21 So He said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come?’” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to Him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.” 27 They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” 30 As He was saying these things, many believed in Him.
John chapter 8 provides us with a record of a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. From verse 12 through to the end of the chapter, Jesus is essentially preaching a sermon to them which they completely reject.
Their reaction to His opening statement in verse 12 sets the tone for the rest of the chapter. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Their response was, “Your testimony is not true.”
We’ll be spending a couple more weeks in chapter 8, and we’ll see that their response to Jesus’ preaching was consistent. They disputed His claims and His preaching, and they wanted Him stopped. Martin Luther called Jesus’ teaching to the Pharisees in chapter 8, “a dreadful sermon, an appalling and dreadful word of farewell.” Not that what Jesus said was dreadful, but rather, those who rejected His teaching have every reason to be filled with dread. Jesus told them there would be a time when His preaching would end, and that would be a time of dread, darkness and despair for those who do not believe.
They just wanted Him to go away, and Jesus replied that one day they would get their wish. “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” (John 8:21) Essentially, what Jesus was saying was that it would not be long before they would not have to put up with Jesus and His preaching, but this wouldn’t be a good day for them. The exact opposite is true. Jesus was telling Him that the day would come when He would leave, and His preaching would come to an end, but with disastrous consequences for those who reject Him and His message.
Martin Luther again wrote, “When He goes away we will not know what God is, or what life, righteousness, and salvation are, or how to be redeemed from sin and death. Everything is gone with Christ.”
And John Calvin, “If the Gospel be not preached, Jesus Christ is, as it were, buried.”
Without salvation in Christ, without saving faith in Him, all that is left is darkness. He said in verse 12, “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Therefore, those who do not follow Him remain in darkness. You might remember from a few weeks ago when we looked at this verse, that spiritual darkness means living in ignorance and foolishness, and this is where the Pharisees were because of their stubborn unbelief.
Because they did not believe in Jesus, they were simply unable to follow His teaching and were left in the dark.
The same principle applies today. Those who resist the truth of who Jesus is and why He came and died, just don’t get it, but we shouldn’t be surprised. As 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” And Paul also writes in Romans 1:18, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Suppress and ignore the truth for long enough, and you will soon be so far removed from the grace of God, that you will not be able to see the light of Christ because of the spiritual darkness you are living in.
In verse 23 Jesus perfectly summarised the problem of the Pharisees, and all who refuse to accept Him. “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” We were created in the image of God to reflect His nature and His character, but because of unbelief, those who continue to suppress the truth in their unrighteousness remain from below and of this world.
Those who do turn to Christ in repentance and faith though, are no longer of this world. Paul describes this great contrast in Philippians 3:18-21. “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.”
When the preaching and proclamation of the Gospel comes to an end, all that remains for unbelievers is darkness, but it gets even worse. Not only does unbelief bring darkness, but it is a darkness that gets worse and not better. Jesus said in verses 21 and 24, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.”
Jesus is not only stressing the necessity of faith in Him in order to be saved, but also the tragic consequences of unbelief. There is a subtle, yet important difference in what Jesus says in these two verses. In verse 21, He warns that unbelievers will die in their “sin.” By speaking in the singular, He is referring to the state or condition of sin in which we die without Christ. But in verse 24, He changes to the plural: “You will die in your sins.” Here He is speaking about the actual transgressions of God’s law.
It’s important for us to understand the difference here, because when we do, it completely negates the argument that we hear so often. “I’m actually a good person. Yes, I do make the odd mistake here and there - I’m only human after all, but it’s not like I’m a mass murderer or anything. I’m really not a bad person.” We’ve heard that all before, but the real problem is not the sinful acts we commit. It is the reality that we are first and foremost, sinners by our very nature. The sins we commit are the bad fruit of the inner problem.
It’s not my sins that make me a sinner. Rather, I commit sins because I am a sinner. There is no doubt that Adolf Hitler committed worse sins in his life than I have in mine. He was a worse sinner than me. But in my sinful state or nature I am no better than he was. I need a Saviour just as much as Hitler did. And so do each of you. Without Christ, we are just as lost as everyone else who does not accept salvation in Christ.
