44 and C8-S45 explain the requirement to be considered to be a Biblical child. that is, the true Biblical child learns to act like the parent. The seed is merely the physical descendent, is not expected to have the character of the parent and has no claim for inheritance unless the parents elevates their status to being a child.

We find the Jews claiming to be the seed / children of Abraham / sons of Abraham in Matthew 3:9; Luke 3:8; 16:20-31; 19:9; John 8:33-59; Acts 7:6; 13:26; Romans 4; Romans 9; 11:1; 2Corinthians 11:22; Hebrews 2:16; 11:17-19; Revelation 12:17.

Please consider John 1:12-13, which says But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Please notice the phrase not of blood, which excludes any claim based upon being Abraham's seed. In addition, later in this chapter, these Jews claim to be Abraham's children. However, Jesus points out that their claim was a lie because they did what Abraham would not do and did not do what Abraham did. Our chapter is telling us the difference between true saving belief and a false belief. What we see in these two related arguments is that people who have a wrong basis and people who never change to become like God both have a false belief.

In our First Equivalent Section we read the lie of: were never in bondage to any man. It is not possible for these Jews to forget the 'Babylonian Captivity'. In addition to that, the Mosaic Law allowed someone to bound. (This word occurs 10 times in Numbers). Beyond that, the Jews chafed under the rule of Rome, which was a type of bondage. Therefore, from all of this, we can see that this claim is a denial which comes from wrong religious teaching. As an application of this truth, we can see that any time our religious teaching denies true facts, there is a problem with the doctrine of that religion.

Next, our First Equivalent Section tells us that they believe that they could never (be) in bondage to any man because We be Abraham's seed. This is a false promise from religious traditions and never came from God. In addition, their own history showed them differently. Regardless, the child of God has a responsibility to verify any claimed promise from God by using God's Holy Spirit to verify the claimed promise in God's word. In addition, almost every promise is conditional. Not only does religion make promises which are not in God's word, and pervert the promises that are there, but religion also denies God's requirements for receiving those promises. Therefore, it is critical for the child of God to verify every claimed promise from God. It should be obvious that these Jews failed to do that and ended up deceived.

In the combination of the two Equivalent Sections we see the source of their challenge. They claim that they were never in bondage to any man while Jesus spoke the truth of all lost people being in bondage to sin.

If we look at the prior sentence, which this sentence is answering, we see that Jesus said that they had to continue in my word in order for the truth (to) make you free. It should have been obvious to these jews that truth does not make anyone free from the bondage to another man. What they kept missing is that all throughout this Gospel John reported the sayings of Jesus which were spiritual in nature. Likewise, the saying in the prior sentence is spiritual in nature. As saved people ye continue in my word (obey it in an ongoing manner), Jesus Christ reveals the wisdom of obeying God's truth. As we obey God's wisdom, it leads us in ways which make us free from the control of sin.

In addition, to the analysis already presented, we see the answer from Jesus in our next sentence where He literally says that the bondage, which He speaks about, is because they are the servant of sin. Please see the notes for 1Corinthians 7:15 and 2Peter 2:19 about the word bondage. The functional definition for this word is: 'Slavery or involuntary servitude; captivity; imprisonment; restraint of a person's liberty by compulsion'. Please also see the notes for Galatians C2-S3 and Philippians 1:3-7 about the word bond. Please also note that our personal relationship with Christ can make us free (John 8:32, John 8:36).

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Hebrews 2:16 about Abraham. The functional definition is: 'the father of the faithful'. Please also see the note for Galatians C3S9 about the phrase children of Abraham. Please also see the notes for Romans 4 and James 2:21-LJC about the phrase Abraham's faith. Every reference to Abraham in this Gospel is in this chapter. Those references are: 8:33, 8:37, 8:39, 8:39, 8:40, 8:52, 8:53, 8:56, 8:57 and 8:58.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'We be. Joh 8:39; Le 25:42; Mt 3:9; Lu 16:24-26
and were. Joh 19:25; Ge 15:13; Ex 1:13-14; Jg 2:18; 3:8; 4:3; Ezr 9:9; Ne 5:4-8; 9:27-28,36-37'.

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C8-S38 (Verse 34) Jesus explains the bondage of sin.

Jesus answered them,
Verily,
verily,
I say unto you,
Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Our sentence starts with the words Jesus answered them, which means that this sentence is a response to the question in the prior sentence. There is a good-sized note in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, for this verse, which explains some of to contextual considerations for the doctrine which Jesus. is discussing with these Jews.

The last phrase of our sentence is a precept ('a truth which never changes regardless of circumstances') and can be applied whoever it is appropriate. As explained in the word definitions below, the th, in the word committeth, means they 'keep on keeping on committing sin'. Thus, this sentence is not speaking about a one-time sin but is speaking about a life-style sin. As said many places on this site, all sin is addictive. That is what is meant by the phrase is the servant of sin. So, the precept is: 'you might get away with doing a sin once, but also might not, Regardless, repeated sin is addictive and the more addicted you become the harder it is to break that sin'.

In this sentence we see Jesus say verily twice so that we know that this is a really important precept and that it is critical for us to understand it.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Romans C15S21 about the word verily. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: 'adv. from very. 1. In truth; in fact; certainly. 2. Really; truly; with great confidence'. When we see this word used twice in a row the sentence is fulfilling the legal requirement which is necessary to present something which everyone must believe. Please also see the note for John 12:24 for links to every place where we find the phrase of: Verily, verily. It is only found in this Gospel. When we see the word verily used twice in a row the sentence is fulfilling the legal requirement which is necessary to present something which everyone must believe. Thus, every one of these sayings is a precept.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C9S26 about the word commit. The functional definition is: ' To give in trust; to put into the hands or power of another; to entrust; with to'. Please note that our sentence actually uses the word committeth. The th, in this word, means they 'keep on keeping on committing sin'. Thus, this sentence is not speaking about a one-time sin but is speaking about a life-style sin.

Please see the notes for Romans C14S4; 1Corinthians C7S27 and Ephesians C6S4 about the word servant. The functional definition is: 'A person who has a position where they are expected to performs tasks that are stated, implied or desired by another person'. Please also see the notes for Romans C16S21 and 2Timothy C1-S2 about the word serve. Please also see the note for Philippians 2:17 about the word service.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Verily. Joh 3:3; Mt 5:18 exp: Joh 1:51; 8:58.
Whosoever. 1Ki 21:25; Pr 5:22; Ac 8:23; Ro 6:6,12,16,19-20; 7:14,25; 8:21; Eph 2:2; Tit 3:3; 2Pe 2:19; 1Jo 3:8-10'.

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C8-S39 (Verse 35) A difference between a servant and a son.

Equivalent Section: The servant does not inherit.

And the servant abideth not in the house for ever:

Equivalent Section: The son does inherit.

but the Son abideth ever.

This sentence starts with the word And, which makes it added to the prior sentence. This sentence has an apparent literal meaning on the surface, which is there for people who are only thinking of this physical world, like these Jews have been all through this chapter. Therefore, when we consider the immediate context of the sentences within this answer and the context of the entire chapter we must conclude that the true meaning of this sentence is the spiritual interpretation, which requires us to understand the symbolism used here.

Please look at our Second Equivalent Section which says but the Son abideth ever. While there might have been some sons who lived in their parent's house forever it could not have been true for everyone. Yes, some rich people would have houses big enough that there was room for all generations to live together and for sons to have their own apartment within the bigger house so that they, their wife and their children could have their own place within the larger mansion, but that would have been a small percentage of the population. It would not be true for most people. Therefore, the literal physical meaning of this Second Equivalent Section does not make sense. However, if we accept that house is symbolic of 'heaven', because that is God's House, and the Son has its literal Biblical meaning of the Son of God (because of the capitalization), then we have a meaning of 'the Son of God will abide in heaven for ever'. If the reader actually thinks about this sentence and the context, they should agree with what is written here.

If we return to our First Equivalent Section we see a statement which is quite believable, if we ignore the context. There is nothing special about a statement of: the servant abideth not in the house for ever. However, that phrase, and this sentence, starts with the word And, which adds it to the prior sentence where Jesus said Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. Therefore, the addition of these phrases gives us the servant of sin abideth not in the house for ever. Now, in a physical house, someone being a servant of sin is not a problem so long as the sin does not interfere with their duties and does not affect the household. And, in certain cases, the head of the house may use that servant for their sin if it provides some perceived advantage. However, when we look at this phrase from a spiritual perspective we get the servant of sin abideth not in the house (heaven) for ever. In fact, someone who is doing ongoing life-style sin, and who refuses to truly Biblically repent, will not even go to heaven.

While the phrase abideth not in the house for ever often indicates that a person did abide there for some time but did not remain. However, that indication is not required and this phrase can truly be applied to someone who has never gone into the house, which would often be true for field servants. Therefore, this sentence makes sense with house being symbolically used for 'heaven'. However, there is another possible interpretation of the word house which fits here and, probably, fits better.

Matthew 21:43 says: Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.. If we use this Biblical reference, and say that the word house is being symbolically used for 'the kingdom of God', then we see that the Jews were in 'the kingdom of God' for a while but were thrust out (Luke 13:28) while the Son abideth ever in 'the kingdom of God'. I personally believe that this second one is better but can not say for certain which is exactly true because, as shown, either could be applicable.

