John 3:19-21 19And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20For everyone who does bad things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever does the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be revealed having been done in God.”
These verses express the outcome or judgment of not believing in the Son. Judgment (krisis) shares the same root with “condemnation” and refers here to the verdict for those who fail to accept Jesus as the Son of God. The verdict is not good. There is a cause/effect connection between not accepting Jesus and living in wickedness. The light that came into the world is a personification of Jesus, who claimed to be the Light of the world (8:12). Just like God said, “Let there be light” at the beginning of creation, so now he has sent his Light into the world at the new creation. Newness stands behind much of John’s Gospel. Jesus describes again the two alternatives in these verses.
The first alternative is the negative. When the light came into the darkness of the world, people rejected it. Verse 20 indicates that the darkness represents the selfish and sinful deeds or works of people. The moral issue came from the faith issue. A lack of faith is evidenced by a lifestyle that goes against God. By remaining in sin, people indicate their rejection of God and lack of faith in the Son. However, people try to hide their deeds so that they do not look so dark. The light reveals just how dark the darkness is. Jesus brings conviction of sin because he is so sinless. Verse 20 answers the question why people do not believe in Jesus. They do not humble themselves enough to confess their sins but continue on in their pride and self-focused living. The real problem is not so much a moral issue but a misplaced love. People loved (ēgapēsan) the world more than they loved God.
Verse 21 gives the positive and intended outcome. Those who respond to the light have nothing to hide from God. They have allowed the light to show them their darkness, and they have repented and come to faith in Jesus. Doing the truth means, on the positive side, following the commands of Jesus. On the negative side, it means rejecting sin. There is a strong connection in this passage between loving God, faith in Jesus, and righteous living. These are the ideal for followers of Jesus and give evidence that a person indeed has eternal life.
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