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John Segment 10

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In the last segment we concluded with this verse:

This signifies the end of the convocation. This begins a section that some scholars question as authentic. 7:53 - 8:11 are not in some manuscripts, but are in most. The section has ancient witnesses to its authenticity; men like Eusebius, Ambrose, and (Saint) Augustine (pronounced uh-gus'-tin, not aw'-ga-steen, which is the pronunciation of the city in Florida by that name). This is the story about the woman taken in adultery; a story known to Bible critics as the pericope de adultera. It must be noted, however, that only modern textual critics are adamant that this pericope (a cutting or section) is not genuine. Other critics (like Augustine) believe it is genuine and offer various reasons why it was removed. Von Soden, a modern critic, did not believe it was genuine yet he gave it a fair shake. This skepticism started with the rationalist Johan Griesbach, who did not include it in his text. But most modern critics will give you the argument of Westcott and Hort, which is that the ancient writers who mentioned this passage should be disregarded because others do not mention it. What kind of argument is that? This is like saying that the planets did not exist because no one except a few men in history, like Galileo, mentioned them. Not only that, but it is mentinoned by others-many others. It is just not mentioned by those whom Westcott and Hort preferred.

To write an apology for this passage would take more time and space than we have. I will list just a few of the facts here proving the authority of this passage. The Old Latin manuscripts b and e have this passage. They date from the fourth and fifth centuries. Jerome included the passage in his Vulgate, which means he found it in the earlier manuscripts. Jerome himself states (c. 415 AD) that the pericope de adultera was found in earlier Greek and Latin manuscripts. Codex Bezae (D, 5^th Century) has it (Even though D includes it, D is still a questionable source). The Didascalia of the Apostles and the Apostolic Constitutions, from the 3^rd and 4^th Centuries both mention it. Eusebius, in the Fourth Century quoted Papias from the Second Century. According to Eusebius, Papias mentioned the pericope de adultera. If Papias, who was Bishop of Hierapolis just one generation after the Apostles, mentions it, it seems likely that it was included in the earlier Bible texts. But it was not included in those texts that the modern critics claim to be the best and the oldest (Western: Siniaticus, Vaticanus, etc.) and other Greek manuscripts that do not include it.

Augustine was aware of the fact that this passage was missing from many manuscripts. He gave an opinion explaining why. Here I quote The King James Version Defended by Edward F. Hills:

There several other proofs that this text is genuine. But those that I have mentioned should be enough to convince many that the pericope de adultera is genuine. I will never convince modern critics nor will I convince those who strongly oppose the King James Version (many who support the modern translations strongly oppose the KJV). But I am convinced and I hope to convince many that this is true. Of course modern intellectuals consider people like me to be uneducated boobs at best and the vilest of blasphemers at worst. I find myself skeptical of those who militantly support the modern versions over the King James.

IF the Word of God is true and without error then this passage must be true: "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. {7} Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Psalms 12:6-7). If the Word of God is preserved to all generations, then why did He conceal His Word in a vault at the Vatican and a convent in the Sinai Desert (in the trash heap), from the Fourth Century AD until the 19^th Century? Vaticanus (B) was discovered in the Vatican Library in 1809 where it had been concealed since the 13^th Century. Sinaiticus (a) was found at St. Catherine's Monastery at Mt. Sinai in 1844. Why have they not been available to all generations since the Fourth Century? Why would God choose to hide His true word for many centuries in opposition to what he told us in Psalm 12? The fact is that God did preserve His Word. And it has been available and in use in the world from the time it was first set to writing until now. His Word is preserved in the Majority Texts which are also known as the Eastern or Byzantine texts. It is from these texts that we get the King James Bible. This has been the long way to getting around to stating that the story of the woman taken in adultery is authentic. It is true. It is real. It happened the way the King James Bible says it happened. I do not doubt that.

The Mount of Olives is to the east of the Temple. Jesus could exit through the Eastern Gate (A.K.A. the Golden Gate) of the Temple precincts, which opens directly at the Kidron Valley, and immediately cross the valley and go up upon the mount of Olives. It seems likely that He did so on this occasion because He had just been teaching in the Temple before going up on the mount. The Eastern Gate is not mentioned here in John, but this is a good place to discuss it. So let us do a short study here about the Eastern Gate.

Jesus probably stayed that night in the Garden of Gesthemane. He most likely spent much time there praying like He did the night before His death. In the morning He went back to the Temple and what a beautiful view He must have had when he descended into the Kidron Valley. As usual the crowds gathered wherever He was, for "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." (Matthew 24:28)

Note who brought this woman to Him: the Scribes and Pharisees, the legalists that would "strain a gnat and swallow a camel." Their intentions were anything but pure. Talk about a hidden agenda! They had taken her in the act of adultery. In other words they had arrested her, for that is what the Greek implies. The word for taken is kateilemenen (having been taken), from katalambano, Strong's 2638. It means to take eagerly or to seize or possess or apprehend. They had arrested her for her sin. The problem is, they should also have arrested her cohort in the sin, for this sin takes two people to commit. If they had caught her in the very act, then they also caught the man in the very same act, so why did they not bring him along?

