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John 3,27-35

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27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29  The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.” 31  The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33  Whoever has accepted it has certified that GOD is truthful. 34 For the one whom GOD has sent speaks the words of GOD, for GOD gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands."

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John the Baptist begins his statement by saying that all power and authority that a person possesses is given to him from heaven or from above, i.e. given by GOD. GOD commissioned John the Baptist to call people to repentance, baptize them and prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. However, his authority was limited to these three tasks. In the following verses, John the Baptist explains that it is not he, but Jesus, who is the Messiah, and that GOD has given everything into his hands (verse 35). Paul writes that GOD subjected everything to Jesus (1st Corinthians 15,27 / Hebrews 2,8). Jesus receives all authority from the Father; even after his resurrection. This contradicts the assumption that Jesus himself is GOD, since GOD is omnipotent and omniscient and does not need to receive anything (Romans 11,35 f.).

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The statements of the one from above / who comes from heaven (verse 31) mean that Jesus is GOD's gift, as verse 27 also makes clear. GOD gives people His Son in order to bless them in him (Acts 3,26) and to give them eternal life through faith in him (John 3,16 f.). The expression is above all means that Jesus is not only above John, but also above all other people. GOD has made the Messiah Lord/King/Judge over all (Acts 2,36). The fact that Jesus is above everyone does not make him GOD. It means that Jesus has the highest authority (after GOD) in the entire universe and that his instructions must be followed. Anyone who does not want to obey Jesus, GOD's mediator, will be met with GOD's wrath (verse 36). Remarkably, the phrase from heaven is not used by any other apostle in reference to Jesus anywhere in the New Testament.

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In verse 32, John the Baptist explains that Jesus saw (Old Greek: horaō) and heard (Old Greek: akouō) things and testified to them. A similar phrase can be found in John 8,40. This does not mean that Jesus was in heaven as GOD before his birth. Rather, this expression is used for people to whom GOD has revealed certain insights that are not accessible to normal people. The fact that John the Baptist is from the earth and speaks earthly things compared to Jesus (verse 31) means that he did not receive the heavenly revelations from GOD like Jesus did. The Old Testament prophets also saw and heard things from GOD in the form of dreams, visions and other messages that GOD conveyed to them through His spirit and which they were supposed to proclaim publicly. For this reason, prophets in early times were also called seers (1st Samuel 9,9). But none of the previous prophets did GOD give such deep insights and revelations as His Messiah.

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​​In verse 33 John the Baptist says that Jesus' testimony comes from GOD. In verse 34 he adds that Jesus speaks the words of GOD and that GOD's spirit - in contrast to all of GOD's other prophets - works without restriction in the Messiah. GOD the Father caused all wisdom and knowledge to dwell in His human Son so that He might reveal to us the entire will of the Father. Therefore, Jesus is the word or wisdom of GOD personified. Looking at verses 34 + 35 together, it becomes clear that John clearly distinguishes between GOD (the Father) and Jesus (the Son). A analogous translation is:

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31 The one who comes with divine/heavenly authority is superior to all. The one who has only earthly authority speaks only about earthly things. The one who comes with divine/heavenly authority is superior to all. 32 He proclaims what he has seen and heard, even if no one believes him. 33 But whoever believes him shows that GOD is trustworthy. 34 For the one whom GOD has sent proclaims GOD's words, because GOD's Spirit is at work in him without restriction. 35 And because GOD loves His heir, He has given him all authority.

 

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John 5,18

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18  For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling GOD his own Father, making himself equal with GOD.

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This statement is a mere Jewish assertion, which does not mean that Jesus in fact wanted to equate himself with GOD. The Gospels contain numerous situations where the Jews either consciously or unconsciously misunderstood Jesus. (John 3,4 / John 6,52 / John 8,27). Jesus, however, immediately refutes the accusations in verse 19 by making it clear that he doesn't do anything on his own, but only does what the Father tells him to do. Jesus repeats the same statement in verse 30. Furthermore, being equal to GOD does not mean having GOD'S nature. It means arrogating one self something that only belongs to GOD. However, Jesus explained that he does everything with the authority of the Father (Matthew 9,6 f. / Matthew 11,27 / John 10,18 / John 17,2). In addition, Jesus did not actually break the Sabbath, as the Jews accused him of doing, but merely overruled the Pharisees' self-made regulations, thereby placing heavy burdens on people without GOD ever asking for it (Matthew 23,4). If Jesus had actually broken a commandment from GOD, it would have been a sin. This in turn would have meant that the entire work of redemption would have failed, since Jesus had to be sinless in order to atone for the sins of humanity.

