Sometimes what we think we know turns out not to be so!
John 17:3
Muslims, Unitarians, Christadelphians, Oneness Pentecostals, and Jehovah Witnesses misunderstand John 17:3.
I have found that Muslims misread John 17:3 by failing to take into account its several contexts (immediate context, related context, remote context, total Bible context).
The verse says:
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (KJV)
Joh 17:3 Now eternal life means knowing you as the only true God and knowing Jesus your messenger as Christ. (Williams NT)
They misread John 17:3, arguing that when Jesus speaks of His Father as being the only true God, Jesus necessarily excludes Himself from the category of “true God,” and so denies His Deity. Therefore, they conclude, Jesus never claimed to be God and the doctrine of the Trinity is false.
But that is not what John 17:3 says. Jesus is emphasizing that eternal life belongs to those who continue to know God the Father and continue to know Jesus Christ His Son.
Jehovah Witnesses misread John 17:3 by reading into the verse their mistaken presuppositions: they presuppose that the category “only true God” must mean “only the Father is the only true God”–which is not what the text says. That is neither the subject of the verse nor the subject of the context.
I have discussed John 17:3 in much fuller detail on this site. Use the “Search” feature to easily access those articles. Just type in John 17:3 in the search box.
John 3:5
A number of mainline Protestant churches and particularly the Church of Christ as well as the Roman Catholic Church insist that John 3:5 teaches the doctrine of “baptismal regeneration” and/or “baptismal remission of sin.” They teach that in order to be saved, in order to receive forgiveness of sin, a person must be water baptized.
My experience discussing the Bible with Roman Catholics has been that when I ask them “Do you know for sure that you have been born again?” the response I get is “Yes, I have been baptized.”
This interpretation of John 3:5 is totally mistaken because the reference to baptism here is not to ritual water baptism but to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is a totally mistaken view for it fails to account for the Figure of Speech Hendiadys present in the text, where two words are used but only one thing is meant.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The Note I supplied in my recently republished book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, gives some further details:
“Two words are used (water, Spirit), but one thing is meant (Spirit). By this figure water and spirit are joined by “and.” There is no of in the Greek, supplied here by the translators. There is no article to either of the two nouns. This figure gives the meaning, “born of water, even the spirit.” That only one thing is meant by the two words is clear from verses 6 and 8 (Joh 3:6; Joh 3:8), where only the Spirit (the one thing) is mentioned. The figure may also be understood to mean “born of spiritual water,” where the “spiritual water” is, by the figure Metonymy, put for the Holy Spirit Himself, as is clear from Joh 7:38, 39. The reference is to the real baptism by the Holy Spirit which is the one indispensable condition of entering the kingdom of God (Rom 8:9, 1Co 12:13), not to the water of ritual baptism (Act 1:5 note).”
I have discussed John 3:5 in much greater depth on this site. Use the “Search” feature to easily find those articles.
2 Corinthians 13:5
2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
This is not a command to constant self-examination! The note I placed in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge explains this text:
“yourselves. FS101, +Deut 32:42. The Hyperbaton by which the pronoun heautous, yourselves, is placed at the beginning of the sentence (the object before the subject), shows the emphasis which is to be placed upon it, and tells us that this is the serious irony of a grieved heart, and not a general command.
“These Corinthian saints, having been beguiled by the Jewish enemies of the apostle to question his apostleship, actually sought a proof of Christ speaking in him! So he meets their questionings with another question: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me…YOURSELVES examine ye, if ye are in the faith; YOURSELVES prove ye. Know ye not that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?” The answer to this question, thus ironically put, would prove them to be the seals of his ministry, and the real proof of his apostleship.
“Here is no command for the saints today, no admonition to practice continual self-examination and introspection, to see whether they are in the faith; for Christ is in them. Read the words in connection with the context, and the force of this solemn Irony will be at once seen: and it will be used no more to vex and perplex God’s dear children, by taking words which refer to their state to upset their standing, which is perfect and complete “in Christ” (F/S 812).”