They presented her to Jesus; it looks like they thrust her right into the middle of the lesson Jesus was teaching the people. It was an "in your face" approach. They did this to try to make Him look the fool before his students. They furthered the sham by calling Him "Master," a petty flattery, for they did not respect this Man. Of course, as usual, Jesus was not fooled.

They claimed to have caught her in the very act, which means that the man involved was present when they caught her. Therefore they had let the man go. It is very possible that they even set her up with one of their own who was there with them. It was a very dubious affair in any case.

It is true, the law of Moses dictates capital punishment for an adulteress. But it also specifically says that both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death, but it does not prescribe stoning:

The law to which the Pharisees were referring was that listed in Deuteronomy 22:21: "Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you." This damsel is an unmarried girl, specifically a betrothed girl who was found not to be a virgin on her wedding night:

Let me clarify this verse: If a man becomes engaged to a woman, and when [on the wedding night] he goes in to have marital relations with her, and then finds out she was not a virgin, and he tells others he found her not to be a virgin, then she is to be stoned. (Note that Joseph did not plan to do such a thing to Mary, who could have been punished under this very law. He planned just to divorce her quietly. See Matthew 1:18-20)

The Pharisees and Scribes were accusing this woman under the above mentioned law, which applies only to a maiden, when she was actually a married woman, and having been taken in adultery, both she and her partner should have been stoned, not just she. If a married woman was accused of adultery and the adulterous partner was unknown, such as this case, then the law prescribed a specific sentence be carried out that resulted in the woman being an outcast from the camp. Stoning was not a fact in a case such as this. The Scribes and Pharisees were not keeping the Law they supposedly stood for. That makes them hypocrites, or just plain sneaks. The proper law for this situation is known as the Law of Jealousies. It is prescribed in:

This is not the law under which the Pharisees were accusing this woman, but it should have been. They were trying to catch Him using trickery. I believe it is possible that Jesus was writing the curses that the priest was to write in verse 23 ("And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:") in the sand.

The law the Pharisees invoked applied only to a betrothed woman. To show that Jesus knew this, and new this was another man's wife (not betrothed), he complied with the law in Numbers, and wrote the curses on the ground. (I do not believe, as some do, that Jesus did wrote the names in the sand of those who had committed adultery with the woman). This proved that Jesus was on to their little plot. They actually had no case. They were attempting to trick Jesus into violating the law, but their plan backfired on them.

John 8:7 "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."

They knew they were wrong. They knew they had actually violated the law trying to set Jesus up for a violation. What is a violation of the law? A sin. So He put it back on them, indirectly saying that they were also in sin and they also could have been stoned for their sin. It appears that they had also been involved with his woman at some time or other. Their sin was the same as hers. Jesus said. In essence, "those of you who have not committed adultery with this woman cast the first stone."

Many use this statement of Jesus, taken out of context, and mostly misunderstood (most think He wrote the names of the men in the sand), to enhance the false concept that we cannot judge others and that we must tolerate anything and everything so as not to judge. That is poppycock. See the paper on Judging. This was just an example of complicity and attempted deception. It had nothing to do with judging others.

They knew they were found out, so, having no case, they were each convicted of their misdeed, and they all left the scene. Only the falsely accused remained.

John 8:10 "When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?"

No man had because they were each convicted of their own need for condemnation. Not that Jesus did condemn them; He just showed them that He knew of their complicity.

John 8:11 "She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

Notice that Jesus did not say she had not sinned. He knew she had sinned. But because there were no accusers left, she was not condemned. Now we who are sinners (that includes ALL of us) are accused day and night by Satan. But Jesus is our advocate, basically advocating that our situation is similar to this. Satan is our accuser but he is also a liar. His accusations cannot be trusted. Satan does not need to accuse us because God already knows our sins. Just like Jesus did for the woman in this story, he does for us. He does not condemn us because, without Him, we are condemned already (John 3:18). He tells us to go and sin no more. He has shed His own blood for our sins and we are free of them because we believe on Him.

John 8:12 "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

This is a restatement of Jesus' role in God's plan. He is the Savior. He is the light. Light symbolizes purity, righteousness, and holiness. Darkness symbolizes evil and Satan. Here are some other related verses in John:

Darkness flees light. The opposite is not true. One cannot bring darkness into a lit room and have the darkness obliterate the light. But the darkness in an unlit room can be annihilated by a single candle. As a personal example, my grandchildren and I were in the Florida Caverns on vacation. The tour guide shut off all the lights and said that there was no light and you could not even see your hand before your face. Having been there before I knew this was true. But this time, I was barely able to see my fingers before my face. My granddaughter was wearing a watch with a luminescent face. Just by that scarcely visible amount of light I was able to see in what was otherwise pitch blackness. Just a tiny amount of light can dispel darkness.