There may be different degrees of sin, but there are no different degrees of lostness. You will die either saved or lost. Those are the only two possible options.
We need to get this idea out of our heads that by just trying to be nicer, that God will accept us. Being nice people is a good thing, but being nice will not save you. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that, and this is what the lost need to hear. The Pharisees needed to hear it, and the lost in our time need to hear it too.
The truth is that unbelievers die unregenerate, corrupt, and in a state of sin that is unfit for Heaven, and this is why they need to hear the Gospel message. They need to hear about what God has done for them through Christ in order for them to be saved, and most importantly, they need to hear what they can be saved from.
One of the worst things you can say to a non-believer is, “God loves you, and has a wonderful plan for your life,” but you hear it all the time.
That is not presenting the Gospel, and it does not bring lost sinners to salvation. All it does is produce false converts who have no real understanding of the Gospel, because there is no talk about sin and wrath.
The Bible teacher Paul Washer says that when you tell someone that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life, their reply goes something like this: “God loves me? Hey, I love me too! And He has a wonderful plan for my life? So do I! I like this kind of God. Where do I sign up?”
Read the New Testament. The apostles never shared the Gospel this way. The Bible tells us that God’s wrath is upon unbelievers, and this is what they need to hear. Help them see their sin and its consequences, warn them of the judgment of God, and then give them the Gospel by telling them there is good news, that Jesus took the punishment they deserve, and that they can be spared the wrath of God if they put their faith in the saving work of Jesus.
The point is that the lost will never accept the good news without first hearing that there is bad news. If you don’t know you’re lost, why on earth would you want to be found? So in order for us to appreciate what God has saved us for, we have to know what He has saved us from.
And this is why it is critical for the Church and individual Christians to not neglect the importance of faithfully proclaiming the Gospel. Our example is Jesus Himself. His message was rejected by most, but He continued to proclaim Himself as the only means of salvation. In a world which is becoming increasingly hostile to the Gospel message, we must be faithful to our calling to share the hope which is to be found in Christ, and in Christ alone.
The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, “Christ did not send me to baptise but to preach the Gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:17-24)
The theologian J C Ryle wrote, “Let us beware of despising preaching. In every age of the Church it has been God’s principal instrument for the awakening of sinners and the edifying of saints.”
The Pharisees in John 8 still had the opportunity to hear the preaching of Jesus, and we see a glimmer of hope in verse 30. Despite all the opposition Jesus faced, “As He was saying these things, many believed in Him.” This was, however, not true for all who heard what Jesus had to say to them.
Verses 25 to 26, “They said to Him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.’”
Their question, “Who are you?” was not a genuine or honest question. They had heard Jesus’ preaching many times, so they knew exactly who He was claiming to be. What they really meant was, “Just who do you think you are? What gives you the right to preach at us?”
Jesus answered with a remarkable understatement. “I have much to say about you and much to judge.” They had rejected Him, so their judgment was coming, and He would continue to call out their hypocrisy and sin, while at the same time calling the lost to repentance.
Jesus’ words, “I have much to say,” needs to be the motto of the Church today. We have much to say about the only hope the lost have. Unfortunately, Christians are too easily overwhelmed by the opposition we face each day, but the Bible tells us to expect ridicule, persecution and hatred.
So we must continue to bring the message of hope to the world. God has given us our message, and that means we have much to say to the world about God and man, life and death, truth and error, and salvation and judgment. When the world criticises or shouts us down by saying, “Just who do you think you are? What gives you the right to preach at us?” our reply must be, “We have much to say because we serve Christ, and we are to follow His example. Your rejection of God’s truth will not stop us from speaking.”
