For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Show the surrounding paragraph
John 6:38-40 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you don’t believe. All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Parallel Translations
-
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day.
This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
-
For I came doune from heaven: not to do myne awne will but his will which hath sent me.
And this is the fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath geven me I shuld loose no thinge: but shuld rayse it vp agayne at the last daye.
And this is the wyll of him that sent me: that every man which seith the sonne and beleveth on him have everlastinge lyfe. And I will rayse him vp at the last daye.
Show all 3 translations
-
For I came downe from heauen, not to do mine owne wil, but his wil which hath sent me.
And this is the Fathers will which hath sent mee, that of all which hee hath giuen mee, I should lose nothing, but shoulde raise it vp againe at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent mee, that euery man which seeth the Sonne, and beleeueth in him, should haue euerlasting life: and I will raise him vp at the last day.
Cross-references (66)
- John 5:30 (v38) I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father…
- John 4:34 (v38) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
- John 5:24 (v40) “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has…
- Romans 6:23 (v40) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- John 6:54 (vv39–40) He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Show all 65 cross-references
- John 17:12 (v39) While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. I have kept those whom you have given me. None of them is lost except the son…
- John 3:31 (v38) He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is…
- Philippians 2:7-8 (v38) but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself,…
- Psalms 40:7-8 (v38) Then I said, “Behold, I have come. It is written about me in the book in the scroll. I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is…
- John 6:40 (v39) This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise…
- John 11:25 (v40) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
- Isaiah 53:10 (v38) Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He…
- John 6:33 (v38) For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
- John 3:15-18 (v40) that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that…
- John 18:9 (v39) that the word might be fulfilled which he spoke, “Of those whom you have given me, I have lost none.”
- John 3:13 (v38) No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
- Matthew 26:39-42 (v38) He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me;…
- John 10:27-30 (v39) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch…
- John 4:14 (v40) but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well…
- John 6:44 (v39) No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.
- Hebrews 10:7-9 (v38) Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do your will, O God.’ ” Previously saying, “Sacrifices…
- Luke 2:30 (v40) for my eyes have seen your salvation,
- John 1:14 (v40) The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 3:36 (v40) One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
- John 6:27 (v40) Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the…
- John 12:45 (v40) He who sees me sees him who sent me.
- John 14:19 (v40) Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.
- Hebrews 5:8 (v38) though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
- Romans 8:11 (v39) But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life…
- Romans 15:3 (v38) For even Christ didn’t please himself. But, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
- 1 John 1:1-3 (v40) That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands…
- 1 John 2:25 (v40) This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life.
- Jude 1:1 (v39) Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
- Isaiah 45:21-22 (v40) Declare and present it. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven’t I,…
- Isaiah 52:10 (v40) Yahweh has made his holy arm bare in the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
- Matthew 20:28 (v38) even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- John 10:28 (v40) I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
- Philippians 3:20-21 (v39) For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change the body of our humiliation…
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 (v39) But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation…
- 1 John 5:11-13 (v40) The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have…
- Matthew 18:14 (v39) Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
- Luke 12:32 (v39) Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
- John 6:37 (v39) All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
- John 17:2 (v40) even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
- Ephesians 4:9 (v38) Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
- Colossians 3:3-4 (v39) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in…
- Isaiah 53:2 (v40) For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no…
- Mark 16:16 (v40) He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
- John 8:56 (v40) Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it, and was glad.”
- John 12:48 (v39) He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke will judge him in the last day.
- Romans 8:28-31 (v39) We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he…
- 1 Peter 1:5 (v39) who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- 1 Samuel 25:29 (v39) Though men may rise up to pursue you, and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord will be bound in the bundle of life with Yahweh your…
- John 5:28 (v39) Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice,
- John 11:24-26 (v39) Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the…
- John 12:50 (v40) I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”
- Romans 5:21 (v40) that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6 (v40) seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory…
- 2 Timothy 2:19 (v39) However God’s firm foundation stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the…
- Hebrews 11:1 (v40) Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.
