The Faithful Obedience of a Steward Who Honestly Communicates Only the Living and Active Words of the Lord Who Sent Me

 

The Faithful Obedience of a Steward Who Honestly Communicates Only the Living and Active Words of the Lord Who Sent Me

 

 

 

 

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of earthly things.  The one who comes from heaven is above all.  He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.  Whoever accepts his testimony has certified that God is true.  For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever does not obey the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains upon him” (John 3:31–36).

 

 

(1)   When I read today's passage, John 3:31–36, in both the Korean Bible and the Greek New Testament, the first thing that caught my attention was the apostle John's description of Jesus Christ as “the One who is above all” [ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν (epanō pantōn estin)], “the One who comes from above” [Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος (ho anōthen erchomenos)], and “the One who comes from heaven” [ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος (ho ek tou ouranou erchomenos)] (v. 31).  I wanted to meditate more deeply and specifically on these descriptions of Jesus Christ.  One thing particularly intrigued me. After using the Greek word ἄνωθεν (anōthen), meaning “from above,” the apostle John used a different Greek word, ἐπάνω (epanō), meaning “above” or “over.”  Why did the apostle John use these two different Greek words?

 

(a)    Here, the apostle John's three declarations concerning Jesus Christ—“the One who is above all,” “the One who comes from above,” and “the One who comes from heaven”—form a magnificent proclamation that reveals, from three complementary perspectives, the supreme divine sovereignty and glory of Christ in the Christology of John's Gospel.  The following is an AI-assisted explanation of the theological significance of John's deliberate placement of these three expressions within a single verse (Internet):

 

1.       Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος (ho anōthen erchomenos) — “The Mystery of Origin and Source: The One Who Comes from Above”

 

Specific meaning: The Greek word ἄνωθεν (anōthen), meaning “from above,” is exactly the same word Jesus used when speaking to Nicodemus about being born again—or born from above—in John 3:3 (Jn. 3:3, 31).  This expression identifies the origin and source of Jesus Christ.

 

Redemptive-historical message: Jesus is not merely a teacher whose identity and authority arose from earthly ancestry, human will, worldly philosophy, or human education (1:13; 3:2).  Rather, He is the unique divine Person who came from God Himself.  He had been in the bosom of God the Father from eternity, and He came down from heaven, entering human space and time, to save humanity (1:1, 14, 18; 3:13).

 

2.      ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος (ho ek tou ouranou erchomenos) — “The Mystery of Reality and Authority: The One Who Comes from Heaven”

 

Specific meaning: In the latter part of verse 31, the apostle John repeats and reinforces the preceding concept expressed by anōthen (“from above”) through the more explicitly spatial expression: ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (ek tou ouranou) — “from heaven.”  He thereby connects the two expressions to emphasize the heavenly origin of Jesus Christ (3:31).

 

Redemptive-historical message: Human beings who are born of the earth—including John the Baptist, Nicodemus, and all humanity—remain earthly by nature, regardless of how great they may appear.  They are limited by earthly understanding and can speak only within the boundaries of their human condition, which this meditation compares to the inferior wine (2:10; 3:31).  Jesus, however, came directly from the eternal, transcendent realm of heaven.  Therefore, He possesses the unique authority to testify perfectly concerning heavenly truth and the mystery of substitutionary redemption—the heavenly things that human reason could never discover on its own.  He testifies to what He Himself has seen and heard (3:11–12, 32).

 

3.      ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν (epanō pantōn estin) — “The Mystery of Supreme Rule: The One Who Is Above All”

 

Specific meaning: While the preceding expressions establish the heavenly origin of Jesus Christ, this expression proclaims His absolute sovereign authority.  The Greek word ἐπάνω (epanō) means “above” or “over.”  In this context, it expresses the supreme position and authority of Jesus Christ over all things(v. 31).