Jesus is the light of the world. His light removes every trace of darkness. Devils flee from His presence. Evil cannot stand in His presence. Darkness flees His presence. Jesus told us, His people, that we are light in the world (Matthew 5:14). As opposed to His light, our light is just a scarcely visible amount. But our small amount of light will dispel any darkness it comes into contact with.

This is the same argument they put to him in 5:31-47. See Segment 7. We will discuss this further when we get to verse 17.

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

Jesus came from Heaven and He was to go back to Heaven. The Pharisees could not understand that.

Let me restate what I said in Segment 7:

"So we have four witnesses that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is His own witness. His miracles are another witness; John the Baptist is yet another. God the Father bears witness of Jesus through His Word. This would stand up in court. A man can take the witness stand and witness for himself, he may have others witness for him, his actions may be a witness for or against him, and sworn testimony is also a witness allowable in a court of law. Jesus witnessed for Himself, John the Baptist (others) witnessed for Him, His miracles (actions) were a witness, and the Scripture (sworn testimony) is a witness of Jesus." Consider also that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are witnesses as well.

John 8:15 "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

(See comment at verse 17). Jesus said, in effect, "You judge others after the ways of the flesh, I judge no one that way (implied)." The phrase "no man" is a Jamesian translation of a word meaning "no one" (odeis, Strong's 3672).When He was in the flesh, He did not judge men. The last thing He said to the woman taken in adultery was "neither do I condemn thee." (Which is further proof that the pericope de adultera is genuine. This is why He did not condemn her-He was not on earth to be the Judge; at least not yet.) As we will see in the next verse, He was saying that He was not here to judge but there will be a time when He will judge.

He was contrasting His mission on earth with what the spiritual leaders of Israel were doing. They judged men according to what men did in the flesh. They had a legal system that allowed them to pronounce judgment on others. That was ordained by God. In a legal proceeding, witnesses were required to prove the case. Jesus was not speaking of the legal system. He was speaking of their tendency to make snap judgments based upon their own prejudices. They judged Him, the very Son of their God Whom God sent to them for their salvation, to be evil. That was their prejudice. They needed no trial to condemn Him. They did not give Him due process of law before they crucified Him. They held an illegal trial and made a mockery of God's justice system because of their hatred of Jesus.

John 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."

When He does judge, it will be a true judgment for God looks on the heart, and not on outward appearance. His Father has given Him all things and has committed the Judgment into the His hands. When men stand before Him at the Judgment, they will stand before Him transparent. All things will be known and nothing will be hidden. Men's sins will be there for all to see. There will be no defense, though some will try to mount a defense by stating things like, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" His answer will be "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (See Matthew 7:22-23)

See verses 13 & 14 above. The law spoken of is found in Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15. Jesus is continuing with the theme of the witnesses concerning Him. That theme did not end when He began to speak of judgment. The discussion of judgment was simply a continuation of the theme of witnesses, which began in verse thirteen. <PALIGN="JUSTIFY"He was illustrating that their fleshly judgment did not allow them to believe that He was the Christ and the Son of God. Because of this they declared that His record of Himself was simply untrue. Their unbelief caused this error in judgment on their part. Jesus was explaining about how His witness and the witness of the Father met the legal requirement that the testimony of two or three is true testimony. Without their belief, they simply lacked good judgment. His judgment was true; their's was faulty.

John 8:19 "Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."

They may have known Joseph of Nazareth as His father, but they were either unaware or did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. This entire passage is in keeping with John's theme that Jesus is the Son of God, like John said in 1:18: "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." John continued this theme in 1 John 4:12: "No man hath seen God at any time." If they had believed that Jesus was the Messiah, then they would have readily understood that He was sent from God.

If you know Jesus, you know Yehovah God. The world thinks it knows Jesus. According to worldly wisdom, Jesus was a good and kind and gentle man. But He was only a man, there was nothing supernatural about Him. It is only when a person truly believes in Jesus that the person will recognize that God sent Him. If you do not know the Father then you do not truly know Jesus. If you know about Jesus, then you will only know about God. If you think Jesus was just a wise and good man, then you will not know God. In fact, if you only think Jesus was a man, then you probably do not even believe in God, at least not the way God really is. If you only believe that Jesus was a great man, then you do not know Jesus personally. If you do not know Him personally, you can never know God. Event he devils believe in Jesus. They are not saved, but they tremble (James 2:19). For an illustration let me say that I know of the President, but I do not know him personally. I not only know of my Mom, I know her personally. Similarly, I know Jesus personally-and therefore I know the Father. Do you?