- 1 Peter 1:8 (v40) whom, not having known, you love. In him, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy that is unspeakable and…
- Jude 1:21 (v40) Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
- John 6:35-37 (v40) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But…
- John 14:17 (v40) the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and…
- Hebrews 11:27 (v40) By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
65 distinct cross-references across this passage (66 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (19 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv38–40 38. For I came down from heaven. This is…
38. For I came down from heaven. This is a confirmation of the preceding statement, that we do not seek Christ in vain. For faith is a work of God, by which he shows that we are his people, and appoints his Son to be the protector of our salvation. Now the Son has no other design than to fulfill the commands of his Father. Consequently, he will never reject those whom his Father hath sent. Hence, finally, it follows, that faith will never be useless. As to the distinction which Christ makes between his own will and the will of the Father, in this respect, he accommodates himself to his hearers, because, as the mind of man is prone to distrust, we are wont to contrive some diversity which produces hesitation. To cut off every pretense for those wicked imaginations, Christ declares, that he has been manifested to the world, in order that he may actually ratify what the Father hath decreed concerning our salvation.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv38, 40 See John 5:22.
See John 5:22.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv38–40 38 For I came down from heaven, not to…
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Ver. 38. Not to do mine own will] As man, he did his Father’s will; as God, he hath the same will with the Father.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv38–40 Our Lord confirmeth what he had before said concerning…
Our Lord confirmeth what he had before said concerning his gracious reception of believers, and preserving them by his grace in their state of grace, so that they shall not be cast out with reprobates in the day of judgment, from this, that he came not to execute any particular will of his own, but what was also the will of his Father, who sent him into the world.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v38 In these words our Saviour gives us the confirmation…
In these words our Saviour gives us the confirmation of the foregoing promise, that he will in no wise cast out those that come unto him, by assuring us, that it was the great end for which he came into the world. His Father sent him to do his will, and not his own: that is, not to do his own will without his Father’s, but to do his own will and his Father’s. For Christ, as God, had a co-ordinate will with his Father’s, and as man, a will subordinate to the will of his Father. Now, it is the will of both Father and Son, that such as believe in him should be preserved from perishing, and be raised up by Christ at the last day.
Learn hence, 1. That the Lord Jesus Christ stands not only inclined by his own mercy and goodness to save repenting and believing sinners, but doth also stand obliged thereunto by virtue of a trust, committed to him from the Father. Therefore Christ mentions the will of him that sent him, as a reason of his fidelity in this matter.
Read full note →
Learn, 2. That the Father’s will and good pleasure is the original source the fountain and first spring, from whence the salvation of believers doth proceed and flow. It is the Father’s will that sent me, that every one that seeth the son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.
Learn, 3. That such as are given to Christ by the Father, and put as his trust into his keeping, he looks upon them as his charge, and stands engaged for the preservation of them. This is my Father’s will, that of all which he hath given me, I shall lose nothing. Yet hath the Father so committed the care of believers to his Son, as that he keeps them still in his own hand. My Father which gave them to me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. Joh 10:28-29
Learn, 4. From those words, I will raise him up at the last day, that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly, essentially, and really God. That person who can by his own almighty power raise the dead, must certainly be God. And this power Christ had. He raised others from the dead, and his own dead body from the grave also, by his own power; and therefore Christ says, I am the resurrection and the life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Doubtless he that spake these words and made these promises, knew his own power to perform them; and that power must be omnipotent, and that act of omnipotence doth prove him to be God. It is true, the disciples raised the dead, who yet were no God, by with this difference, they raised the dead by Christ’s power; but Christ raised others and himself also by his own power.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv38–40 And this is the Father's will which hath sent…
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me,.... This explains both who he was that sent him; the Father of him, and of his people; whose sending of him does not suppose any change of place, or inequality between them, or disrespect unto him, or compulsion of him, but agreement between them, and love to the persons on whose account he was sent; and also what is the will he came to do, and is what was declared by him to Christ, when he gave the elect to him: for this expresses his secret will in the council and covenant of grace,
that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing; that is, that of all the elect which were given to Christ by his Father, in eternal election, he should not lose anyone of them, not the meanest among them, nor anything of theirs, their grace, or glory, or anything belonging to them, either to their souls or bodies, and particularly the latter;
Read full note →
but should raise it up again at the last day; even every part of their bodies, and every dust belonging to them; their bodies being given to Christ, and redeemed by his blood, as well as their souls: so the Jews (o), speaking of the resurrection, and making mention of that passage in Num 23:10, "who shall count the dust of Jacob?" add,
"and he (i.e. God) shall order it all, , "and not anything shall be lost", but all shall rise again; for, lo, it is said, Dan 12:2, "and many of them that sleep in the dust", &c.''
