Effective Word

You do not have His word (the Father's) abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. (John 5:38-40)

In this verse I see another major theme of the book of John being introduced. As far as I can remember I have not noticed yet this idea of 'abiding' talked about up to this point in the book. But in chapter 15 Jesus greatly expands on this concept and it becomes one of the most vital truths presented by Him for anyone serious about salvation.

What is interesting to me in this verse is the link made here between abiding and belief, one of the other major subjects of this book and one of the main reasons I am spending so much time studying this book. I want to experience belief, the saving, transforming kind of belief that is pictured in these stories. There is too much confusion and surface teachings about belief and I want to cut through all of that and get to the real deal for myself.

So, what I am finding here is that to believe in Jesus – which is pretty much what this verse is talking about – involves having God's word abiding in me. And intertwined in all of this is the issue of testimonies as is referred to all throughout this section of the chapter.

These Jews evidently had the same idea that many people around me have, at least that many did when I was growing up. They believed that if you memorized the Bible enough and crammed enough information about the Word of God into your brain that surely with all that religious exposure God would be impressed enough to let you into heaven, or something along that line. Jesus explicitly states here that the Jews were searching the Scriptures precisely because they were quite sure that they could have eternal life by doing so.

Now please don't get me wrong – I have nothing at all against getting into the Word intensely. I am nearly an addict when it comes to Bible study, but I can't say that this has been the case much of my life. I was raised in religious schools and a home where I was taught the Word incessantly and required to memorize verses and quotations for many years. I also inherited the habit of daily Bible reading for myself simply because that is what my parents insisted on every day I was in the home, even long after I had grown and was just visiting. But I would have to admit that much of that Bible reading was more from a sense of obligation and duty rather than enjoyment or for deepening a relationship with Jesus.

But those were not completely wasted events in my life, though they could have been much more fruitful if I had not had such fearful internal views of God. My intellect has certainly been primed with years worth of Bible exposure that has served to build up a very valuable internal library of knowledge that has been very helpful since I began to really study the Word with a different motive in mind. Now I am extremely keen on encouraging people to get into the Word for themselves, but not for the purpose of trying to prove that some doctrine is correct or that some teacher they heard is wrong. That is the kind of study that I suspect these Jews were used to and is most often the case with many today who study the Bible. What I am promoting is a very different kind of study.

I really don't believe for a moment that Jesus was trying to dissuade anyone from studying the Scriptures. In fact, He noted in this same verse that those very Scriptures were one of the witnesses that He was utilizing to verify His own importance and identity; so He certainly would not be trying to move people away from getting into the very Word that He Himself had inspired to be written in the first place. The Scriptures, correctly perceived, are indeed one of the best ways to get to know Jesus and the real truth about God. But ironically, a focus on those very same Scriptures can become a stumbling block for many people because they fail to come to that study in the right spirit and for the right purpose.

If we elevate Bible study above a personal, ongoing experience and interaction with Jesus Christ by communicating with Him through our spirit, then Bible study can even become a false god for us eclipsing the real truth just as it did for those Jews in Jesus' day. We may be ever so skilled and knowledgeable about the Scriptures or even have multiple degrees and teach in a Bible seminary somewhere, but all of this is to no avail if we are not fully submitted and connected to God through a humble, intimate, life-producing connection with Him.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. (John 15:4-9)

Jesus spoke about these Jews in John 5 in a way that is very similar to the branches described here as the ones who don't produce fruit. They were drying up and found it impossible to produce the kind of fruit that God is looking for. And the very same thing too often takes place in our lives when we get so caught up in trying to be religious that we miss what it really means to believe and abide in Jesus on an ongoing basis.

How can Jesus' words abide in me? Does that involve getting into the Word of God and listening to His Spirit speaking to me personally and directly as I expose myself to that inspired Word?

It is only as the Holy Spirit is involved very directly in my study of the Word can it really come alive for me and really take on its intended purpose and function in my life. Otherwise I will find myself in the very same trap as these Jews, seeking to achieve eternal life by ever learning about the Word of God but never coming to a real knowledge of the real truth itself which can only found in an abiding, transformational connection with Jesus Christ.

Who is Accusing Who?

I am noticing that there is a variety of witnesses giving testimony to the truth about God and Jesus in the later part of this chapter of John 5. Here is the list of witnesses mentioned by Jesus.

Jesus – verse 31. If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true.

John the Baptist – verses 32-33, 35-36

The Works of Jesus – verse 36. ...the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish--the very works that I do--testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. (see also Matt. 11:4-6)

The Father God – verse 37. The Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me.

The Scriptures – verse 39. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.

Moses – verse 46. If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.

This makes six witnesses so far. But strongly implied within this passage is a missing seventh witness, which was missing because that collective witness refused to bear a truthful testimony. If the Jews of Jesus' day had chosen to, they could have been the witness that completed a 'perfect seven' witnesses to validate the perfection of Jesus as a revelation of the Father.

Interestingly this 'collective witness' refused to bear truthful testimony because it appears they wanted to play judge instead of sticking with witnessing honestly.

You have sent to John. Verse 33 (presumably to evaluate his testimony, acting as a judge themselves).

You were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. Verse 35 (until it became clear what he was saying about Jesus).

You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form (the Father's). You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. Verse 37, 38 (resisting the voice of conscience sent by their heavenly Father).

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. Verse 39 (refusing to reevaluate their entrenched interpretations of Scriptures they had developed over many years).

You are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. Verse 40 (if you did you would experience My work in you).

I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Verse 43, 44.

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words? Verse 46, 47.