John 8:20 "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

The treasury was located outside of the holy courts, in the court of women. The court of women was inside the court of the Gentiles. Thus only Israelites had heard the teachings of Jesus. The Gentiles had not. This is in keeping with Jesus' words in Matthew 15:24, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." That is not to say, as some teach, that only the Jews could be saved at that time. If we continue reading the text of Matthew chapter 15, we find that the woman to whom these words were spoken was credited by Jesus with great faith.

The fact that women and children were allowed in the treasury area was probably a contributing factor to Jesus not being arrested. Had he been in the naos, or the courts of Israel (only men were allowed there), it would have been easier to take Him. That, I believe, is why John tells us He was teaching in the treasury.

This theme that it was not His time is one that continues throughout John. Jesus' time for crucifixion had not come, and until that time, no man could lay hold of Him. But when the time came, Jesus presented Himself for execution of sentence. On the night He was taken, when He went up to the Garden of Gesthemane, He already knew they would arrest Him. He allowed that to happen.

John 8:21 "Then said Jesus again unto them,I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come."

In 7:34, Jesus told them the same thing. Due to their unbelief, they could not understand where He was to go, and therefore they could not come. He went back to the Father Who sent Him and He is there today. Only those who know Him and believe on Him will be able to go there. The Pharisees who heard this were not believers and would never believe and that is why they will never be able to go where He is.

Jesus said that the would die in their sins. It is not that their fate was sealed in stone. It was that they chose disbelief. Many claim that for a person to be able to choose whether or not he follows God negates His sovereignty. I do not agree with that. A sovereign God may do anything He wills. In this case, He willed that men be given a choice and to accept Him or reject Him has been given to man to choose (Deuteronomy 30:19). If God wills that, how can it annul His Sovereignty?

John 8:22 "Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come."

Further proof that they did not understand. Of course we all know that death is a place we all go where other living people cannot go. It seems like the were thinking wishfully. They wished He would kill Himself. They surely wanted Him to die. Perhaps they grasped that He was speaking of His own death and wondered how He would die, hence the question they asked. The last time Jesus told them that they could not go where He was going, they thought He might be going outside of Israel to preach His message. (John 7:35)

John 8:23 "And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world."

Beneath means this world. In this world there is no salvation. But Jesus came from His Father in Heaven above. He is not of this world as we are not of this world. In His prayer for His followers, He stated, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 17:16) He told these Pharisees, priests, and leaders, to whom He was speaking, that they were of this world. But His followers, that is, true Christians, are not of this world. We are in it but not of it. Which means that we are citizens of Heaven living on Earth. We are no longer citizens of Earth, rather, we are sojourners in this world. We don't belong here, we are just tenants on the road looking for our Heavenly country, which is our true home. Jesus prayed to keep us from evil while we are in the world.

John 8:24 "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

In order to receive eternal life, we must believe that Jesus is the Messiah. This is what He meant when He said "I am he." This is an example of the use of the words egw eimi (ego eimi), which translates I Am. That seems to give this statement double entendre. He seems to be saying that He is the Messiah and that He is God. This is perfectly true, He is both. These are the same words He used in verse 58, where He was definitely claiming to be equal with the Almighty. Evidently Jesus knew that these particular Jews would never believe on Him so they would die in their sins and receive everlasting death instead of everlasting life.  

John 8:25 "Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning."

What did He say in the beginning of His ministry? He said: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," (Luke 4:18). That is a quote of the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-3. After he read that Messianic prophecy in synagogue, He gave the scroll to the minister and sat down. All eyes were upon Him and then He said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." (John 4:21) He claimed to be the Messiah from the very beginning.

John 8:26-27 "I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. {27} They understood not that he spake to them of the Father."

He will judge these things after He returns in glory and when the books are opened. But at the time of His sojourn on earth, He spoke what His Father gave Him to speak, but did not pass judgment. There is coming a time for that. But they did not understand; their hearts were hardened.

John 8:28 "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; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."

What did Jesus mean by lifted up? "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:" (John 3:14) Moses took the brass serpent and put it on the end of a long pole. It was carried upright to be in the view of all the people. When they were bitten by a poisonous snake, all they had to do was to look upon the brass serpent and they were healed of the snake bite. In order for this to work, those who looked on the brass serpent had to believe in order to be healed. They had to have faith that if they looked upon the serpent, the LORD would heal them. Just as men were saved by looking upon the brass serpent, so will men be saved by beholding Jesus on the Cross and believing in Him. (Numbers 21:7-9)

What He is saying is that when He is crucified, then they will know that He is the Messiah who is doing the will of the Father in Heaven. And they did know. Remember how they attempted to cover up His resurrection? They knew.

John 8:29 "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him."