 

Redemptive-historical message: The apostle John emphasizes this declaration twice in verse 31, placing it at both the beginning and the conclusion of his statement.  Jesus Christ stands supreme over every created being on earth.  His authority extends over the power of Rome, the Pharisaic religious system, the humanly constructed temple that had taken forty-six years to build (John 2:20), the powers of Satan and Hades, and even John the Baptist himself, who had previously carried out his ministry.  Thus, this declaration affirms that Jesus Christ is the supreme Ruler and Creator who exercises complete authority over the entire universe and all creation (1:1, 3; Mt. 16:18) (Internet).

 

(2)   Second, when I read that the One who came from heaven and is above all things “testifies to what He has seen and heard” [ὃ ἑώρακεν καὶ ἤκουσεν, τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖ (ho heōraken kai ēkousen, touto martyrei)] (John 3:31–32), I wanted to consider the question: What exactly is the testimony that Jesus Christ gives?  At the same time, I wanted to reflect on the meaning of the two different responses to His testimony: “No one receives His testimony” [τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτοῦ οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει (tēn martyrian autou oudeis lambanei)] (Jn. 3:32).  And: “Whoever receives His testimony has certified that God is true” [ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐσφράγισεν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής ἐστιν (ho labōn autou tēn martyrian esphragisen hoti ho theos alēthēs estin)] (v. 33).  What is the meaning of these two seemingly contrasting statements?

 

1.      The True Substance of the Testimony That the Lord Has Personally Seen and Heard

 

A living knowledge expressed in the perfect tense: The Greek word translated as “has seen” is: ἑώρακεν (heōraken).  This verb is in the perfect tense.  It does not refer to indirect information gathered by prophets born on earth through visions, meditation, or other means.

 

The essential message of redemptive history: Rather, according to this meditation, it refers to the eternal plan of redemption and the heavenly realities that Jesus Christ has personally seen and heard in His eternal fellowship with God the Father within the Trinity.  From eternity, He has been in the bosom of the triune God, in perfect communion with the Father, directly knowing the divine plan of salvation.  In other words, the true substance of the Lord's testimony is the very gospel of the cross and the perfect, substitutionary love of the new covenant, which we have already meditated upon so fervently: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (v. 16).  This is the glorious message of God's redemptive love revealed in John 3:14–17.

 

2.      The First Response: “No One Receives His Testimony” — The Total Depravity of Humanity

 

The contrast and paradox in the original Greek: In the first part of verse 32, the Lord vividly testifies to what He has personally seen and heard.  Yet immediately afterward, the passage declares: “No one receives His testimony” [οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει (oudeis lambanei)].  This is a striking declaration of humanity's spiritual condition. 

 

The theological purpose: According to this meditation, this statement reveals the tragedy of humanity's total depravity and spiritual blindness.  It corresponds directly to the declaration in John 1:10–11: Although the true Light came into the world, the world did not recognize Him, and His own people did not receive Him.  Human beings remain imprisoned within their shallow earthly reasoning, the limitations of their understanding, and the religious system symbolized here by the temple that took forty-six years to build.  Consequently, they are utterly incapable, through their own wisdom, of receiving even one percent of the true heavenly sign—the gift of grace and substitutionary redemption accomplished through the cross.  This verse exposes the miserable spiritual condition of fallen humanity, which cannot receive the heavenly truth of salvation by its own strength.

 

3.      The Second Response: “Whoever Receives His Testimony Has Certified That God Is True” (Jn. 3:33)

 

The declaration of sealing: This response means that a person completely overturns every false worldly privilege and every human calculation before the cross.  That person stakes his entire life upon the spiritual truth that the words of Jesus Christ and His substitutionary love (v.16) are the only true reality of salvation in his life, and that the God who promised this salvation is faithful and true.  He thereby places, as it were, a final and decisive seal upon this confession.  “Has certified” — ἐσφράγισεν (esphragisen): An Absolute Confirmation and a Final Receipt

 

The meaning and historical background of the original word: The Greek verb translated as “has certified” or “has set his seal” is: ἐσφράγισεν (esphragisen).  Its lexical form is: σφραγίζω (sphragizō) — “to seal.”  In the ancient world, this word referred to the act of a king or owner pressing his signet ring firmly upon a document or possession.  Such an action established ownership, authenticated the contents, and gave the document legal authority by protecting it against unauthorized alteration.

