Introduction
As most of you know by now, I’ve been
away for a few weeks on a mission trip to Mexico with my daughters. Thanks to
all of you who prayed for us this past week. God moved in tremendous ways in
the lives and hearts of all who received new homes and in all those who gave of
themselves to serve those in need. I must confess that I still can’t keep from
crying when the finished house is presented to the waiting family. This year,
the conditions seemed more extreme than I remember them. Our building site was
high up in the rocky hills where there was very little flat ground on which to
build. Add to this the fact that we were building a house twice the size as
usual in the same amount of time with a team of missionaries where
approximately 75% had never participated in a mission trip. The bathroom that
was available for us to use during the day was at least a quarter mile away
from our building site. It was really hot during the day and freezing cold at
night. Everyone, young and old, labored under the conditions yet refused to
quit. I had an opportunity to reflect on this in the evenings when we finally
had a chance to sit down beside a warm fire. I watched as sunburns received cooling
salve and cuts and scrapes where bandaged all the while praising God with
music. You know what I realized not just about this trip but about all the
other trips from previous years? It was Uncomfortable!
Think about it, doesn’t this define the life of a true Christian—Uncomfortable? Living in what I have
called the already/not yet of the promised Kingdom. Living as saved and still being
saved at the same time. Living as sinner and saint at the same time. Nothing,
and I mean absolutely nothing, about living the Christian faith is comfortable
if we are to be a light in a dark world. I see it all the time in friends who
give up their personal time to care for friends and neighbors—they are Uncomfortable. I see it in my wife who
brings a biblical worldview to her secular university setting—she is Uncomfortable. I see it in my daughters
who refuse to chase after the things that might make them more popular as
college students—they are Uncomfortable.
I see it in Christian parents who are purposely out of step with the popular
culture so they can show their children a better way—they are Uncomfortable. I see it in people
(especially young people) who refuse to compromise their sexual purity until
they are officially married—they are really Uncomfortable.
I saw it specifically this week when a local pastor of a very popular
mega-church ignited a firestorm when he took the biblical position against
same-sex marriage by emphasizing that Jesus made it clear that marriage was
between one man and one woman—he was Uncomfortable.
I know it exists among some of you who live in countries hostile to
Christianity yet you cling to your faith—you are Uncomfortable. I am encouraged by all believers and leaders who are
committed to following Jesus even when it is Uncomfortable; in the face of criticism from foolish unbelievers
and biblically ignorant Christians (also foolish); they have sold-out to Jesus and
abandoned any other options. Jesus has always had an amazing ability to make
people Uncomfortable with his
teachings and I’d like to look at one of those moments for this week’s lesson.
Subject Text
John 6:53-68
53Jesus
said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I
will raise them up at the last day. 55For my
flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever
eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father,
so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is
the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but
whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59He said this while
teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60On hearing it, many of
his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61Aware
that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62Then
what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have
spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64Yet
there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the
beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He
went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to
me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66From this time many of
his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67“You do
not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68Simon
Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life. 69We
have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Context
As always,
the context here is critical to understanding what Jesus is saying in our
subject text. Earlier in chapter 6 Jesus’ disciples begin rowing across the Sea
of Galilee at the end of a day that saw Jesus feed 5,000 people with just five
small loaves of bread and two little fish. As they rowed toward Capernum, they
were engulfed by a strong storm. After battling the storm for three to three
and a half miles, they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water! When Jesus
got into the boat, the text says they immediately reached the other side. Well
the people that Jesus fed knew he didn’t leave with the disciples so the next
day, they went looking for him. Finally, they got into boats and rowed to the
other side where they found Jesus. Knowing that no other boats travelled across
the lake after the disciples left, they wanted to know how long Jesus had been
there. Not an unreasonable question if you think about it but Jesus got to the
root of why they came looking for him in the first place. Jesus confronts them
with the true motivation behind their interest in him; they weren’t following