This is one of the potential problems with symbols and is something which the reader should be aware of. Many preachers 'take a stand' on the symbolic meaning of some symbol in the Bible and they might very well be correct most of the time. However, there are times when even the best might be wrong about the true application of a symbol. In addition, in my experience, most preachers who, 'take a stand' on the symbolic meaning of some symbol in the Bible, usually did not do their own prayerful research but are relying on the research done by another man. That type of activity is motivated by pride while the person who truly does their own prayerful research is, more often, made humble by the Holy Spirit as they are made aware of how much they truly depend upon God to give them the meaning. Therefore, I am taking this time to warn all readers to NOT 'take a stand' on the symbolic meaning of any symbol within the Bible. And, yes, I know how tempting it is to do so because of personal experience. I also am aware of how God can embarrass and humble such a person. So, do what you want, I have provided what warning I could.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C7S9 about the word abide. The functional definition is: 'to dwell, rest, continue, stand firm, or be stationary for anytime indefinitely'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'the servant. Ge 21:10; Eze 46:17; Mt 21:41-43; Ga 4:30-31
but. Joh 14:19-20; Ro 8:15-17,29-30; Ga 4:4-7; Col 3:3; Heb 3:5-6; 1Pe 1:2-5
General references. exp: De 15:3,12.'.

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C8-S40 (Verse 36) Why to have a relationship with God's Son.

If the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed.

This sentence is the basis of a lot of important doctrine, but it must be understood within the context of this chapter and of other Bible truths. This is one of the verses that people like to 'name and claim', but they never truly experience the power of it because they take it out of context and ignore the implied requirements to truly have it work in their life

The note for this sentence, within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, explains this verse and gives links to other notes which provide related information which is required in order to have this sentence truly applied in a life. one of the things written there is that we need to note that this sentence uses Son and not any of His other titles such as Lord, Jesus, Christ, or Saviour. As the Son of God He shows us the character of God the Father. As the Son of man He knows our weaknesses and limits. As both, He shows us how to become like God and display the character of God within this sinful world. As we become more like God, sin loses its control over us. Therefore, as the Son gets us to change and become more like God, He also makes the spiritual changes which free us from the control of sin.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 8:31-32; Ps 19:13; 119:32,133; Isa 49:24-25; 61:1; Zec 9:11-12; Lu 4:18; Ro 8:2; 2Co 3:17; Ga 5:1 exp: De 15:12.'.

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C8-S41 (Verse 37) Why being a seed is not enough.

First Step: The truth they spoke.

I know that ye are Abraham's seed;

Second Step: The sin they did.

but ye seek to kill me,
because my word hath no place in you.

This sentence is a continuance of the prior sentences within this message that is an answer to the claim, in C8-S37 that the Jews were Abraham's seed. In the First Step Jesus acknowledges their claim. But, in the Second Step, Jesus, effectively, says that their claim made no difference in their behavior. Therefore, their claim was not a true basis for assuming that they were saved. They had claimed, in C8-S37, that they were never in bondage to any man. and claimed that result because they were Abraham's seed. However, as explained in the prior notes, the Jews had been in bondage many times and many ways. What they had not voiced, but they did assume, was that they would also go to heaven because they were Abraham's seed. In this sentence, Jesus is dealing with that assumption. What is not said, but is implied, is that Abraham was saved because of his true Biblical faith. However, these Jews did not have the same type of faith, and were not saved because my word hath no place in you. Where Abraham acted in true Biblical faith based upon the word of God, these Jews refused to do the same. The evidence of their heart rejection of the word of God was because ye seek to kill me. The heart of a murderer is not the true heart of a saved person who truly has Biblical faith that God has things under control. The heart of a murderer is determined to make their desire come true regardless of what God wants.

This is the first time in this chapter where we read that Jesus accused these Jews of trying to kill Him. We read earlier in this Gospel that the Jews sought to kill Jesus in: John 5:18; John 7:1; John 7:19; John 7:20; John 7:25. Therefore, this accusation has a recorded basis for it.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the note for Romans C13S12 about the word kill. The functional definition is: 'To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means'.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'know. Joh 8:33; Ac 13:26; Ro 9:7
but. Joh 8:6,40,59; 5:16-18; 7:1,19,25; 10:31; 11:53
because. Joh 8:43,45-47; 5:44; 12:39-43; Mt 13:15,19-22; 1Co 2:14 exp: Ro 9:7.
General references. exp: Joh 8:47.'.

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C8-S42 (Verse 38) The difference between the Father of Jesus and the father of the Jews.

Equivalent Section: The Father of Jesus.

I speak that which I have seen with my Father:

Equivalent Section: The father of the Jews.

and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

This is the last sentence in the answer from Jesus to the question from the Jews in C8-S37. Jesus had told them Ye shall be made free and the Jews objected to the notion that they needed to be made free. In this answer Jesus made it clear that they were sinners who were in bondage to sin. Now in this sentence, as the final evidence that they were sinners, Jesus tells them that their spiritual father is the devil while His Father is God the Father.

Please notice that in the First Equivalent Section the action verb is speak. However, in the second Equivalent Section the action verb is do. These two give an equivalent message because Jesus did what He spoke. However, as spiritual children of the 'father of lies', the Jews spoke one thing and did another and what we do reveals our true spirit.

Please notice that beyond the action verbs, the two Equivalent Sections say basically the same thing (hat which I have seen with my Father and that which ye have seen with your father). Therefore, the difference between the two action verbs, with their implied meaning, is the true indication of the different influence that Satan and God have upon their spiritual children. 1John 4:1 tells us: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Therefore, the main way to tell the difference between someone who is following God and someone who is following a devil is if they are living what they claim of if they say one thing and live another thing.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'speak. Joh 8:26; 3:32; 5:19,30; 12:49-50; 14:10,24; 17:8
and ye. Joh 8:41,44; Mt 3:7; 1Jo 3:8-10'.

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C8-S43 (Verse 39) Denial from the Jews.

They answered and said unto him,
Abraham is our father.

Please see the note for 8:33 about Abraham and the argument about him and the doctrinal relationship that he had with these Jews. They claimed one doctrinal relationship, with related promises from God the Father, while Jesus told them that they had a different relationship because the true relationship was spiritual and displayed by the character and not just due to physical descent. Abraham has a functional definition of: 'the father of the faithful'. In 8:33 the Jews claimed to be Abraham's seed. That was because they only looked at the physical method of descent. However, now that Jesus has shown them that physical procreation is not critical but the character is critical and that the character of a person showed who their true father is, they now claim Abraham is our father. In the next three sentences Jesus proves that their claim is false.

Once more we see these Jews arguing based upon the physical while Jesus argues from a spiritual perspective with the character that people live providing evidence of their true inner character.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Hebrews 2:16 about Abraham. The functional definition is: 'the father of the faithful'. Please also see the note for Galatians C3S9 about the phrase children of Abraham. Please also see the notes for Romans 4 and James 2:21-LJC about the phrase Abraham's faith. Every reference to Abraham in this Gospel is in this chapter. Please see the note for C8-S43 for links to every place where Abraham is named in this Gospel.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Abraham. Joh 8:33 exp: Ro 4:1; Jas 2:21.'.

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C8-S44 (Verse 39) Evidence against their claim.

Jesus saith unto them,
If ye were Abraham's children,
ye would do the works of Abraham.

Please see the note for 8:33 about Abraham and how these Jews claimed the inheritance because they were Abraham's seed. That type of relationship does not get the promises from God the Father. They have to have Abraham as their father, as they try to claim in this sentence. As we see in the next sentence, true children of Abraham act like Abraham because children are taught their character by their father. Abraham has a functional definition of: 'the father of the faithful' and these Jews were not faithful.

In these three sentences (Prior, current and next) we see the Biblical definition of the relationship between a father and a son with the son receiving the character of the father. Biblically, a child is in the process of being taught the character of the father. A child does not have all of the characteristics of the father, but they have at least the basics.

In 8:33 the Jews claimed to be Abraham's seed. That was because they only looked at the physical method of descent. However, now that Jesus has shown them that physical procreation is not critical but the character is critical and that the character of a person showed who their true father is, they now claim Abraham is our father. In the next three sentences Jesus proves that their claim is false.

People who are truly Abraham's children have his spirit and character. They do the things to promote the kingdom of God and to properly represent it. Those people who are spiritually Abraham's children are also God's children by having the faith of Abraham. We are told about God's children and the kingdom of God in: Matthew 5:9, 45; 7:11; 8:12; 9:15; 11:19; 14:21; 15:26; 17:25-26; 18:3; 19:13-14; 20:20; 23:31, 37; 27:9, 25, 56; Mark 2:19; 7:27, 28; 9:37; 10:13, 14, 24; Luke 1:16, 17; 3:8; 5:34; 6:35; 13:34; 16:8; 18:16; 19:44; 23:28; John 4:12; 8:39; 11:52; 12:36; 13:33; 21:5; Acts 2:39; 3:25; 5:21; 7:19, 23, 37; 9:15; 10:36; 13:26, 33; Romans 8:16-17, 21; 9:7-8, 11, 26, 27; 1Corinthians 7:14; 14:20; 2Corinthians 3:7, 13; 6:13; 12:14; Galatians 3:7, 26; 4:3, 19, 25, 27, 28, 31; Ephesians 1:5; 2:2, 3; 4:14; 5:1, 6, 8; Colossians 3:6; 1Thessalonians 2:7, 11; 1Timothy 5:5; 5:4, 10; Hebrews 2:13, 14; 11:22; 12:5; 1Peter 1:14; 3:6; 2Peter 2:14; 1John 2:1, 12, 13, 18, 28; 3:7, 10, 18; 4:4; 5:2, 21; 2John 1:1, 4, 13; 3John 1:4; Revelation 2:14, 23; 7:4; 21:12.