 

The redemptive-historical message: A person who receives into his soul the heavenly gospel that Jesus Christ has personally seen and heard—the message of His substitutionary death on the cross and the Father's love revealed through His only begotten Son—does more than merely agree with it intellectually.  He stakes his entire life upon this great truth: “The words of Jesus Christ are completely true, and God the Father who sent Jesus Christ is faithful and true.”  Such a person confirms this confession by placing his final seal upon it ( v. 33).

 

A Confession of Faith Concerning Our God-Given Mission: This is the living confession of faith of a true Israelite who completely trusts the voice of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom who is above all things, while allowing his own name and importance to disappear.  Through this faith, he bears radiant witness to the complete sovereign victory of the new covenant.  The Lord defeats the powers of Hades and faithfully prepares Victory Presbyterian Church and its members to stand before Him as His spotless and glorious Bride, the Church.

 

The Reversal of Sovereignty: The Paradox of Human Beings Affirming God's Faithfulness

 

The greatness of this confession of faith: The structure of this passage reveals an astonishing spiritual paradox.  Ordinarily, it is God the Creator who places His seal upon human beings, His creatures, declaring: “You belong to Me” (1:12–13; 6:27; Eph. 1:13).  Yet John declares that the human being who receives the testimony of Jesus Christ responds by placing his own seal upon the confession: “God is true!” (Jn. 3:33)

 

The purpose of this declaration: The privileged religious authorities of the world and the Pharisaic system continually attempted to examine and judge the qualifications of Jesus Christ according to their own standards, represented in this meditation by the humanly constructed temple that took forty-six years to build (1:19; 2:18, 20).  But a true believer casts aside all such worldly standards of judgment as worthless (2:24–25).  Instead, the believer embraces the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross and even a single word from His mouth as the only reliable promise and assurance for his soul.  In doing so, he becomes someone who boldly testifies before the entire world that God is living and true, confirming this reality through a decisive confession of faith (1:41, 49; 2:22).

 

4.      The Great Lesson for Pastor James's Ministry of Sharing the Word of God

 

Pastor James, you meditate deeply upon the Word of God, the Bread of Life, day and night.  You offer these meditations in prayer and faithfully share them through the internet and with the members of Victory Presbyterian Church.  This ministry of sharing the Word is a sacred ministry through which the truth of the gospel is impressed upon people's hearts like a final receipt and the seal of God. 

 

Do Not Be Deceived by Human Responses or Discouraged by Rejection; Trust the Sealing Power of the Holy Spirit: When we proclaim the gospel, many people may fail to appreciate our labor or may stubbornly reject the message, just as verse 32 describes.  Nevertheless, do not become discouraged or lose your sense of spiritual direction.  When you faithfully become a voice that disappears without recognition or personal glory, and when you continually offer the love of Jesus Christ revealed on the cross—filling the vessels of your ministry to the brim—the wind of the Holy Spirit will blow.  The Holy Spirit will open wide the hearts of those whom God has chosen, removing the barriers that have kept them closed.

 

The Transformation of Nicodemus Is a Picture of Your Future Crown: On that first night, Nicodemus could not understand the Lord's words.  He departed, wandering in spiritual darkness.  Yet later, when the Lord declared, “It is finished,” upon the cross at the third Passover of His public ministry, and the temple of His body was destroyed, the words Nicodemus had heard on that first night finally came together within his heart and awakened him.  According to the picture presented in this meditation, he then stood boldly before Pilate, requested the body of Jesus, and risked his entire life to testify: “God is truly faithful and true!”  He thereby placed, as it were, the seal of resurrection faith upon his confession and stood as part of the glorious Bride of Christ, the Church.  I firmly believe that the words of the gospel you sow with tears will never disappear into empty space.  Rather, they will fill the hearts of the members of Victory Presbyterian Church with the certain seal of faith in the living God.

