THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE #18

With Dale Ratzlaff

John 5:18-24

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life (Jn. 5:18-24).

This discourse, which should be studied at one time, goes to the end of chapter 5. However, it is too much for one study.

This section is perhaps the clearest teaching in the Gospels on the person of Christ in His relation to the Father. In his book The Gospel of John, Leon Morris quotes Ryle: “Nowhere else in other Gospels do we find our Lord making such a formal, systematic, orderly, regular statement of His own unity with the Father, His divine commission and authority, and the proofs of His Messiahship as we find in this discourse” (p. 311).

“Truly, truly”, is something that Jesus says when He introduces us to a very important truth. But repeated words are even more than a signal that truth is coming; it is a personal characteristic of Jesus to repeat important things at important times.

For example, when Abraham had raised the knife to slay Isaac, we have this word from our Lord:

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Gen 22:11).

When God was calling the boy Samuel we find the same pattern:

Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Sam. 3:10).

Near the end of Christ’s ministry as He approaches the cross, Jesus cries out to the Jewish people and their holy city:

Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! (Mt. 23:36-38).

Now that we have seen this pattern of repeated words marking the Lord’s declaration of important truth, we look again at our passage in John 5: 

Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing.

It is easy to read over this short phrase and miss the deeper theological understanding. Here Jesus describes His relationship with the Father. Because the members of the Trinity are fully God and God is omniscient, there can never be any disagreement between them. Jesus never has to persuade the Father to do something. Rather as stated here, Jesus can only do what He sees the Father doing. Both “sees” and “doing” are in the continuous tense. There is a spiritual two-way connection between them.

…for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

Apparently, Jesus saw the Father wanting to heal the invalid who had been trusting in the moving of the water by the Pool of Bethesda, and He chose to do this miracle on the Sabbath—so Jesus did just that.

For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.

As a fully human person, Jesus was dependent upon the Father’s revelation to Him of His will. The mission of Jesus was primarily to be our Substitute and Savior. Yet He is also our Example in a number of things, and this is one: complete dependence upon the revealed word of God. Jesus not only had the Old Testament Scriptures, but He had a line to the Father through prayer and the Spirit. We too, to a limited extent, have those same lines of communication: the message of Scripture, prayer, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The “greater works” doubtless refers to the greater miracles: feeding the 5,000, healing the man born blind, the resurrection of Lazarus and ultimately the resurrection of Jesus. Many of these miraculous events did make people “marvel”. However—and this is a vital point—a miraculous event may get people’s attention, but if faith is not based upon more than an unexplained phenomenon, it is not saving faith.

We might wonder if the communication Jesus had with His Father is something we, too, might have. Obviously, we could never duplicate what He has as we are not God. However, later in the Gospel of John we find promises that stretch our understanding. We will study them in greater depth when we get there, but for now let your mind and spirit rest on these verses:

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. (Jn. 16:13-15).

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.

We might wonder just when the Father raised the dead. We will see that in a short while Jesus went to the cross—and the Father raised Him from death three days after His crucifixion!

For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.

The communication between the Father and the Son is a two-way relationship. It matters not which one wills as they both will; it does not matter which one “does”, as they both “do”. Here we find that Jesus is given the task of Judgment. Actually, it is a privilege for Jesus to be our Great Intercessor. Our sin has already been laid on Him at the cross and paid for in full by His blood. In His resurrection we are raised to newness of life. He judges His righteousness to be our righteousness. What a privilege it must be for Him to see the results of His ministry.

It is the will of God that we honor the Son in the same way we honor the Father. The other day I was shopping and encountered three nicely dressed men holding their Bibles with a little sign that identified them as Jehovah’s Witnesses. I told them that I had studied their theology and concluded it was unbiblical. Then I left them with this: 

…for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. (Jn. 8:24).