him because he fed 5,000 with a few small loaves of bread and a couple of
little fish, they were following him so he would feed them again! That’s when
Jesus teaches them an important lesson about himself. If we are always going to
seek Jesus for what he can give us, we miss his entire purpose; Jesus doesn’t
want to give us stuff, he wants to give us Himself! Jesus tells the people that
while Moses provided their ancestors with bread from heaven to eat, Jesus
describes himself as the bread of God who has come down from heaven to give
life to the world. Jesus tells them that whoever comes to him will never go
hungry and whoever believes in him will never be thirsty. It doesn’t appear
that anyone at this point believes that Jesus is a literal piece of food to be
eaten or a drink to be consumed but by the time we get to our subject text this
seems to change for some reason. However, before we get to that point, the Jews
enter the discourse and begin to “grumble” about Jesus’ claim to be the bread
that has come down from heaven because they claim to know Joseph and Mary to be
his parents. Jesus admonishes them with one of his clearest claims to divinity
when he says that he is the only one that has seen the Father because he came
from the Father and that those who believe that will have everlasting life. Jesus
reminded them that the manna that was consumed by their forefathers served to
feed them; it couldn’t save them. His flesh, on the other hand, was the bread
that would give life to the world if eaten. It is at the point where Jesus
makes the correlation between eating bread and eating his flesh that things
become Uncomfortable and we run
headlong into our subject text.
Text Analysis
Jesus has
clearly landed on something that has irritated the Jews specifically when he
refers to himself as the bread of heaven that should be eaten and then tells
them that his flesh is that bread. To this point everyone seems to understand
that Jesus is not referring to himself literally as food but that Jesus’
reference to being the bread from heaven is a symbol of divine provision not
for what will sustain their bodies in this life but what will sustain their
souls for eternity. Nevertheless, they have gotten themselves twisted around
the idea that Jesus wants them to eat his flesh. So Jesus uses the opportunity
to turn up the pressure in vv. 53-57 when he says that unless they eat his
flesh and drink his blood then there is no life in them; they do not have
eternal life. Jesus has made a transition from eating bread to eating flesh but
is he saying something different than he was earlier and what exactly is he
saying? Although the event has not occurred yet chronologically in John’s
gospel, we know what Jesus is saying
don’t we? Think about it; I’ll bet you know it—“While they were eating, Jesus
took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his
disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then
he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which
is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Mt 26:26-28). Ah yes,
Jesus’ words at the last supper with his disciples! But try not to read into
Jesus’ words in our subject text an understanding from a later text if you want
to try and understand where Jesus’ critics were coming from in our subject
text. Nevertheless, it’s very difficult, maybe impossible, to “unknow” what we know Jesus is saying; there can be no
half-hearted commitment to following Jesus—he must become part of our lives in
the most intimate ways possible! “This passage should be read as a call to
follow Christ even into places of suffering and death…The context of John 6:51,
where Jesus has just spoken of giving his flesh for the life of the world
through his own impending passion and death, creates a similar setting for
reading these verses as a discussion about discipleship. Eating Jesus’ flesh
and drinking his blood then would be related to the appropriation of his
sufferings in some way.”[1]
Additionally,
Jesus’ reference to the drinking of his blood has special significance in
relation to our individual sins. “Blood is sometimes used fig. [figuratively]
for the atoning work of Christ (Rev. 19:13; Jn. 6:53-56), the part being used
for the whole saving act and work of Jesus (Eph. 1:7). In most of the passages
that have been cited one cannot, however, simply substitute the death of Christ
for the blood of Christ. ‘The blood of Christ means more than this. It stresses
the close links between the death of Jesus and both his life and his triumph in
his resurrection and exaltation.’ The blood means the application of the death
of Jesus to the individual…In the OT community this was carried out visibly
with the blood of an animal. In the NT church it is an invisible spiritual
reality through the blood of Jesus (1 Pet. 1:2; Heb. 9:13f.; 10:22). As the
believer appropriates the blood of Jesus, the power of his sacrificial death
becomes his in all its effects.”[2] Although the full extent of Jesus’ reference to the appropriation of
his blood as the atonement for our sins is not fully developed in our subject
text, it is important not to overlook Jesus’ resurrection promise in v.54 and
what the Jews understood him to be saying about himself. “Jesus is presented in
the Gospel against the backdrop of the Jewish concept of agency and, furthermore,
against the understanding that there is one chief agent through whom God
acts…Clearly the Word [Jesus] is understood as God’s chief and exclusive agent
in creation (Jn 1:3). He is shown exercising the divine prerogatives in
judging, in raising the dead (Jn 6:54), and in working on the Sabbath,
deeds which, according to various Jewish authors were permitted to God alone.