2 Corinthians 5:10
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
This verse is often, if not always, misread to teach that when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, we will be judged publicly for everything we have ever done, whether good or bad.
Verses like this can be very unsettling to the faith and assurance of salvation for every believer who encounters them while reading the Bible.
Add Matthew 5:20 to the mix:
Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (KJV)
Mat 5:20 `For I say to you, that if your righteousness may not abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye may not enter to the reign of the heavens. (YLT, Young’s Literal Translation)
Mat 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness may exceed beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees, you may by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens. (LNT, Lavender’s NT)
Mat 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (NET Bible)
Mat 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven at all. (Williams NT)
Mat 5:20 I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has God’s approval and do it more faithfully than the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (GW, God’s Word translation)
Mat 5:20 I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires. (GNB, Good News Bible)
Mat 5:20 You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
Add Matthew 5:48 to this mix:
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (KJV)
Then add Matthew 7:21-23 to the mix:
Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)
Mat 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who practice doing the will of my Father in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, was it not in your name that we prophesied, and in your name that we drove out demons, and in your name that we did many wonder-works?’
Mat 7:23 And then I will say to them openly, ‘I never knew you at all. Go away from me, you who practiced doing wrong.’ (Williams NT)
Mat 7:21 Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in.
Mat 7:22 On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, “We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles.”
Mat 7:23 But I will tell them, “I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!” (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
Ordinary Bible readers who read Matthew 7:21, 22, 23 may well ask, “Who, then, can be saved?” What if, on Judgment Day, Jesus tells us “I never knew you”?
Add yet another striking verse to the mix:
Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (KJV)
Mat 12:36 I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken.
Mat 12:37 On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said. (CEV)
A brief answer to this apparent conundrum can be seen reflected in what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:23, 24, 25, 26,
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (KJV)
Notice Paul equates the terms law, and schoolmaster, stating we are no longer under a schoolmaster, thus declaring we are no longer under the law as a means of obtaining salvation.
Unlike the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’s day, we do not base our salvation upon perfectly keeping the Law of Moses, but upon faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.
Now back to the disturbing text, 2 Corinthians 5:10,
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (KJV)
Carefully consider, however, that “the judgment seat of Christ” does not take place at “the Great White Throne” (Revelation 20:11, 12)!
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (KJV)
But notice that those who have part in the first resurrection will not have any part in the Great White Throne judgment:
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (KJV)
Jesus directly promised:
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (KJV)
Joh 5:24 I tell you for certain that everyone who hears my message and has faith in the one who sent me has eternal life and will never be condemned. They have already gone from death to life. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
Paul echoes this fundamental truth:
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (KJV)
Rom 8:1 So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. (GW, God’s Word translation)
The mistake many make in Bible interpretation is to forget that there is more than one resurrection. The Bible does not teach a single general resurrection of the dead. This is evident from several Bible passages:
Luke 14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. (KJV)
Luk 14:14 Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (NET Bible)
The resurrection of the just or righteous (the first resurrection) takes place at least 1000 years before the resurrection of the unrighteous mentioned in the book of Revelation (Revelation 20:5):
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (KJV)
Rev 20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.) This is the first resurrection. (NET Bible)
Joh 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (KJV)
Joh 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.
Joh 5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,
Joh 5:23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Joh 5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life.
Joh 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming — and is now here — when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
Joh 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself,
Joh 5:27 and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Joh 5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
Joh 5:29 and will come out — the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. (NET Bible)
In reference to John 5:28, I placed the following explanatory note in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:
in which all. This does not assert a simultaneous resurrection of the just and unjust. The word “hour” is frequently rendered “time” as the parallel passages (Joh 4:23, 1Jn 2:18) show, equivalent to saying “a time is coming when all shall be raised,” without requiring that the time is brief, and certainly not simultaneous when other Scriptures tell us “every man in his own order” (1Co 15:23). Notice the following verse (John 5:29) describes two resurrections, the “resurrection of life” and the “resurrection of damnation” (Peters, Theocratic Kingdom, vol. 2, p. 301). John 11:24. **John 11:25, 26. John 11:44, 45.