 

Final Exegetical Summary of John 3:33: “The Sealing of the One Who Receives His Testimony”

 

The person who receives and accepts by faith the heavenly testimony of Jesus Christ (v. 33) is someone who completely overturns every false worldly privilege and every human calculation before the cross (2:15; 3:30).  He stakes his entire life upon the spiritual truth that the words of Jesus Christ and His substitutionary love (3:16) are the only true reality of salvation, and that the God who promised this salvation is faithful and true.  He decisively confirms this confession, as though placing his final seal upon it (v. 33).  By allowing his own importance to disappear and trusting completely in the voice of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom who is above all things (vv. 29, 31), he becomes a true Israelite who bears radiant witness to the complete sovereign victory of the new covenant.  Through this victory, the Lord overcomes the powers of Hades and faithfully prepares Victory Presbyterian Church and its members to stand before Him as His spotless and glorious Bride, the Church (Mt. 16:18; Eph. 5:27; 1 Jn. 5:4) (Internet).

 

(3)   Third, as I meditate on the meaning of the following words, I sincerely desire to reflect upon them, apply them to myself, and receive the spiritual lessons the Lord intends to teach me: “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure” [ὃν γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ λαλεῖ, οὐ γὰρ ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσιν τὸ πνεῦμα (hon gar apesteilen ho theos ta rhēmata tou theou lalei, ou gar ek metrou didōsin to pneuma)] (Jn 3:34). 

 

1.      The First Spiritual Guideline: I Must Become a Pure and Faithful Voice That Communicates Only “the Words of God,” Not Human Theories

 

The Mystery of the Original Greek: τὰ ῥήματα (ta rhēmata) — “Living and Vivid Words That Perform Surgery Upon the Inner Person and Bring Healing”: The apostle John describes the words spoken by Jesus using the Greek plural noun ῥήματα (rhēmata), rather than the word λόγος (logos), which is often used to refer to the Word or to divine revelation.  In this meditation, rhēmata emphasizes the vivid, living, and active words spoken directly from the mouth of Jesus Christ.  These are not merely abstract ideas or intellectual theories. They are the living words of God that confront, penetrate, and transform the human heart.

 

Pastoral Application: The Pharisees and Nicodemus attempted to analyze Jesus according to their accumulated religious knowledge and human reasoning, taking pride in what they thought they understood (Jn. 3:2, 10).  Pastor James, the essential purpose of your ministry—meditating deeply upon the Word of God, the Bread of Life, day and night, and sharing it through the internet and with the members of Victory Presbyterian Church—is not merely to communicate human eloquence or theological theories.  Rather, you must completely overturn the tables of your personal pride and human calculations before the cross.  You must receive the heart of the Lord who has sent you as His messenger in this generation.  Then you must live as a clear, pure, and faithful voice that offers nothing but the living and active words of God, filling the vessels of your ministry to the brim.  These are the words that cleanse the innermost sanctuary of people's hearts and bring them into the new life of spiritual rebirth.  The lesson is that I must become a transparent channel through which the Lord's words flow faithfully, without allowing my own ambitions, intellectual pride, or human calculations to distort His message.

 

2.      The Second Spiritual Guideline: Only When I Completely Empty Myself Will the “Measureless Fullness” of the Holy Spirit Come Upon My Ministry

 

The Mystery of the Original Greek: οὐ γὰρ ἐκ μέτρου (ou gar ek metrou) — “An Unlimited Supply That Breaks Through Human Limitations and Measurements”: The Greek expression translated as “without measure” is: οὐ γὰρ ἐκ μέτρου (ou gar ek metrou). It conveys the meaning: “For He does not give by measure,” that is, He does not distribute the Spirit according to a limited quantity measured by a scale or measuring rod.