Because Jesus is the chief agent of God, when one confronts him, one confronts
God.”[3]
It is only after Jesus’ blood is shed on the cross for the sins of humanity
that his words in our subject text come into sharper focus.
In v. 57 Jesus
is extending the offer of life in relation to Him analogous to his life in
relation to the Father. There is a continuum of life that flows from the
Father, through Jesus by the power of the Spirit. As the Father is the author
of life so Jesus likewise becomes the author of life through this continuum.
“The Father sent Jesus, and he is the
living Father, the God who has
life-in-himself (as in Jn 5:26). This living God, in sending the Son,
established that he would also have life-in-himself…Jesus lives because of the Father, i.e. because of
the Father’s determination that Jesus should have life-in-himself (5:26); those
who feed on Jesus live (Jesus says) because of me…Clearly, they live because of
the Son’s determination, but unlike him they never have life-in-themselves, but
only in him. For the Christian, eternal life is always mediated through Jesus.”[4]
Finally, Jesus, teaching in the synagogue (v. 59), the place that should have
been the first to recognize him as the one the Scriptures foretold of, circles
back to referring to himself once again as the bread of heaven in v. 58 that
paves the way to eternal life unlike the manna provided by God to their
forefathers that served only to sustain them during their short years of life
on earth.
Is it
really any surprise that in v. 60 we see some of Jesus’ followers (“disciples”)
complain that Jesus’ teaching is too difficult to accept? Remember, these
“disciples” are not “the Twelve,” these were the same people that came looking
for him after he fed more than 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and
couple of fish. Do you see the irony? They have no problem accepting Jesus’
blessings but when it comes to hard truths, they suddenly find it hard to
accept him. We find ourselves wagging our fingers and shaking our heads at
“those” people. But we know “those” people don’t we? Some of us are “those”
people! “Those” people: Accept that God exists but won’t accept that Jesus is
God; They believe in heaven but not in hell; They believe God only loves and
never judges; They believe right and wrong are relative unless you disagree and
then you’re absolutely wrong; They accept blessings as the way of faith but not
suffering; They accept that those who believe in Jesus will be saved but won’t
accept that those who don’t believe in Jesus won’t be saved; They absolutely
believe there are no absolutes; They want to hear the truth but not if it is Uncomfortable. In v. 60, “The motive behind
Jesus’ harsh words is not difficult to see—he wanted people to count the cost of
following him. His words shocked and challenged. They were not comfortable
half-truths, but hard-edged truth. Those who follow Jesus in hopes of feeling
good will always be disappointed sooner or later. Only those who find in Jesus
the rock-solid truth will be able to weather the difficulties of living in this
fallen world.”[5]
As usual,
Jesus knows in v. 61 that his disciples are having trouble accepting what he
has said about himself. The Greek word that is translated as “offend” is more
literally translated as “stumble” so that the text would literally read “Does
this cause you to stumble?” It is a word that is used to describe someone who
falls away into unbelief (cf. Matt 13:21; 24:10; Mk 6:3; Rom 14:20-21). I
generally prefer this translation as it is more consistent with Jesus’ teaching
about himself that he would be the stone/rock over which people would stumble
and smash their lives (1 Pet 2:8).
