Voices From The Past

Rejecting The Light (John 12:44-47)
[By H. Leo Boles, from Gospel Truths, July 1999, page 24]

The intervening verses from verse 36 to 44 should be read in order to keep
the connection. Jesus continued for a time  with them and then departed "and
hid Himself from them" (verse 36). However, the miracles which he had
performed, although they could not deny them, yet they would not be convinced
by them. Then John quoted from Isaiah, and some of the rulers believed on
Jesus, but "because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they
should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the glory of men more than
the glory of God" (verses 42-43). After this Jesus said, "He that believeth
on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me" That is, no one could
believe in Jesus without believing in God; Jesus revealed God's will to man.
Moreover, to believe in Jesus was to believe in God; and to reject Jesus was
to reject God. To reject Jesus was to reject the light that He gives man.

"He that beholdeth me beholdeth Him that sent Me." Later Jesus said to
Philip, "He that hath seen Me hath seen The Father" (John 14:9). Jesus
revealed the Father, and those who recognized the divinity of Jesus would
recognize that He came from God. To Reject Jesus was to reject God and the
light which Jesus gave to the world. "I am come a light into the world, that
whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the darkness." Anyone who rejected
the teaching of Christ rejected the Christ, rejected God, and continued in
dark-ness. To reject the light is to choose to abide in darkness; it is to
choose to abide in sin. The one who chooses to abide in darkness will be
judged. "And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not:
for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." The mission of
Jesus to the world was to save it; there is coming a time when He will judge
the world. Those who reject the light of Jesus are already in darkness; they
are already lost, not that they will be lost, for they are already lost. He
will sit upon His throne in the judgment and will condemn all those who are
in darkness and have rejected the light.

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life." (Romans 6:4)