(o) Zohar in Exod. fol. 43. 4.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv39–40 Of all which he hath already given me -…
Of all which he hath already given me - See chap. xvii, 6, 12. If they endure to the end. But Judas did not.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv38–40 Verse 38. Not to do mine own will] I…
Verse 38. Not to do mine own will] I am come, not to act according to human motives, passions, or prejudices; but according to infinite wisdom, goodness, and mercy. Jewish passions and prejudices would reject publicans and sinners as those alluded to, and shut the gate of heaven against the Gentiles; but God's mercy receives them, and I am come to manifest that mercy to men.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v38 Joh 6:38-40. For I came down from heaven —…
Joh 6:38-40. For I came down from heaven — Into this lower world; not to do mine own will — Or to seek any separate interest of my own; but the will of him that sent me — Who is loving to every man, and willeth not the death of a sinner. And this is the Father’s will — This he revealeth to be his will; that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing — It is the will of my Father that every thing necessary be done, both for the conversion of sinners and for the preservation of those in the paths of righteousness who are already converted. He even willeth all men to be saved, yea, eternally saved; and in order thereto, to come to the knowledge of the truth, and to persevere therein. But he willeth these things conditionally, and not absolutely: men through his grace must repent, and bring forth fruit worthy of repentance: they must believe in Christ, and in the truths and promises of his gospel, with a faith that worketh by love: they must resist the devil, steadfast in the faith; overcome the world, and crucify the flesh: they must endure unto the end, believing, loving, and obeying; must be faithful unto death, and then they shall receive the crown of life. And this is likewise the will of him that sent me — This also he wills conditionally; that every one which seeth the Son — Seeth the character and mission of the Son in the miracles which he works, and in the other evidences wherewith his mission is attended: as in Joh 6:36; or who recognises the Son, views him with an attentive mind; as θεωραω seems evidently to imply; that sees him so as to know him; and in consequence of that knowledge, cordially believeth on him — Receiving him by faith, and trusting in him as an all-sufficient Saviour; may have everlasting life — It is the fixed determination of the Father, to bestow everlasting life on all who persevere in this faith; and therefore, in execution of my Father’s will; I will raise all such up at the last day — I will make them completely happy, both in soul and body, in the enjoyment of a glorious immortality: nor are there any purposes or decrees of God inconsistent with this. Thus did Jesus place the character of the Messiah in a light very different from that in which his hearers had been accustomed to view it; and taught them, that instead of temporal blessings, which they expected from him, they were to receive none but such as were spiritual.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv38–40 For I came down ... - This verse shows…
For I came down ... - This verse shows that he came for a specific purpose, which he states in the next verse, and means that, as he came to do his Father’s will, he would be faithful to the trust. Though his hearers should reject him, yet the will of God would be accomplished in the salvation of some who should come to Him.
Mine own will - See notes at Joh 5:30.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v38 Christ does not say this as if he did…
Christ does not say this as if he did not whatever he wished; but he recommends to us his humility. He who comes to me shall not be cast forth, but shall be incorporated with me, because he shall not do his own will, but that of my Father. And therefore he shall not be cast forth; because when he was proud, he did his own will, and was rejected. None but the humble can come to me. (St. Hilary and St. Augustine) --- An humble and sincere faith is essentially necessary to believe the great mysteries of the Catholic faith, by means of which we come to God and believe in God. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv38–40 For I came down from heaven not to do…
For I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will--to play an independent part.
but--in respect to both the foregoing things, the divine and the human side of salvation.
Read full note →
the will of Him that sent Me--What this twofold will of Him that sent Him is, we are next sublimely told (Joh 6:39-40):
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv38–40 38. Not to do mine own will—Not to separate…
38. Not to do mine own will—Not to separate myself by personal self-will from the Father, but perfectly to cooperate and carry out his scheme of redeeming mercy.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv38–40 38. I came down] Better, I am come down…
38. I came down] Better, I am come down or have descended. Four times in this discourse Christ declares that He is come down from heaven; Joh_6:38; Joh_6:50-51; Joh_6:58. The drift of these three verses (38–40) is;—How could I cast them out, seeing that I am come to do my Father’s will, and He wills that they should be received?
