John 11: 17-24

 (John 11: 17-24)

Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.  Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:  And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.  Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.  But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.  Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

 

Martha said, "I believe that if Jesus asks of God, He will give anything." So Jesus said, "The dead will live again", but Martha is thinking of "living again" not present, but resurrection on the last day of the future after the death of the body. What the Lord wants is present. It is difficult to think about sins, "Someday my sins will be forgiven." It is the present forgiveness of sins. Faith is now.

What Jesus tells Martha is, "I am always resurrection and life. He who believes in me has the spirit dead, but he is alive, and if the spirit is raised, he will receive the gift of faith from heaven and will not die forever." From the perspective of the flesh, it means, "He who believes in me will die, but someday will rise, and those who believe in me will never die." The structure of the sentence is very awkward. The words of the Bible speak of the spirit, and someone is turning to the body.

Even if people know a lot of Bible knowledge, faith is important now. What the Lord is saying is important. In John 5:24-25『 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 』

Salvation is not when people awake and be judged by hearing the voice of the Son of God in order to be judged in the future. It means that by listening to the words of the Son of God and repenting, the spirit will be raised. In 5:26 he said, "I give you life." If this does not happen, no matter how much you read the Bible and work hard in church life, you will not be saved unless the spirit is alive. This is done through repentant faith. The Lord gives the gift of faith to those who repent. This faith is the word "the spirit is alive now."

And in 5:28-29, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 』This is not the present word, but it means that all those who have died will come to life in the future. He was talking about what will happen when Jesus comes again as King in the last days. This does not require faith, but is made alive by the power of the Lord.

The resurrection Jesus spoke about was the present word in 5:24-25, and what Martha said was the future resurrection in verses 28-29. You are alive when you hear God's voice. No matter how well you memorize the Bible, if you do not hear the voice of God, the spirit cannot be revived. In Hebrews 4:12-13, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 』

The parable between soul and spirit is the joint and bone marrow. The soul is like a joint. The soul is like a joint that connects the body and spirit at the center of man. Since the spirit is the source of life, it is like the marrow in the bone. The place where God's life resides is the spirit. God said, "My words are spirit and life." It is different from reacting intellectually when listening to God's Word. It is the soul that responds intellectually. God's word in response to the soul cannot overcome sin. You cannot discern the work of the devil. The key is the spirit. When the place that responds to the word of God becomes the spirit, we can overcome sin and discern the work of the devil.

“The time will come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and this is the time, and those who hear will be raised” is regeneration. You cannot be born again with knowledge of the Bible. In the proverbs, it consists of words of knowledge, understanding, and withdom. In order for the word of God to become life, knowledge must become intelligence, and intelligence must become wisdom. It is the same principle as the temple courtyard, the sanctuary, and the most holy place. When the word of God becomes the wisdom of life, the spirit comes alive. The book of Ecclesiastes said that the root of wisdom is "to fear God."

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