John 12:44-50

SUPREMACY OF THE WORD

John 12:44-50. “And Jesus cried out and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me; and he that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent Me.” In this affirmation, Jesus certifies His identity with the Father. “I have come a Light into the world, in order that every one believing in Me may not abide in darkness.” The world had waited four thousand years for the coming of the Incarnate God; meanwhile the profound learning of Egypt, the metaphysical lore of India, the transcendent philosophy of deep-thoughted Greece, and the lofty dictations of mighty Rome, had ransacked the world, exploring every ramification of mythology, science, literature, poetry, oratory, and the fine arts, in the vain and unsatisfactory attempt to solve the mysterious problem of humanity, adjust man to his Creator, tame the ferocity of his animal nature, and subordinate it to the intellectual and the moral, and make him the incarnation of virtue instead of vice, all having exhausted their resources, and despaired of their enterprise, and mutually acquiesced in the conclusion that the Creator and Preserver of the universe would certainly, in condescending mercy, send a Divine Teacher into the world. Hence the Incarnate Son of God was a glorious sunburst on all the nations of the earth, lighting the dark places of every land and clime, and more than satisfying the anticipations of the saints and sages of all the earth.

“If any one may hear My words, and not keep them, I do not judge him for I did not come that I may judge the world, but that I may save the world.” The judgment of the wicked world can mean nothing but condemnation and retribution. But, fortunately for us all, He came, not for judgment, but for salvation. However, in the end, He will judge the quick and dead.

“He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath that which judgeth him: the Word which I have spoken, that will judge him in the last day.” How infinitely momentous is the revealed Word of God! By this Word we are saved, sanctified, edified, fortified, and finally judged. If you are out of harmony with any part of God's Word, to your knees quickly! Repent and get right before you are called into judgment! Even religious people, as a rule, are asleep relative to the momentous importance of the Word.

“Because I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father Himself, having sent Me, gave Me the commandment what I may say and what I shall speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. Therefore whatsoever I speak, as the Father hath said unto Me, so I speak.” Jesus here affirms that the commandment of God is eternal life. Now, the commandment is the Divine injunction for us to obey. Hence you see that we must receive the Word as it is, not venturing to tinker with it, nor attempt to bend it to suit our unsanctified natures, as we will all be judged by it precisely as the Holy Ghost gave it. If your life is in harmony with the precious Word, you should than It God and take courage.