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv38–40 (38) Not to do mine own will.—Comp. Joh_5:30. He…
(38) Not to do mine own will.—Comp. Joh_5:30. He has spoken of the Father’s gift and of human action. He now once more identifies His own will with that of the Father, and yet states the fact of His possessing an independent will. It cannot be that He should cast out any one who comes. He knows, indeed, with the knowledge of human nature, how hard it is for men to read the spiritual through the sensuous, and what are the hindrances in the way of every seeker of truth. Added to this, He knows, with a divine knowledge, what is the infinite love of the Father, and He has Himself come down from heaven to fulfil heaven’s will in love to man.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv38–40 Because I came down from heaven, (cf. Joh_3:13) not…
Because I came down from heaven, (cf. Joh_3:13) not that I might do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. (see Joh_5:19, Joh_5:30, notes) The practical, ethical force of this statement is to shape and defend the previous assurance. Christ"s gracious reception and benediction is in willing harmony with, and not in opposition to, the Father"s heart. There is no schism between the Father and Son. A separate will in and of itself assigned to the Son is not inconceivable, nay, it is imperatively necessary to posit, or we should lose all distinctions whatever between the Father and Son, between God and Christ. But the very separateness of the wills gives the greater significance to their moral oneness. "Not my will, but thine be done," "Not as I will, but as thou wilt," involve submission, voluntary surrender, to the Father"s will; but here the Lord insists on absolute harmony and free cooperation. The bare idea of the Incarnation suggests the conditions of freedom which might conceivably issue in divarication of interest and aim. Christ declares that the Divine commission of his humanity is the spontaneous and free, but perfect, coincidence of his will with the Father"s. Christ"s embodiment of the Father"s will, and coordination with it, make all his attractiveness to the human soul. His healing, feeding, and satisfying powers become a revelation of the Father"s heart. If he will not cast out the coming ones, it is because he came down out of heaven to fulfil the Father"s will (see further, vers. 44, 45), to explain the world wide hunger, to meet and execute the will of the Father. The frequent assertions by our Lord in this discourse (and in Joh_3:13) of his descent from heaven as One charged with a full knowledge of the Divine will, implies that the Lord was conscious of pre-existence in the very bosom of God. This was language which, with more of the same import, led St. John to the overwhelming conclusion that the Jesus whom he knew in the flesh was the Only Begotten of the Father was the Logos made flesh.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v38 For I came down from heaven, not to do…
Joh_6:38-40
For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me
Read full note →
The love of the Father
The amazing love of the Father appears
I.
IN HIS SPARING THIS GUILTY WORLD, though He spared not the angels that sinned. His mercy is seen in mans long day of grace, and in thy day of grace, sinner. Accept it ere the dawn of the day of judgment.
II. IN CHOOSING AND DRAWING GUILTY MEN TO BE SAVED. To give men liberty to be saved is love indeed; to provide a ransom is love higher still; but its loftiest height is seen in the drawing operations of Father, Son, and Spirit. But for this men would not come at all.
III. IN HIS GIVING CHRIST TO BE THE WAY OF SALVATION (chap. 3:16; Rom_8:32). Had He shot down a beam of heavenly light, or caused us to hear a heavenly note, this would have left us inexcusable; but He gave the best of His treasures. He resolved that all salvation should be found in the Son, and avoided leaving any details to us.
IV. IN HIS REVEALING HIMSELF TO US THROUGH CHRIST (chap. 14:9, 10). Not through an interpreter, but through One who shared His nature and was the perfect embodiment of His will.
V. IN APPOINTING THE ETERNAL REWARD FOR REDEEMED SINNERS THROUGH CHRIST (Joh_6:39-40). (A. A. Bonar)
The purpose of Christs coming
I. CHRIST CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN.
1. How does it appear that He was originally in heaven? (Joh_6:33; Joh_6:51; Joh_6:62).
(1) He had a real existence before He was born (chap. 1:15; 8:58).
(2) He was before the world (Heb_1:8); for He made the world Heb_1:2; Heb_1:8; Heb_1:10; Col_1:14-16; Joh_1:1-2).
(3) The existence He had before was purely Divine (Php_2:6-7; Act_20:28).
