THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

“Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them” (John 8:1-2). “… I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (verse 12).

Previously, we explored chapter 7 in our on-going trek through the book of John. Here, we shall continue on with that journey by exploring chapter 8 and the subject of Jesus’ profound declaration that He is the “light of the world.”

In John 7,8 and 9, the Apostle John tells us about the Savior’s ministry during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Chapter 7 covers His movements during the seven-day festival, while chapter 8 and 9 cover the eighth day, known in Judaism as Shemini Atzeret. On that day, which happened to be a Sabbath, Jesus forgave a woman caught in the act of adultery (chapter 8) and healed a man born blind (chapter 9).

As we open chapter 8, the seventh day of Sukkot had just concluded with the Hoshana Rabbah (the Great Hosanna) rituals. Two events made the seventh day special: (1) the circling of the altar seven times instead of just once while carrying the four species and reciting the hoshana prayers, and (2) the beating of the willows. Pilgrims have been camping out in make-shift booths around Jerusalem for a week. Those who lived in the immediate vicinity would finally get to go back to their comfortable homes. Thus, we are told in John 7:53 that “… every man went unto his own house.” For the pilgrims who came from distant provinces, however, it was a different matter. Only one verse later (John 8:1), we are told that “Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.” Perhaps He went there to see His disciples who had been staying there in makeshift booths during the week. Thousands more also spent another night camping out in order to spend that extra day around Jerusalem.

Early the next morning, Jesus returned to the Temple and began to teach. Religious activity normally began before daybreak. A person was designated to stand on the roof of the Temple and await the morning light. When there was enough light to see Bethlehem, five miles south, he would signal the priests below to offer the morning sacrifice. It is likely that Jesus entered the Temple just before daybreak and began teaching as the dawn commenced.

According to Jewish custom, pilgrims were invited to tarry one more day for the observance of Shemini Atzeret. The Hebrew term Atzeret means, “gathering” (Numbers 29:35) or “to hold back.” This eighth day is said to be God’s invitation to tarry an extra day and visit with God. Prophetically, the seven days of Tabernacles represent seven thousand years of human history. The beating of the willow branches on the seventh day represents the final “day of judgment” in the seventh millennium. This eighth day, in which observant Jews are to linger with God, represents a day that will never end. We can see this prophecy fulfilled in John’s description of the descent of the Holy City, New Jerusalem (Revelation 21) at the beginning of the eighth millennium.

It should be pointed out that the story of the eighth day is given in the eighth chapter of John’s Gospel. The prophetic significance of Shemini Atzeret looks forward to the conclusion of “time” as we know it and the beginning of eternity. Furthermore, as has been pointed out many times, in order to keep the idea that biblical scripture displays the fingerprint of Divine Providence in its structure and composition, the reader should be reminded that the meaning and theme of each individual letter of the Hebrew alphabet corresponds to the subject matter and theme of its respective chapter number in the book of John. That being the case, John’s eighth chapter corresponds to the meaning of the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ח chet, the symbol of transcendence.

The Hebrew Letter Chet

The letter ח chet lines up perfectly with this 8th chapter of the book of John in theme/subject matter. It seems that the Hebrew alphabet is divided into sets of seven letters each, similar to the octaves on a piano. This eighth letter, ח chet, takes us to a new level of experience. It represents transcendence, divine grace and eternal life. It is on a plane above nature – the metaphysical or divine. Just as Shemini Atzeret looks forward to a day that will never end, ח chet stands for Heaven, where there is no night, only eternal day, or shall we say, eternal “light.” The number 7 stands for spiritual perfection, but the number eight stands for a metaphysical level above spiritual perfection. That is, it is a perfection that only God can bestow.

It is said that the ה hay and ח chet are interchangeable in some cases. Both refer to the divine presence of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew term halelim, spelled with a ה hay, is translated “praise,” but the same word chalelim, spelled with a ח chet, is translated “redemption.” These two Hebrew letters seem to represent the two Advents of the Holy Spirit – coming once as the earnest (down-payment) of our inheritance, and coming back to complete our inheritance in the Holy City New Jerusalem in Heaven that shall one day come down to Earth in the future. This offering of a new beginning through the 8th letter ח chet can be easily discerned in the redemption and offering of a new beginning for the woman taken in adultery in ח chet’s corresponding chapter number – chapter 8.