Jesus was never abandoned by His Father in Heaven. Even when He hung on the cross and cried "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?", His Father had not forsaken Him. For it says in Psalms 22:24, "For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard." Note that the very first verse of this same Psalm says, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

It appears that Jesus was quoting Psalm 22. I believe He quoted all of Psalm 22 on the Cross, for the very last words He uttered were, "It is finished." The last words of Psalm 22 (in the KJV) are "he hath done this." The Hebrew for this phrase is (note that the KJV translators added the word "this"; it is not in the original Hebrew): 'asah (Strong's 6213), which literally means "to finish" or "to complete" or "it is finished"!

Psalm 22 begins with "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?", and ends with "he hath done this." or "he has finished" or "it is finished". Since Jesus spoke the first verse of Psalm 22 on the cross and spoke the last phrase of the same Psalm just before he expired, it is reasonable to infer that He recited the entire Psalm 22 and only the first and last phrases were recorded in the Gospels. After all, Psalm 22, the "Crucifixion Psalm", was written specifically as a prophecy for the Crucifixion, 1000 years before the event happened. So His recitation of it on the Cross would prove that He was fulfilling the prophecy recorded there.

They believed because of what He said. Go back to verse 28 and discover the phrase "then shall ye know that I am he". The word "he" is italicized. That means the KJV translators added it for clarity and it is not in the original Greek. It literally reads "then you will know that I AM". He said that He was the Eternal God Almighty, the LORD Yehovah. Many believed because of that pronouncement.

John 8:31 "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Salvation is by faith and not by works that no one can boast that he saved himself. (Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast.") We are saved by the grace of God through faith in His Son, and not by any works we can do. For without Christ, our works are unrighteous: "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6).

The only righteousness we may ever have is that which is given by God, that is, righteousness that is imputed to or credited to our account. The only righteousness we may obtain is that given to us by God because of our belief in His Son. Philippians 3:8-9: "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, {9} And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" James 2:23: "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."

If then, we are saved by grace through faith and not by any works we can do, why does Jesus say we are to continue in His Word? (By that He means that we live good, disciplined lives according to how he has told us to live. In other words, we are to do good works). The only good works we can do are those done in Christ, that is, done by those of us who are believers-we who have His righteousness credited to us. As Christians who are saved, cleansed, and credited with the righteousness of God, our works are no more as filthy rags. They are good works, righteous works, which are, like our bodies, living sacrifices, wholly acceptable to God.

If we are saved by grace through faith and not by works, then why does Jesus tell us to continue to do good works if we are to remain His disciples? In the first place, if we are saved, that is, truly saved, then we cannot help but do good works. As James said, (in 2:17-18), "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. {18} Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works." James was an inspired writer of scripture so the words he wrote are the words of God. It is God Who has told us that faith that does not have works is dead faith. If it is dead faith, then it is not faith at all. In other words, a man without good works is not a saved man. No we are not saved by our works, but salvation produces works. Just as placing a seed in the ground produces a plant, so salvation by faith alone produces works. If a man claims to be a Christian but has no good works, then that man has no real faith, only dead faith.

Jesus is telling us to continue in the good works that He has begun in us until He comes (Compare Philippians 1:6). Let us never fail in doing righteous acts. What are righteous acts? A few examples are: daily prayer, walking uprightly, loving others, evangelizing sinners, living our daily lives in a way that brings credit and glory to our Lord, etc. Yes I am saved by faith, but my faith breeds works. And my works prove my faith to others.

John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Pilate asked, "What is truth?" Here is what the Bible says about truth:

He is a God of truth (Deu 32:4)

The paths of the LORD are mercy and truth (Psa 25:10)

All His works are done in truth (Psa 33:4)

His salvation is truth (Psa 69:13)

Mercy and truth are met together (Psa 85:10)

Truth shall spring out of the earth (Psa 85:11)

His truth shall be thy shield and buckler (Psa 91:4)

He shall judge the people with his truth (Psa 96:13)

His truth endures to all generations (Psa 100:5)

His commandments are sure; they stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth
and uprightness (Psa 111:7-8)

His law is the truth (Psa 119:142)

His commandments are truth (Psa 119:151)

The lip of truth shall be established for ever (Prov 12:19)

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged (Prov 16:6)

His counsels of old are faithfulness and truth (Isa 25:1)

The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness (Jer 4:2)

His eyes upon the truth (Jer 5:3)

[Jesus is] full of grace and truth (John 1:14)

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)

(John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

The Gospel is truth (Gal 2:5, 14)

The truth is in Jesus (Eph 4:21)

The word of the truth is of the gospel (Col 1:5)

God is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim 3:15)

The Word is truth (2 Tim 2:15, James 1:18)

(1 John 1:6) "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"

(1 John 1:8) "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

(1 John 2:4) "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6)

There are several things here of note. They are:

1. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are Truth
2. The law, the commandments, the word, the Gospel, His judgments and His counsels are truth
3. Truth endures forever
4. Mercy, grace, and truth work together

Veritas Vos Liberabit (the truth will make you free). The truth of salvation by faith through Jesus Christ would free them from the bondage of the Law. But Jesus makes the point that they were in bondage to sin and He would also free them from the bondage of sin (see next verse).