Jesus asks
an interesting question in v. 62 when he asks those who doubt if it would make
any difference in their ability to believe if they saw him ascend back to the
place where he came from. I don’t think Jesus was all that interested in what
it would take to make them believe. I think it was a rhetorical question
intended to show that even if they saw him ascend to heaven, they still wouldn’t
believe. Of course history has proven Jesus to be correct (again!). Don’t
believe me? Let me illustrate: Jesus really existed; Jesus really did perform
countless miracles; Jesus really was crucified; Jesus really died; Jesus was
really placed in a tomb; Jesus really rose from the dead; Jesus really ascended
to heaven; Millions of lives have been transformed by their faith and trust in
Jesus. All these things are true according to the biblical and extra-biblical
record and eyewitness testimony, yet countless millions did not/cannot/will not
believe in Jesus. “They who stumble at the doctrine of the descent of one who
calls himself the Living Bread, who gives himself for the life of the world,
are to be confronted with a terrible and awesome phenomenon: they will see the
Son of Man ascend where he was before. We have learned about this earlier. The
Son of Man is to be ‘lifted up’ (Jn 3:14), and the world will be divided before
him (Jn 12:31-32). They who deny the descent will look upon it as the final
ground of rejection, whereas they who can ‘see’ signs may see in this event the
ultimate sign which illuminates all their problems; for that ‘lifting up’ by
human hands of Jesus on the cross will be recognized as the exaltation by God
of the Son of Man, via resurrection, to the throne of God, so making a blessed
eating and drinking of the flesh and blood of the Son of Man.”[6]
Jesus’
reference in v. 63 to the Spirit as the one that gives life and that the flesh
counts for nothing seems like a non-sequitur to what he said previously that he was the one that gives life and
specifically to those who partake in his flesh. So what is he saying now? The
key is in the second part of what he said. Specifically that he was talking
about being connected to him to receive spiritual life not physical life.
Jesus’ primary concern is our eternal, spiritual life not specifically our
temporal, physical life. For those who had ears to hear what Jesus was saying,
this answered the Jews’ question in v. 52: “How can this man give us his flesh
to eat?” Jesus wasn’t talking about physically eating his flesh but becoming
connected to him spiritually for eternity. “For John ‘eating the flesh’ and
‘drinking the blood’ of the Son of man is the continuing sign of participation
in his life by faith and to share in it is to continue to acknowledged the full
reality of the incarnation of the divine Logos [Gk. ‘Word’].”[7]
Jesus goes on to confront the continued unbelief of some in v. 64. We shouldn’t
breeze over this portion of our subject text too quickly because it sets up
Jesus’ teaching in the verses that follow. I have yet to meet a believer who
has faithfully shared the gospel with unbelievers who hasn’t been frustrated
with people who stubbornly cling to their unbelief in the face of a mountain of
evidence to the contrary. If that’s you and you’re frustrated that your efforts
haven’t yielded much or any fruit, consider the fact that there were countless
people who were first-hand witnesses to Jesus’ life (miracles and all!), death
and resurrection who still didn’t believe. How is this possible? Jesus reminds
us in v. 65 of something he said right before our subject text in v. 44: “No
one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Let me just say
that there is an entire lesson contained in this one statement. Some use this
as support for their position that only some people, those called by the
Father, are “predestined” to be saved. However, I believe that is reading
something into the text that doesn’t really exist; it is using a text to
support a position that has been established in advance. Does God take the
initiative in the life of humanity to enable belief? Yes! Does God only
initiate this in a select few? I don’t think so. Let’s use the text that
compliments our subject text and this lesson which occurs later in John’s
Gospel that I referenced earlier. Specifically, in Jn 12:32 Jesus says that
when he is “lifted up,” a reference to his crucifixion, he will draw all people to himself. Does God
take the initiative in the life of humanity to enable belief? Yes, and he did
so at the cross. It is now up to us, as believers, to point people to the cross
and then it is up to those who hear the message of the cross to either believe
and be saved or not. “The limits of human knowledge are recognized in the New
Testament. It is not through wisdom that the world knows God, but rather
through the divine initiative (Gal. 4:8-9). It is through the kerygma [Gk.
