If You Believe Not, You Shall Die in Your Sins - John 8:24

John the apostle wrote how Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, “I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he said, Where I go, you cannot come. And he said unto them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world”, and in chapter eight and verse twenty-four of his book John shared how Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, “I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins” where we read:

I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins:

for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.

The verse reads, “I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins:” John began with the words, “I said therefore unto you” which means “I, Jesus, uttered, declared and proclaimed then, wherefore and these things being so toward you, Jewish people and religious leaders”, “that you shall die” or “that you, Jewish people and religious leaders, will perish, be slain and be dead” “in your sins” which means “within your, Jewish people and religious leaders, errors, mistakes, missing of the marks and trespasses”. John shared how Jesus told the “Jewish people and religious leaders” because He was from “above” and they were from “below” they would “perish” within their “errors and wrongs”.

The verse goes on to say, “for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.” John continued with the words, “for if you believe not” which means “because, since and on account that whether you, Jewish people and religious leaders do not trust in, rely upon or cling to that fact” “that I am he” or “that I, Jesus, exist as he, the Messiah and Christ of God”, “you shall die in your sins” which means “you, Jewish people and religious leader, will perish, be slain and be dead within your own errors, mistakes, missing of the marks and trespasses”. John shared how Jesus told the “Jewish people and religious leaders” who surrounded Him that “if” they did not “believe” He was the “Christ of God”, they would “perish” in their “errors and wrongs”.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we learn why people “die” in their “sins”. Jesus said it was because they do not “believe” in Him. Jesus is God's Son who came to the earth to be the “Savior and Lord” of the world, and only when a person believes and trusts in Him will they be forgiven of their sins and granted access to be with God in Heaven. Without a relationship with Jesus, a person remains within their sins, and unless they submit their lives to Him, they will “die in their sins” and be eternally banished from God. Let all who read these words take heed and submit to Jesus before their life is over and it is too late.

Next time John shares how the scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus, “who are you?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".