“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36

Notes:

He who believes in the Son –  he whose object of faith and trust is in Christ Jesus, relies and commits himself to Him, expecting life and salvation from Him.

has everlasting life – has eternal life, living forever and ever without end.

he who does not believe the Son shall not see life – he who does not believe Jesus to be the Son of God (God incarnate or made flesh ), or the Messiah; or rejects him as the Saviour; will live and die in a state of impenitence and unbelief, neither enjoy true life or happiness here nor in the world to come. He shall never enter heaven.

but the wrath of God abides on him – the wrath, therefore, is not first initiated or developed by the refusal to believe, but is already there, and through that refusal; remains. On the refuser of Christ, the wrath of God instead of being removed from him by faith, abides through his unbelief and it will continue to remain on him for all eternity.

Further note:

As there is no way of escaping the wrath of God but by the Lord Jesus Christ, so those who will not believe must go to eternity “as they are” and bear alone the full consequence of the penalty of sin – joining the devil and his angels in hell**. Such is the wretched and terrifying condition of the sinner! Yet many choose to remain in this state, and to encounter all that is horrifying in the wrath of Almighty God, rather than come to Jesus, who has borne their sins in His own body on the cross, and who is willing to bless them with the peace and joy of immortal… never ending ….life.

** “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:” Jesus said in Matthew 25:41

“ ¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:17 -21

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ” John 1:1-3

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. ” 2 John 1:7

Whoever says Jesus is not the Word made flesh, became flesh or God incarnate, the bible says he is a deceiver and an antichrist.

“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?”
Jesus said in John 8:44-46

Jesus said the father of lies – is the devil.  Be careful of whose parentage you want: speaking and/or believing a lie;  or the truth.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  

“…it is impossible for God to lie, ..” Hebrews 6:18

 ^“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:10-13

‘..Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”’ Galatians 3:6 (Genesis 15:3 “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”)

Believing God or having faith in God results in obedience and right actions. Abraham’s belief or faith in God caused him to offer up Isaac when he was tested by God. When Abraham believed God – he was at that very moment declared righteous – not at that instance when Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son (this action only proved Abraham’s belief or faith in God.

Believe in the context of believing God is therefore active not passive and certainly not just a mental assent only. Actions proved the belief – as Abraham’s belief was later demonstrated by his actions when he stretched out his hand over Isaac.  He who says he believes God and continually sin and running towards sin, with no repentance does not really believe – it’s just a mental assent just like what God through the Bible says in James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” A true believer’s heart runs away from sin and not towards sin. He lives by faith in God.

‘..the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” ’Romans 1:16-17

Abraham’s justified by faith in God. God through the Bible says ‘believing’ in God is ‘NOT works’ but is grace and faith – see Romans 4:3-5

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1

Why did Jesus say “The Father is greater than I” in John 14:28 whilst saying He is the great “I AM” in John 8:58

The answer to this question lies within the nature of the incarnation when God became man. See 1 John 4:2 & 2 John 1:7

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;” 1 John 4:2 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” 2 John 1:7

Jesus has two natures:  divine and human. Jesus is fully God and also fully man while here on the earth.

Jesus was speaking in reference to his human nature. Jesus said the Father was greater than He not because Jesus is not God but because Jesus was also fully man; and as a man, he was in a lower position. See Philippians 2:5-8, Hebrews 2:9 and Galatians 4:4-5.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:5-8

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5

However, Jesus is fully divine (See John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”) too. By taking on human nature, Jesus did not relinquish His divine nature—God cannot stop being God. When Jesus, God the Son, took on human form, something amazing occurred. Christ “made himself nothing.” In essence, what it means is that Jesus voluntarily relinquished the prerogative of freely exercising His divine attributes and subjected Himself to the will of the Father while on earth. God the Son is fully divine yet fully human.

Jesus was restricted as man – restricted to one location at a time, got tired, needed sleep, got hungry, needed food, got exhausted, needed rest, etc. Jesus suffered all things as a man; He emptied Himself of the Godhead to be made flesh, to be made sin, to die.

It was however a temporary measure, He now has the glory He had with the Father before He came to the earth; He has been restored to the fullness of the Godhead. This is why scripture says Jesus thought it not robbery to be equal with God but took on the form of a servant in Philippians 2:6

God the Father said of God the Son in Hebrews 1:8‘But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;..’

Jesus of Nazareth is God in the flesh, the Creator – fully God and fully man. Christ Jesus is the second “person” of the Triune God – One God in 3 “persons” – the blessed Trinity.**

**..The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” Deuteronomy 6:4 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me.” Isaiah 45:5 Notice it is not no God besides us.

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5

God refers to Jesus “But to the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;”Hebrews 1:6-8

Jesus said to His disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19 Jesus spoke clearly of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, if you read this verse attentively, you will see that the Three have just one name. It says, “baptizing them into the name” (not names) “of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” There are Three with one name. This is the Triune God, the Trinity. ONE God in 3 “Persons” not and NEVER 3 Gods. We cannot understand the Trinity fully but that is how God reveals Himself to mankind – both “I and Us”. Don’t forget we are finite and God is infinite – we may not fully comprehend God. BUT what God has revealed is sufficient for our salvation.

What must a person must “do” to “have the Son” by having all his sins forgiven and be justified by God?  In other words what must one “do” to be saved?

This is the most crucial question one can ask, for the answer one receives and accepts will make the everlasting difference between being eternally lost and forever being separated from God, or having eternal life and perpetual & abiding fellowship with God.

This is God’s plan of salvation, which is the only plan He has given so that sinners can be saved. Jesus said in John 3:14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Do not harden your heart in refusal; do not say, “Tomorrow I will come to Him.” Tomorrow may never come.

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1

“Behold, now is ‘THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,’ behold, now is ‘THE DAY OF SALVATION.'” 2 Corinthians 6:2

“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.” Hebrews 3:7-8

God has given you life to this moment, but there is no promise of another opportunity tomorrow. Do accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour today, right now!

So salvation is a gift that is granted by God at the moment a person turns to Jesus Christ in repentance and total trust.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Galatians 3:11 which says: “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’ “Ephesians 2:8-9 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Being saved by faith apart from works seems so easy, and it is. Many believe it is too easy and erroneously seek to add to God’s plan of salvation. Godly living comes as the result of accepting Christ as Saviour and Lord. Do not depend, then, on what you do, but on what Jesus did and promises to do for you.

To claim Christ as your Saviour and Lord simply means that you trust in Him from your heart. When you have received Him as Saviour and Lord, you have done everything necessary to be saved. Acts 16:31a “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”.

“The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalms 34:16-19