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Calling GOD father – as all believers do – ​​does not mean equating oneself with GOD. GOD was already called Father in the Old Testament (Psalm 89,26 / 1st Chronicles 17,13 / Isaiah 61,16 / Jeremiah 31,9 / Malachi 2,10). Even the Jews who argued with Jesus referred to GOD as their Father (John 8,41). If the Jews' accusations had been rational, they would have made themselves guilty of blasphemy. Instead, this shows that the Jews' accusations were not only false, but also full of contradictions. From the beginning, the Pharisees were driven by envy and hatred (Matthew 27,18). They were not concerned with truth, but only with power (John 8,44 f.). All the time they were looking for an excuse to accuse and kill Jesus. Recognizing Jesus as Messiah would have meant a loss of power for them. In this respect, the Pharisees' claim is not a confirmation that Jesus wanted to make himself GOD, but rather a slander against Jesus.

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John 5,22 f.

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22 "Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him."

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The words to honor (Old Greek: timaō) and the honor (Old Greek: timēn) mean to show respect or to give someone recognition and are used in the Bible in connection with various people, e.g. kings (Romans 13,7 / 1 Peter 2,17), parents (Ephesians 6,2), spouses (Ephesians 5,33 / Hebrews 13,4 / 1 Peter 3,7), elders (1st Timothy 5,17), widows (1st Timothy 5,3) and believers (John 12,26). GOD the Father sent Jesus and appointed him as judge over people. In verse 23, Jesus explains that whoever does not honor (timaō) the Son also does not honor (timaō) the Father who sent him. Jesus, the Messiah, came in the name of GOD to do His will (John 5,30 + 43 / John 6,38). Jesus is therefore the representative of the Father. In other words: Jesus, who is himself human, represents the heavenly Father before all people (1st Timothy 2,5). He speaks the words of the Father and does the works of the Father (John 14,10 f. + 24). Jesus emphasized that whoever believes in him believes not in himself but in GOD the Father (John 12,44).

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If a king sends someone on his behalf to represent him before the people, he will expect that the people will honor the King's Messenger as they would honor the king, and listen to him like they would listen to the king himself. If someone rejects or treats badly the king's Messenger who has come with royal authority, he is also dishonoring the king. GOD sent Jesus to bring the message of reconciliation to the people. It is GOD's express will that we honor the Messiah and obey his words, as if GOD Himself were speaking to us. In addition, it was not Jesus who gave himself this honor, but GOD, the Father, from whom Jesus receives everything (Hebrews 5,5 / 2nd Peter 1,17).

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Just as Jesus acts in the name of the Father, Jesus’ disciples also act in his name in the same way (John 20,21 f.). Anyone who rejects them rejects Jesus and ultimately GOD, the Father (Matthew 10,40 / John 13,20). Since the Father has given the Son the power to carry out His divine judgment on humanity, one must honor the Son as one honors the Father. For the judgment that the Son carries out is the judgment of the Father (Romans 2,6 + 16 / Acts 17,30 f.). Honoring someone does not mean worshipping him, but recognizing him in his role or function (Romans 13,7). This is not about worshipping Jesus, as only the Father is entitled to. People should not only recognize GOD, but also Jesus as His Messenger and Judge. This honor does not belong to Jesus by nature, but is due to the authority that GOD has given to His Messiah. Therefore, the analogous translation is:

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22 For the Father judges no one, but has appointed the Son to be Judge, 23 so that all may acknowledge the Son, just as they acknowledge the Father. Whoever does not acknowledge the Son does not acknowledge GOD who sent him.

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John 5,26 f.

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26 "For as the Father has life in himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And He has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man." 