(4) The Divine nature was communicated to Him from the Father (chap. 5:26, 7:29, 16:15; Heb_1:3).
(5) Hence He is said to be in heaven by reason of His Divine essence, which He always had from and with the Father (Joh_6:62).
2. What are we to understand by His coming down from heaven? His assuming our human nature, and in it conversing upon earth (Jn 1Ti_3:16).
II. As Christ came from heaven, so HE CAME NOT TO DO HIS OWN WILL, BUT HIS THAT SENT HIM.
1. Christs will as He is God is no way different from the Fathers.
2. As man His will was distinct from the Fathers, but still subordinate to it Luk_22:42); and therefore though He had a will of His own as man, yet He came not to fulfil that.
3. But our Saviour speaks not here of Himself, either as God or man, but as God-man, Mediator, one sent from the Father to do His will.
From hence it follows
1. That Gods will only is the fountain of mans happiness and salvation. For
(1) God made man upright and happy (Ecc_7:29).
(2) Man made himself sinful and miserable (Hos_13:9).
(3) But he cannot make himself happy again (Jer_10:23).
(4) And as man cannot, so none but God can. None else could find out a way, and none else effect it when found.
(5) God hath no other motive but His own will and pleasure to save Eph_1:5).
(a) Man himself could be no motive (Deu_7:7-8).
(b) Neither could the hope of glory be so, God receiving nothing thereby (Job_22:2-3; Psa_16:2).
2. That Christ came to accomplish the will of God.
(1) By acquainting us with what is necessary to be known or done in order to be saved (Joh_14:2).
(2) By giving us, in His own person, a perfect example. (Mat_11:30).
(3) By enabling us sincerely to perform whatsoever is enjoined us (chap. 15:5; Php_4:13).
(4) By dying for us (Mat_20:28; 1Ti_2:16).
(5) By continuing to intercede for us (Heb_7:25; Joh_1:1-2).
III. USES.
1. Give God the glory of your salvation.
2. Bless Him for all the means of it.
(1) For sending His Son to die for us.
(2) For sending His Spirit to live within us.
(3) For vouchsafing to us the means of grace.
3. Trust Him only for the accomplishment of your salvation.
(1) By the pardon of your sins.
(2) The strengthening of your graces (Php_2:13).
(3) Power to persevere (Mat_10:22).
4. Hence learn also of your Saviour
(1) To submit your wills to Gods (1Sa_3:18).
(2) To do the will of Him who sent you hither.
And it is His will
(1) That you repent (Act_17:30).
(2) That you turn from your sins (Eze_18:30; Eze_33:11).
(3) That you love the Lord with all your hearts (Mat_22:37).
(4) That you earnestly endeavour to work out your salvation Php_2:12). (Bp. Beveridge.)
Perfect obedience
In a daring inroad beyond the Tigris, Abu Taher advanced to the gates of the capital with no more than five hundred horse. By the special order of Moctador the bridges had been broken down, and the person or head of the rebel was expected every hour by the Commander of the Faithful. His lieutenant, from a motive of fear or pity, apprised Abu Taher of his danger, and recommended a speedy escape. Your master, said the intrepid Carmathian to the messenger, is at the head of thirty thousand soldiers; three such men as these are wanting in his host. At the same instant, turning to three of his companions, he commanded the first to plunge a dagger into his own breast, the second to leap into the Tigris, and the third to cast himself headlong down a precipice. They obeyed without a murmur. Relate what you have seen, continued the Imam. Before the evening your general shall be chained among my dogs. Before evening the camp was surprised and the menace executed. (Gibbon.)
To do the wilt of God is the true end of life
The end of life is not to do good, although many of us think so. It is not to win souls, although I once thought so. The end of life is to do the will of God whatever it may be. (Professor Drummond.)
This is the Fathers will … that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
The Fathers will
I. THE DIVINE SIDE OF THE WORK OF SALVATION.
1. How sovereign its character. The Fathers will is independent, omnipotent, unchangeable, perfect, full of love.
2. The obedient servant of that will (Joh_6:38). Christ came not to do His own will, His own private purposes, but the commandment of the Father (Psa_40:1-17.). To this end He took on Him the form of a servant (Isa_42:1-25.).
(1) This was needful as an example for us;
(2) and that we may know that Christ is no amateur Saviour. He has come willingly enough, but the reason was the Fathers will. So that when Christ forgives or receives it is the Fathers will.