 

Pastoral Application: Human beings continually attempt to restrict the power of God according to their own standards.  They measure divine power by their limited earthly qualifications and by the finite religious structures they have constructed, symbolized in this meditation by the temple that took forty-six years to build.  However, the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit poured out upon the One whom God has sent is not a temporary emotion or a superficial imitation of spiritual vitality.  Pastor James, you have embraced this resolution: “I will allow the name of James to decrease completely and disappear without a trace, so that only the name of Jesus, the Bridegroom, may rise and increase in radiant glory” (Jn. 3:30).  According to this meditation, that place of thorough self-denial becomes a sacred channel through which God pours out the grace of the Holy Spirit's baptism in overflowing abundance, like a waterfall that cannot be measured by human scales.  When I relinquish one hundred percent of my reliance upon my own strength and completely surrender myself at the Lord's feet, the Holy Spirit begins to take full possession of my lips and even the keyboard through which I share God's Word.  Then He begins to bring life to souls through the ministry entrusted to me.

 

3.      The Third Spiritual Guideline: I Must Enjoy the True “Completed Satisfaction” That Does Not Depend Upon Human Approval

 

The Promise of Redemptive History: The religious systems of this world and the crowds around us will continually evaluate the size of our ministries and the titles we hold.  Their responses will often be conditional, depending upon whether we meet their expectations.  As verse 32 indicates, we may encounter a barren spiritual wilderness in which the majority of people refuse to receive the heavenly testimony we proclaim and simply turn away.  Nevertheless, do not become discouraged.  Jesus Christ has already destroyed the temple of His body upon the cross at the third Passover of His public ministry and risen again on the third day.  Through His declaration, “It is finished,” He has placed the final seal of eternal salvation and victory upon Victory Presbyterian Church and the ministry entrusted to you.  The person who has erased every claim to personal ownership of his ministry, along with his own name and reputation, no longer thirsts for human praise or the position of honor at the wedding banquet (2:9).  Instead, simply hearing the voice of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, fills his soul with the rest of heaven.  He can then confess: “I am completely filled with this joy—a joy that has already been brought to fullness and continues to fill my heart.”  I sincerely pray that you will boldly enjoy, in the very midst of your pastoral ministry today, the freedom and contentment of a person truly born of the Holy Spirit.  May you experience the spiritual satisfaction of knowing that your mission is secure in Christ, regardless of how people evaluate your ministry.

 

Final Pastoral Summary of John 3:34: “God Gives the Spirit Without Measure”

 

The declaration, “For God gives the Spirit without measure” (Jn. 3:34), is a truth that Pastor James, who has been sent as a messenger to prepare the way before the Lord's second coming (1:23; 3:28), must reflect upon and apply every day, both in the pulpit and at the altar of meditation upon God's Word.  It means the faithful obedience of a steward who completely tears down all pride in human knowledge and every calculation based upon personal experience before the cross.  Such a steward honestly communicates only the living and active words of the Lord who sent him (2:19; 3:34).  Even if his personal name and interests joyfully decrease and disappear behind the scenes, he remains a voice crying in the wilderness and a friend of the Bridegroom (1:23; 3:29–30).  He relies completely upon God, who pours out the grace of the Holy Spirit's baptism upon His work in immeasurable fullness, without restricting it according to human standards or measurements(1:16, 33; 3:34).  Through this grace, he lives the holy life of a true pastor, continually enjoying the completed joy of the new covenant's perfect sovereign victory.  The Lord utterly defeats the powers of Hades and prepares the entire Church to stand before Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, as His spotless and glorious Bride (Mt. 16:18; Eph. 5:27; 1 Jn. 5:4).

 

(4)   Fourth and last, I would like to meditate on the following words: “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; but whoever does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him” [ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν υἱόν, καὶ πάντα δέδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ὁ δὲ ἀπειθῶν τῷ υἱῷ οὐκ ὄψεται ζωήν, ἀλλ’ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐπ’ αὐτόν (ho patēr agapa ton huion, kai panta dedōken en tē cheiri autou. ho pisteuōn eis ton huion echei zōēn aiōnion; ho de apeithōn tō huiō ouk opsetai zōēn, all’ hē orgē tou theou menei ep’ auton)] (Jn. 3:35–36).  What is the meaning of these words?  In particular, as I meditate on this passage, I am reminded of 1 John 5:12: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” [ὁ ἔχων τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει τὴν ζωήν· ὁ μὴ ἔχων τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ζωὴν οὐκ ἔχει (ho echōn ton huion echei tēn zōēn; ho mē echōn ton huion tou theou tēn zōēn ouk echei)].  What is the relationship between these two passages?

