John 12:47-48 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.… I. AS LAWS TO BE OBEYED. Christ's words are not like poetry for entertainment, or abstract science for speculative thought; they are laws to be kept; not so much a creed as a code. It is only as they are embodied in actual life that their mission is answered, that they are of any real or lasting service to man. II. AS A MEANS OF SALVATION. Had Christ come to judge the world, His words would have breathed the indignation of insulted justice. But He came to save, and hence His words are full of all that can restore man to holiness and God. The salvation which Christ came to effect is restoration from spiritual ignorance to intelligence, from selfishness to benevolence, from bondage to freedom, from inward conflict to inner harmony, from social perniciousness to social utility. To this His signs and words are adapted. "Save the world," not a class. III. AS CRITERIA OF JUDGMENT (ver. 48). The man to whom Christ has spoken, and who rejects or nullifies His words, needs no other judge but His words. These words will judge him in his conscience and will condemn him for ingratitude, folly and rebellion. (D. Thomas, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. |
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