John 3:35-36 35The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; the one who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
These two verses summarize the theology of John’s Gospel thus far and prepare for the stories that follow. Verse 35 is a significant claim about the person of Jesus. The theme of God’s love is repeated from verse 16, where we learn that God loves the world. God loves the Son. God’s love for his Son does several things. One is that it gives the Son authority over all things. The Son reigns supreme over creation because it was through the Son that the Father brought creation into existence. No one in all creation has the same position with the Father. The position of God the Father as the sender and the one to love and give is significant theologically. The Father is the source and the Son is the means of experience the Father’s will. Second, this love is extended through the Son to the world.
Verse 36 gives the fundamental choice people must make. The key thought is found in two verbs. Those who believe in the Son can experience God’s love in a special way not available to those who reject the Son and face God’s wrath. One must choose to know the Son in order to know the Father (Matthew 11:27). Believing results in eternal life.
Believing should lead to obedience, the second idea. Obeying demonstrates the faith to be real and not simply intellect. Many people say they believe in God. Many call themselves Christian but their lives do not evidence any of Jesus’ teachings. The ending of verse 36 is strong with the warning of God’s wrath. Jesus (or perhaps John the author) already warned of judgment in verses 19-20. God’s wrath is his judgment upon those who refuse to accept the Son. Those who refuse to believe and obey, especially when the light shines on them, bring this wrath and condemnation upon themselves.
The warning ought to be enough to wake up the reader to need to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. However, the promise of eternal life ought to be the greater motive for believing in Jesus. Some people might need the scare, but the real joy comes in the believing.
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