Please see the note for Hebrews 2:16 about Abraham. The functional definition is: 'the father of the faithful'. Please also see the note for Galatians C3S9 about the phrase children of Abraham. Please also see the notes for Romans 4 and James 2:21-LJC about the phrase Abraham's faith. Every reference to Abraham in this Gospel is in this chapter. Please see the note for C8-S43 for links to every place where Abraham is named in this Gospel.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 3:7-8 about the phrase children of Israel. The functional definition is: 'the Jews from a spiritual perspective'. This is opposed to the phrase children of Jacob, which means: 'the Jews from a physical perspective'. Please also see the note for Galatians C3S9 about the phrase children of Abraham. Please also see the note for Colossians 3:8 about the phrase children of disobedience. Please also see the notes for Romans C8S14; God in Romans: Romans C4S12; 1Peter 2:3-LJC and with the kingdom of heaven in 1Peter 2:1 about the phrase children of God. Please also see the note for Colossians 3:8 about the phrase children of wrath. Please also see the note for Galatians 4:19-20 about the phrase my little children. Please also see the note for Galatians C4-S1 about the word child.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'If. Joh 8:37; Mt 3:9; 5:45; Ro 2:28-29; 4:12,16; 9:7; Ga 3:7,29; Jas 2:22-24'.

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C8-S45 (Verse 40) Further evidence against their claim.

Equivalent Section: How they acted.

But now ye seek to kill me,
a man that hath told you the truth,
which I have heard of God:

Equivalent Section: How Abraham acted.

this did not Abraham.

Please see the note above for an explanation of the true Biblical relationship between a father and a son or child. These Jews claimed a relationship with Abraham that they did not have. They also claimed the related promises from God the Father, while Jesus told them that they did not have the right relationship to make that claim. This sentence is the evidence that they did not have the right relationship because the true relationship was spiritual and displayed by the character of the claimed father. Abraham has a functional definition of: 'the father of the faithful' and these Jews were not faithful.

Our sentence starts with the word But, which means it is continuing the subject of the prior sentence while going in a different direction. In the prior sentence Jesus told these Jews that they were not Abraham's children because they did not do the works which Abraham did. Now, in this sentence, we read that Jesus told these Jews that they were not Abraham's children because they did what Abraham would not do.

In our next sentence Jesus concludes this answer with Ye do the deeds of your father, which even these Jews understood that He was saying that they did the deeds of Satan. From this, we see that how we live and what we do reveals our true spiritual father.

This is the second time in this chapter where we read that Jesus accused these Jews of trying to kill Him. We read earlier in this Gospel that the Jews sought to kill Jesus in: John 5:18; John 7:1; John 7:19; John 7:20; John 7:25. Therefore, this accusation has a recorded basis for it.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the First Equivalent Section saying what the Jews did and the Second Equivalent Section saying what Abraham would not do. Thus, the two Equivalent Sections are polar opposites.

Our First Equivalent Section also tells us why these Jews were wrong to act like they did when it says a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God. Here Jesus is clearly declaring Himself to be a prophet. According to the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 18), they were to test and see if his prophecies came true. If they did not come true, then they were to kill that self-proclaimed prophet (Deuteronomy 18:22). However, if what He had prophesied did come true, then they were to submit to him as a messenger from God. Not only did all of the prophecies from Jesus come true, but He also had all of the miracles that Jesus did and the fact that He knew the scriptures better than all of the scribes and Pharisees combined as His witness that He was a true prophet of God. Therefore, they were daring God to bring judgment upon themselves, and they knew it, by trying to kill a man who had proven that he was a true prophet of God.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

Please see the note for Romans C13S12 about the word kill. The functional definition is: 'To deprive of life, animal or vegetable, in any manner or by any means'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'now. Joh 8:37; Ps 37:12,32; Ga 4:16,29; 1Jo 3:12-15; Re 12:4,12-13,17
a man. Joh 8:26,38,56
this. Ro 4:12
General references. exp: Joh 15:23.'.

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C8-S46 (Verse 41) Conclusion from the evidence.
Ye do the deeds of your father.

.This sentence is the last of the answer which Jesus gave to the Jews in response to their claim that Abraham is our father back in C8-S43. After all of the discussion in this chapter, the Jews are just now picking up that Jesus is speaking spiritually because they respond with a spiritual answer in the next sentence. They claim, we have one Father, even God, which shows that they finally understand that Jesus has been saying that Satan is their spiritual father. In addition, just in case there are some Jews who still do not understand, Jesus says Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do in 8:44.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 12:12 about the word deed. The functional definition is: 'That which is done, acted or effected'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'do. Joh 8:38,44'.

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C8-S47 (Verse 41) The Jews finally understood, and denied, the spiritual message.

First Step: Denial from the Jews.

Then said they to him,
We be not born of fornication;

Step: Erroneous claim by the Jews.

we have one Father,
even God.

Please see the word definitions, below, about the word fornication. The religious definition, which most people believe, does not fit in this sentence and make sense. One foolish preacher preached about having physical sex with a spirit, which is impossible. When Satan tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:6-7; Luke 4:9-12), he quoted scripture. There was nothing wrong with what he quoted, the problem was with what he left out. The same is true with the popular religious definition of the word fornication. Satan has people concentrate on physical sex and while that is part of the true definition of the word fornication, it leaves out all of the other ways that people can commit the sin fornication, which is truly 'any violation of a sanctified relationship'. God's people have a 'sanctified relationship' with God and when they take the worship, or other reserved parts of that relationship, and give it to a devil, they have committed spiritual fornication. Even these religious Jews understood that truth because they say We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. This clearly shows that they understood that a spiritual birth is different from a physical birth and that, while physical sex is required to produce a physical birth, physical sex is not required to produce a spiritual birth. Now religious people can argue about what is required to produce a spiritual birth, but this sentence makes it clear that physical sex is not one of the requirements.

This sentence makes it clear that the Jews understood that there must be a spiritual father in order to be spiritually born. They knew that God was supposed to be their spiritual father and the religious part of Israel their spiritual mother. They also understood that id Satan was their spiritual father and the religious part of Israel their spiritual mother, then they be born of fornication. This sentence, within the context, leaves no other reasonable interpretation but the fact that they, finally, understood that Jesus was saying that Satan was their spiritual father and that, as a result, they be born of fornication. There is no other reasonable interpretation and this interpretation is not possible if fornication is limited to physical sexual activity.

Once God's people allowed God's word to correct their beliefs, and use God's way to find the true Biblical definition of Bible words (what is consistent in every usage within the Bible), they will remove a lot of the doctrinal error from their belief and get rid of the so called 'problems in God's word'. However, I will warn the reader that Romans 6:16 warns us about a sin unto death and I have seen God kill the spiritual ministry of four pastors and I have seen four physical deaths (as of the time of this writing) because people repeatedly refused to let God's word correct their belief and doctrine which they lived by and taught to others. Refusing to accept correction of the Biblical definition for fornication and for adultery caused more than one of those deaths which I write about.

Please also see the note for Galatians C4-S17 about the words birth / birthright / birthday. The functional definition is: 'The act of coming into life, or of being born'. Please see the note for Colossians C1S3 about the word firstborn. Please also see the note for Hebrews 1:5 about the word begotten. The functional definition is: 'Procreated; generated'.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C5S1; Galatians C5S20 and Ephesians C5S2 about the word fornication. The functional definition is: 'the violation of a sanctified relationship'. Please note that many people use the doctrinal error definition from the Pharisees, found in the first account of this chapter, for adultery, which is to say that both adultery and fornication are physical sexual sins. This sentence shows that even the Jews understood that the true definition of fornication was more than just the physical since they used a spiritual application in this sentence. The true definition of Adultery is given in the Word Study of that word and that true definition does not encompass physical sex. All physical sexual sins are fornication, but fornication is not limited to physical sex.

The word fornication is usually presented as only the physical sexual sin (Leviticus 21:9; 19:29; Deuteronomy 22:20-21, 23-29; 23:18; Exodus 22:16). However, as Easton's Bible Dictionary points out: But this word is more frequently used in a symbolical than in its ordinary sense. It frequently means a forsaking of God or a following after idols.' (Isaiah 23:17; Ezekiel 16:15; Ezekiel 16:26-29; John 8:41; Hebrews 12:16; Revelation 14:8; 17:1-2; 17:4; 18:3; 18:9; 19:2).

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'We be. Isa 57:3-7; Eze 23:45-47; Ho 1:2; 2:2-5; Mal 2:11
we have. Ex 4:22; De 14:1; Isa 63:16; 64:8; Jer 3:19; 31:20; Eze 16:20-21; Mal 1:6
General references. exp: De 23:2; Joh 15:23.'.

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C8-S48 (Verse 42) Why their claim is wrong.

Equivalent Section: Evidence that their claim is wrong.

Jesus said unto them,
If God were your Father,
ye would love me:

Equivalent Section: Why the prior is true.

First Step: Jesus came from God the Father.

for I proceeded forth and came from God;

Second Step: God the Father sent Jesus.

neither came I of myself,
but he sent me.

C8-S36 through the end of the chapter tells us the argument between Jesus and the Jews over salvation with Jesus saying that true salvation requires a change in the person's spirit and the Jews arguing that salvation only requires their physical religious requirement. The note for this verse, in the Lord Jesus Christ Study, shows how this truth is seen in this chapter and how we must use the true Biblical definitions of Bible words in order to properly understand what is being said. This sentence, and the prior, do not make sense if people stick to popular religious definitions of Bible words.

This sentence is the first sentence in an answer, from Jesus, which goes through C8-S57. This answer is given in response to the Jews claiming that Satan is not their spiritual father but that God the Father is their spiritual father. This answer matches what 1John 4:1 tells us to do but contains much more details on how to do that.

Our sentence has two Equivalent Sections with the First Equivalent Section giving us a conditional (if) and the Second Equivalent Section telling us why (for) this conditional (if) is true.

In our First Equivalent Section we see the conditional phrase of If God were your Father, ye would love me. Loving Jesus is not optional for a true child of God. Also, this First Equivalent Section tells us that anyone who does not love Jesus is not truly saved because God is not their true spiritual father. This goes along with the message found in 1John and 2John when those epistles teach about the doctrines of the true Biblical antichrists.

In our Second Equivalent Section we see why the First Equivalent Section is true and this reason is given in two Steps. In the First step we are told that God the Father sent Him and He did what was necessary to get here. The most important part of this Step is that Jesus came from God which means that God the Father had a purpose in sending Him and Jesus was here to deliver a message from God the Father.