We are free because of the Gospel Truth, which is that Jesus died for our sins, taking our place on the cross, as a substitutionary sacrifice for us. Because of His sacrifice we are forgiven and freed from the bondage of sin and death.

Well . . . that was not actually true. They were in bondage to the Romans at the moment they uttered these words. At least the Romans held them in sway with a superior military force. They did not, however, have the hearts of the Jews. The Jews would never acquiesce in their hearts to the Romans. But even though their hearts were not in bondage, their nation was.

Not only was their land in bondage to the Romans, but their hearts were in bondage to sin. It is the bonds to sin that are broken by the truth. We are set free from our sins by His truth. That truth is that we are sinners in need of salvation and He, by His vicarious atonement (meaning He was our substitute on the cross) has set us free from the bonds of sin.

John 8:34 "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."

 Who has not committed a sin? Then we are all servants of sin. What does it mean to be the servant of sin? Well, it means that sin is our master, for what servant has no master? If I am the servant of Mr. Smith, then Mr. Smith is my master. How does sin master us? If we commit sin, then sin controls us and we become its servant.

The LORD said to Cain, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him"(in other words, sin wants to have you, but you must master it). (Genesis 4:7) Sin waited to become Cain's master unless Cain mastered it. He did not. Therefore it was his master. Cain's flesh, that is, his propensity toward sin or his sinful nature would control him unless he mastered that nature. Each of us is of the flesh and we all have a sinful nature. In order to stop sin from controlling us making us subservient to it, we must master that tendency we have to sin. We must overcome the flesh.

Admittedly, it is impossible to be perfect and to completely overcome the flesh. It is always there lurking just around the corner or just at the door waiting to control us. It only takes a moment's carelessness to allow the flesh to again become our master. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to be our advocate and to keep us from sinning. The Spirit gives us His fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, humility, and self-control. If we allow His fruit to be manifested in us, then our flesh will be kept at bay. And we can only do this through Jesus Christ our Savior.

John 8:35 "And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever."

The owner of an estate may have many servants. They are hired hands and are not a part of the family. Hired hands come and go. Even a trusted servant that has been with the family for many years is still not a member of the family. Eventually, all servants depart. But the son of the owner will always be his son, his own flesh and blood, forever. This cannot be change. Even if the son is disowned, he is still the flesh and blood of the father. That cannot be changed.

If you are a servant of sin, you will eventually loose. If you die in your sins, you will be damned eternally. You will be eternally separated from your Father in Heaven. But, on the other hand, if you are a son of God, that is, if you have overcome the flesh through salvation in Jesus Christ, then you will abide forever in your Father's house. John 1:12: "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:" If you believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then you have become a son (or daughter) of God. His sons receive His inheritance, that is, eternal life. His name means Yehovah's Anointed Savior. If you believe that He is indeed God's Anointed Savior, then you are saved.

John 8:36 "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

If you believe on the Son, that is Jesus Christ, then you are saved and no longer need to worry about bondage to sin. Sin can no longer control you, nor can it bring you to damnation; you are free from worry that you will be condemned to eternal separation from God in a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Next, Jesus talks to those in the crowds who did not really believe. This passage began with the many who believed on Him, but now the emphasis shifts to the non-believers, especially the religious leadership of the Jews.

John 8:37 "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."

They may have been of the descendants of Abraham, but they were not really the children of Abraham. We are told that in the next few verses. They claimed to be descendants of Abraham and Jesus was playing along with their claim. They were not really who they claimed to be. If they had indeed been the children of Abraham, then they would have recognized Him and not wished to kill Him. I do not doubt that they were of the bloodline of Abraham, but they had rejected him as their father because of their sin and disobedience.

John 8:38 "I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father."

Jesus' Father is God the Father in heaven. Jesus placed their father in opposition to His Father. They were not the children of His Father, but of another. Who was their father? He will tell us.

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

Well, we have found out that their father was not Abraham as they claimed.

John 8:40 "But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham."

Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. They did not believe and wished to kill Him. Abraham, when he saw the Angel of the LORD, invited the Angel to eat with him and treated the Angel hospitably like a good host should. See Genesis 18. These men, when confronted with God, that is with the Son of God, wished to kill Him. They were not good hosts as was Abraham.