 

GOD the Father is the only one who exists independently and possesses immortality (1st Timothy 6,16). However, because GOD knew that Jesus would be without sin, He gave the Messiah the privilege of being the first person to be redeemed from death. The Old Greek word for to give (didōmi) implies that someone receives something they did not previously possess. There are countless examples of this in the Bible. The Messiah received immortality as a human being, not as GOD. Jesus is the only person to date whom GOD has glorified and granted imperishable life (Acts 2,24-25 / Romans 6,9 / Revelation 1,18). This clarifies that Jesus is not inherently immortal, like GOD the Father. Similarly, Jesus was given (didōmi) the authority by the Father to forgive sins (Luke 5,24) and to judge (John 5,27). All the power Jesus possesses comes from the heavenly Father and not from himself (Matthew 9,8 / John 17,2 / 1st Peter 1,21). Furthermore, GOD is spirit and cannot die. Jesus, however, died on the cross and was raised to life by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit (1st Corinthians 6,14 / Colossians 2,12).

 

see:

Mt 4,9 / Mt 6,11 / Mt 7,7 / Mt 10,19 / Mt 12,39 / Mt 13,12 / Mt 21,43 / Joh 10,29 / Rev 9,5

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John 6,61 f.

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61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!"

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The context indicates that verse 62 is part of a speech in which Jesus compares Himself to the manna that GOD gave to His people Israel (Exodus 16,4). The fact that this manna is referred to as bread from heaven (verse 31) does not mean that it literally fell from heaven, but rather that it came from GOD. In Malachi 3,10 we find similar wording when GOD says that He will open the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings. This statement is clearly to be understood in a figurative sense. The promised blessing was a bountiful harvest for GOD's people. So Christ is also of divine origin in the sense that GOD sent His Holy Spirit from heaven to father Jesus in Mary's womb (Luke 1,35). Later, after GOD raised him from the dead, Jesus ascended to the Father in heaven (Acts 1,10 f.).

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In John 6, Jesus refers to himself as bread coming down from heaven. This does not mean that Jesus is bread in the literal sense, nor that he literally came down from heaven to earth. Likewise, Jesus' statements about eating his flesh and drinking his blood (John 6,51-56) must be understood symbolically. Among Jews, everything that is predestined by GOD comes from heaven. When what GOD foretold through His prophets about the Messiah became reality in the person of Jesus, one could figuratively say that Jesus came down from heaven (1st Peter 1,20), because the Messiah is the blessing for GOD'S people. The statements that Jesus is the bread that comes from heaven mean that he was sent by GOD to give people spiritual food, meaning GOD's word, so that they could receive eternal life. Eternal life is in turn closely linked to the resurrection of the dead, which Jesus also speaks about several times in the Gospel of John. The word ascend (Old Greek: anabainō) can be understood in both a literal and figurative sense. It is the same word used in connection with Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3,16). Baptism, in turn, is a symbol of death and resurrection. In Matthew 20,17 it is used when Jesus went to Jerusalem. The same word also appears in Revelation 8,4 in connection with the rising smoke. It can also be used for the sprouting of plants from the ground (Matthew 13,7) and for thoughts that arise in the mind (Luke 24,38). Furthermore, it is also used in reference to the ascension of Jesus to GOD the Father (John 20,17).

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If verse 62 refers to the resurrection of Jesus, the statement where he was before could not mean heaven, but the place among the living. In the context of Jesus' ascension, its meaning would be that Jesus returns (to GOD) where he originated (with GOD). GOD conceived Jesus by His Spirit and received him after his glorification. Or to put it another way: Jesus came down from heaven as the seed of GOD and goes back to GOD as a glorified man. Heaven (where GOD is) is Jesus' starting point and destination in a figurative sense. Regarding believers, Philippians 3,20 says that their home is in heaven (with GOD), even though no believer has ever been there. Ephesians 2,19 says that the saints are members of GOD's household. In John 17,16 Jesus says of his disciples that they are not of this world, just as Jesus is not of this world. The word heaven therefore refers to a person's spiritual home and belonging. When Jesus asked who his disciples thought he was, Peter answered that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living GOD. Apparently Peter knew very well how to distinguish between the living GOD and His Christ (Matthew 16,13-16). He did not believe that GOD stood before him in the flesh in the person of the Messiah. A analogous translation is:

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61 But Jesus, realizing that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Are you offended at this? 62 What will you say when you see the Son of Man ascending to Him who begot him?"