 

(a)    The following is an AI-assisted explanation of three essential meanings and the organic relationship between these two passages.  The apostle John proclaims that possessing the Son through faith brings eternal life as an already established reality, while rejecting Him results in a solemn and final declaration of judgment (Internet):

 

1.      The First Meaning: Sovereignty Over All Things Has Been Completely Entrusted into the Hands of the Son (V. 35)

 

The Father's love and the transfer of sovereign authority — δέδωκεν (dedōken): The Greek word translated as “has given” in verse 35 is: δέδωκεν (dedōken).  This verb is in the perfect active indicative.  It signifies that God the Father, who eternally loves the Son, has decisively entrusted all things into the hands of Jesus Christ, His Son.  This includes the entire universe, all creation, the destiny of human beings, matters of life and death, blessing and adversity, and the sovereign authority to execute judgment.  The perfect tense emphasizes that this act of entrusting all things to the Son has taken place and that its resulting state continues.  No earthly system of values, including the man-made temple that took forty-six years to construct or the political and religious power of the Pharisees, can shake the sovereign authority over all things that rests in the hands of the Son.  Therefore, the only way to receive salvation is to overturn all the calculations of my sinful self and submit completely to Jesus Christ, the Son who is above all things and holds all sovereignty in His hands.

 

2.      The Second Meaning: Eternal Life Is Not Merely a Future Destination After Death, but a Present Reality Possessed by Those Who Have the Son (V. 36)

 

Connecting John 3:36 with 1 John 5:12 clearly reveals both the grammatical expression and the true nature of eternal life. 

 

Present possession — ἔχει (echei) / ἔχων (echōn) : Both passages repeatedly use the present-tense verb ἔχει (echei, “has”) and the present participle ἔχων (echōn, “having”) when speaking of those who have life and those who have the Son.

 

The mystery of their relationship: The eternal life given to believers who have been born again from above through water and the Holy Spirit, as described in John 3, is not an uncertain ticket to salvation that they may barely obtain sometime in the future.  Rather, at the very moment a person receives Jesus Christ by faith, entrusting his entire life to the substitutionary redemption of Christ on the cross and the love of God's only begotten Son, the great divine Person who is the true Light and Life comes to dwell within the innermost sanctuary of that person's heart.  According to the imagery of this meditation, Christ becomes united with the believer and remains there forever.  This is eternal life itself: a secure, present reality of salvation already established through union with Jesus Christ.  Those who have the Son are already living in the reality of eternal life here and now.  They are truly children of God.

 

3.      The Third Meaning: Those Who Disobey the Son Remain Under the Wrath of God (The Latter Part of Verse 36)

 

The apostle John concludes this passage by declaring the tragic reality facing those who reject the testimony of the Son.

 

The continuing dominion of darkness — μένει (menei): Those who disobey the Son do not merely face the possibility of God's wrath at some future point.  John declares in the present tense: “The wrath of God remains upon him” [μένει (menei)].

 

The theological purpose: In John 1:32–33, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and remained upon Him.  The word associated there with the blessed abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is now used, in this meditation's comparison, to describe the tragic condition of those who reject the Son.  These are people who hate the Light and hide in darkness because they fear that their hypocritical deeds will be exposed.  God's righteous wrath and condemnation remain upon them (3:18, 36).  There is no neutral ground.  Those who have the Son possess life and rest.  Those who do not have the Son remain under divine wrath and judgment.

 

4.      Application to Pastor James's Heart and His Ministry of Sharing God's Word

 

Pastor James, you meditate deeply upon the Word of God, the Bread of Life, day and night.  You offer your meditations in prayer and share them through the internet and with the members of Victory Presbyterian Church.  This ministry of sharing the Word is a faithful stewardship entrusted to you in this generation, through which souls are led to receive Jesus Christ, the Son, and the eternal life that is already theirs in Him (Jn. 1:23).