The Angel of the LORD is a physical manifestation of God Himself, otherwise know as a theophany, or an appearance of God to men. Ancient Hebrews referred to such a theophany as the memra, or the living, breathing, walking, talking Word of God. This is the Divine Word. Who is the Divine Logos? Jesus Christ. So this Angel of the LORD who told Abraham about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and allowed for the salvation of Lot and his family, was the equivalent of Christ Himself. When Christ spoke the words of God to Abraham, Abraham respected Him and treated Him as an honored Guest. Abraham treated Christ kindly and well. What did these so-called "sons of Abraham" do? They were seeking a way to kill Him. Abraham honored Him, these Jewish leaders despised Him.

John 8:41 "Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God."

Now they were beginning to understand. They were no longer claiming to be children of Abraham, but of God. The bit about not being born of fornication may have been a barb at the virgin birth of Jesus (which they obviously did not believe). Since their lineage was being called into question, they decided to rise above the argument over their human ancestry by claiming to be sons of God.

John 8:42 "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me."

Again, it makes no difference whether they claimed to be sons of Abraham or God, they still did not accept the One Whom God sent. If they were sons of Abraham they would not seek to kill Him; if sons of God, they would love Him. They did neither.

John 8:43 "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word."

They could not hear His words because of who they really were:

John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Whoa! Jesus said they were the children of Satan. Did He just say this for effect? No, He was speaking the truth. He called them the sons of the Devil and he meant it. They did Satan's deeds and not God's. Did Jesus mean that they were literally the sons of Satan or was it that they were spiritually Satan's children?

There are those who teach that Satan has physical offspring. I do not subscribe to that theory. There was a time that I did, but upon prayer, meditation, and spiritual growth, I no longer have that belief.

Speaking to the serpent, God said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15). This verse referred to the seed of the woman (Eve) and to the seed of the serpent. Who was the serpent? Revelation 12:9: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan . . . " This leaves no doubt that the serpent in Eden was none other that old slough foot, the Devil, or Satan.

The woman's seed was the seed line of Christ thorough Seth, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and David. Since Mary was of this exact bloodline (and so was her husband Joseph), Jesus is also of that exact bloodline. Jesus was an actual descendant of Eve. This was no figurative seed line or spiritual seed line, but a physical one.

The Bible bears witness of children of the Devil. These particular verses in John are one witness. Further witness is in Genesis 3:15. Other witnesses are Matthew 13:38 (parable of wheat and tares), Acts 13:10, and 1 John 3:8-10.

Jesus called these men actual children of Satan ("...you are of your father, the Devil..."). How is this possible?

As I alluded to above, some teach that the sin of Eve was sexual sin and that she lay with the serpent and the product of their union was Cain. While this may be possibly true, the Bible does not explicitly state that it is true. One must use a leap of faith to cull this from the scriptures. However, I just cannot glean this teaching from the Word of God. A true Hebrew scholar may do so, but I cannot and I must teach the Scripture as God reveals it to me. The scripture does not reveal to me that the serpent impregnated Eve.

But the Bible is clear on the fact that there are children of the Devil. Since there is not scriptural precedent that Satan has physical children among men, then this must mean that these children are the spiritual children of Satan. These men were so involved in their own power and their own religion that they had no time or use for God. They rejected Him and His laws, preferring their own precepts to God's.

The Bible tells us that if you are not for Christ you are against Him. It also teaches that we are children of God when we are saved. But the unsaved are not of God, therefore they are not of His Son, therefore they are against His Son. Does it not stand to reason, then, that the unsaved, not being children of God, and not being for Christ, are against Christ and are children of the Devil?

When we become children of God, are we the physical children of God? No. Only One has ever been a begotten child of God and that is Jesus. We are created by God and not begotten of Him. Therefore we are the adopted children of God. We are His children in spirit.

Is not the same true of the Devil? If we are not the children of God and not for Christ, then we are against Him and those who are against Him are the children of Satan, for they do his bidding. Again, they are the children of Satan in spirit. These men were the spiritual children of the Devil as we have discussed above.

Satan is known as the father of lies because when in Eden he told the first lie. Since he was the first liar, he was the father of lies because he began them. Was he a murderer from the beginning? Yes, for in deceiving Adam and Eve, he caused them to die (Adam died at 930 years of age). They would have lived forever had they not sinned. That Makes Satan a murder from the beginning, which was Eden. And one might add, that if there was war in heaven and Satan fell from Heaven like lightning, and took a third of the stars of Heaven with him, then he also caused the deaths of all of those fallen angels. They will be cast in the lake of fire with Satan. See Matthew 25:41.

Satan is known as the father of lies because when in Eden he told the first lie. Since he was the first liar, he was the father of lies because he began them. Was he a murderer from the beginning? Yes, for in deceiving Adam and Eve, he caused them to die (Adam died at 930 years of age). They would have lived forever had they not sinned. That Makes Satan a murder from the beginning, which was Eden.