Make no mistake, we are going to face greater and greater opposition to the preaching of God’s Word, but as Peter said to Jesus in John 6:68-69, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
In verse 26 Jesus said, “He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.” His message came from God Himself, and so does ours. It is the same message of hope which we bring to the lost. This is why it is so important for us to know the Word of God, and to accurately and faithfully proclaim the Gospel.
Unfortunately, there is a trend in many evangelical circles to move away from the central message of the Bible, and in so doing, the Church has lost its way. Some of the largest and most influential evangelical Churches today were started with questionnaires asking non-believers what they wanted to hear and do in Church, and the result is what Charles Spurgeon warned about some 150 years ago. He said that the time is coming in the Church when the shepherds will no longer be feeding the sheep. Rather, the clowns will be entertaining the goats. This is true of many so-called “churches” today.
I like the way John MacArthur puts it: “I couldn’t care less what an unbeliever wants in a Church service.” These secular surveys showed that people didn’t want to hear about what the Bible had to say, so Biblical language has been replaced by the language of psychology.
The result is that many Churches are filled with false converts who don’t know what they believe. They no longer speak the language of the Bible to the culture. Instead they speak the language of the culture to the Bible. There is so much confusion about the truth in the Church today, because probably the biggest single challenge facing the Church in our day is Biblical illiteracy.
We have to know what we believe, and why we believe it. Without a solid Biblical foundation, the preaching of the Church is stripped of its power, and sermons become nothing more than motivational pep-talks.
The Pharisees in John 8 were not interested in Jesus’ message, but that did not stop Him.
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:2, “We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”
Can you imagine what the Church would be like today if Jesus and His apostles had followed the advice of church-growth consultants today, who insist that the audience must determine the message? We would have no Gospel to proclaim.
Verse 27 says, “They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father.” They just didn’t get what Jesus was saying. So how did Jesus respond? Did He say, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?” Did He tone down His message to make it less offensive, and more acceptable?
No. “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.” (John 8:28)
Jesus was talking about a future event that would validate all He had been teaching. Three times in John’s Gospel (3:14, 8:28 and 12:32), Jesus spoke about the Son of Man being lifted up. He was referring to His atoning death on the cross. The cross and His subsequent resurrection on the third day would validate His preaching, and this is why the cross of Christ must always be at the centre of our preaching.
It was at the cross that Jesus secured our deliverance from judgment, when He died as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all who believe in Him. It was at the cross where He exchanged our sin for His righteousness.
Of course, the world doesn’t want to hear about the cross, because we can’t preach Christ and Him crucified without giving the reason for His death: sin and judgment. The world doesn’t want to hear about the wrath of God, but unless if they do, how will they ever learn that they need a Saviour?
Most people today don’t want to hear these things, just like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, but we have no choice. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Again, look at the preaching of the apostles in the New Testament. They did not stop preaching the cross. They consistently and faithfully preached about the necessity of the blood of Christ as the only way to avoid divine punishment in hell.
In order to be saved, we are to believe in Jesus not as a wise teacher, a social activist or a personal life coach. We are to believe in Him as the only Son of God, the one who took our sin upon Himself as He bore the holy wrath of God in our place. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” That is what we believe, and that is what we preach.
Homegroup Study Notes
Read John 8:21-30
The reformer Martin Luther wrote that Jesus’ teaching in chapter 8 to the Pharisees was, “a dreadful sermon, an appalling and dreadful word of farewell.”
What did Luther mean here, and how do the words of Jesus in John 8 apply to our world today?
In verse 21 Jesus warns His listeners that unless they are saved, they will “die in your sin,” while in verse 24 He says they will “die in your sins.”
What is the significance of Him using both singular and plural in these verses?
As we heard on Sunday, it is not the sins we commit that make us sinners. Rather, we commit sins because we aresinners.
Discuss the fundamental differences between these two statements. How does the second statement stand against the often-heard saying, “I’m not really a bad person?”
Jesus said to the Pharisees in verse 26, “I have much to say to you.” The truth is that the Church has much to say to those who continue to reject salvation through Christ.
How do we do this faithfully without being “preachy?”
(Is this even possible?”