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John 6,64

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64 For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.

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The context shows that the word beginning (Old Greek: archē) does not mean the beginning of creation, but describes a specific point in time. GOD created humans in the beginning (archē) as male and female, although Adam and Eve were not made until the sixth day of creation. John writes that in the beginning (archē) there were eyewitnesses. Here too, John is not referring to the beginning of creation, but of the life and work of Jesus (Luke 1,2 f.). Furthermore, it is said that the disciples were with Christ from the beginning (archē). This is about the public work of the Messiah (John 15,27). The gift of the Holy Spirit was given to Peter and the apostles in the beginning (archē). What is meant is the beginning of the age of the church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 11,15). ​​Jesus already knew who would betray him before he chose his twelve disciples. Since GOD is omniscient and can foresee everything, He showed Jesus who to make his disciples. For in order for the Scripture to be fulfilled regarding the suffering of the Messiah, one of the disciples had to later betray him. GOD always gave Jesus all the important information he needed for his ministry in advance. This shows the close connection between GOD the Father and his human Son; but by no means that Jesus is GOD.

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John 8,23

 

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23 “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world."

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The word world (Old Greek: kosmos) has different meanings in the Bible. It can refer to the physical-material world (the earth) as well as to the sinful society that has fallen away from GOD and thus everything that contradicts GOD's will. The word down (Old Greek: katō / katōterō) is linked to the devil's domain. This stands for darkness, lies, sin and death. This doesn't mean the underworld. In contrast to this is the word above (Old Greek: anō), which symbolically means heaven and thus GOD's domain. This in turn stands for light, truth, love and life. Verse 23 addresses a person's inner disposition. A worldly person thinks and acts according to the flesh, while spiritual people behave in accordance with GOD's nature and will. In Colossians 3,2, Paul exhorts believers to set their minds on things above (anō). Jesus had a pure heart and always acted spiritually, or divinely (Matthew 16,23), while the Pharisees and scribes were carnally minded. For this reason, Jesus calls them children of the devil (John 8,44 / Matthew 23,22). GOD's kingdom and the world are two opposing realms that are incompatible with each other. The fact that Jesus is not of this world expresses that he belongs to GOD, thereby simultaneously distinguishing himself from the sinful world. Jesus also says of his disciples that they are not of this world (John 15,19 / John 17,14). After Jesus had cleansed them through his word, they too no longer belonged to the world, but—just like Jesus—to GOD (John 15,3 / Ephesians 5,26). GOD did not send Jesus from heaven to earth, but into the world—that is, to the people who did not know GOD (John 3,16 f. / John 12,46 / John 18,37). Likewise, Jesus sends his disciples into the world to proclaim the good news to them, so that they might turn from the world—that is, from the influence of Satan—to GOD (John 17,18 / John 20,21 / Acts 26,17 f.). A reasonable translation of the verse is:

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23 You are carnal/devilish minded, I am spiritual/divine minded. You live/act/judge according to worldly standards, I don't.

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see:

Rom 12,2 / Gal 6,14 / Jam 1,27 / Jam 4,4 / 2nd Pet 1,4 / 1st Joh 2,15-17 / 1st Joh 4,4 / 1st Joh 5,4 f.

 

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John 8,24

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24 "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

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In John 20,31, John states the purpose of the gospel: It is about believing that Jesus is the Christ (= the anointed one or the son of GOD). The terms Christ and Son of GOD have one and the same meaning (Luke 22,67-70). The point here is not to believe in the supposed divinity of the Lord Jesus, but rather that he is the messianic king and savior promised by GOD and that in him alone lies the salvation of humanity (Acts 4,12). If anyone does not believe this, he must die in his sins, since only through faith in Jesus can a person receive forgiveness of his sins (Colossians 1,14). Therefore, anyone who rejects Jesus' atonement has no salvation. In John 4,25 f., Jesus uses the same formulation to reveal to the woman at Jacob's well that he is the Messiah (not GOD). In Mark 14,61 the Jews ask Jesus to confess that he is the Christ (not GOD). Peter confessed in Matthew 16,16 that Jesus is the Christ and Son of the living GOD (not GOD himself). Martha did the same thing in John 11,27. A comprehensible translation is:

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24 "I told you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am the Messiah (your Savior), you will have no salvation."