3. Gods will was that His Son should have disciples, a flock, members, a bride, brethren.
4. These persons Jesus undertook to keep, and to raise them up at the last day.
II. THE HUMAN SIDE OF THE WORK OF SALVATION (Joh_6:40).
1. This is still based on the Divine will.
2. The same obedient servant is engaged in it.
3. The terms are seeing and believing on the Son. We cannot see Christ with our natural organs, but we can read and hear about Him. The eyes of our understanding discern Him; the sense of faith recognizes Him.
4. These terms are open to all. Every one, the man of great or of little faith, rich or poor, etc. None are excluded but those who exclude themselves.
5. Those who believe in Jesus are in a present state of safety. They have everlasting life.
Conclusion:
1. Never fear that there is anything in the secret purposes of God which can contradict His open promises. Never dream if you are a believer that any dark decree can shut you out from the benefits of grace.
2. Fear not that your believing will end in failure. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Doing Gods will in our daily work
(text, and Mar_6:3):--Scripture speaks of Christ as the Servant of the Lord. But not till most of His brief history had passed did He begin to preach the gospel. For thirty years He was engaged in the everyday duties of life.
I. OUR DAILY WORK MAY BE TRUE SERVICE FOR GOD. Housework, the innumerable details of a mothers lot, manual labour, a sufferers duties, commercial life, brain-toil--for these we may be as truly sent of God as an apostle or a prophet.
1. Gods providential appointment shows where He wants our work. That we have our particular gifts, that our training fits us for a special post, that circumstances uncontrolled by us have brought us to a certain position, that our position involves definite duties--what are these but God pointing to what He requires us to do.
2. It were unlikely that most of our life should be necessarily spent on what has no vital bearing on eternity. No small feature of the blessedness of heaven is that there they serve Him. Consecration to Christ involves that He be glorified by our entire being. He claims us wholly. It is said that there is a point in the upper air where the discordant sounds of earth blend in harmony, the noise of the streets cannot be distinguished from the murmur of the sea, nor the shout of the battle from the chime of bells, nor the mirthful song from the sufferers moan--there they are one; so the varied parts of our life may blend in a harmonious voice of praise ceaselessly rising to our exalted Lord, as by Himself the will of God was done as truly at the carpenters bench aa in the most solemn agony of the garden and the cross.
II. SOME OF THE DIRECTIONS IN WHICH THIS DIVINE SERVICE MAY BE RENDERED.
1. Our daily toil tends to the well-being of others. The domestic servant contributes to the comfort of the home, the mechanic serves many a real human need, the teacher by voice or pen spreads knowledge, the physician and the nurse heal the body, the artist trains some of the higher faculties of the mind, the merchant produces or makes earths productions available; there is no right calling which does not in some way benefit mankind.
2. And daily toil presents the best opportunity for manifesting the religion of Christ.
3. Daily toil is one of the great schools for training spiritual life.
III. THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS SERVICE SHOWS THE SACREDNESS OF OUR WORKDAY LIFE.
1. That all work may be Divine may well reconcile us to tasks that seem lowly.
2. This suggests a searching test of our belonging to Christ. For what is it to be Christs, but to share His life. If we are only Christians on Sundays we are not Christs.
3. This shows Gods way to larger service presently. Was it not because He did the will of Him that sent Him in that humble village home, that He learnt to say in trial more awful than man can know, Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt? (C. New.)
The believers safety
I. CHRIST WILL LOSE NONE THAT ARE GIVEN TO HIM.
1. How doth God give us to Christ?
(1) By making us sensible of our sin and misery (Jer_8:6;Joh_16:7-8).
(2) By making us humble (Isa_64:6; Mat_5:3; Mat_11:28).
(3) By inclining us to piety by His preventing grace (Jam_4:6).
(4) By convincing us that Christ was sent to be our Saviour.
2. How shall those not be lost? They shall have
(1) Their sins pardoned (1Jn_2:1-2).
(2) Their hearts renewed (Eze_36:25; Tit_3:5).
(3) God reconciled (Rom_5:10; 2Co_5:18).
(4) Their graces confirmed (Luk_22:32).
(5) And so their souls eternally saved.
(6) This Christ is able (Heb_7:25) and willing (Luk_13:34) to do.
