Giovanni 8:42

42 Gesù disse loro: Se Dio fosse vostro Padre, amereste me, perché io son proceduto e vengo da Dio, perché io non son venuto da me, ma è Lui che mi ha mandato.

Giovanni 8:42 Meaning and Commentary

John 8:42

Jesus said unto them, if God were your Father
By adoption; and this was discovered by the grace of regeneration; or in other words, if they had been born of God,

ye would love me;
for in regeneration love to Christ is always implanted: it is a fruit of the Spirit, which always comes along with the superabounding grace of God in conversion; whoever are begotten again, according to abundant mercy, love an unseen Jesus; and where there is no love to Christ, there can be no regeneration: such persons are not born again; nor is God their Father, at least manifestatively:

for I proceeded forth; and came from God;
the former of these phrases is observed by many learned men to be used by the Septuagint, of a proper natural birth, as in ( Genesis 15:4 ) ( 35:11 ) ; and here designs the eternal generation of Christ, as the Son of God, being the only begotten of the Father, and the Son of the Father in truth and love; and the other is to be understood of his mission from him, as Mediator:

neither came I of myself;
or did not take the office to himself, without being called unto it, and invested with it, by his Father:

but he sent me;
not by force, or against the will of Christ, or by change of place, but by assumption of nature; he sent him at the time agreed upon, in human nature, to obtain eternal redemption for his people: and upon both these accounts Christ is to be loved by all regenerate persons, or who have God for their Father; both on account of his being the Son of God, of the same nature and essence with him, see ( 1 John 5:1 ) ; and on account of his mission into this world, as Mediator, since he was sent, and came to be the Saviour of lost sinners.

Giovanni 8:42 In-Context

40 ma ora cercate d’uccider me, uomo che v’ho detta la verità che ho udita da Dio; così non fece Abramo.

41 Voi fate le opere del padre vostro. Essi gli dissero: Noi non siam nati di fornicazione; abbiamo un solo Padre: Iddio.

42 Gesù disse loro: Se Dio fosse vostro Padre, amereste me, perché io son proceduto e vengo da Dio, perché io non son venuto da me, ma è Lui che mi ha mandato.

43 Perché non comprendete il mio parlare? Perché non potete dare ascolto alla mia parola.

44 Voi siete progenie del diavolo, ch’è vostro padre, e volete fare i desideri del padre vostro. Egli è stato omicida fin dal principio e non si è attenuto alla verità, perché non c’è verità in lui. Quando parla il falso, parla del suo, perché è bugiardo e padre della menzogna.