In our Second Step, Jesus tells us neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Therefore, He has nothing to personally gain in this world by coming here (neither came I of myself). Yes, other places in the Bible tell us that He received reward after returning to heaven, but He gained nothing for Himself in this world. His only reason for coming was that he (God the Father) sent me. Thus, Jesus was only here to do the job that God the Father gave Him and deliver the message that God the Father gave to Him.

People like and love people who are like themselves. The more people are significantly different, the harder it is for us to love them. In our First Equivalent Section we read: If God were your Father and, given the context of this chapter, that means 'If you had the character of God the Father'. The result of that if is ye would love me and the reason that is true is because Jesus was only here to do the job that God the Father gave Him and deliver the message that God the Father gave to Him. Therefore, rejecting Him was rejecting God the Father Who gave Jesus the job and message.

Please see the notes for Romans 8:39-LJC; Galatians C5-S14; Philippians 1:9-11; love in 1John and 2John 1:3-LJC about the word love. In particular, the note for 2John 1:3-LJC has links to every place where John writes about the word love. Please also see the note for Revelation 8:35-LJC for a table which divides the various roles of God and gives Bible references for how God loves us through each of His roles. Please also see the note for 1John C3S26about the phrase love one another. Please see the note for 1John C4S13 about the phrase perfect love. Please see the notes for Romans C9S23 and Colossians C3S8 about the word beloved. The true Biblical doctrine of this word is very complex since it is a character trait of God. That said, a simple functional definition is: 'Doing what brings the greatest ultimate good to another being without any consideration of cost to self and not consideration of any response by the other and a willingness to even bring short-term pain if that is what is required in order to bring the ultimate long-tern good'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'If. Joh 5:23; 15:23-24; Mal 1:6; 1Co 16:22; 1Jo 5:1-2
for. Joh 1:14; 16:27-28; 17:8,25; Re 22:1 exp: Joh 8:14.
neither. Joh 5:43; 7:28-29; 12:49; 14:10; 17:8,25; Ga 4:4; 1Jo 4:9-10,14
General references. exp: Mt 25:42; Joh 12:49; 14:15; 15:23; 16:9.'.

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C8-S49 (Verse 43) Question to make the Jews think.
Why do ye not understand my speech?

C8-S48 through C8-S57 is an answer, from Jesus that is given in response to the Jews claiming that Satan is not their spiritual father but that God the Father is their spiritual father (in C8-S47). This answer matches what 1John 4:1 tells us to do but contains much more details on how to do that.

Jesus asks this question so that He can provide the answer in the next sentence. We can not understand speech which we cannot hear. This goes with the saying 'There are none so deaf as those who will not hear. There are none so blind as those who will not see.'. Yes, they could physically hear the words as noise, but their mind was closed to the meaning.

This sentenced and the next sentence show what has been written in notes throughout this chapter. Jesus was speaking about spiritual things from a spiritual perspective while these Jews kept trying to hear His sayings from a physical and religious perspective. Their mind was closed to the spiritual perspective.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C14S2 about the word understand. The functional definition is: 'To have the same ideas as the person who speaks, or the ideas which a person intends to communicate'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'do. Joh 8:27; 5:43; 7:17; 12:39-40; Pr 28:5; Isa 44:18; Ho 14:9; Mic 4:12; Ro 3:11'.

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C8-S50 (Verse 43) Why the Jews had a problem understanding.
even because ye cannot hear my word.

This is the answer to the question in the prior sentence. Please see the note above for the explanation of why Jesus spoke this question and answer.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'ye cannot. Joh 6:60; Isa 6:9; Jer 6:10; Ac 7:51; Ro 8:7-8
General references. exp: De 29:4; Mt 16:11; 25:42; Joh 7:17; 8:27,47; 16:9.'.

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C8-S51 (Verse 44) A clear statement of accusation.

Ye are of your father the devil,
and the lusts of your father ye will do.

The word of means: 'belongs to'. the devil is 'the father of lies' and he lies to his people telling them that they are free when they are actually addicted to sin. Further, he convinces people that some of the worst sins, such as pride, are not sins so they don't even consider if they are addicted or not. But think about how easy it is to get a proud person to inflate their pride such as telling a woman that she is beautiful or that she looks younger than her actual age. Think about telling some leader how good his solution to a problem is.

Our next couple of sentences tell us that Jesus said these same things to the Jews. In addition, He gave them ways to prove for themselves if His accusations were true or not. Their response to His answer in these sentences is to accuse Him of personally being a Samaritan, and hast a devil. Further, In the remainder of the chapter, we see these Jews prove Him true by refusing to verify what Jesus says and calling Him a liar because the truth did not match what was in their closed minds.

Please also see the section called Jesus and Devils, in the Study called Significant Gospel Events, for links to every place where Jesus dealt with devils and separates the references according to how He dealt with them. Please note that there are no 'daemons' within the Bible. That word is doctrinal error deliberately taught by devil-motivated men to cause God's children to ignore or think less about the true danger that true devils are. Please see the note for Hebrews 9:13-14 about the word unclean. The functional definition for this word is: 'polluted from the world; influenced by devils; never doing the right religious practice; doing anything that would make us less than 100% committed to obeying God; accepting anything that is even questionable as being right; accepting all influences that corrupt'. Please also see the notes for Word Study on Spirit; Romans C14S20 and Colossians C3S5 about the phrase unclean spirits. Please also see the notes for Galatians C5S20 and Colossians C3S5 about the word uncleanness.

Please see the notes for Romans C13S17 and Galatians C5-S18 about the word lust. The functional definition is: 'Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; Concupiscence; carnal appetite'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'are. Joh 8:38,41; 6:70; Ge 3:15; Mt 13:38; Ac 13:10; 1Jo 3:8-10,12'.

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C8-S52 (Verse 44) Description of the character of the devil.

He was a murderer from the beginning,
and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him.

The definition from Fausset's Bible Dictionary, below, explains how Satan murdered the soul and spirit of Adam and Eve. Romans 5:12 says: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:. When Satan got Adam and Eve to sin, he brought death to all men, which makes him a murderer.

A murderer is someone who is willing to do literally anything in order to have things his own way. We sere this same attitude in these Jews and, at the end of the chapter, they try to murder Jesus.

Besides calling Satan a murderer, Jesus adds abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. This leads into the next sentence where Jesus calls Satan a liar. A liar cannot stick with the truth. As dealt with in the note for C8-S35, these Jews believed on him but it was not a true saving belief because they did not stick with it. Someone who claims to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and live in obedience top Him because of salvation, and then turns around and argues with Him about doctrine and his commands is a liar and a child of Satan.

Please see the notes for Romans C1S16; Galatians C5S20 about the word murder. The functional definition is: 'The act of unlawfully killing a human being with premeditated malice, by a person of sound mind. To constitute murder in law, the person killing another must be of sound mind or in possession of his reason, and the act must be done with malice pretense, aforethought or premeditated; but malice may be implied, as well as express'. In addition,. the definition from Fausset's Bible Dictionary explains what Jesus says here. That definition is: 'In the Scripture view an outrage or sacrilege (Philo, Spec. Leg. 3:15) on God's likeness in man. Ge 9:5-6, "whose sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man." His blood was so sacred that "God requires it (compare Ps 9:12) of every beast"; so the ox that gored man must be killed (Ex 21:28). God's image implies in man a personal, moral, and responsible will. To cut short his day of grace and probation is the greatest wrong to man and insult to his Maker. Cain's punishment God Himself took in hand, dooming him to a life full of fears, remorse, and guilt. His life was temporarily spared, perhaps in order not to impede the natural increase of mankind at the first. But after the flood God delegated thenceforth the murderer's punishment, which is death, to man; life must go for life, blood for blood.
Murder results from the instigation of Satan the "murderer (of Adam's and Eve's souls, and Abel's body) from the beginning" (Joh 8:44). Not only the killer but the hater is a murderer before God (1Jo 3:12,15).Even a slave's life sacrificed under the rod entailed death, or some heavy punishment as the judges should decide on the master, unless the slave survived the beating a day or two, when it was presumed the master did not intend to kill him and the loss of his slave was deemed enough punishment (Ex 21:12,20-21). A housebreaker might be killed in the act by night; but if by day he was to be sold, so sacred was life regarded (Ex 22:2-3). The cities of refuge saved the manslayer, but not the murderer, from the blood avenger. (See CITIES OF REFUGE.)
Not even Jehovah's altar could save Joab (1Ki 2:5-6,31). Bloodshed in any way, even in war, brought pollution (Nu 35:33-34; De 21:1-9; 1Ch 28:3, David; 1Ch 22:8). Striking a pregnant woman so as to cause death brought capital punishment. Two witnesses were required before anyone could be put to death for murder, a check on private revenge (Nu 35:19-30; De 17:6-12; 19:12,17). The sovereign assumed the power of executing or pardoning murderers (2Sa 1:15-16, David and the Amalekite slayer of Saul; 2Sa 13:39; 14:7-11, David in respect to Anmon and Absalom; 1Ki 2:34, Solomon and Joab).'.