Proclamation of the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ] that
humans can know God (1 Cor. 1:20-25). Spiritual discernment is not the result of
profane reasoning (1 Tim. 6:20). God’s revelation in Christ has made knowledge
of him possible.”[8]
Nevertheless, even though we can know God as revealed in the person of Jesus
Christ, some will still refuse to keep following as we see in v. 66 where many
of Jesus’ disciples turned away and no longer followed him. It is interesting
to note that we sometimes picture these “disciples” as never really being
followers to begin with because real followers would never stop following would
they? I hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are countless people who
have stopped following Jesus sitting right next to you in church every Sunday.
People who don’t serve others have stopped following; People who expend most or
all of their resources primarily for their own enjoyment have stopped
following; People who refuse to condemn leaders who support killing babies have
stopped following; People who are sexually active outside the context of
marriage have stopped following; People who accept homosexuality as an acceptable
lifestyle have stopped following; People who are afraid to stand up for Jesus
Christ and biblical truth have stopped following; People who can’t accept
outsiders to the faith have stopped following; People who won’t share the
gospel with unbelievers have stopped following; People who willingly remain
biblically ignorant have stopped following and there are countless others who
have, for countless reasons, stopped following Jesus even as they sit in church
singing praises to Him. “I am naïve if I think that the confusion, anger, and
outrage of the disciples at the end of the chapter is something unique to them,
as if they have some deficit, some blindness, or some spiritual malady that
makes them incapable of embracing the profundity of Jesus’ revelation. Hearts
that are religiously inclined can become angry when the formulas change, when
things don’t show up as predicted, when conventions become upset. It is
religious rebellion that in some fashion disguises itself as piety, as
light—but in the end is darkness nonetheless.”[9]
Seeing some
who were following him turn away, Jesus turns his attention to “the Twelve” in
v. 67 and asks them if they planned on leaving as well. Jesus answers his own
question at the end of the chapter when he reminds them that he chose them,
they did not choose him. Peter, always the brash and the brave one, is the
first to speak up and confess in vv. 68-69 that they have nowhere else to turn.
They have committed to following Jesus and were convinced that he was not just
someone important; not just a wise man; not just a good man; not just a good
teacher; not just a prophet; he was the “Holy One of God.” Nevertheless, “Jesus
knew their weaknesses and how little they really understood. He knew that one
of them would not only go away, but betray him also…We can’t stay on middle
ground about Jesus. When he asked the disciples, ‘Are you going to leave, too?’
he was showing them that he was not taking their faith for granted. Jesus never
tried to repel people with his teachings. He simply told the truth. The more
people heard Jesus’ real message, the more they divided into two camps—the honest
seekers wanting to understand more, and those rejecting Jesus because they
didn’t like what they heard.”[10]
Peter says something else very important in v. 69: They “believe and know” that
Jesus is the Holy One of God. “Faith and knowledge (Jn. 6:69), knowledge and
faith (Jn. 17:8; 1 Jn. 4:6), are not two processes distinct from each other,
but instructive co-ordinates which speak of the reception of the testimony from
different standpoints. Faith alone which receives the testimony possesses
knowledge; he who knows the truth is pointed to faith…The hearer should
understand that both are involved in salvation; acceptance of the testimony as
well as personal response and reformation that conforms to the testimony.”[11]
Application
Dr. Larry
Crabb writes, “The more clearly you see Christ, the more willing you will be to
suffer any loss for His sake. Kingdom living consists of radical servanthood
(the end of entitlement to personal comfort) and self-denying suffering with
the hope of joy forever.”[12]
As many of you know, I love books. One particular genre that is very dear to me
are books that tell real life stories of believers who have endured terrible
physical, mental and/or emotional suffering as a result of their faith. I know
that describes some of you out there and I want you to know that I recognize
that and I praise God for you. There is something very, very special about you;
you are a shining example of a faithful follower of Jesus Christ! Here in
America, and many other places in the world, Christians are free to worship and
practice their faith without much, if any, interference or oppression. You
would think that this freedom would provide the perfect environment for the
intelligent, bold and faithful proclamation of biblical truth (kerygma). But
nothing could be farther from the truth. Instead, this freedom from oppression
and suffering has had exactly the opposite effect—an environment of ignorance,
passivity and compromise. But why? The answer is very simple—people want to be liked;
people want to be comfortable. What’s wrong with being like? What’s wrong with
being comfortable? Nothing, in and of themselves, but I challenge you to take a
long look at Jesus’ teaching and show me where he expected or told his
followers that they would be liked or comfortable. You can search, but you’ll
search in vain. Jesus told his followers that they would have trouble in this
world; that they would be hated; that they would be put to death. Jesus was
right. All but one of the Apostles were martyred and millions of Christians
since have also been martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ. I can describe
their faith and obedience with one word—Uncomfortable!
