And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.

                                                                                                                     John 12:44-46 

Today: Read John 12

In today’s passage, Jesus makes two distinct declarations, each of which needs to be thoroughly appreciated. The first is that, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me.” Jesus is equating knowledge of Himself with that of knowing Almighty God. In other words, when we have an intimate, personal relationship with Christ, we have the same with God. To know Jesus is to know God. As we place our faith and trust in Jesus, we are, in effect, placing our faith in God.

The second declaration is similar but takes the former statement and solidifies it. Jesus says that, “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.” To see Jesus is to see God. As we read about the earthly ministry of Jesus, we get a firsthand look at the character and nature of God. Whatever Jesus says, the Father says the same. Whatever truths come from Jesus’ teaching are the same truths that Almighty God wants us to accept and enjoy.

Given these two amazing statements, it would be quite irresponsible to suggest that Jesus is anything short of God incarnate. He is more than a prophet. He exceeds that of a good, moral teacher. He is greater than any other who has walked the earth. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Almighty in human flesh.

For those of us living between the first and second coming of Christ, we no longer have to guess as to what God is like. Distinct from the men and women under the old covenant, we have an exact representation of the image of God. Whatever traits we see in Jesus, we know as the very same traits of our heavenly Father. This should leave out all of the guesswork when it comes to explaining or describing God. This would clarify what Jesus meant when He declared in prayer:

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

                                                                                                            John 17:3 

But as important as it is to know God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son, is to understand the mission for which Jesus came to earth. Consider what Jesus says regarding judgment: 

If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. 

                                                                                                               John 12:47-48 

Compare that with Jesus’ defining His reason for coming into the world: 

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

                                                                                                                        John 3:17 

The word spoken about Jesus is what brings judgment on mankind. It is the rejection of the Person of Christ that causes condemnation. Consider the following:

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

                                                                                                                        John 3:18 

The one transgression of Adam has brought the entire human race under condemnation (Romans 5:18). Jesus identifies the saved as those who believe (trust) in Christ. Likewise, those who are judged are those who do not believe. That’s it! That is the difference between those who are heaven bound and those who are not. Any thought that our own morality or personal performance in this life affects the outcome is to grossly misunderstand the simplicity of the gospel. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). And how do we know that we are in Christ? We have the Spirit living within us, prompting, directing, empowering, and equipping us to live our lives for Him. It is the evidence that, in fact, we belong to God.

What about you? Have you received the gift of salvation by placing your faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross? Are you enjoying all of the benefits that accompany walking with God? To know Jesus is to know God and to know God is to have eternal life!