Torrey's Topical Textbook provides links for this word as: 'Forbidden by Mosaic law: Ex 20:13; De 5:17. Why forbidden by God: Ge 9:6. The law made to restrain: 1Ti 1:9. DESCRIBED AS KILLING: With premeditation: Ex 21:14. From hatred: Nu 35:20-21. By lying in wait: Nu 35:20; De 19:11. By an instrument of iron: Nu 35:16. By the blow of a stone: Nu 35:17. By a hand weapon of wood: Nu 35:18. Killing a thief in the day, counted as: Ex 22:3. Early introduction of: Ge 4:8. Represented as a sin crying unto heaven: Ge 4:10; Heb 12:24; Re 6:10. The Jews often guilty of: Isa 1:21. PERSONS GUILTY OF: Fearful and cowardly: Ge 4:14. Wanderers and vagabonds: Ge 4:14. Flee from God's presence: Ge 4:16. Not protected in refuge cities: De 19:11-12. Had no protection from altars: Ex 21:14. Not to be pitied or spared: De 19:13. Often committed by night: Ne 6:10; Job 24:14. Imputed to the nearest city when the murderer was unknown: De 21:1-3. Mode of clearing those suspected of: De 21:3-9; Mt 27:24. To be proved by two witnesses at least: Nu 35:30; De 19:11,15. PUNISHMEN't FOR: The curse of God: Ge 4:11. Death: Ge 9:5-6. Not to be commuted: Nu 35:32. Inflicted by the nearest of kin: Nu 35:19,21. Forbidden: Ge 9:6; Ex 20:13; De 5:17; Ro 13:9. Explained by Christ: Mt 5:21-22. Hatred is: 1Jo 3:15. Is a work for the flesh: Ga 5:21. Comes from the heart: Mt 15:19. DEFILES THE: Hands: Isa 59:3. Person and garments: La 4:13-14. Land: Nu 35:33; Ps 106:38. Not concealed from God: Isa 26:21; Jer 2:34. Cries for vengeance: Ge 4:10. GOD: Abominates: Pr 6:16-17. Makes inquisition for: Ps 9:12. Will avenge: De 32:43; 1Ki 21:19; Ho 1:4. Requires blood for: Ge 9:5; Nu 35:33; 1Ki 2:32. Rejects the prayers of those guilty of: Isa 1:15; 59:2-3. Curses those guilty of: Ge 4:11. The law made to restrain: 1Ti 1:9. SAINTS: Specially warned against: 1Pe 4:15. Deprecate the guilt of: Ps 51:14. Should warn others against: Ge 37:22; Jer 26:15. Connected with idolatry: Eze 22:3-4; 2Ki 3:27. THE WICKED: Filled with: Ro 1:29. Devise: Ge 27:41; 37:18. Intent on: Jer 22:17. Lie in wait to commit: Ps 10:8-10. Swift to commit: Pr 1:16; Ro 3:15. Perpetrate: Job 24:14; Eze 22:3. Have hands full of: Isa 1:15. Encourage others to commit: 1Ki 21:8-10; Pr 1:11. Characteristic of the devil: Joh 8:44. Punishment of: Ge 4:12-15; 9:6; Nu 35:30; 2Ki 9:36-37. Punishment of, not commuted under the Law: Nu 35:31. Of saints, specially avenged: De 32:43; Mt 23:35; Re 18:20,24. Excludes from heaven: Ga 5:21; Re 22:15. Exemplified: Cain, Ge 4:8. Esau, Ge 27:41. Joseph's brethren, Ge 37:20. Pharaoh, Ex 1:22. Abimelech, Jg 9:5. Men of Shechem, Jg 9:24. Amalekite, 2Sa 1:16. Rechab, etc. 2Sa 4:5-7. David, 2Sa 12:9. Absalom, 2Sa 13:29. Joab, 1Ki 2:31-32. Baasha, 1Ki 15:27. Zimri, 1Ki 16:10. Jezebel, 1Ki 21:10. Elders of Jezreel, 1Ki 21:13. Ahab, 1Ki 21:19. Hazael, 2Ki 8:12,15. Adrammelech, etc. 2Ki 19:37. Manasseh, 2Ki 21:16. Ishmael, Jer 41:7. Princes of Israel, Eze 11:6. People of Gilead, Ho 6:8. The Herods, Mt 2:16; 14:10; Ac 12:2. Herodias and her daughter, Mt 14:8-11. Chief priests, Mt 27:1. Judas, Mt 27:4. Barabbas, Mr 15:7. Jews, Ac 7:52; 1Th 2:15'.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C7S9 about the word abide. The functional definition is: 'to dwell, rest, continue, stand firm, or be stationary for anytime indefinitely'.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'He was. Ge 3:3-7; 1Ki 22:22; 1Ch 21:1; Jas 4:1-7; 1Pe 5:8; Re 2:10; 9:11; 13:6-8; 20:7-9
and abode. 2Pe 2:4; Jude 1:6'.

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C8-S53 (Verse 44) Further description of the character of the devil.

Equivalent Section: How the devil speaks.

When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own:

Equivalent Section: Why the devil speaks in lies.

for he is a liar,
and the father of it.

The opening phrase of: When he makes it obvious that this sentence is continuing the subject of the prior sentence with the word he referring back to the devil (two sentences prior). The prior sentence told us what the devil was like personally while this sentence tells us the character that he gives to his followers. We see this with the phrase speaketh of his own and the word father.

Basically, the devil lies to his own people and tells them to lie to others. Such people expect everyone to lie to them, which is why our next sentence says And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. . People who are constantly deceiving others and expecting others to try and deceive them fine it impossible to believe that anyone would actually tell them the whole truth.

Please see the note for Galatians C1-S15 about the word liar. The functional definition is: 'an intentional violation of the truth'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'When. Ge 3:4-5; 2Ch 18:20-22; Job 1:11; 2:4-6; Ac 5:3; 13:10; 2Co 11:3,13-15; 2Th 2:9-11; Re 12:9; 13:14; 20:2-3,10; 21:8; 22:15
General references. exp: Mt 25:42; Joh 16:9; Ac 24:9.'.

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C8-S54 (Verse 45) Why they rejected the truth from Jesus.

And because I tell you the truth,
ye believe me not.

Our sentence starts with the word And, which adds this sentence to the prior sentence. Thus, this sentence continues the de3scription of the character of Satan and his children with this sentence telling their way of dealing with the children of God. In particular, as mentioned in the note above, people who are constantly deceiving others and being deceived find it impossible to believe that someone would actually tell them the whole truth.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 3:19-20; 7:7; Ga 4:16; 2Th 2:10; 2Ti 4:3-4 exp: Joh 8:47; 16:9.'.

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C8-S55 (Verse 46) Challenge from Jesus.
Which of you convinceth me of sin?

The word convinceth, in this sentence is interesting and critical to understand what Jesus asks here. The Biblical definition of this word is: 'Convict; prove wrong'. With the th on our word, the true meaning is 'Convict; prove wrong in a way that the proof holds up and nothing can disprove the claim'. Yes, the Jews made many false accusations against Jesus, and we see such later in this chapter, and they would do so again before His crucifixion, but none of the accusations ever stuck because they were all lies. By bringing false accusations against Jesus, the Jews only proved His accusation that they were of their father, the devil.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C14S25 about the word convince. That note has links to every place in the Bible where we find any form of this word. the paragraph above dealt with the definition of this word.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'convinceth. Joh 8:7; 14:30; 15:10; 16:8; 2Co 5:21; Heb 4:15; 7:26; 1Pe 2:22'.

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C8-S56 (Verse 46) Second challenge from Jesus.

And if I say the truth,
why do ye not believe me?

Just two sentences before Jesus answered this question with the reason being in the sentences before that. That is: they do ye not believe me because they were children of the devil and expected everyone to lie to them. This was explained in the notes for the prior sentences within this chapter. That said, Jesus asked this question for two reasons. The second reason was to provide the legally required two witnesses so that, when they face judgment by God, the legal record will show the Jesus gave them legal notice of this accusation. The first reason is seen in this sentence starting with the word And.

Since this sentence starting with the word And, it is added to the prior sentence where Jesus asked: Which of you convinceth me of sin? Obviously (and as explained in the note above), they could not do that. Therefore, by default, He was telling the truth since only God could live a sinless life and God always tells the truth. Since it should be obvious that Jesus always tells the truth, it should also be obvious that the reason that the each personally (ye) did not believe Him was a cause which had nothing to do with Him nor with the proper way to determine if something is truth. Since they either did not know the proper way to determine if something is truth, or they refused to use that method, this evidence also supported the accusation that they were children of Satan.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'why. Mt 21:25; Mr 11:31
General references. exp: Joh 16:9.'.

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C8-S57 (Verse 47) True evidence proving the point from Jesus.

Equivalent Section: Statement of truth.

He that is of God heareth God's words:

Equivalent Section: Application of that truth.

ye therefore hear them not,
because ye are not of God.

Please note that our sentence has the word heareth in the First Equivalent Section and the word hear in the Second Equivalent Section. In the and the word hear in the First Equivalent Section, the word heareth means: 'keeps on keeping on hearing'. This is a life-style hearing, which means that a true child of God has a life-style of hearing ('obeying') God's words.

In the Second Equivalent Section we have something totally different with the use of the word hear. The phrase hear them not . means that each and every one of these people personally (ye) refused to 'listen and obey' God's words even once. In our sentence, Jesus tells us that this attitude proves that they were not God's children and, therefore, were children of the devil.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a cause where the cause and effect are both in the past'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. Joh 8:37,43,45; 1:12-13; 6:45-46,65; 10:26-27; 17:6-8; 1Jo 3:10; 4:1-6; 5:1; 2Jo 1:9; 3Jo 1:11 exp: Joh 7:17; 8:27; 16:9.'.

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C8-S58 (Verse 48) False accusation with no basis.

Then answered the Jews,
and said unto him,
Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan,
and hast a devil?

Now the Jews have started name-calling because they can not answer the statements from Jesus. Please notice that this is their answer to what Jesus has said in the last 10 sentences. Those sentences included two questions which they refused to answer because the answer would prove them wrong and Him right. Those sentences also ended with a precept which they refused to apply to their own lives because it proved the accusation from Jesus and accepting that precept would remove the source of their religious prejudice. Therefore, since they could not answer His statements, they resorted to character assassination. Thus, we can see that when someone resorts to character assassination, they have, within themselves, realized that they are wrong but refuse to publicly admit the truth. By speaking a lie after realizing their error, they prove the influence of Satan in their lives.

