Commentary on John 8 (3)

Commentary on John 8 (3) When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), the Pharisees objected.You testify for yourself, and your testimony is not true (John 8:13).The Lord answers, “You judge after the flesh, but 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.” (John 8:15-16)Since the Father is with the Lord, there is no stumbling block in that testimony.In the same principle, if Jesus Christ is in us, no one can judge us based on our flesh or appearance.Because the one who judges is Christ within us.That is why Apostle Paul said that those who are spiritual are not judged by anyone (1 Corinthians 2:15).Romans 3:4 also says this.“you may be justified in the word of the Lord and may overcome when you are judged.” You must confidently receive justification before the Word of God.It must be acknowledged as right by the Word.And when the devil judges or accuses you, or when the world judges your flesh or appearance, you must overcome that judgment.If you are justified before God through the Word, you will overcome any judgment that comes from man.Christians must be like this.If I am in the light, no one can judge me.However, if I am in the dark, other people's judgment and condemnation will seep into me.However, those who are in the light pretend not to hear no matter how much someone condemns them.Why? Because the light of the Lord within me guarantees me.However, people in darkness have weak spiritual muscles and fall at the sound of a single word.Because the very place where he stands is darkness.However, a person who is in the light, when others make frivolous judgments, he thinks they are talking nonsense in his mind and ends up ignoring it. The reason why Apostle Paul was bold is this.It is the courage to say, “No matter what you say, I am in the light.”Paul was not so bold just because he had seen the third heaven.Paul says, “Even if you don’t call me an apostle, I am in the light. Even if you call me a thief stealing money, I am in the light. Even if you call me a heretic, I am in the light.”Even if everyone running in the race runs all, but only one receive the prize, because he runs with Jesus Christ, who won the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).All Christians should have this kind of boldness.Because people are judged based on their appearance or flesh, they seek vain glory, meet and associate with useless people, and try to protect themselves.But the Apostle Paul says that when Jesus Christ was pleased to be revealed in me, he did not go up to Jerusalem to meet the famous (Galatians 1:16-17)Because he himself is not in the light, when he is judged by people, he shrinks and loses confidence, so he keeps attracting famous people.Those famous people are building themselves up by saying things that make them feel like they are acknowledging them.But we cannot just condemn such people.That person is a person in darkness.He is a man under the shadow of death.We cannot condemn because that is how he lives. We don't know how many humane backroom deals there are even within the religious world.That is darkness, and since they are in darkness, they cannot help but be like that.Those who are in the light know that even if they fall, they fall in the light.Even if we fail, we have the assurance that we fail in the light.No, even if I die, I die in the light; even if I live, I live in the light; even if I am distorted, I am distorted in the light. That is the courage of Apostle Paul.It is a strong claim that it is only God who can judge oneself.So Paul says, ‘Neither do I judge myself’ (1 Corinthians 4:3).Only if you have that kind of courage can you feel comfortable even when a poor missionary sees a luxury car like a Mercedes Benz or BMW.Otherwise, you will try this once and that once, and the horizon of your life will continue to change.A lot of time and material is wasted over countless years.I did that. However, there is this difference between us humans and Jesus Christ.John 8:23-24 “Jesus said to them, ‘You are from below, and I am from above; you are of this world, and I am not of this world.’Therefore I said to you, ‘You will die in your sins.’ Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”If anyone asks what salvation is, the answer is “Heaven,”that is, in heaven above the firmament, here is God, and there is a God-like ‘Ho Logos’ who always faces God and has a relationship with Him. He came to earth from heaven and took away the sins committed by humans. He redeemed all of sins in human form. And he is giving these people the word, giving them his life, and lifting them back to heaven.This is a salvation. So Jesus says you are born from below, and I am born from above.He says you are of this world and I am not of this world.1 John 2 also says, Do not love this world or the things in this world. This means that everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.1 John 2:15-17 says:These things are not eternal, but the word of God and God are eternal. ‘If you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.’In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1), He came down to the earth. We are born from the earth, live on the earth, and go to the eternal lake of fire, but in the beginning was the Word. ‘He came down in human form  and spoke to us so that we may believe.’ This means that there is no hope for anyone who does not believe in this fact.The Word has now come into us as the Spirit of truth, but if we do not believe this and die, it goes without saying that we will be in the lake of fire.So nothing on earth can save us.Because things on earth can never ascend to heaven on their own.“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)All humans fall short of the glory of God because of their sin in Adam. “They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I have been telling you from the beginning.’” (John 8:25) Do you understand what it mean?“In the beginning was the Word,”  This means that this One is Jesus Christ.“From the beginning” means that He has been telling from the beginning.You must definitely believe in him.We must believe that our Lord is Him.Jesus Christ is the One who existed from the beginning and tells all things and us.He is our Savior Jesus Christ.He is now within us through the Spirit of truth.If we hold on to him by faith, we knows that wherever he goes, we go too.Holding on to this fact through the Word is faith. But when does something like this happen?“Then Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, you will know that I am he and that you will know that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me” (John 8:28)This will only happen after the Son of Man is lifted up.This work of salvation occurs after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.The Gospel of John opens after Christ, the Son of Man, was lifted up on the cross.That is why the word ‘at that time’ is very important.This is because it is not a word that can be seen in front of the cross, but only those who have crossed the cross. Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.Translated by  Nancy Chung COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION To God be the glory.