The second half of John chapter 8 puzzled me for a long time. Jesus said to those Jews who actually believed in Him that their father was the devil and that they wanted to do the desires of their father. This seemed confusing since it said that those Jews had believed Him. But when I thought it through, even though these Jews believed Him, they were still not born again. Their spirit within them could not be created new until Jesus went to the cross and paid for our sins. Therefore, even though they believed Jesus and His word of grace, the devil was still their father. They still wanted to do the desires of their father. It seemed like harsh language, but helped open up 1 John chapter 3, another confusing passage. As we abide in the word of grace, that we are made righteous apart from our works through the death of Jesus, it will lead us to the truth. The truth is that God comes to live within us when we are born again. As we recognize that He lives in us and we are righteous in Him, it should lead us to walk in love and be set free from sin, which is basically selfishness. Even though God lives within us, when we sin, we are being motivated by the devil. When we follow the dictates of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, we are not acting according to God's love.
John 8:31-47 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word (word of grace and truth, not the Old Testament Law), you are My disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, "You will be made free?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word (the word of grace) has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father." They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father--God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word (word of grace and truth). You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell you the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words, therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."
These verses are very similar to 1 John chapter 3; one passage helps explain the other. 1 John 3:8 "He who sins is of (being motivated by) the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil." This is speaking about Christians. When we sin, we are being motivated by the devil instead of God's love. When we receive Jesus into our hearts, that is the beginning of Jesus destroying the works of the devil in our lives. When we see God for Who He is, that He is love, we will begin to walk in love toward others. That is how Jesus destroys the work of the devil in our lives. The works of the devil are the same as the works of the flesh in Paul's epistles; John just calls them by another name. For a full exposition of 1 John chapter 3, see the blog on that chapter.
Keith Oliver
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