Jesus listed six sources of testimony and then listed off all six of these again related to the excuses for the Jews not believing in Him. Instead of joining the six other witnesses and becoming the seventh thus completing a number of perfection, they choose to act as judge themselves to discount all the other witnesses and set up their own standard of measurement as to what and who was true.

What seems to emerge at the end of this chapter is a principle that I have not noticed before. It appears that when one refuses to synchronize with a witness to the truth, that a factor of accusing comes into place. In a trial situation there is both offense and defense. If everyone agrees with the testimonies in favor of the defendant on trial, then there is no tension, no dissension, no controversy and thus no reason for the trial to begin with. The reason a trial takes place at all is when there is an accusation involved from someone against someone else. When someone is accused of something that they deny is true, then there is controversy, tension occurs and a trial is needed to explore both sides of the issue to find out who is telling the truth and who is lying.

The witnesses are those who initially are not on trial but are called to testify from their own perspective and experience what they believe about the one who is on trial. When their testimony conflicts with other witnesses, then they in essence come under suspicion themselves and may be in need of being cross-examined themselves. When one testimony disagrees with other credible testimonies, the dissenting witnesses then begin to feel accused themselves and may feel like they are defendants. This is what Jesus begins to mention here in this chapter.

Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. Verse 45.

As the dissenting witnesses, the Jews were beginning to feel like they were the ones being accused by Jesus and were the real defendants under attack instead of Jesus. Whenever a person stubbornly resists the real truth about God and those in harmony with Him, they immediately try to make it look like they are the ones being attacked and become defensive and self-justifying. They point fingers of blame at those who are exposing their false testimony as the source of all the problems instead of being willing to reexamine their own assumptions and claims.

These men had systematically interpreted every one of the other witness's testimonies in the light of their own prejudice (pre-judging) as being supportive of their rejection of Jesus. They tried to make out that they were actually the ones in the right and that most all the other witnesses that Jesus had mentioned supposedly vindicated their opinions about Him instead of supporting the claims of Jesus about Himself. In doing this they were insinuating that Jesus was trying to accuse them instead of seeing His position as an accused defendant Himself. Thus they were trying to turn it around to make it look like they themselves were the innocent accused party instead of Jesus being the accused. In doing so they were attempting to gain more support and sympathy from the public for their rejection of Him.

But this is a matter of greater importance than they, or most of us ever realize. This is not just an argument about whether Jesus' words about Himself were true or not but has to do with the salvation of every one of us. We are in just as great a danger of ignoring or discounting the testimonies validating the mission and desires of Jesus listed here as were the Jews. We are just as active in making up excuses as to why it is so hard to believe in God as they were, yet we seldom see how we do this. We are often just as blinded to our resistance to God and the truth about His love and passion for us as were the Jews in Jesus' day.

Father, open my eyes, my mind, my heart and my soul to see how I am resisting You and the testimonies You have given to awaken me. Reveal Yourself to me and replace my heart of stone with a new heart of flesh and put Your Spirit within me today so that my life will reflect Your attractiveness toward others.

Credible Testimony

But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. (John 5:34)

There seems to be indication in this verse from the context that humans have a penchant for wanting to give more credence to testimony from other people than we do from what God says. In this passage it appears that Jesus allows for this to some extent by referring to the testimony of John the Baptist. But He does this as He states here, for the purpose of saving people who simply will not give enough credibility to the testimony of God. If we won't initially listen directly to God's testimony, then maybe we have to start with someone else's testimony to get us into better position to listen to Him.

This is evidence that the lies about God's character and reliability are so pervasive in our thinking and attitudes that we are often willing to give more weight to other people's testimony about what is true than we are willing to believe the very Author of truth itself. Yet in this verse Jesus is declaring that from His perspective He is putting all of His own trust in the testimony of the Father rather than the testimony of any human being. He does not discount the authenticity of the testimony of John the Baptist, but He does not personally depend on that testimony to authenticate His own validity. Rather He is stating that He is willing to refer others to John's testimony for the purpose of trying to get people to move away from their position of unbelief into a place closer to saving belief that will allow a person to begin to give the testimony from God more credibility.

I might note here that the real meaning of the word saved has much more to do with a restoration of something, a returning of something or someone to their original design and purpose and function. We often narrowly think of this word only in terms of getting into heaven and fail to relate to God's intention of re-shaping us back into His image here and now. Knowing God and being saved has as much to do with having our own lives transformed and our relationships repaired and our heart healed as it has to do with living closer in proximity to God's immediate presence throughout eternity. In fact, if we do not participate in God's plan of salvation here and now by allowing His Spirit to convict and mature and shape our characters during our time of probation here on earth, we will be disqualified to join the redeemed on the Sea of Glass and finish our preparation to live with Him for the rest of eternity.

Many seem averse to believing that our need of transformation has anything to do with our qualification for heaven. They believe that this smacks of legalism and that the only thing we need to do is to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and admit that we are sinners and ask for forgiveness. While all of this is important, our skewed views of what Calvary was all about has led millions into a false sense of security when it comes to our future life. It is absolutely true that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation in heaven. But on the other hand, the kind of belief that Jesus talks about is not just a mental assent to the facts of truth or of God or even of what Jesus did for us on Calvary. The kind of believing that is necessary for salvation is a heart-based belief that goes to the deepest levels of our motives and affections and perceptions of reality.

Jesus in this verse was not just thinking about trying to get these Jews into heaven to be saved. He was talking about having their current thinking radically altered by choosing to embrace the reality of who He was and to allow His love and grace to transform them in the here and now. If they only agreed to mentally believe what He was saying but failed to have that belief change their heart and their attitudes, that kind of belief would prove to be utterly worthless as James aptly pointed out in his book a few years later. (see James 2:14-26)