The Woman Taken in Adultery

“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 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. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 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? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:3-11).

A small group of Scribes and Pharisees (perhaps half a dozen or so) interrupted Jesus’ teaching by bringing the woman and accusing her of adultery. Such accusations, even if true, were sure to disrupt any congregation. However, I think that Jesus expected them and was probably teaching some related subject that fit the occasion. He may have arrived at a place in His teaching where the arrival of the woman with her accusers could be used to illustrate His point. In any case, Jesus was never caught off guard. He was in complete control of every situation. It is likely that the congregation had been prepared to understand what was going on when the Scribes and Pharisees arrived.

Camping out for a week among thousands of other pilgrims offered opportunities for temptation. The fact that she was caught in the act implies that she and her lover may have been found in a sukkah or booth. Had they been in the privacy of a house, they might not have been caught. Note that the man was not brought with her. Perhaps she was coerced for the purpose of trying to trick Jesus. Had Jesus agreed that she should be stoned, He could have been accused of breaking Roman law that forbade Jewish executions. However, had he disagreed with the Mosaic Law, He could have lost the confidence of those He taught. We are told that many believed on Him that day – and as such, received eternal life.

Notably, some versions of the Bible leave this story out. It is said by some that the earliest known manuscripts did not include John 7:53 through 8-11. However, there are several reasons to believe that the passage is authentic. The story was listed in the third-century Apostolic Constitutions as biblical grounds for accepting penitents who had been disciplined by the church. Furthermore, the story was believed to be authentic by such early church theologians as Jerome, Ambrose and Augustine. Augustine reported that some men who were “weak in faith” wanted to leave the passage out of Scripture because they were afraid their wives would use it to justify immorality. Instead of answering their question audibly, Jesus stooped down to the ground and began to write.

Silence prevailed for several minutes. The rest of the congregation was silent with anticipation of what was about to happen. After the persistence of her accusers, Jesus finally arose and invited them to cast their stones, but only if they were not guilty of the same sin. As if He was confident that they could not comply, He turned His back to them, stooped down to the ground and continued His writing. One by one, from the oldest to the youngest, they dropped their stones and slipped away. Jesus did not stare them down, so to speak, and force them to make a decision. They simply slipped away while the Savior was not looking.

Over the centuries, theologians have offered various suggestions for this remarkable strategy. Some think that Jesus was listing the sins of the accusers in His writings in the dirt. Others think He may have written the name of the man who seduced her. The first notion would have kept Jesus quite busy. The second suggestion would have alerted the accusers that He was aware of their scheme. Whatever it was that He was writing kept the Savior writing for several minutes. Separately, given that Jesus was God in the flesh, it is also an intriguing possibility that by the act of writing in the dirt, He was also showing the Jews that He was indeed the one that formed Adam from the dust of the Earth during the creation story back in Genesis.

Writing with His finger reminds us of the two tables of the Law known as the Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God. Perhaps Jesus was asserting the fact that He was the one who wrote those Ten Commandments in stone. This is an intriguing possibility given the fact that we know Jesus was God who came to Earth in the flesh. Silent … silent for how long, we do not know. At this point, it should be noted that this theme is repeated in the same chapter of the book of Revelation – the Apostle John’s other book. As has been mentioned in a previous postings, the subject matter and theme in each chapter of the book of John mirrors the subject matter and theme in its corresponding chapter in the book of Revelation, thus showing us the divine Providential fingerprint of God on the structural design of both books and on the biblical text. There, in Revelation chapter 8, the saints in Heaven are silent for a half and hour, just as the event of Jesus’ silence is seen in John chapter 8 as He was writing in the dirt …

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).

In John 8, no stones were cast at the adulterous woman because the Scribes and Pharisees were not worthy. But in Revelation 8, one who is sinless – one who is worthy – takes fire from the altar and casts it into the earth …

“And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:5).

John’s corresponding chapter in Revelation 8 brings us inevitably to the time of His divine judgment. In these passages, the Savior is revealed as both the Lawgiver and the Judge. He was the one who gave the Law to Moses, and He will be the one to carry out its judgment. Note that He asked, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you, go, and sin no more” (John 8:10-11). Some theologians say that Jesus did not specifically forgive her, but simply did not render a judgment at that time, thus giving her the opportunity to turn her life around. By telling her to “go, and sin no more,” He was not condoning her sin, but was agreeing to wait.

