John 3:22-36

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and ¹was baptizing.

23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized

24 (for ²John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over ³purification.

26 And they came to John and said to him, ⁴"Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, ⁵to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and ⁶all are going to him."

27 John answered, ⁷"A person cannot receive even one thing ⁸unless it is given him ⁹from heaven.

28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ¹⁰'I am not the Christ, but ¹¹I have been sent before him.'

29 ¹²The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. ¹³The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, ¹⁴rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

30 ¹⁵He must increase, but I must decrease."^[a]

31 ¹⁶He who comes from above ¹⁷is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and ¹⁸speaks in an earthly way. ¹⁹He who comes from heaven ²⁰is above all.

32 ²¹He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, ²²yet no one receives his testimony.

33 Whoever receives his testimony ²³sets his seal to this, ²⁴that God is true.

34 For he whom ²⁵God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit ²⁶without measure.

35 ²⁷The Father loves the Son and ²⁸has given all things into his hand.

36 ²⁹Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; ³⁰whoever does not obey the Son shall not ³¹see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 3:22-36 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 JOHN 3

In this chapter the apostle exhorts to a holy life and conversation in general, and to the exercise of brotherly love in particular. The former of these is urged from the consideration of the great blessing of adoption, which springs from the free love and favour of God, is unknown to the men of the world, and indeed, in the present state of things, does not appear to the saints themselves in all its fulness and advantages, as it will do in the future state, when the children of God will be like to Christ, and see him as he is; the hope of which should engage them to purity of life and conversation, 1Jo 3:1-3, and this is further enforced from the nature of sin, which is a transgression of the law, 1Jo 3:4, from the end of Christ's manifestation in the flesh, which was to take away sin, and who was without it, 1Jo 3:5, from communion with Christ, expressed by abiding in him, seeing and knowing him, which such must be strangers to that live a sinful course of life, 1Jo 3:6, from this, that only such that do righteousness are righteous persons, and these are righteous as Christ is, 1Jo 3:7, and from a man's being of the devil, that is, of a vicious conversation, who was a sinner from the beginning, and whose works Christ was manifested in the flesh to destroy, 1Jo 3:8, and from the nature of the new man, or that which is born of God, which is not to sin, nor can it, 1Jo 3:9, and from the distinction there is between the children of God and the children of the devil, those not being of God who do not righteousness, nor love their brethren, 1Jo 3:10, from hence the apostle passes to brotherly love, and excites and engages to that, from its being a message which had been heard from the beginning, 1Jo 3:11, which is illustrated by its contrary in the instance of Cain, who by the instigation of Satan slew his brother, because his works were righteous, and his own were evil, 1Jo 3:12, wherefore, it is no wonder that good men should be hated by the world, who, as Cain, are of the same wicked one, 1Jo 3:13, brotherly love is further urged unto, from its being an evidence of passing from death to life, or of regeneration; whereas he that hates his brother openly continues in a state of death, is a murderer, and so has not eternal life abiding in him, 1Jo 3:14,15, and from the great instance of Christ's love, in laying down his life for his people, the saints are incited to lay down their lives for one another; to such a pitch does the apostle carry brotherly love, 1Jo 3:16, wherefore, he that is rich, and is uncompassionate to his brother in distress, cannot be thought to have the love of God dwelling in him, 1Jo 3:17, hence he presses the exhortation to brotherly love, that it be not in profession only, but true, real, and cordial, 1Jo 3:18, and that by observing the advantages of it, as that hereby men know they are of the truth, and can assure their hearts before God; and which is illustrated by the contrary, the condemnation of the heart, 1Jo 3:19,20, the advantages of non-condemnation of the heart are confidence before God, and receiving whatsoever we ask of him; the reason of which is, because his commandments are kept, and things done which are pleasing to him, 1Jo 3:21,22, the commandments are explained of faith in Christ, and love to one another, 1Jo 3:23, and the happiness of them that do them is, that Christ dwells in them, and they in him, the evidence of which is, the Spirit that is given unto them, 1Jo 3:24.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 26; John 4:1, 2
• 2. [John 5:35]; See Matthew 4:12
• 3. John 2:6
• 4. ver. 2
• 5. See John 1:7
• 6. John 12:19
• 7. 1 Corinthians 4:7; Hebrews 5:4
• 8. John 6:65; [James 1:17]
• 9. See Matthew 21:25
• 10. See John 1:20
• 11. Malachi 3:1; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:17; Acts 19:4
• 12. See Matthew 25:1
• 13. Judges 14:20; Song of Songs 5:1
• 14. Matthew 9:15
• 15. Matthew 3:11
• 16. John 8:23
• 17. Romans 9:5; Ephesians 1:21
• 18. [1 John 4:5]
• 19. See ver. 13
• 20. Romans 9:5; Ephesians 1:21
• 21. ver. 11
• 22. [ver. 19; John 1:11; John 5:43; John 12:37]
• 23. [John 6:27; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; Revelation 7:3-8]
• 24. [1 John 5:10]
• 25. See ver. 17
• 26. [Ezekiel 4:11, 16]
• 27. See John 5:20
• 28. See Matthew 28:18
• 29. ver. 15, 16; John 5:24; John 6:40, 47, 54; 1 John 5:12, 13; [John 11:25, 26; John 20:31]; See Matthew 19:16
• 30. [Romans 2:8; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6]
• 31. ver. 3

Footnotes

• [a]. Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36