When they were ridiculed, they were Uncomfortable.
When they were hated, they were Uncomfortable.
When they were oppressed, they were Uncomfortable.
When they were imprisoned, they were Uncomfortable.
When they were tortured, they were Uncomfortable.
When they were dying, they were Uncomfortable.
What would it take for you to become Uncomfortable?
You have countless opportunities and I’ll bet you don’t even have to go to
extremes to exercise those opportunities. I want to challenge you this week to
do at least one thing that is Uncomfortable
and then next week do another and then another until your life is no longer
marked by the desire or the pursuit of personal comfort. Here’s a really easy
one that everyone can do—share this website and lesson with as many people as
you can, not just believers but unbelievers as well. Some of you are already
feeling your anxiety increase at the thought of doing that; you’re becoming Uncomfortable. Go visit a neighbor you
have never or rarely talked to and ask them how they are doing and if there’s
anything you can do for them. If you have a neighbor you don’t particularly
like, pick them and you’ll be Uncomfortable.
Speak up to defend someone who cannot defend themselves; there are many that
qualify but try something other than the politically safe ones like the poor,
or minorities. There’s nothing inherently wrong with defending the poor and
minorities. In fact, doing so was highly prized by Jesus during his earthly
ministry. However, in our modern American culture, it has become a means to
become popular and well liked. How about if you allow yourself to be labeled a
kook or a religious nut and defend the unborn; then you’ll be Uncomfortable. Use the majority of your
resources from the week, (i.e. time, talents and especially money) and invest
them in someone not in your immediate family; that will be Uncomfortable. Take the opportunity to stand up for the biblical truth
of marriage between a man and woman, sexuality within the context of marriage,
or salvation through Jesus Christ and no one or nothing else and you’ll be Uncomfortable. Share the gospel message
with someone in your life; a stranger, a friend or a family member. Tell them
your story of salvation. Tell them why you put your faith in Christ even if it
is sad, tragic or embarrassing; you might be very Uncomfortable. If you are in a relationship that you know does not
conform to biblical truth, change whatever you have to so that that
relationship and your behavior conforms to what you know to be biblically
correct; that will be Uncomfortable. Be
willing to stand up for biblical truth at any expense to yourself. This week,
be a radical, be a revolutionary, be a real and faithful follower of Jesus
Christ—be Uncomfortable!
[1]
David A. deSilva, An Introduction to the
New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation, (Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 429.
[2]
Colin Brown, ed., New International
Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1986), p. 224.
[3]
Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, I. Howard Marshall, eds., Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1992), p. 377.
[4]
D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament
Commentary: The Gospel According to John, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), pp. 298-299.
[5]
Bruce Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman,
Life Application New Testament Commentary,
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 402.
[6]
George R. Beasley-Murray, Word Biblical
Commentary, John, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 96.
[7]
Colin Brown, ed., New International
Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 2, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1986), p. 535.
[8]
Walter A. Elwell, ed., Baker Theological
Dictionary of the Bible, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), p. 458.
[9]
Gary M. Burge, The NIV Application
Commentary, John, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), p.
215.
[10]
Bruce Barton, et al., Life Application
Commentary, p. 402.
[11]
Colin Brown, ed., DONTT, Vol. 1, p.
603.
[12]
Dr. Larry Crabb, 66 Love Letters, A
Conversation with God that invites you into His story, (Nashville, TN:
Thomas Nelson, 2009), pp. 214-215.
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