JOH 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

>>We must observe how that in our text Jesus is speaking to those who not only believed in Him, but those who believed on Him.

>>This word "believed" is taken from the Greek word, "Pisteuo, (pist-yoo'-o), which means "To have faith in—i.e., to entrust one's spiritual well being to Christ—to believe, to trust in Christ."

>>We must see how our text speaks of conditional love; "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed."

>>Our Saviour is very jealous of the authority of His Word!

PRO 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

>>We will never understand the filthiness of sin until we learn to see that the very essence of sin is the determination to have our own way.

ISA 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

>>When Christ saves, He subdues our spirit of self will. The most precious of all graces is Godly fear, i.e., a holy reverence for God's will.

GEN 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

>>This blessing were not only the reward of obedience but the basis of conditional love.

GEN 18:17-19 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

>>The Lord is not willing for rebellious man to dictate the terms of peace through unconditional love. We must learn to see that our determination to have our own way is the very essence of sin.

PRO 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

>>Christ's reference to those that "believeth not," in MAR 16:16 are to those who obey not His revealed will. Unbelief is a damning sin because it declares Christ to be "unworthy of trust or obedience."

>>The words "believeth not" in MAR 16:16 are taken from the Greek word, "Apisteo, (ap-is-teh'o)," which means, "To be unbelieving—to disobey—a person unworthy of trust or obedience."

>>It is so important that we preach the whole counsel of God. Satan clearly deceives his millions with partial truths. God's Word is used to fatally deceive millions by using it out of its full context.

>>When the truth is taken out of context it either leads to humanism or fatalism; neither of which is any more destructive than the other. Salvation is not merited by works,

EPH 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

TIT 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

>>"Not of works," or "Not by works," means not merited by works, but it does not mean there is salvation without works. Works, i.e., walking in the Spirit of Christ is the exercise of saving faith.

JAM 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

>>This same principle applies to believing on the Lord Jesus Christ; the word "Pisteuo, (pist-yoo'-o)," in the Greek which means "To have faith in—i.e., to entrust one's spiritual well being to Christ—to believe, to trust in Christ," is used out of its context just as the word "works."

>>Scriptures clearly teach that there is no salvation apart from believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, but Scriptures just as clearly teach that there are multitudes that do believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; yet are not saved!

>>Our text speaks of a multitude who "Pisteuo, (pist-yoo'-o)," i.e., who had faith in, who entrust their spiritual well being to Christ—they believed in and trusted in Christ.

>>Now let's see what Jesus said of these same believers! It is unquestionable that they were still unregenerate, unsaved souls.

JOH 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

>>It was with those Jews that believed that the following dialogue took place, see what our text says, JOH 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

>>The pronouns "They," "Ye," and "them" are used with reference to these believers throughout to the end of the chapter.

>>It was to these believing Jews that Jesus showed that they lacked the exercise of saving faith.

JOH 8:34; 39 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

JOH 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. [i.e., your self will would be broken, you would be able to put your Isaac on the alter].

>>There is a faith in Christ which saves, but there is also a faith in Christ which does not save. Among the chief rulers there were many that believed, but they were not saved.

JOH 12:42-43 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

>>It is most commonly taught that there are only two classes of people, believers and unbelievers, but Scriptures clearly teach there are three.

1CO 10:32 Give none offense, neither to [1] the Jews, nor to [2] the Gentiles, nor to [3] the church of God:

>>The Old Testament clearly teaches three classes; there are the gentiles who were outside the commonwealth of Israel, and then there was Israel which was divided into two classes.

ROM 9:6b For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

>>This is synonymous with what Jesus said to those believing Jews in our text.

JOH 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

>>Today there are still three classes, [1] the professed unbeliever, [2] the professed believer who disobeys Christ as a person unworthy of their trust or obedience, [3] those who truly fear the Lord, "...that delighteth greatly in his commandments," PSA 112:1.

>>This third class are not the large multitude, but they are the "few" spoken of in MAT 7:13-14

>>Their self will, which is the very essence of sin is broken; they take up their cross daily, and follow a despised and rejected Saviour in the way of the cross, i.e., in the way of unreserved obedience from a motive of love.

>>To rightly identify the distinction between professed faith and true saving faith let's examine Scriptures use of unbelief.

>>Unbelief is much more than just an error in judgment or a failure to assent unto the truth. Unbelief is a rebellious and valiant principle of opposition to God.

>>In the Scriptures, the words "disobedience" and "obeyed not" come from the same Greek words as "unbelief" and "believed not." The words unbelief and disobedience are synonyms throughout Scripture.

>>Take Adam's sin for example, there was more than a mere negative failing to believe God's clear command. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners," ROM 5:19.

>>Nor was Adam deceived by Satan's heinous lie! "Adam was not deceived," 1TI 2:14.

>>Adam's sin was slighting God's smallest command, determined to have his own way. This was the very first act of unbelief in our human nature.

>>Unbelief is a damning sin, see what we read of the Israelites in, HEB 3:18-19 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

>>Now see how Moses admonished them for their unbelief in

DEU 1:25-26 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.

26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:

>>This shows the positive side of their unbelief, they were self willed, they were rebellious, defiant and disobedient.

>>Unbelief is also directly connected with hatred

JOH 15:24-25 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

>>The actions of unbelievers speak louder than words, JOH 5:40-42 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

41 I receive not honour from men.

42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

>>This love of God is the great distinction between professed believers and believing with saving faith.

>>The love of God is the moving force of all saving faith.

>>The power of love moves the soul to renounce all its own righteousness, renouncing all self-will and rebellion against God.

PSA 2:10-13 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

PRO 28:12-14 When righteous men do rejoice, there is great glory: but when the wicked rise, a man is hidden.

13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

>>The exercise of true saving faith is a genuine coming to Christ with an unconditional surrender of our will to serve Him as King. MAT 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

>>Coming to Christ as King, implies leaving the kingship of another.

JOH 16:8-11 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

>>As we come to Christ by saving faith we not only desire Him as King, but also as we read in 1PE 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

ISA 53:6 tells us, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

>>God placed before Adam the way of life and the way of death because He wanted to be served from a motive of love. The Lord did not want to be served out of compulsion.

>>This is what distinguishes faith from saving faith; all those who come to Christ out of saving faith are moved by love for God, and a hunger and thirst after righteousness.

LUK 14:26-27 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

>>Even as unbelief cannot be separated from disobedience so saving faith cannot be separated from obedience.

1JO 2:4-6 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

>>Our text says, "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;"