They are displaying their religious prejudice by calling Him a Samaritan. I'm quite sure that, as the Son of God, Jesus did not find this to be the insult which the Jews thought it would be. After all, the Samaritans accepted him, in Chapter 4 while the Jews rejected Him as we see throughout this chapter.

We also see their prejudice by adding and hast a devil. The word hast. means 'keep on keeping on having', which means that their prejudice claimed that all Samaritans had devils all of their lives. Once more we see religion judging individuals based upon the group they belong to instead of being based up[on their personal characteristics. Yet, even while religion refuses to consider personal characteristics of people, it judges them personally as seen by the use of the word thou within our sentence.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Matthew 4:1-LJC about the word devil. Please also see the Word Study on Spirit for links to every place in the Bible where we find 'Other Spirits', which are devils. Please note that there are no 'daemons' within the Bible. That word is doctrinal error deliberately taught by devil-motivated men to cause God's children to ignore or think less about the true danger that true devils are.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Say. Joh 8:52; 13:13; Mt 15:7; Jas 2:19
thou. Joh 4:9; 7:20; 10:20; Isa 49:7; 53:3; Mt 10:25; 12:24,31; Ro 15:3; Heb 13:13'.

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C8-S59 (Verse 49) Answer from Jesus.

First Step: Answer false accusation.

Jesus answered,
I have not a devil;

Second Step: Evidence supporting answer.

but I honour my Father,
and ye do dishonour me.

Here we see Jesus give a plain and simple answer, to their character assassination of the prior sentence, in the First Step of this sentence. He does not elaborate since they, obviously, have closed their minds and refuse to consider anything which He says.

In our Second Step Jesus tells everyone the difference between how He acts and how these Jews acted. Their actions are typical of prejudicial religious people while His actions are a model for the truly saved to follow when they are falsely accused by religious people who tell lies. Please see the note for this verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study which explains this difference in how we honour, or dishonour, God by the way that we live.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Romans C12S8 about the word honour. The functional definition is: 'The esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation'. Please also see the note for Romans C12S8 about the word dishonour.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I have not. Pr 26:4-5; 1Pe 2:23
but. Joh 8:29; 11:4; 12:28; 13:31-32; 14:13; 17:4; Isa 42:21; 49:3; Mt 3:15-17; Php 2:6-11'.

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C8-S60 (Verse 50) Jesus is not the one seeking glory.

Equivalent Section: Jesus is not doing the seeking.

And I seek not mine own glory:

Equivalent Section: God the Father is doing the seeking.

there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

Our sentence starts with the word And, which adds it to the prior sentence where Jesus talked about honour and dishonour to God. Thus, we see that, in order to honour God the Father, we must seek not (our) own glory. In addition, our Second Equivalent Section tells us that God the Father seeketh and judgeth. That is: God the Father 'keeps on keeping on seeking' people who will seek not (their) own glory but will seek the glory of God the Father so that people will turn to God the Father for their needs. In addition, God the Father 'keeps on keeping on judging' the heart of people to determine who will truly serve Him. Those are the people whom God truly saves as our next sentence tells us. That is: God the Father is willing to save all men (1Timothy 2:4) but will only save those who will truly serve Him. God the Father refuses to save people who want salvation but who also insist upon serving religious doctrines which oppose Biblical truth. (Forms of the word truth occur 12 times in this chapter, making that one of the main disagreements between Jesus and these Jews who were arguing for obeying their religious doctrines.)

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C10S24; The S and P's of 2Timothy 1 about the word seek. The functional definition is: 'To go in search or quest of'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I seek not. Joh 5:41; 7:18
there. Joh 5:20-23,45; 12:47-48
General references. exp: Joh 5:41.'.

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C8-S61 (Verse 51) Obedience is required for true Biblical salvation.

Verily,
verily,
I say unto you,
If a man keep my saying,
he shall never see death.

Our sentence starts with Verily, verily to double this saying and let us know that it meets the legal requirement of two witnesses in order to be a law of God which will be used to judge all men. The phrase shall never see death is another way of saying (shall have) everlasting life (Please see the note for Hebrews 1:8-LJC), which is true Biblical salvation. Thus, we have a God-given law, which God will use to judge true Biblical salvation and the requirement is that the saved will keep my saying. That is: the truly Biblically saved will obey Jesus. The people who keep religious rules, and refuse to ever obey Jesus, like these Jews were doing, will not be saved. (Those who sometimes obey and sometimes don't will be judged by God and we can not determine if they are saved.)

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'If. Joh 3:15-16; 5:24; 6:50; 11:25-26
keep. Joh 8:55; 15:20
see. Joh 8:12; Ps 89:48; Lu 2:26 exp: Ps 49:9; Joh 3:36.'.

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C8-S62 (Verse 52) False accusation again.

Then said the Jews unto him,
Now we know that thou hast a devil.

Our sentence starts with the word Then, which means that this sentence is the response from the religious Jews to Jesus saying that true Biblical salvation included the requirement that the saved keep my saying ('obey Jesus'). Even to this day, the false religions which claim to be 'Christian', while teaching doctrinal error, have the same objection as these religious Jews had. They claim that anyone who says that obedience is required for true salvation hast a devil, with the word hast meaning: 'keep on keeping on having'.

Please notice that they are accusing Jesus of the very thing which they are personally guilty of. They did not demand proof of His saying and refused to consider the truth that He was 'God in human flesh', even though their own religious teaching should have taught them that Messiah would literally be that. In their mind they kept insisting that He was 'just a human man', which would have made His claim impossible. (shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Romans 3:3).

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Now. Joh 8:48; 9:24'.

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C8-S63 (Verse 52) Reasoning behind prior false accusation.

First Step: Basis of prior accusation.

Abraham is dead,
and the prophets;

Second Step: Reason prior claim from Jesus was rejected.

and thou sayest,
If a man keep my saying,
he shall never taste of death.

C8-S36 through the end of the chapter tells us the argument between Jesus and the Jews over salvation with Jesus saying that true salvation requires a change in the person's spirit and the Jews arguing that salvation only requires their physical religious requirement. Please also see the note for 8:33 about Abraham and the argument about him and the doctrinal relationship that he had with these Jews. They claimed one doctrinal relationship, with related promises from God the Father, while Jesus told them that they had a different relationship because the true relationship was spiritual and displayed by the character and not just due to physical descent. Abraham has a functional definition of: 'the father of the faithful'.

Once more we see these Jews objection to what Jesus told them because they refused to consider a spiritual perspective and insisted that their physical religious perspective was the only way to find God's truth. From a physical perspective, the objection they offer in this sentence and in C8-S68 (Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?) makes perfect sense. However, as they should very well know, the spiritual overrides the physical. The answer from Jesus in C8-S69 (I am) is a clear (to the Jews) declaration that Her was/is 'God in human flesh'. Therefore, He was/is not restricted by physical laws. As a result, their objection, which is based upon physical limits, did not apply to Him.

The saying from the second prior sentence is another way of saying what we find in John 11:25-26 (Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?) In the ending of this chapter Jesus tells them that He is 'God in human flesh'. With all of the miracles that Jesus has done, in addition to His proving that He knew scripture better than the best religious scholar among them, His telling them the truth should have led them to a saving faith. However, like most people deceived by religious lies throughout history, these people rejected the truth and clung to their deception regardless of how much proof was given that they had been deceived. When someone holds onto such an attitude, they are willingly deceived.

Please see the note for Colossians C2S11 about the word taste. The functional definition is: 'To perceive by means of the tongue'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Abraham. Zec 1:5-6; Heb 11:13
taste. Heb 2:9 exp: Mt 16:28; Mr 9:1; Lu 9:27.'.

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C8-S64 (Verse 53) Question of incredulity.

Art thou greater than our father Abraham,
which is dead?

In this sentence we see one of the basic reasons why these Jews rejected what Jesus said. They used the phrase our father Abraham because, as already shown earlier in this chapter, these Jews claimed salvation based upon being the physical descendants of Abraham. The word thou means: 'you personally'. Therefore, they were asking if Jesus was claiming to personally be greater than the person whom they relied upon for their eternal salvation. The obvious answer if 'Yes', but Jesus knew that these Jews would reject this truth just like they had been rejection all Biblical truth which went against their religious beliefs.

Once more we see something which should have shown these Jews that they were holding onto doctrinal error. In their own question they said Abraham, which is dead. Since they knew that Abraham was dead, they should have realized that he did not conquer death and that there had to be another, Who had to be personally greater than our father Abraham in order to conquer death. However, like all people who hold onto religious lies, they refused to consider the failings of their beliefs.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'thou greater. Joh 8:58; 4:12; 10:29-30; 12:34; Isa 9:6; Mt 12:6,41-42; Ro 9:5; Heb 3:2-3; 7:1-7
General references. exp: Joh 4:12.'.

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C8-S65 (Verse 53) Statement from Jesus goes against evidence.

Equivalent Section: Additional evidence.

and the prophets are dead:

Equivalent Section: Who made Jesus more than the greatest of men?

whom makest thou thyself?

Our sentence starts with the word And, which adds it to the prior sentence where the Jews asked Jesus if He was greater than Abraham, who was dead. The answer to that question was 'Yes' and the answer to this question is also 'Yes', with the same reasoning as provided in the note above for the prior sentence.

As explained in the note above, the answer to the Second Equivalent Section is: God the Father. As already explained, all of the miracles which Jesus has done, in addition to His proving that He knew scripture better than the best religious scholar among them, His telling them the truth should have led them to a saving faith.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'whom. Joh 5:18; 10:33; 19:7
General references. exp: Joh 4:12.'.

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C8-S66 (Verse 54-55) Answer from Jesus proves that they misapply their evidence.

Equivalent Section: Jesus admits that honour (from) himself is not evidence.

