Devotional - John 1:17-21

Passage To Study:

John 3:17-21

[17] “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. [18] “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. [21] “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

What are the facts of the passage?:

The purpose of the Son of God coming into the world was not to condemn the world, but to give life.
This is because the world is already condemned before Christ ever enters the picture.
The reason for this is that men are evil by nature and love evil.
Those who are evil stay in the darkness and don't want their deeds shown to be the evil they are.
But those who are genuinely seeking the truth are anxious to have all see that all of their righteous works have been brought into being by God alone.

What do those facts mean?:

This part of the passage underscores what was said earlier about what the real issue is. That issue it human righteousness. The point is that human righteousness is insignificant and insufficient. People reed to be aware of and they must be willing to acknowledge that. Those who are unwilling to recognize this truth demonstrate that they are yet in darkness. Those who are in the light are willing, indeed anxious to proclaim that any good in them has been wrought by God.

How do those facts apply to my life?:

This concept has made all of the difference in my life. In fact, in every man's life this is the mark of genuine salvation. There is real question as to whether one who denies the sovereignty of God in salvation is indeed truly in the light. This concept is at the heart of Reformed Theology and is the biggest part of what has attracted me to it.

What should I do in response?:

Be sure that I understand the Scripture completely in light of these truths - honestly evaluating the Word of God according to what IT says, and not according to what I want it to say.

Day

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