John 12:48

48 "1He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; 2the word I spoke is what will judge him at 3the last day.

John 12:48 Meaning and Commentary

John 12:48

He that rejecteth me
As the Messiah, with abhorrence and contempt, as many among the Jews did, who would not have him to reign over them, but sought to put him to death:

and receiveth not my words;
the doctrines of the Gospel, but disbelieves them, and denies them to be true, looking upon them as the doctrines of a mere man, and an impostor:

hath one that judgeth him;
let not such an one think that he shall escape righteous judgment; though Christ does not judge him now, there is one that judges him, yea, even now; and declares, that he that believeth not shall be damned, and that he is condemned already:

the word that I have spoken unto you, the same shall judge him in the
last day;
according to the different dispensations wicked men are under in this world, will be the rule of their judgment hereafter: such who are only under the law of nature, will be judged according to that, that will accuse them, convict them, and condemn them: such who have been under the law of Moses, or the written law, will be arraigned, proved, and pronounced guilty, and punished by, and according to that law; and such who have been under the Gospel dispensation, and have been favoured with the revelation of the Gospel, but have condemned and denied it, that will judge them at the last day. The judge will act by its present declaration, and according to that proceed, as it stands in ( Mark 16:16 ) . It will rise up in judgment against such persons, and be an aggravation of their condemnation.

John 12:48 In-Context

46 "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
47 "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.
48 "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.
49 "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.
50 "I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me."

Cross References 3

  • 1. Luke 10:16
  • 2. Deuteronomy 18:18; John 5:45f; John 8:47
  • 3. Matthew 10:15; John 6:39; Acts 17:31; 1 Peter 1:5; 2 Peter 3:3, 7; Hebrews 10:25
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