You and I both have opinions and beliefs about what Heaven and Hell are, what people do in this life to store up rewards in the next, and the nature of those rewards. In essence, we agree that there is a type of paradise to come for those who honor God and a type of punishment to come for those who do not—though I’m sure we disagree greatly about the nature of these destinations and what it means to honor God in this life. The question remains, who will be saved in the end? Who will not come under divine judgment? Who will have life? As this story, which was affirmed by Muhammad progresses, Jesus’s claim in response to the Jews persecuting him was clear. Anyone who heard Jesus’s word and believed the Father had eternal life and would not be judged. Jesus made salvation easy. That’s why He came, to save the world rather than condemn it (cf. John 3).
At this point in John’s Gospel, Jesus was teaching some pretty heavy doctrine. In the previous section, He got at what we call the simplicity, oneness, or inseparability of God. Though there is only one God, He operates in three distinct persons. Though these persons are distinct, they always do the same thing and one cannot operate apart from the others because they are of one essence. The Son can do nothing apart from the Father. The Father can do nothing apart from the Son. This isn’t because one is master over the other. It is because they are one, literally the same being. “Personhood” is a different concept than “being.” They are not necessarily the same “person.” They are the same being.
In His response, Jesus told the Jews that the time had come for the dead to hear the voice of the Son of God. Those who heard the Son’s voice would live. Later, Paul would write the very same thing by claiming we are all dead in our trespasses but made alive in Christ by grace (Ephesians 2:5). This language that came first from Jesus is intentional. To be in our sin or trespasses is to be dead even if our mortal bodies are biologically alive. This death Jesus referred to is something more basic than physical death. It is spiritual death. What can a dead man do?
Nothing.
He is dead. We consider the context of Jesus’s response. Here were these Jews at the Temple making their religious sacrifices thinking that they could earn righteousness by their religion and their keeping of the Sabbath day. By practicing their religion, they only made their physical bodies look holy to people who could only see outward appearance. Jesus highlighted a basic truth for them. All people everywhere are spiritually dead in their sin. Religious works might have dressed up the corpse, but dead is dead. Dead people can’t simply become alive.
I think with worldly religion, we misidentify the problem. Worldly religion seeks to modify behavior so that people can live a better life or have more or raise their own status in some way. So, by worldly religion, we pray publicly and try to maintain holy postures and go to church, synagogue, or the mosque. Jesus was different from the worldly religious leaders we like to follow. He didn’t come to modify people’s behaviors or cultures like we try to do from our worldly ambition. He came to bring spiritually dead people to life. He claimed that when the dead heard His voice, they would live. Jesus didn’t provide some religious set of rules people had to follow to be righteous or gain eternal life or rewards in heaven. He told us the truth. We are dead in sin. There is nothing we can do to suddenly become alive. Jesus must do that for us.
The Father has life in Him. So does the Son. Jesus once again elevated Himself to equality with the Father as the source of life. The two are simple, inseparable, one. Because Jesus is the source of life and the Son of Man as well as the Son of God, He has the right to pass judgment.
Jesus claimed that a time was coming that all those in the graves would hear His voice and come out of the graves. Up to this point, Jesus had not been talking about physical death but spiritual death. I assume in this instance, He was speaking of spiritual graves, not physical. One day all people would hear His voice. That means, according to Jesus’s previous statements, all people would live. Don’t get too excited or critical. I’m not a universalist. I don’t think all people will “be saved.” Jesus didn’t say all people would have “eternal life” or “salvation” or “go to heaven” or “be with Him.” All people would hear His voice and come to life in some way. Necessarily, then, no one will cease to exist. There is life after death for every single person.
Jesus claimed explicitly that those who have done good things will be raised to the resurrection of life while those who have done wicked things will be raised to the resurrection of judgment, or condemnation. Jesus connects our final destination to our works. There is a misunderstanding about the Christian view of salvation by grace through faith. Critics often say that since Christians believe salvation is by grace through faith that works are unimportant. We do not, however, disconnect works from salvation. We simply do not believe our works are the cause of salvation. Instead, they are the result of salvation by grace. Fruit only results from the root.
Keep in mind the greater context. These Jews were persecuting Jesus because Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. They were serving themselves on the Sabbath. Jesus was serving others on the Sabbath. They were doing wicked works and calling it rest. Jesus was doing good works. Nowhere did Jesus say that our final destination depended on our works. He did connect the two. Our final destination depends on Jesus alone because He has authority. We have already established that we are saved by grace, not by works. What place, then, do our works have? We believe our works are fruit, not root. If Christ is in us, we will bear good works consistent with Christ. We call these the fruit of the Spirit. Those who bear good fruit prove to have Christ by grace and are thus raised to the resurrection of life. Those who bear fruit inconsistent with Christ, like these Jews, will be raised to the resurrection of condemnation.
Jesus reminded His audience again that He does nothing on His own. He and the Father are one. They do the same thing. Jesus did not seek His will alone because He and the Father had the same will. He sought the will of the one who sent Him. His judgment was just when raising some to life and some to condemnation. His judgment is still just.
Consider your own life and religion. Is it like these Jews who thought their good, religious works could cause them to have life? Are you selfishly seeking some advancement, status, power, money, or even rewards in Heaven? Will these wicked works cause you to be raised to everlasting condemnation? Or, have you trusted Jesus and in His work? Can you recognize the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Have you placed your trust in Jesus alone to raise you to eternal life by grace?
Here is the truth of the matter. Every person will live after death. Will you earn your own place by working for it and so be condemned forever because human religious works are never good enough? Or, will you trust in Christ’s work and so be raised to everlasting life with Him?
Perhaps it is time to repent of our worldly religion, regardless of what we call it, and turn to Christ.
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