"After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
In today's quote, Jesus heals the man by the pool called Bethesda and is called out and accused by the leaders of the Jews for working on the sabbath.
After explaining the divine authority given Him by God, His Father, Jesus explained the operation of God as it pertained to Him and the means by which one can receive "everlasting life".
In the final verse of today's quote, Jesus said; "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and SHALL NOT come into condemnation; but IS passed from death unto life."
We should carefully analyze that statement so as to positively and surely understand it.
Note that Jesus first makes reference to who can receive everlasting life. He said those who "HEAR" my word, and (also) "BELIEVETH" on Him that sent me (''Him" being God the Father) will have everlasting life.
To "hear" means to understand and accept. To "believe on" means to regard as authoritative beyond all doubt.
Therefore, those who accept the gospel (word) of Jesus and believe that God is the ultimate and authoritative Master of all things, WILL receive everlasting life. (Salvation, or an eternity with God in heaven.)
After a person has heard and believed, he/she is assured by what Jesus said in the last part of the statement, that he/she will NEVER lose that everlasting life. Jesus said, "and SHALL NOT come into condemnation; but IS PASSED from death unto life."
The phrase "shall not come into condemnation" is a promise straight out of the mouth of Jesus that those who hear and believe will NEVER ("shall not") suffer condemnation, under any circumstance. No man can bring one back into condemnation after that one has believed, nor will God ever re-condemn the saved.
The statement goes further to promise that those who hear and believe are already "PASSED from death unto life". The word 'is' is present tense and means that the passing has ALREADY occurred. Therefore there is no waiting period for salvation, it occurs the moment the lost soul accepts the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. This quote also means there will be no judgment for the souls of the saved, seeing that they have already been "PASSED" from death unto life.
I hope those who mistakenly believe that after placing their faith in God through Jesus Christ one can lose his/her salvation and that there are other steps to receiving it, will study today's lesson very carefully since it very clearly establishes that once a person is saved, they remain saved throughout eternity, no matter what they do here on earth. The newly saved person IS PASSED from death unto life everlasting.~
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