John 8:45 "And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not."

They do not believe the truth because they are of their father the Devil, who is a liar making them congenital liars and there is no truth in them.

John 8:46 "Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

The Greek here means convict. So the question is "Which of you convicts me of sin?" Jesus answers these questions in the next verse.

John 8:47 "He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

It is simple. They will not hear the truth because they are Satan's children. As such they cannot convict God's Son of anything. If they had been of God, they would have believed.

They are attempting to shift the blame. That is so like Satan and his minions. For an example, I would like to use socialist regimes as an example. A socialist regime is always the aggressor because they know that it is the only way to impose their political will on people. People will not usually become socialists on purpose. They usually must be forced. Socialist states, when they were the true aggressors, would always accuse the United States of being the aggressor when our country would attempt to help the oppressed peoples of those states. We have been typified by socialist regimes as "imperialist aggressors". This accusation is not true, but the allegations were always made. They accused us of being what they truly were.

Another example is liberalism versus the "Christian right". Modern liberals accuse Christians of being mean-spirited, intolerant, homophobic, bigoted censors. Well none of these accusations are true. The truth is that modern liberalism is actually the most intolerant ideal around. If you do not agree totally with their philosophy, then they excoriate you as often as possible. It could be truly said that modern liberals (as opposed to JFK type liberals) are the true mean-spirited, bigoted, intolerant censors (They are Christophobes and try to censor anything Christian). Yet, that is what they call us. They are actually the intolerant ones, but they accuse us of being intolerant. These are two examples of corrupted wisdom. Corrupted wisdom turns evil into good and good into evil. It accuses others of being what it is. Corrupted wisdom is of Satan. See Ezekiel 28:17.

That is what is going on here. These people, whom Jesus has just branded Satan's children, are now accusing Jesus of being possessed by a demon. They who were children of the Devil are saying that He was possessed by one. They also provide the epithet "Samaritan," one of the peoples they hated. They were saying that He was crazy because of His words.

John 8:49 "Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me."

They did dishonor Him because they called him demon-possessed. It is a dishonor to call something Christian demonic. It is blasphemy to call the very Son of God demonic.

John 8:50-51 "And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. {51} Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death."

Jesus came as One sent from God, bringing God's message with Him. He always made sure that the Glory always went to His Father in Heaven, Who is the Judge. Jesus, in His flesh, was not yet the Judge.

His message is "believe on Him and have everlasting life". Yet they did not believe Him. His saying is what He taught while on Earth, and the Holy Scripture, that is, His Word. The Greek word rendered 'saying' is lógoV (logos), the Word. The entire Bible is the saying (or words) of Jesus.

A mere human could not truly make such a statement, but the Son of God could. They did not believe Him. Their understanding was that if Jesus' saying would prevent death, then how could Abraham, their patriarch, be dead? And since he was dead, then Jesus statement was false, or at least deluded. What could delude a man so much? Possession by a demon.

John 8:54-56 "Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: {55} Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. {56} Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."

The only honor we have comes from God. We have none in ourselves. We are worthy of death and not honor. It is the same with righteousness. We have none. All of our righteousness as Christians comes from God. He has credited us with His righteousness because we are believers in His Son. As a man, Christ was saying that he was not honoring Himself, but it was God, His Father Who honored Him. They were liars. See Verse 44.

How did Abraham see the day, that is, the advent of the Messiah? Simple. He was (and is) still alive in Heaven with His Father. Of course the Jews took this to mean that Jesus had seen Abraham, which He had. But Jesus meant that Abraham, still alive because of his faith (see Genesis 15:6), had seen Jesus' day.

As was stated, they thought Jesus meant He was alive in Abraham's day. This, of course, true, because Jesus is the Eternal God and has always lived. But they only saw Him as a man, and not as God, and definitely not as eternal, so how could Jesus have seen Abraham if he was so young?

John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

Critics will tell you that Jesus never claimed to be God. But they have not read this verse, evidently. Jesus has very plainly said the He was Yehovah, the Great I AM. That is exactly how the Pharisees and scribes heard it; we know this from the next verse. It is the Greek egw eimi (ego eimi) which are the words used in the Septuagint to translate Exodus 3:14, "I Am that I Am." The Septuagint translates Exodus 3:14 thus: egw eimi o wn (ego eimi ho ohn). The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament. It was translated before the Christian era by Jewish scholars who spoke Greek and Hebrew. These Jerwish scholars certainly showed that they believed the name of God, I Am, is egw eimi in the Greek.

What was the penalty for blasphemy? Leviticus 24:16: " And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death." Stoning is the punishment for blasphemy. They took up stones to stone Jesus because in their estimation He committed blasphemy. He claimed equality with God. The context bears this up. His listeners understood it that way, so Jesus DOES claim to be God. Do not let the critics persuade you differently.

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