 

①  I Must Put Aside the Outward Title of “Pastor” and Be Filled More and More with Jesus Christ, the Son, Every Day

 

One of the greatest dangers for a minister is hiding personal pride behind the human security of such claims as: “I am a pastor with many years of pastoral experience, and I teach theology.”  This is comparable to hiding behind the religious structure symbolized in this meditation by the temple that took forty-six years to build (Jn. 2:20; 3:10).  The Lord will never entrust Himself to such hypocrisy (2:24–25).  Every day, whenever I stand before the altar of God's Word, I must allow the Lord's whip to overturn completely the tables of my accumulated knowledge.  I must tear down my self-centered pride and confess: “Lord, I do not trust even one percent in my own strength or background. The only source of life and true power in my pastoral ministry is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who lives within me today as the true Most Holy Place” (1:20; 2:19, 21).  When I decrease completely and only the Lord increases (John 3:30), God will pour out the immeasurable fullness of the Holy Spirit upon my lips and even upon my computer keyboard, without measuring or limiting His grace (3:34).

 

②  I Must Not Be Shaken by the Slow Growth of Faith Among the Sheep, but Must Proclaim Only the Name of Salvation Already Accomplished — “Sōtēria”

 

When people hear the voice of the gospel that you proclaim, some may feel threatened by the light of truth and flee into darkness or reject the message.  Nevertheless, do not become discouraged or lose your spiritual direction.  The Lord has already placed the final seal of victory upon His saving work through His declaration, “It is finished,” on the cross at the third Passover of His public ministry.  He has firmly established upon the eternal Rock the victorious destiny of Victory Presbyterian Church and your ministry of sharing God's Word: “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Jn. 19:30; Mt. 16:18).  Trust the persistent heavenly love of the Lord (John 3:16) and the power of His Light.  This is the same Lord who transformed the ignorant Nicodemus, who had wandered in the darkness of the night asking, “How can these things be?” (Jn. 3:2, 4, 9).  Eventually, Nicodemus came boldly to the cross and participated in preparing the royal burial of Jesus, bringing an abundant quantity of burial spices.  In the imagery of this meditation, he became part of the Lord's spotless and glorious Bride, the Church (Jn. 2:7; 19:39; Eph. 5:27).  I firmly believe and am convinced that the words of the gospel you sow will never disappear into empty space.  Rather, they will fill the hearts of souls with the sure joy of those who already possess the Son and with the seal of eternal life (Jn. 3:29, 33; 1 Jn. 5:12).

 

Comprehensive Concluding Summary of the Entire Spiritual Journey Through John Chapter 3 (Vv. 1–36)

 

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, imprisoned within the outward phenomena of miraculous signs and the superficial shell of intellectual religious knowledge.  Jesus proclaimed to him the truth of being born again from above in order to expose the complete inability of fallen human nature to accomplish salvation by its own power (3:3, 5, 9).  Just as the bronze serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, Jesus Christ would be lifted up upon the tree of the curse, shed His blood, and die.  Through this supreme manifestation of His spiritual glory, He would accomplish and give to the world the overwhelming substitutionary love of God the Father as a completed gift of salvation (vv. 14, 16).  John the Baptist then proclaimed: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  He experienced the fullness of joy simply by hearing the voice of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom.  Having faithfully fulfilled his mission as the friend of the Bridegroom, he willingly stepped aside (vv. 29–30).  Upon this foundation of faithful service, the apostle John declares that those who believe in and possess the Son already have eternal life as a present reality.  This truth is powerfully confirmed by its connection with the declaration in 1 John: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (v. 36; 1 Jn. 5:12).  Therefore, the true children of God are those who completely overturn the calculations of their own minds and their false reliance upon themselves.  They come into the Light according to the truth and walk as Jesus Christ Himself walked.  They continue to move forward faithfully and steadfastly, longing for the complete sovereign victory of the new covenant.  Through this victory, the Lord prepares Victory Presbyterian Church and its members to stand before Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, as His spotless and glorious Bride, the Church (Jn. 1:12–13, 33; 2:19, 21; 20:31; 1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 5:27; 1 Thess. 4:16) (Internet).