Because of Jesus’ teaching in the following verses, it is probable that she believed on Jesus as Savior – thus bestowed with eternal life along with the others (verse 31). Jesus gave the congregation an alternative to sinful living. He told them that He was the giver of divine illumination – the spiritual “light of the world.” Here, it is important to note that Jesus also never gave the impression or statement that “living right” is enough to be forgiven of anything to inherit eternal life. Throughout scripture – including Jesus’ own statements – eternal life can only be received through faith i.e. belief on Him as Savior, not works or right living of any amount.

The Light of the World

“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” (John 8:12).

Notice that John often associates “light” with “life.” In the introduction to this Gospel, John told us: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Today, scientists may gather the various ingredients for a living cell, but they cannot produce life. A cell may seem essentially the same after it dies, but cannot be revived. Simply speaking, scientists cannot create life in a test tube or anywhere else for that matter. Life emanates from somewhere beyond this realm we call time/space and seems to contain the properties of light.

In recent years, various scientific experiments have noted that all living cells give off light. In 1964, a Nobel prize was given to the inventor of the Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID). It was used to shield the interference of the earth’s electromagnetic fields, and thus make it possible to measure the weak electromagnetic fields of living cells. It was discovered that all living things emit actual light. The discovery was reported in the Brain Mind Bulletin: “The cells of living things give off coherent light – ‘biophotons.’ This light is different from what is known as ‘bioluminescence, which we see in fireflies. Biophoton radiation ranges from infrared to ultraviolet. Growing cells radiate more intensely than fully developed ones. Dying cells also show intense photon emission” (Brain Mind Bulletin, volume 10, number 14, August 19, 1985, page 1).

Years ago, Karl S. Kruszelnick, reporting for ABC News, reported that in the 1980s, Japanese companies began to make super-sensitive detectors that could pick up really weak light signals. In fact, to kick-start a Bio-Optics industry, in 1986 the Japanese government threw billions of yen into a five-year Biophoton Research Program. Soon, dozens of scientists all across Japan started finding these weak bursts of light being emitted from living things as varied as insects and fruit.

They found that injured plant seedlings (that had been cut) pumped out masses of photons as they were cut. Masaki Kobayashi, a physicist at the Tohoku Institute of Technology, Sendai, Japan, discovered that cancer cells pumped out photons at the rate of 1,400 photons per square cm per minute – about 35 times higher than non-cancer cells.

But a biophysicist, Guenter AlbrechtBuehler from the Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, thinks that these bunches of photons of light are much more than just a cry of distress. He thought that while they could be a scream of pain, they could also be a method that cells use to talk to each other. After all, (presumably) we still do not know how cells in a growing embryo talk to each other to work out where they go, and what they should do. Of course, ever since the massive genetic manipulation taking place since the Covid con and the globalist’s deadly so-called “vaccine” injections that have now been shown to manipulate human DNA, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised that they have figured the whole matter of cells out these days. Back in the 1980s, Fritz-Albert Popp, who was then lecturing at the University of Marburg in Germany, did an interesting experiment with cells and light. When he separated some cells with an opaque barrier, the cells merrily and randomly squirted out photons of light. But when he removed the opaque barrier, the cells started to squirt out their photons in time with each other.

The fact that the cells became organized to give off photons “in time with each other” suggests the possibility that light may have a certain intelligence in displaying such an obviously designed function – designed not from the ridiculous notion of random chance in evolutionary process, but intelligent design from “someone” or “something” outside of our time/space continuum. Of course, we know that to be God himself. But even for the scientific world and the discipline of science and just plain observation, this should scream Jesus – the “light” of the world.

Karl Kruszelnicki also noted that photon detectors are still primitive – (at least at the time this experiment was done) that they can only pick up about 20% of the photons generated. He said: “Once we develop detectors that are cheap enough to be affordable, and efficient enough to pick up 80% of the photons, then maybe we could see real medical uses for this Light of Life …”

He used the term “Light of Life” and even capitalized the phrase. It seems that he may have taken the term straight from the Bible. Who knows.