 

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John 8,56-58

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56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was, I am!”

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As in the entire Gospel of John, this section is about Jesus being the Messiah / the Christ (not GOD) (John 10,22-26). There was no prophecy in the Holy Scriptures about Abraham before his birth. However, GOD had already revealed to Adam and Eve shortly after the Fall that the Messiah would come one day to restore GOD'S kingdom (Genesis 3,14 f.). Abraham, too, knew about the promised coming of the Messiah, although for him this event was still in the distant future. Yet GOD allowed Abraham to see Jesus' day, i.e., the future appearance of the Messiah (probably through a dream or vision), to which Abraham responded with joy (verse 56). Similar wording is found in Hebrews 11,13, which states that Old Testament believers rejoiced in the fulfillment of GOD's promise, even though it would only happen in the future. The dialogue with the Jews shows that they did not understand Jesus' words because they lacked divine insight. This resulted in them misinterpreting many of his statements. The Jews who were knowledgeable about the law were aware that GOD's Messiah had a higher position than all the patriarchs and prophets before him. But because the Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, they viewed his words as outrageous presumption (verse 53). To them, Jesus was a madman who was supposedly possessed by a demon (verses 48-52).

 

In verse 58, Jesus uses the words ego eimi. Wherever these appear in connection with Jesus without connection to an adjective or noun, they are rendered as I am he / I am the one (not "I am") (Luke 22,70 / John 4,26 / John 8,24 / John 18,4-8). Ego eimi is always and exclusively refer to Jesus' identity as the Messiah, as the respective context indicates; nowhere, however, to a temporal pre-existence, as Trinitarians claim. John 8 is no exception. By saying before Abraham was, I am he, Jesus declares that GOD, in His eternal purpose, had already chosen him to be the Messiah before Abraham was born. Before Jesus actually existed, he had already been chosen as the Savior of humanity (Revelation 13,8). Thus, Jesus deserved greater honor than Abraham. Since Abraham, as the forefather of Israel, was highly respected among the Jews and remains an important figure today, the Jews perceived Jesus' statement as a denigration of their father Abraham, which was the final straw in the already heated discussion. Therefore, they picked up stones to stone Jesus (verse 59). A similar translation might read:

 

56 "Abraham, your father, was glad when my coming was shown to him (prophetically)." 57 Then the Jews (who did not understand Jesus' words) said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I was already destined to be the Messiah."

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John 10,11-15

 

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11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

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The term shepherd (Heb.: râ‛âh / Old Greek: poimēn) is used both for GOD (Psalm 23,1-3 / Psalm 79,13 / Psalm 80,2 / Psalm 95,7 / Psalm 100,3 / Isaiah 40,11 / Ezekiel 34,31) and for people (Isaiah 44,28 / Isaiah 56,11 / Isaiah 63,11 / Jeremiah 2,8 / Jeremiah 3,15 / Jeremiah 10,21 / Jeremiah 23,1-6 / Jeremiah 23,2 / Ezekiel 34,1-10 + 23 f. / Zechariah 11,16 / John 21,15-17 / Acts 20,28 / 1st Corinthians 12,28 / Ephesians 4,11 / 1st Peter 5,1-5). GOD is the supreme Shepherd of all. At the same time, GOD appoints people (priests, judges, kings, teachers, and elders) as shepherds to give them responsibility and to share in His rule. The task of a shepherd is to guide the people, to obey GOD's will, and to protect them from evil influences. In Jesus' time, this task fell to the scribes and Pharisees. But instead of caring for the sheep, they always sought only their own advantage. It was similar with the shepherds who came before them. For this reason, GOD promised to give His people a single faithful Shepherd: the Messiah. The fact that Jesus is the Good Shepherd has nothing to do with his supposed deity. It expresses that Jesus cares about the welfare of the sheep his Father had entrusted to him; just as it was the case with King David (Psalm 78,69-71). Furthermore, Jesus was willing to lay down his life for the sheep. This shows that his sheep can trust him completely. Jesus is the supreme human Shepherd, whom all people should follow. The fact that both GOD and Jesus are called Shepherd is therefore not proof that Jesus is GOD.

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