With Dale Ratzlaff
John 16:5-11
But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, “Where are You going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
Our passage starts out with, “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’” “But now” suggests a radical change in context. Jesus has just informed them that they would soon be the targets of hate, persecution, and even death. Now He tells them about the resources that will be available to them after He leaves and goes back to the Father who sent Him.
Jesus said, “None of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’” However, this sounds like a contradiction, but upon careful observation, it is not. There are two other related verses, John 13:6,7 and 14:5,6.
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You” (Jn. 13:36-37).
Here the context is the place where Jesus is going, and that is the cross. Peter thinks he has the will and spiritual power to follow Jesus in death.
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (Jn. 14:3-6).
The above passage focuses on “the way”, not the ultimate destination where Jesus is going. Jesus will soon be going back to the Father, and they want to know the way.
Now, however, the context is different.
But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, “Where are You going?”
The disciples were worried that Jesus was leaving them, but showed little concern about where Jesus, Himself, was going. Sorrow had filled the hearts of the disciples as they realized they would be left alone. They had been with Jesus for over three years and had depended on Him to be their guide through all kinds of trying encounters and joyful ministry. Self-interest was paramount in their thinking.
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
The parting of friends, and even more so of loved ones, is always difficult, especially if the time away will be permanent or over an extended period of time. Therefore, to impress upon the disciples that it was to their advantage that He go away, Jesus prefaces this truth with the emphatic, “I, Myself, tell you the truth.” We are not told here why the Helper cannot come unless Jesus goes away. However, previously in John we read,
But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (Jn. 7:39).
The glorification of Jesus is seen at the Cross, the Ascension, and the seating of the glorified Jesus at the Father’s right hand. It is from this position of power and authority that Jesus will send the Helper. The Holy Spirit, called the Helper, or Paraclete, fulfills a number of vitally important roles for the Christian. He is one called alongside to help; an advocate who appeals on our behalf, He defends against the enemy’s attacks, and He intercedes for us before the Father. He provides protection, needed help, security; He is the one who comforts us in our trials and serves as our counselor and guide.
There were two reasons why it was an advantage for Jesus to “go away.” The disciples were dependent on the visible presence of Jesus. This proximity was good and necessary during the three years of training. Soon, however, they would be ambassadors for the resurrected Christ into all the world, and it would be an impossible job unless they were able to minister without the visible presence of Jesus. The second reason, mentioned above, is that the Holy Spirit would not be given until the atonement was complete and Jesus was glorified.
It is the divine concern to bring about a full salvation for men. That salvation can be based on nothing but Christ’s atoning work. Only when that is accomplished can men receive the Spirit in all His fullness ( Leon Morris, The Gospel of John, p. 697).
We can see how the Holy Spirit made a huge difference in the lives of the Apostles. We need only compare their denying and forsaking of Christ in His trial with the way they “Spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts. 4:31) after the Holy Spirit was poured out.
We come now to one of the most insightful passages in John that reflects new covenant truth.
…but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
The Spirit is not to repeat the work of Moses in preaching the law. The conviction in regard to sin lies in one direction: “inasmuch as they do not believe in me.” Yet note that this is the capital sin. For to believe in Jesus is to be saved from sin. To have sin forgiven; and thus not to believe in Jesus is to remain in sin, to perish forever in sin ( R.C.H. Lenski, Commentary of the New Testament, John, p. 1082, 1083).
This is a truth we need to understand thoroughly, and that is the reason the Gospel of John repeats it over and over again.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:17).
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:18).
Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (Jn. 6:28-29).
Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24).
…but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (Jn. 20:31).
The Gospel of John is the only Gospel that specifically states its purpose is to give us evidence for saving faith, and that saving faith is described as believing in Jesus Christ. We should be very careful not to add to the simple gospel, for it is the saving gospel.
The next part of this verse is equally revealing.
…concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me.
In the old covenant, righteousness was associated with keeping the law. It was centered on one’s personal obedience. It was internal righteousness. Luke shows the basis of this law-righteousness for people living under the old covenant.
They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord (Lk. 1:6).
Often the Old Testament mentions people who were “righteous.” However, none could match the righteousness of the new covenant. For example, Peter calls Lot “righteous,” but if one reads the Old Testament accounts, we would wonder how Peter could call such a man “righteous.”
…He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds) (2 Pet. 2:7-8).
“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof” (Gen. 19:5-8).
In the Old Testament, life and righteousness were conditioned by personal obedience.
So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD (Lev. 18:5).
It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us (Deut. 6:25).
New covenant righteousness is in the person of Jesus Christ, who has gone to the Father. Jesus is now the covenant partner doing the Father’s will.
And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him (Jn. 8:29).
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Eph. 2:4-10).
Our righteousness is safe because it is “in Christ” who is at the Father’s side.
…concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
We might ask, “If Satan, the ruler of this world, has been judged, then why do we see so much evil in the world?” “Has been judged” is a declaration of God and it is in the perfect tense. Satan has been judged once and for all time. There is a parallel in the statements regarding the declaration of God given to the righteous and the pronouncement of the condemnation of Satan. The righteous are declared righteous because they are “in Christ.” They will not personally experience the full measure of this righteousness, however, until the second coming. They are now considered to be righteous because they are “in Christ.” Then, at the second coming they will be righteous. In a similar way, Satan is declared to be judged and condemned now. The full measure of this condemnation will not be realized until he is thrown into the lake of fire.
At the present time, Satan’s ability to attack those who are “in Christ” is limited.
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Because Satan is “seeking someone to devour” shows that he cannot devour everyone. Christians are eternally safe from his attacks when they “take up the full armor of God.”
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints (Eph. 6:11-18).
Our stance in Christian warfare is based on the declaration of God. We have been declared righteous, fully accepted by God and equipped with the Spirit. Satan has been declared by God to be a defeated foe. Our response is to believe what God has declared to be true. This is not only saving faith; it is victorious faith.
Application
These few verses from the Gospel of John give us much courage.
- Jesus promised to send the Spirit if He went back to the Father. He did go back to heaven; He did send the Spirit. We do not have to face life alone; we have a present comforter, advocate, one called alongside to help in time of need.
- In the new covenant, the cardinal sin is unbelief. To believe in Christ—all that is taught about Him in John—as well as in all the New Testament—is saving faith.
- Saving righteousness is not our personal righteousness, as taught in the Old Testament, but now Christ is the covenant partner, and now His righteousness is credited to our account! That is the “good news” of the new covenant gospel.
- God has declared Satan to be condemned and judged. We need not fear that he can take us out of Christ’s hand. We have overcome Satan already “in Christ.” As we take up the full armor of God—belief in all aspects of the gospel—we can stand firm in our faith.
Prayer
Father, how thankful I am for your grace. Thank you for providing the Spirit to be with me in all that I do. Thank you that you have given sufficient evidence for me to believe the gospel. Thank you that my righteousness is secure “in Christ.” Thank you that Satan has been, once and for all time, condemned and judged.
In Jesus name.
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