It is possible that everything in this universe is comprised of light. Radio waves are simply very wide light waves. Sound waves are even wider. There seems to be a frequency to everything. Though not yet proven (at least to my knowledge), the building blocks of matter may be intricately connected to light waves. We are told that electrons whirl around protons and neutrons. Combinations of these make up all of the elements that form matter. Sound waves narrowly tuned can bring down a bridge or break a glass, meaning that the matter that makes up the bridge or glass may contain a frequency that when harmonized with a certain sound waves can cause sympathetic vibrations. For this reason, armies always break rhythm when marching across a bridge. Jesus is the Light of the World. He brought everything into existence; gives life to cells; and keeps the universe percolating in its present state.

Among the crowd that day were some of Israel’s finest theologians – the Pharisees. They questioned the validity of His claim to being the Light of the world …

“The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 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. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 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. 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” (John 8:13-20).

The Mosaic Law required the testimonies of two witnesses to validate a claim. Therefore, the Pharisees told Jesus that His testimony alone was not enough to validate His claim. In their minds, to be believed, Jesus needed the testimony of another. This argument was presented earlier in John 5:31-47. There, Jesus said that He had several witnesses to validate His deity and mission. In addition to John the Baptist, Jesus said that His work (miracles) bore witness … the Scriptures (prophecy) bore witness … Moses wrote of Him … and finally, God the Father testified as to the true nature of the Son. In chapter 8, Jesus said that the Father was His second witness. His message was so powerful that no one dared to arrest Him. However, anger boiled in the hearts of the Temple authorities.

Who Are You?

“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. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 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. Then said they unto him, Who are you? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. 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. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father” (John 8:21-27).

One again, Jesus tells the group that He is going away and that they cannot come. We understand that to mean that the Savior was going to return to Heaven. This occurred in the opening chapter of the book of Acts. However, on that day the people could not comprehend such a statement. Some questioned whether Jesus might kill Himself. On the previous day, some of the Jews wondered if Jesus was going to leave the country, tour the world and teach the Gentiles (John 7:35). Remarkably, they were more right than wrong. Jesus did return to Heaven, and since then, the Gospel has gone out around the world – to the Gentiles.

When they heard Jesus say that He was not of this world, but rather from Heaven above, they asked Him, “Who are you?” It is as if they could not make up their minds about His messianic claims. They asked Him to tell them plainly if He was the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus replied that He had already told them, and that His message had never varied from the beginning of His ministry. Still, they could not understand. They just could not comprehend His relationship with the Father. They didn’t know who it was that sent Him.

Jesus Foretells His Crucifixion

“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. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. As he spake these words, many believed on him” (John 8:28-30).

The Savior’s statement about being “lifted up” shows that He knew about the future, and signified by what means He would die. Though, under Roman rule, capital punishment was suspended, the Jewish method of execution was stoning. However, with the Romans came crucifixions. When Jesus talked with Nicodemus, He referred to being “lifted up” (John 3:14), and again, here, He speaks of being “lifted up.” This is an obvious reference to Roman crucifixions.

Jesus referred to His Father, and that He only taught the things that the Father had taught Him. Some in the crowd realized that He was speaking about God the Father and believed on Him. For them, Jesus had a word of admonition:

Freedom In Christ

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:31-36).

When Jesus told them that they can be free, some (probably unbelievers) took exception, saying that they were the off-spring of Abraham and were subject to no man, when in fact, they were servants of the Roman government. To clear up the metaphor, the Savior explained that He was referring to the spiritual condition of Adam’s progeny. That we are all in the state of sin and can only be set free from its bondage through faith in Christ wherein the spirit of a man/woman gets recreated from its state of death (sin) into a state of regenerative life – eternal life.

Abraham’s Seed

“I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 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. 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. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 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. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word” (John 8:37-43).

Not all of the group attending the session was plotting the Jesus’ death, but some were. Those are the ones to whom the Savior speaks in verses 37-43. He said that they were not Abraham’s children, implying that though they were from the lineage of Abraham, they did not share his faith. They were not the spiritual seed of Abraham. To counter the comment, the Jews hurled an accusation at Christ, implying that He was born of fornication when they said that they were not born from such an illicit relationship. In verse 48, they accuses Jesus of being fathered by a Samaritan. To the Jews, this was intended to be an insult. The Samaritans had immigrated from Iran centuries before and had intermarried among the northern tribes. Since Jesus was from the northern province of Galilee, they naturally assumed that He must have had descended from a Samaritan lineage. These argumentative Jews claimed that God was their Father, but Jesus countered by telling them that the devil was their spiritual father:

The Devil’s Children

“You 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. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:44-51).