Jesus answered,
If I honour myself,
my honour is nothing:

Equivalent Section: His honour comes from God the Father.

First Step: Identify true source of honour.

it is my Father that honoureth me;

Second Step: Identify their recognition of true source.

of whom ye say,
that he is your God:

Equivalent Section: Declare knowledge of God.

First Step: Declare their lack of knowledge.

Yet ye have not known him;

Second Step: Claim personal knowledge.

but I know him:

Equivalent Section: Declare inability to deny truth.

and if I should say,
I know him not,
I shall be a liar like unto you:

Equivalent Section: Declare results of true knowledge.

but I know him,
and keep his saying.

We see this truth also dealt with in Hebrews 5:5.

We see honour used in the first two Equivalent Sections of this sentence. A basic definition of honour is: 'to give respect, recognition and things of this world that are owed to someone for past service'. For example, part of honour thy father and thy mother (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16; Matthew 19:19; Mark 7:10; Luke 18:20) is to give them proper respect and to take care of their physical needs in their old age. So, in the First Equivalent Section, Jesus is essentially saying that we should ignore anyone who is telling (bragging) about their own accomplishments. In the Second Equivalent Section, Jesus says that it is God the Father who is honoring Jesus and if you fight against that honor, you are fighting against God. If fact, (as we see elsewhere) if you want the blessings of God then you had better honor Jesus like God the Father does.

This leads into the Third Equivalent Section. When Jesus says Yet ye have not known him, that is concluded because they are dishonoring the person (John 8:49) honored by God. If someone really knows God, then they know what a bad idea that is. Jesus also says but I know him so that we have a contrast between the way the Jews treat God when compared to how Jesus treated God. One example is in Matthew 15:5-6 and Mark 7:12-13 where Jesus told the Jews But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus, have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Where the Jews dishonored God by giving people excuses to not obey, Jesus provided for His mother even while on the cross (John 19:27).

Thus, we have honoring a person directly linked to knowing them and recognizing (knowing) what they have done for you. If we skip to the last Equivalent Section of this sentence, we see Jesus say that keeping (obeying) his saying is what proves that you know God and (because of the context of this sentence) keeping (obeying) his saying is how you really honor God. By the way, Philippians 2:5-9 tells us Christ Jesus became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. That is the level of obedience required to show that we really know and honor God.

That leaves us with the Fourth Equivalent Section of this sentence where Jesus said and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you. If we are really saved, and especially if we have become a true Christian after profession, we make ourselves to be liars when we keep our mouth shut while people dishonor God (Father or Son). The Jews started this fight by claiming to be the true representatives of God while they acted like the devil. Jesus did not 'let it go' but came back and told them that they were lying sons of the devil and told them so plainly that they tried to kill Him (John 8:59).

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:12 about the word answer. The functional definition is: 'To speak in return to a call or question, or to a speech, declaration or argument of another person'.

Please see the note for Galatians C1-S15 about the word liar. The functional definition is: 'an intentional violation of the truth'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'If. Joh 8:50; 2:11; 5:31-32; 7:18; Pr 25:27; 2Co 10:18; Heb 5:4-5
it is. Joh 5:22-29,41; 7:39; 13:31-32; 16:14-15; 17:1,5; Ps 2:6-12; 110:1-4; Da 7:13-14; Ac 3:13; Eph 1:20-23; Php 2:9-11; 1Pe 1:12,21; 2Pe 1:17
ye say. Joh 8:41; Isa 48:1-2; 66:5; Ho 1:9; Ro 2:17-29
General references. exp: Joh 5:31,41.
ye have not. Joh 8:19; 7:28-29; 15:21; 16:3; 17:25; Jer 4:22; 9:3; Ho 5:4; Ac 17:23; 2Co 4:6
but. Joh 1:18; 6:46; 7:29; 10:15; Mt 11:27; Lu 10:22
shall. Joh 8:44; 1Jo 2:4,22; 5:10; Re 3:9
and keep. Joh 8:29,51
General references. exp: Job 27:4'.

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C8-S67 (Verse 56) Return to claims about Abraham.

Equivalent Section: Tell the truth about Abraham.

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day:

Equivalent Section: Tell the reaction of Abraham.

and he saw it,
and was glad.

Please notice that this sentence is completely past-tense. This means that my day started before the time of this saying. The phrase my day is speaking about the physical life of Jesus which began with His conception and went to His return to heaven after His resurrection.

Jesus knew of this truth because He was in heaven and knew what was happening in Paradise where Abraham was until after the resurrection when Jesus took all of the Old Testament saints from Paradise to heaven.

Please see the notes for Romans C12S8; Galatians C4-S24 and Philippians 4:4-LJC about the word rejoice. The functional definition is: 'To experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations; to exult'.

Please see the note for Luke 1:5 about the word day. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines this word as: 'The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Le 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps 55:17). "The heat of the day" (1Sa 11:11; Ne 7:3) was at our nine o'clock, and "the cool of the day" just before sunset (Ge 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (La 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Jg 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex 14:24). In the New Testament the division of the Greeks and Romans into four watches was adopted (Mr 13:35). (See Watches.) The division of the day by hours is first mentioned in Da 3:6,15; 4:19; 5:5. This mode of reckoning was borrowed from the Chaldeans. The reckoning of twelve hours was from sunrise to sunset, and accordingly the hours were of variable length (Joh 11:9). The word "day" sometimes signifies an indefinite time (Ge 2:4; Isa 22:5; Heb 3:8, etc.). In Job 3:1 it denotes a birthday, and in Isa 2:12; Ac 17:31; 2Ti 1:18, the great day of final judgment.'. The functional definition, of the phrase last day is: '(end of the) Church Age'. Please see the note for Hebrews 3:13 about the word today. The functional definition is: 'obey immediately'. Please also see the notes for Philippians 1:6-LJC and 1Thessalonians 5:2 about the phrase day of. Please also see the notes for 1Thessalonians 5:2-LJC and Hebrews-LJC about the phrase day of the Lord.

Please see the note for Hebrews 1:9 about the word glad. The functional definition for this word is: ' pleased; affected with pleasure or moderate joy; moderately happy'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'rejoiced. Ge 22:18; Lu 2:28-30; 10:24; Ga 3:7-9; Heb 11:13,39; 1Pe 1:10-12
General references. exp: Heb 13:8.'.

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C8-S68 (Verse 57) Reaction of Jews to claim about Abraham.

Then said the Jews unto him,
Thou art not yet fifty years old,
and hast thou seen Abraham?

Once more we see these Jews not understanding because they limited their understanding to what was physically possible and refused to consider the spiritual truth. In our next sentence, which answers the objection of this sentence, Jesus gives them the spiritual answer that even they can not misunderstand. Their reaction in the second next sentence shows that they did understand, but still rejected the truth. When Jesus says I am, these Jews clearly understand that He was declaring that he was 'God in human flesh'. As such, there was no problem with His statement in this sentence. However, their reaction to His declaration shows that they regarded His declaration as blasphemy instead of as truth.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'General references. exp: Heb 13:8.'.

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C8-S69 (Verse 58) Truth about the life of Jesus.

Jesus said unto them,
Verily,
verily,
I say unto you,
Before Abraham was,
I am.

In this sentence, Jesus plainly told these Jews that he was/is God by saying I am, which they understood to be a claim to be God. There are doctrines from devils, accepted and claimed by some religious groups which claim that Jesus never claimed to be God. In addition, to these verses, John 19:7 tells us The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.. When I've shown this to people who believe this lie from devils, they claim to know more that God, who wrote His word, ore than John, who was a personal witness and wrote this Gospel, and more than the Jews living in that day and all of their religious leaders. In other words, they refuse to accept the truth no matter what evidence is shown to them. Such people are Biblical fools and will reap the sternal consequences of being such.

