The Beginning of Christ's Ministry, Section 23

Section 25
FIRST MINISTRY IN JUDEA-- JOHN'S SECOND TESTIMONY
Judea and Ænon 
JOHN 3:22-36

My comment to Briggs this morning was that John and Jesus are good testament to what happens when you go against the establishment. But, here, we have John in his prime and Jesus coming into his own. I admire the humility and clarity of John's thinking, especially evident in these statements:

John 3:27  John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

John’s greatness is revealed in his reply. He said, A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. God is sovereign in bestowing His blessings on one’s ministry. If Jesus’ movement was expanding, then it must have been in the will of God. This principle of God’s sovereignty is stressed in John (cf. Joh_6:65; Joh_19:11) as well as elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., 1Co_4:7) -BKC

John 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease.

From the Biblical Illustrator:

1. For the last time John testifies to Christ’s dignity. Christ is:
(1) The Bridegroom of the Church.
(2) “Him that cometh from above.”
(3) One to whom the Spirit is given without measure.
(4) One whom the Father loves.
(5) One into whose hands all things are given.


(6) One to believe in whom is life everlasting, and whom to reject is eternal ruin.

2. Let us hold the same views.
(1) We can never make too much of Christ. We can easily think too much of church, sacraments, etc.
(2) Christ only is worthy of all honour. -BI, Bishop JC Ryle, 1816-1900

Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Vincent's Word Studies elaborates on the Christian conception of eternal life:

Life eternal is to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. Hence, to such an one, eternal life is not merely something future. It is a present possession. He hath it. The unbelieving and disobedient, instead of having eternal life, shall not have life: shall not even see it (compare see the kingdom of God, Joh_3:3). He shall have no perception of life simply considered, much less of eternal life, the full and complex development of life.

The second half of this statement "but the wrath of God abideth on him" is hard to receive--wrath as an attribute of God is uncomfortable; however, this commentary helps me see it in a way similar to the first part.  As life is a natural consequence of knowing Christ, so wrath is a natural consequence of going it alone without Him:

As the believer hath life, so the unbeliever hath wrath abiding on him. He lives continually in an economy which is alienated from God, and which, in itself, must be habitually the subject of God's displeasure and indignation.-VWS

The NLT translation helps me here too--- "but remains under God's angry judgment."   It helps me to think that man's natural condition is fallen--not that God wills it, but that it is the default case. People who stumble through the fallen world experience its darkness inherently.  It is not a "neutral" world where people live in a neutral state, eventually going to Heaven or Hell.  It is a dark world where evil often prevails, and our Lord offers a way OUT.