John 8 - CSB Disciple’s Study Bible

8:12 JESUS CHRIST, Light—See note on 1:4-5.

8:13-30 JESUS CHRIST, Son of God—Jesus is so closely related to the Father in the Trinitarian relationship that to know One is to know the Other. Jesus came to earth on God’s mission but remained aware his original and eternal home was with the Father in heaven. See note on 1:1-18. Jesus continued to use the “I Am” formula identifying himself with God. See note on Mk 14:53–15:15. Jesus’s true identity became clear only through his death and resurrection. He accomplished his mission and endured human rejection, mockery, and persecution because he was aware of the Father’s constant presence.

8:19,55 SALVATION, Knowledge of God—God makes himself known through his Son. To know the Son is to know the Father. See 15:21; 17:3,25.

8:20 HISTORY, Time—See note on 7:30.

8:20 ELECTION, Predestination—See note on 7:6,8,30.

8:21-24 SIN, Unbelief—One sin determines our eternal fate. To reject Jesus, refusing to believe he is God’s Son who died for our sins, is the sin that leads to death and eternal condemnation.

8:24 LAST THINGS, Unbelievers’ Death—Unbelievers die with their sins not forgiven. Such a death is one of eternal hopelessness.

8:24,30-31,45-46 SALVATION, Belief—Those who believe in Christ will know the truth and be set free from their sins. They will do what Jesus has taught them to do. Failure to believe Jesus is God who became flesh and solved our sin and guilt problem is to believe Jesus is a fraud and a liar. Believing Jesus was just a good man or great teacher contradicts everything Jesus stood for.

8:28 JESUS CHRIST, Son of Man—See note on Mk 10:45. In John’s Gospel the special emphasis on Son of Man is on suffering. The Son of Man who descended from heaven must be lifted up to heaven on a cross (Jn 3:14; 8:28). By a play on words the lifting up of the Son of Man at his crucifixion also describes his glorification (11:4; 12:23; 13:31).

8:31-59 JESUS CHRIST, Mission—Jesus’s mission was to communicate eternal truth, the personal reality of God, to all people. Jesus in person and in action was the Truth. To love the truth is to love Jesus, the Son sent by the Father. Failure to understand this is a sure sign a person does not belong to God and is not saved. Jesus cannot be dismissed as of bad ancestry or of being demon-possessed. Nor was he a self-seeking egotist. He was an obedient Servant of the Father seeking salvation for every person. As such, he is greater than any person who ever lived. See 4:12. He is the eternal “I Am.” See note on Mk 14:5–15:15.

8:31-59 EVIL AND SUFFERING, Satan—Satan has no moral constraints. Murder and lying are normal for him. Satan confuses people, making them think they are following God when actually they are following the devil. We must constantly check our lives by Christ’s teachings rather than by human traditions preserved and taught by religious institutions. We must be Christ-pleasers not people-pleasers.

8:31-37 SIN, Slavery—Sin is addictive. It masters everyone who tries it. Sin promises freedom but cannot deliver. Only Jesus Christ can give true freedom—freedom to master sin and reach one’s God-given potential.

8:31-47 ELECTION, Remnant—Descendants of Abraham are not automatically children of God. Many of Abraham’s descendants did not and do not observe the covenant stipulations that God made with Abraham, nor do they possess faith that parallels the faith Abraham had in God. Some of Abraham’s descendants had difficulty in accepting Jesus and his teachings. The elect of God hear and obey the teachings of Jesus. In Christ, God is creating the elect remnant.

8:31-41 SALVATION, Initiative—God sent Jesus to tell people the truth that would set them free from their sins. All Jews are natural descendants of Abraham but not necessarily his spiritual offspring (Rm 9:6-8; Gl 3:6-14).

8:42 SALVATION, Love of God—Those who love God the Father will also love God the Son, because the Son is God.

8:46 JESUS CHRIST, Sinless—No one could list one sin Jesus committed. See note on 6:69. See 9:16.

8:51 SALVATION, Eternal Life—See 5:24; 6:68. Those who keep Christ’s word will never see spiritual death. They will never lose eternal life.

8:51-59 HUMANITY, Death—See note on Pr 11:19. Physical and spiritual death are different yet related. Physical death comes to all because we are mortals. Spiritual death can be escaped, however, through faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ.

8:54 JESUS CHRIST, Glory—See note on 1:14.

8:58 JESUS CHRIST, Preexistent—Jesus boldly claimed to have known Abraham because Jesus existed eternally with the Father before Abraham was born.