The entire conversation centered around Jesus’ claim of Deity. The Pharisees and Scribes could not bring themselves to believe this. The more Jesus explained His position, the more angry they became. The unbelieving Jews thought they had trapped Jesus because He said that anyone who believes in Him can live forever. They were now convinced that He was demon possessed …

“Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 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: 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. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:52-58).

Their argument against Jesus’ offer of eternal life was that righteous Abraham was dead. Jesus countered by saying that Abraham rejoiced to see the First Advent of Christ. Perhaps He was saying that Abraham was still alive – living in an eternal state. Furthermore, Jesus explained that He also existed in this eternal state before Abraham was ever born. He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” This was a profound claim. Jesus lived in Heaven before taking up temporal residence as the baby from Bethlehem. He was an eternal being living temporarily in a human body. That was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. The unbelieving Jews picked up stones to cast at Him. Perhaps they picked up the very stones that had been dropped by the adulterer’s accusers. They were ready to stone Him.

Jesus Disappears

“Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:59).

Jesus simply disappeared before they could stone Him. He withdrew Himself from their view and simply walked through the crowd. To go “through the midst of them” implies that He walked toward the angry mob. Had he done so in a normal manner, the crowd could have captured Him. But, if He vanished from their sight and walked through their bodies, He demonstrated His deity.

As we shall see in the next chapter, Jesus met a man born blind as He exited the Temple compound. In this chapter, He forgives a wayward wife, and in the next chapter, He heals a man born blind. These are prophetic scenarios of what will happen after His return. He will forgive the bride/wife of spiritual infidelity and will open the spiritual eyes of all men and women. Quite clearly, these troubled Jews were acting out of spiritual blindness. It will not always be this way. Someday, we who now see through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12) will finally understand the mind of God.

“YOU WILL DIE IN YOUR SINS:” THE ONLY WAY INTO HEAVEN – WHAT YOU MUST DO TO RECEIVE IT

In the all-important matter of the destiny of one’s eternal soul after the inevitable event of physical death falls upon a person, Jesus’ statement in this 8th chapter of John wherein He said to the Pharisees, “if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins” should be an absolutely sobering one for the average Christ-rejecting person. Although He was speaking to the Pharisees at the moment He stated it, it was not a truth pertaining just to them. He was revealing a truth that applies to all of humanity – to each and every individual past, present and future.

Notice that Jesus did not say, “If you do not stop committing acts of sin, you shall die in your sin.” He equated spiritual death with unbelief toward Him being the Son of God and refusing to personally receive Him into a person’s heart as the propitiation and cure for the un-regenerated state of death of the human spirit/soul. Unless a person comes to a place of belief toward Christ, the state of sin and death will remain the condition of the spirit/soul of a person. It is a condition that Jesus warned will send a person to condemnation in the afterlife. Another way of seeing this profound statement from Jesus is that if you die in a state of unbelief toward Him, your sins are not forgiven and cannot be forgiven once the soul enters eternity – thus, you have “died in your sins.” Both ways of looking at this statement are equally true.

In order to accept the offer of God’s grace and his salvation, you must take the crucial three steps of

1. Agreeing – A belief and agreeing with God in all that he says in his word, the Bible, about the fact that you are separated from God, as every man and woman on the face of the earth are before accepting his salvation.  The Bible reveals that all are separated from him in a spiritual state of death, or said another way that the Bible reveals it, in a state of sin, that will result in damnation in the afterlife.  Agreeing with God in your heart that you are in need of his salvation.  The Bible reveals that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman, and thus, responds accordingly to the person who comes to him for salvation in recognition of his inability to save himself.  The Bible makes these facts very clear – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  The Bible describes these three kinds of death:

• physical death (the state experienced when life leaves our bodies).
• spiritual death (spiritual separation from God caused by our state of spiritual death inherited from the first man Adam – the state of sin that results in our daily outward acts of sin, whether deliberate or not, whether omissive or not; and finally …
• the second death (the fixed state entered into by the individual who dies physically while he or she is dead spiritually). This state is entered into after the death of the body which results in punishment in the afterlife until the event of the Great White Throne Judgment occurs wherein the damned are resurrected from Hades, or Hell, and are judged according to their works and finally destroyed and cease to exist after being cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14 refers to this tragic end of the unsaved as the “Second Death” (verse 14). It is this state of suffering entered into after physical death and then final destruction at the Great White Throne Judgment in particular which is the horrible result of receiving the wages of sin (unforgiven due to unbelief and rejection of Christ). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently described such a death as being irrevocable in a destiny which he called Hell.  He described Hell as a literal place of judgment (Matthew 13:42); a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8); a place of torment (Luke 16:24,28); a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50); a place of remorse (Mark 9:44-48); of bitter memory (Luke 16:25), and a place originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  In fact, Jesus more often warned about Hell than he spoke about Heaven.

It is not God’s will or desire that any person should be consigned to perish in Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but rather that all should come to repentance of unbelief toward him and believe on him for the salvation of the individual’s soul.  But God’s justice requires that the “soul who sins” (remains in it’s state of death or state of sin) is the one who will die a second time after a long period of torment (Ezekiel 18:4).  So, agree with God, admitting that you are unable to save yourself and in a state of sin under God’s just condemnation for that sin and that you are in need of his salvation.

2. Believing – Then, believe that God does not want you to perish eternally in the torment of Hell because of your sin.  Believe that God loves you so much that he provided a way whereby he could still be a just, holy and righteous God, and yet pardon you.  Believe that God did not just overlook sin, but that he sent his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to provide salvation by personally paying the penalty for sin.  Believe that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, burial and resurrection is the best-attested fact of antiquity, did come to earth to live, die, rise again and ascend to Heaven in order to provide justification and salvation for all who trust him.  Believe that he, and he alone, can save you because he has fully satisfied the just demands of God.  Believe that you can’t become righteous in God’s sight by your own effort.  Believe that he wants to save you and that he will save you.  The Bible provides a solid basis for such belief …

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

“But God demonstrates his love toward us in this:  while we were yet sinners,  Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man or woman who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). 

“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.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures … ” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 

“Jesus answered, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [drive away]” (John 6:37).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Calling – It is not enough to agree with God, admit your need, and believe that Christ can and will save you.  You must act upon those facts. God’s requirement is that you repent of your unbelief toward him and actively call upon him for the salvation of your soul based on the fact that you cannot save yourself. It is unbelief in particular that damns the soul to its horrible fate …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

You must be willing to completely turn from your own efforts to save yourself or from any other hope.  You must come to Christ, calling upon him for salvation and counting on the fact that he will do what he has promised.  This means simply taking the gift of pardon and eternal life which he offers.  Merely believing about Jesus Christ without coming to him makes as much sense and is as effective as believing that a medication can successfully treat a fatal disease, but failing to take it.  Yet again, the Bible emphatically and authoritatively provides the basis for such statements.

The word translated “believe” here means to “rest one’s entire weight and trust on the object or person in which the belief is placed.”  It requires action in keeping with the intellectual assent of that belief.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

” … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The logical question you may be asking at this point is:  “how do I come to Christ and call upon him?”  The answer is that “calling upon the Lord” is just another term for praying, or talking to God.  To talk to God is not a complicated process, dependent upon some special rituals.  God has invited people to approach him through his Son in simple, straightforward terms.  In fact, Jesus approved of the dishonest, despised tax collector who simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”  While the exact words of your prayer to God are not of vital importance (since God sees and knows the attitude of your heart), the following is the kind of prayer that you could pray in calling upon God for salvation …

“Dear Lord Jesus:  I realize that I need you.  I admit that I have sinned and that I deserve your just, eternal punishment for that sin.  But I am sorry for my sin and I am turning to you and asking for forgiveness.  I believe that you died and rose again to pay sin’s penalty on my behalf.  I come to you and open my heart to you.  I ask you to come into my life, forgive me for all of my sin and make me your child.  I invite you to take control of my life and to cause me to be the kind of person you would have me to be.  I thank you for doing this because you have promised that whosoever calls upon you, as I am doing now, shall be saved.  I pray this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, I urge you to sincerely and genuinely express it to God as your prayer.  The Bible makes clear that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, God forgives our sins and counts us righteous, and that when we openly confess with our mouth what we have done in our heart,  God gives us assurance of that salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).