The Gospel of John - part 8
preached Nov 4, 2018
John 3:19-21
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”John 3:19-21
People come to the light because they want to see Jesus. Others refuse to come to Jesus, because they are afraid of their evil works. It is only when we recognize our own sin and are willing to admit its evilness that we can take a step toward the light.
Essentially, there are three steps in salvation:
Step 1 - The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and calls us to repentance
Step 2 - We believe and are transformed/born again.
Step 3 - We follow in obedience being sanctified by the Spirit.
These verses are pointing to that last step. Believers are heading to the light (Jesus) as they walk in truth. Part of that truth is recognizing our failures and sin, then responding in repentance. That's what sanctification is. Nonbelievers reject the light, because they do not want to admit their sin is sin.
Let us then review Chapter 3 and see the progression Jesus gives:
Verse 3 - The Need
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
People need to be born again in order to enter Heaven.
Verse 6 - The inadequacy of human endeavors
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Humans cannot be good enough for heaven, because humans only produce more corruption. "Flesh gives birth to flesh".
Verse 11 - The Proof of Jesus
Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
The disciples and Jesus have seen the Holy Spirit remaking people. Jesus' miracles demonstrate Heaven has invaded the Earth.
Verses 14-17 - The Offer
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For hGod so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
God has sent His Son so that the world might be saved. Whosoever believes in Jesus will be saved.
Verses 18-21 - The Results
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Mankind is no longer Jew vs Gentile. It is now Believer or Unbeliever--the Redeemed and the Lost. The Redeemed are heading toward the light and pursuing righteousness. The Lost are already condemned and stay in darkness.
A Philosophical Tangent in Verses 20 & 21
Notice the words John uses for describing people’s deeds—“does wicked things” and “does what is true”. John uses many opposites in his writings, some we’ve already seen: light vs dark, truth vs lie, Heaven vs the world. Here, though, he does not say “wicked vs good”, he says “wicked vs truth”. Christian ethics are not about following a set of rules, it is about the nature of something. ‘Wickedness’ covers the true form of what we were intended to be.
Here is a quick Greek Lesson:
Faulos is used here for ‘wicked’ which simply means a base form of morality or “worthless, bad” even “easy” sometimes.
“True” here is aletheia, which literally means “not hidden”. Its pure or uncovered form has been revealed. Sin is a covering and a corrosion for what we really are.
What are we really?
We are created to reflect the image of God. If that is true, then however we act we are saying, "This is how God is." To "live in the truth" is to rightly reflect the image of God.
When we love one another we are saying, "God is love".
We give, because God is generous.
We serve, because God serves us.
We show joy, because God is joy.
We show mercy, because God is merciful.
To live in wickedness is to lie about God. It is a false image of God.
If we hate someone or some group, we are saying "God hates".
If we are greedy, we say "God withholds from us".
If we refuse to show mercy or forgive, we say "God is unforgiving".
If we constantly complain and wallow in misery, we are saying "God is miserable and offers no good to us."
If we refuse to serve, then we say "God does not offer us any help."
You see, Christian ethics is not about rules--it's about nature. What is the nature of God? What is the nature of a Christian?
I again return to Genesis 1. Humans were created to reflect the glory of God as His image on earth. No other creature on this planet has that job. In fact, if humans were removed from Earth's equation, the planet would thrive just perfectly. It would thrive in ignorance of its Creator, but it would thrive nonetheless. Every other creature has a purpose in the ecosystem that would throw the whole system out of wack if it was removed. Humans are here to administer God's Creation and reflect His glory. We were created to create and provide order in an otherwise chaotic environment.
Sin corrupts that image by lying to us about our natures. We were made to love, yet we hate. We were made to have joy in the Lord, and yet we complain, we get angry, we get depressed, all because we are corrupted by a spiritual disease that is killing our souls. Sin gives us a false view of ourselves and a false view of God.
Jesus came to show us the Way--the Way things were designed to be. When we repent, we aren't saying, "I'm ready to follow the rules", we're saying, "I'm ready to become what God has intended me to be."
We are born again and made into new creations that can rightly reflect God's glory as intended.
Therefore, I submit to you this:
The reason humans tend to default religion into a set of rules, even the Christian religion, is because we are seeking an ethic that is outside our nature. As corrupted humans, we want to continue in corruption, but Jesus has come to change our natures. It isn’t a process that happens over night, but it does happen. Like caterpillars in a cocoon, we are slowly transforming into a new creature that will be very different from our old natures.
If we think of Christian Ethics as a reflection of natures rather than a set of rules, that rules out the two errors of extreme. Legalism fails because it does not account for the nature of the person or the Holy Spirit’s work. It expects people to “behave” rather than “reflect God’s glory.”
Libertine, or Antinomianism, fails because it doesn’t expect people to be transformed. They expect God to look the other way while His people drown in poison. NO CHURCH!
God saves us and then empowers us to become children reflecting their Father’s glory!
I urge you, today, to reflect the Father’s glory truly. Turn away from the sin that corrupts and destroys you. If you have never trusted in Christ, you can pray right now for forgiveness. I would love to talk with you about trusting in him today. If you have surrendered to Jesus as Lord, then ask God to search your heart for where His image is still being corrupted in your life. Ask Him how you can better reflect His glory—whether by repenting from a sin you are doing, or by actively displaying His glory through kindness, joy, peace, or patience.