I told them that the “I AM” was the same person that appeared to Moses at the burning bush. “This means that unless you believe that Jesus Christ is the “I AM”, the Jehovah, the YHWH of the Old Testament, you will die in your sins.” I hope this will make them think and study.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Here we find another very important word from our Lord. This is really important for those who come from an Adventist background or from other religions that do not believe in the security of the believer. In fact, there are two conditions that must be met before we can claim the promise. We must “hear” His word. This means more than just read or listen. Rather, it implies an effectual hearing—a hearing that understands and takes to heart what is heard. We must hear the gospel. Next, we are to believe. As we often point out, saving faith is a belief that is settled, and trust that is based upon evidence—a trust that is willing to stake one’s future upon it. Included in the foundation of saving faith is not only faith in Christ, but faith in Christ as the Son of God. Our faith is not to believe in one and question the other. We must believe in Christ and the Father who sent Him. Once we “hear” and “believe”, then we have this marvelous promise.

…has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

“Has” is present continuous meaning that this is a possession that we now have. It is not something we wait for. It is a present possession. As I write I am the other side of 81, and many of my friends have already experienced death. I know not how long I will live. But this I know. My Redeemer lives. Because of my faith in His righteousness, I am accounted righteous. As Paul stated in his letter to the Corinthians: 

For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him (2 Cor. 5:2-9).

For an in-depth study of the above passage visit. http://www.lifeassuranceministries.org/proclamation/2008/4/index.html

We not only have eternal life, but we do not come into judgment. This Bible truth completely voids out the unbiblical teachings of Adventist’s investigative judgment. Ellen G. White, whom Adventists still teach “speaks with prophetic authority”, stated. 

In the typical service only those who had come before God with confession and repentance, and whose sins, through the blood of the sin offering, were transferred to the sanctuary, had a part in the service of the Day of Atonement. So in the great day of final atonement and investigative judgment the only cases considered are those of the professed people of God. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 480. See also Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, p. 420.

Not only is Adventism wrong in stating that only professed believers come into judgment, but they also teach that this judgment is one that decides their eternal salvation. It is a judgment where even unconfessed, forgotten sins will be held against them. They teach that this investigative judgment happens just before the close of human history.

Jesus, however, clearly states that eternal life is a present possession, and the assurance of eternal life is founded upon the solid rock of His statement recorded in our text in John.

…has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

“Has passed” is perfect tense in Greek, indicating that this is a once-for-all event that happened in the past when we believed. Here is the truth that undermines Adventist theology: we now have eternal life. We have once-and-for-all been transferred from the condemned family of Adam into the justified family of Christ. We can rest assured that our Lord will do what He has declared.

Application

• Jesus’ life was in complete agreement with His Father. He was in constant communication with His Father through the Scriptures, prayer, and the Holy Spirit. While we may never have the same level of two-way communication, we nevertheless can follow His example of studying Scripture, spending time in prayer and seeking the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit. I believe the key to putting all these together is to make sure we live up to the truth God has revealed to us. If we are disobedient, we cannot expect God to give us more truth until we put into practice what He has already revealed.
• We can rest assured that we now have eternal life.
• Those of us who come from an Adventist background can jettison the whole concept of Adventism’s cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the investigative judgment. Our judgment is “in Christ” and has already taken place.
• We not only have the assurance of eternal life, but we know that we have been once-and-for-all transferred from the condemned family of Adam into the justified family of Christ.

Prayer

Father, I thank you and praise you for the good news in this passage in John. Thank you that your Spirit will disclose to me your will. May I cooperate by studying Scripture, praying, and listening to your Spirit. Thank you that I have been delivered from the false guilt of Adventism’s investigative judgment.

In Jesus name.

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Dale Ratzlaff

Dale Ratzlaff (1936–2024), is the founder of Life Assurance Ministries and Proclamation! Magazine. He served as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor for 13 years, seven at Monterey Bay Academy where he taught Bible. He and his wife Carolyn left the Adventist church in 1981 when he realized he could no longer teach the investigative judgment with a clear conscience. He has authored several books on Adventism that are available through his website, SabbathInChrist.com.

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