nstead of accepting the truth, our next sentence tells us Then took they up stones to cast at him because they thought He blasphemed and stoning was the prescribed action for that sin. We see God say I am in: Genesis 15:1; Genesis 15:7; Genesis 17:1; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:13; Genesis 28:15; Genesis 31:13; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 46:3; Exodus 3:6; Exodus 3:8; Exodus 3:1; Exodus 3:14; Exodus 3:19; Exodus 6:2; Exodus 6:6; Exodus 6:7; Exodus 6:8; Exodus 6:29; Exodus 7:5; Exodus 7:17; Exodus 8:22; Exodus 10:2; Exodus 12:12; Exodus 14:4; Exodus 14:18; Exodus 15:26; Exodus 16:12; Exodus 20:2; Exodus 22:27; Exodus 29:46; Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 11:44; Leviticus 11:45; Leviticus 18:2; Leviticus 18:4; Leviticus 18:5; Leviticus 18:6; Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 18:30; Leviticus 19:3; Leviticus 19:4; Leviticus 19:10; Leviticus 19:12; Leviticus 19:14; Leviticus 19:16; Leviticus 19:18; Leviticus 19:25; Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 19:30; Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 19:32; Leviticus 19:34; Leviticus 19:36; Leviticus 19:37; Leviticus 20:7; Leviticus 20:8; Leviticus 20:24; Leviticus 21:12; Leviticus 22:2; Leviticus 22:3; Leviticus 22:8; Leviticus 22:30; Leviticus 22:31; Leviticus 22:32; Leviticus 22:33; Leviticus 23:22; Leviticus 23:43; Leviticus 24:22; Leviticus 25:17; Leviticus 25:38; Leviticus 25:55; Leviticus 26:1; Leviticus 26:2; Leviticus 26:13; Leviticus 26:44; Leviticus 26:45; Numbers 3:13; Numbers 3:41; Numbers 3:45; Numbers 10:10; Numbers 15:41; Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 5:6; Deuteronomy 29:6; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1Kings 20:13; 1Kings 20:28; Psalms 46:10; Psalms 50:7; Psalms 52:8; Psalms 81:10; Isaiah 1:11; Isaiah 1:14; Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 42:8; Isaiah 43:3; Isaiah 43:5; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 43:11; Isaiah 43:12; Isaiah 43:13; Isaiah 43:15; Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 45:5; Isaiah 45:6; Isaiah 45:18; Isaiah 45:22; Isaiah 46:4; Isaiah 46:9; Isaiah 48:12; Isaiah 48:17; Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 51:12; Isaiah 51:15; Isaiah 52:6; Isaiah 58:9; Isaiah 65:1; Isaiah 65:5; Jeremiah 1:8; Jeremiah 1:19; Jeremiah 3:12; Jeremiah 3:14; Jeremiah 6:11; Jeremiah 8:21; Jeremiah 9:24; Jeremiah 15:6; Jeremiah 15:16; Jeremiah 15:20; Jeremiah 21:13; Jeremiah 23:30; Jeremiah 23:31; Jeremiah 23:32; Jeremiah 24:7; Jeremiah 30:11; Jeremiah 31:9; Jeremiah 32:27; Jeremiah 42:11; Jeremiah 46:28; Jeremiah 50:31; Jeremiah 51:25; Ezekiel 5:8; Ezekiel 6:7; Ezekiel 6:9; Ezekiel 6:10; Ezekiel 6:13; Ezekiel 6:14; Ezekiel 7:4; Ezekiel 7:9; Ezekiel 7:27; Ezekiel 11:10; Ezekiel 11:12; Ezekiel 12:15; Ezekiel 12:16; Ezekiel 12:20; Ezekiel 12:25; Ezekiel 13:8; Ezekiel 13:9; Ezekiel 13:14; Ezekiel 13:20; Ezekiel 13:21; Ezekiel 13:23; Ezekiel 14:8; Ezekiel 15:7; Ezekiel 16:62-63; Ezekiel 20:5; Ezekiel 20:7; Ezekiel 20:12; Ezekiel 20:19; Ezekiel 20:20; Ezekiel 20:26; Ezekiel 20:38; Ezekiel 20:42; Ezekiel 20:44; Ezekiel 21:3; Ezekiel 22:16; Ezekiel 22:26; Ezekiel 23:49; Ezekiel 24:24; Ezekiel 24:27; Ezekiel 25:5,7,11,17; Ezekiel 26:3; Ezekiel 26:6; Ezekiel 28:22; Ezekiel 28:23; Ezekiel 28:24; Ezekiel 28:26; Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 29:6; Ezekiel 29:9; Ezekiel 29:10; Ezekiel 29:16; Ezekiel 29:21; Ezekiel 30:8; Ezekiel 30:19; Ezekiel 30:22; Ezekiel 30:25; Ezekiel 30:26; Ezekiel 32:15; Ezekiel 33:29; Ezekiel 34:10; Ezekiel 34:27; Ezekiel 34:31; Ezekiel 35:3; Ezekiel 35:4; Ezekiel 35:9; Ezekiel 35:12; Ezekiel 35:15; Ezekiel 36:9; Ezekiel 36:11; Ezekiel 36:23; Ezekiel 36:38; Ezekiel 37:6; Ezekiel 37:13; Ezekiel 38:3; Ezekiel 38:23; Ezekiel 39:1; Ezekiel 39:6; Ezekiel 39:7; Ezekiel 39:22; Ezekiel 39:28; Ezekiel 44:28; Daniel 10:12; Daniel 10:14; Daniel 10:20; Hosea 11:9; Hosea 13:4; Joel 2:27; Joel 3:17; Nahum 2:13; Nahum 3:5; Haggai 1:13; Haggai 2:4; Zechariah 1:14; Zechariah 1:15; Zechariah 1:16; Zechariah 8:3; Zechariah 10:6; Malachi 3:6; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 5:17; Matthew 9:13; Matthew 9:28; Matthew 10:34; Matthew 10:35; Matthew 11:29; Matthew 15:24; Matthew 16:15; Matthew 17:5; Matthew 20:15; Matthew 20:22; Matthew 20:23; Matthew 22:32; Matthew 24:5; Matthew 26:32; Matthew 27:43; Matthew 28:20; Mark 1:11; Mark 8:27; Mark 8:29; Mark 10:38; Mark 10:39; Mark 12:26; Mark 13:6; Mark 14:28; Mark 14:62; Luke 3:22; Luke 9:18; Luke 9:20; Luke 12:49; Luke 12:51; Luke 16:3; Luke 16:4; Luke 16:24; Luke 18:11; Luke 21:8; Luke 22:27; Luke 22:70; John 5:43; John 6:35; John 6:48; John 6:51; John 7:28; John 7:29; John 7:34; John 8:12; John 8:16; John 8:18; John 8:23; John 8:24; John 8:28; John 8:58; John 9:5; John 9:39; John 10:7; John 10:9; John 10:10; John 10:11; John 10:14; John 10:36; John 11:15; John 11:25; John 12:26; John 12:46; John 13:13; John 13:19; John 13:33; John 14:3; John 14:6; John 14:10; John 14:11; John 14:20; John 15:1; John 15:5; John 16:32; John 17:10; John 17:11; John 17:14; John 17:16; John 17:24; John 18:5; John 18:6; John 18:8; John 18:-37; John 20:17; Acts 7:32; Acts 9:5; Acts 18:10; Acts 22:8; Acts 26:15; 2Peter 1:17; Revelation 1:8; Revelation 1:11; Revelation 1:17; Revelation 1:18; Revelation 2:23; Revelation 3:17; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13; Revelation 2216. Please note: these references are not every place within the Bible where we find the phrase I am but those which I have identified as being said by God.

in addition, I received this email about the phrase I am

I am in the Pentateuch

And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. (Genesis 15:7)

There are seven I am's in the book of Genesis.

The first is a beautiful figure of speech (I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward, Genesis 15:1), but the others are all names and titles of God.
The first of these is in our text above, identifying Jehovah Himself (the LORD) with the I am.
The next is Genesis 17:1: I am the Almighty God. The Hebrew here is El Shaddai (God the nourishing sustainer), also found in Genesis 35:11.
Next is in Genesis 26:24: I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee.
Then, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac (Genesis 28:13).
I am the God of Bethel (Genesis 31:13). Beth-el means the house of God.
Finally, God says: I am God, the God of thy father (Genesis 46:3).

In Exodus, there are 21 places where God says I am.. Most of these are merely variations of the different names of God as noted above in the I am’s of Genesis, but six do give new insight.

The first, of course, is the great assertion of Exodus 3:1 where God identifies Himself as I Am That I Am.
The others: I am the LORD in the midst of the earth (Exodus 8:22)
I am the LORD that healeth thee (Exodus 15:26)
I the LORD thy God am a jealous God (20:5)
For I am gracious (Exodus 22:27)
I am the LORD that doth sanctify you (Exodus 31:13).

In the remaining books of the Pentateuch, the phrase I am the LORD your God occurs very frequently, but there are two important new I am’s.

I am holy occurs six times (for example, Leviticus 11:45)
I am thy part and thine inheritance is recorded in Numbers 18:20.

The great theme of all these claims and names of God is that the mighty God of time and space is also a caring, personal God.
We can trust Him, and He cares for us. HMM

Please use this link to see other the 'Minor Titles of the Son of God' found within the Bible along with links to where the Bible uses those titles. The title in this sentence is I AM.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Verily. Joh 8:34,51 exp: Mt 5:18; Joh 1:51.
Before. Joh 1:1-2; 17:5,24; Pr 8:22-30; Isa 9:6; Mic 5:2; Col 1:17; Heb 1:10-12; 13:8; Re 1:11,17-18; 2:8 exp: Isa 43:13.
I am. That our Lord by this expression asserted his divinity and eternal existence, as the great I AM, appears evident from the use of the present tense, instead of the past tense, from its being in answer to the Jews, who enquired whether he had seen Abraham, and from its being thus understood by the multitude, who were exasperated at it to such a degree that they took up stones to stone him. The ancient Jews not only believed that the Messiah was superior to and Lord of all the patriarchs, and even of angels, but that his celestial nature existed with God from whom it emanated, before the creation, and that the creation was effected by his ministry. Ex 3:14; Isa 43:13; 44:6,8; 46:9; 48:12; Re 1:8
General references. exp: Mr 14:64; Joh 10:30; Heb 13:8.'.

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C8-S70 (Verse 59) End of confrontation.

Equivalent Section: Reaction of Jews to prior statement.

Then took they up stones to cast at him:

Equivalent Section: Action by Jesus because of their reaction.

but Jesus hid himself,
and went out of the temple,
going through the midst of them,
and so passed by.

As explained in the prior note, and the note for this sentence within the Lord Jesus Christ Study, The Jews understood that Jesus plainly claimed to be 'God in human flesh' and, instead of accepting the simple truth, they tried to kill Him for blaspheme. Since this was not His time to die, nor the prophesied method of His death, Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Please see the note for John 20:19 about the word midst. The functional definition for this word is: 'The middle, involved in, surrounded or overwhelmed by, or in the thickest part'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'took. Joh 8:5-6; 10:30-33; 11:8; 18:31; Le 24:16; Lu 4:29; Ac 7:57
but. Joh 5:13; 10:39-40; 11:54; Ge 19:11; 2Ki 6:18-20; Lu 4:30; 24:31; Ac 8:39-40 exp: Jer 36:26; Joh 8:37.
General references. exp: Mr 14:64; Lu 4:30; Joh 10:31,39.'.

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Interpretive Study of John's Gospel

Jesus is the Son of God

John Chapter 7

The Difference Between Spirit Led Religion and Fleshly Religion

Links to sentences in this chapter:

Chapter Outline

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides a chapter outline as:

John Chapter 8

The Conflict Between Spirit Led Religion and Fleshly Religion

Links to sentences in this chapter:

Chapter 8 Summary:

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides a chapter outline as:

I am in the Pentateuch

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