II. CHRISTS CARE OVER HIS PEOPLE REACHES TO THE DAY OF THEIR RESURRECTION.
1. Gods justice will raise the wicked
(1) To judge (Ecc_12:14; 2Co_5:10).
(2) To condemn.
(3) To punish (Mat_25:46).
2. Christ will raise the saints to bless them
(1) With freedom from all evil (Rev_21:4).
(2) With the confluence of all good (1Co_2:9).
III. USES.
1. Carefully attend those means which God gives to bring your souls to Christ.
2. Commit your souls only to Christs care (1Pe_4:19).
3. Live as becomes Christians. (Bp. Beveridge.)
Christ our keeper
The next thing we learn here is that all these persons Jesus Christ undertook to keep. He should lose nothing. This is a very remarkable expression. The Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, has taken all those who were given of the Father to Him into His custody. He is the surety; He is responsible for them, and He keeps them. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The last day.
I. EACH MAN HAS HIS LAST DAY. To each a sun rises of which he never sees the setting, or a sun sets of which he never sees the rising.
II. FAMILIES HAVE THEIR LAST DAY. Households part never to meet again. Ancient lines dating back beyond the Conquest, at last come to an end. The ancestral mansion is vacant, the title is extinct, the estates revert to the state. In almost every community there is one alone, he hath neither child nor brother, and his last day will be the last day of his name and race.
III. STATES ALSO HAVE THEIR LAST DAY. Where are the thrones of Carthage and Tyre, of Assyria and Egypt, of Macedon and Rome? One sun arose on them still breathing, the next found them only matters of history. In the interval they had passed from something to nothing. And other states occupied their places; not a few of whom, in their turn, have expired and been laid away in the cemeteries of history.
IV. THE WORLD WILL HAVE ITS LAST DAY. We have the best authority for saying that the time will come when the human race will disappear in a body from the earth, and the planet itself and all things therein be burned up. Exactly when this greatest of last days will come we are not informed. The month, the year, the century, the millennium even, in which it will occur, is not foretold. So little hint is given of its exact locality in history, that its actual advent will take the world by surprise. Up rolls the last sun from the east as brightly and steadily as usual. Men get them to their business, their pleasures, without a thought of change. (E. F. Burr.)
The resurrection of believers
When a farmer holds in his hand the first ripe sheaf of corn he has in possession an unassailable proof that he will have a harvest. More decisive and satisfactory evidence to that effect could not be desired by any reasonable man. Long before this time the precious seed had been east into the dark bosom of the earth, when no tokens were visible that nature possessed any power of life. But in due season the sun began to warm the sleeping world, the gentle rain from heaven fell upon the place beneath, and the winds of the south whispered of a coming revival. Soon there was first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the car, soon the first ripe sheaf telling of a harvest at hand. Christ is the first-fruits of them that slept, the infallible proof that we shall have a resurrection from the gloomy winter of death. (Archibald Craig.)
The resurrection of believers a certainty
Trees, in the winter time, appear to the view of all men as if they were withered and quite dead, yet when the springtime comes, they become alive again, and, as before, do bring forth their buds, blossoms, leaves, and fruit, The reason is because the body, grain, and arms of the tree are all joined and fastened to the root where the sap lies all the winter time, and from thence, by reason of so near conjunction, it is derived in the springtime to all parts of the tree. Even so the bodies of men have their winter also, and that is in death, in which time they are turned into dust, and so remain for a time. Yet in the springtime, that is, in the last day, at the resurrection of all flesh, by means of the mystical union with Christ, His Divine and quickening virtue shall stream from thence to all the bodies of His members, and cause them to Live again, and that to life eternal. (Strode.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv38–39 38. For I came down from heaven, not to…
38. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will. Christ will refuse none who come to him; all such are given by the Father and he came to do the Father's will.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v38 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Jesus continues speaking to the crowd.
Read full note →
him who sent me
"my Father, who sent me"
I would lose not one of all those
Here litotes is used to emphasize that Jesus will keep everyone that God gives to him. AT: "I should keep all of them" (See: Litotes)
will raise them up
Here to raise up is an idiom for causing someone who has died to become alive again. AT: "will cause them to live again" (See: Idiom)
translationWords
heaven
will of God
last day
God the Father
Son of God
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.