Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 1 of 3

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-11-20

Synopsis: In this first part of a three-part message, Pastor John Weaver introduces the topic of free will versus free agency, arguing from John 5:40 that man's will is not free but in bondage to sin. He examines the context of John 5, highlighting the witnesses to Christ—John the Baptist, Christ's works, the Father, and the Scriptures—and concludes that despite overwhelming evidence, sinners will not come to Christ because their wills are depraved and rebellious. The message emphasizes that salvation is not a product of man's will but requires God's grace to enable the will to respond rightly.

[John Weaver] I want to begin a message today which in all probability I will not finish until two more weeks. So this is going to be a three part message. And I ask that you be faithful if you would to each part because the next two parts I think are going to be not only enlightening but I trust astounding as well. John chapter 5, the title of the message is the terrible Sin of man the terrible sin of man look in John 5 beginning there verse 32 There's another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true You sinner to John and he bear witness unto the truth, but I received not testimony from man But these things I say that you might be saved He was a burning and a shining light and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light But I have a greater witness than that of John, for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me.

[John Weaver] And the Father himself which hath sent me hath borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape. And you have not his word abiding in you, for whom he hath sent, him you believe not. Search the Scriptures. For in them you think that you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me that you might have life.

[John Weaver] I receive not honor from men, but I know you that you have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and you receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father, There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, of whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you would have believed me.

[John Weaver] For he wrote of me. But if you believe not his writings, how shall you believe my words?" The main text that I'm going to be ultimately dealing with is verse 40, where Jesus Christ said to these people, you will not come unto me that you might have life. I've been asked to deal with the concept of free will. In reality, there is no such thing as free will.

[John Weaver] Now the Bible does teach what some scholars call free agency. I will also show you that the same term could be applied and called and referred to as freedom of will. And there is a vast difference between what is known as free will and free agency or freedom of will. The will of man is not in any sense of the word free, and by the time I get to the third message, I think you're going to see and understand that that possibly cannot be the case.

[John Weaver] I want to begin by giving you a quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He has a message that he preached many, many years ago entitled, Free Will, a Slave. And here's what he said, and I love his introduction. He says, this is one of the great guns of the Armenians mounted upon the top of their walls and often discharged with terrible noise against the poor Christians called Calvinist.

[John Weaver] I intend to spike the gun this morning or rather to turn it on the enemy, for it was never theirs. It was never cast at their foundry at all, but was intended to teach the very opposite doctrine to which they assert. Usually, when the text is taken, he's talking about John 5 verse 40, usually when the text is taken, the divisions are, first, that man has a will, secondly, that he is entirely free, thirdly, that men must make themselves willing to come to Christ, otherwise, they will not be saved. Now, we shall have no such divisions, but we will endeavor to take a more calm look at the text, and not because there happens to be the words will or will not in it, run away with the conclusion that it teaches the doctrine of free will. It has already been proved beyond all controversy that free will is nonsense.

[John Weaver] Freedom cannot belong to the will any more than ponderability can belong to electricity. They are altogether different things. Free agency we may believe in, but free will is simply ridiculous. The will is well known by all to be directed by the understanding to be moved by motives to be guided by other parts of the soul, and to be a secondary thing. Philosophy and religion both discard, at once, the very thought of free will. And I will go as far as Martin Luther, in that strong assertion of his, where he says, if any man doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright. It may seem a harsh sentiment, But he who believes, he who in his soul believes that man does of his own free will turn to God, cannot have been taught of God, for that is one of the first principles taught us when God begins with us, that we have neither the will nor

[John Weaver] power, but that He gives both, that He is the Alpha and the Omega in the salvation of men. And that is certainly true.

[John Weaver] Now let me just make one statement so that you will understand what I am not saying. I am not saying that the will of man is not involved in salvation. It certainly is. And I will explain that before I finish this. But what the scripture does not teach is the term free will. Let me explain that and I'm going to use the definition of the people who actually believe in free will just momentarily. But free will, the term free will used theologically refers to the concept that man of his own ability and upon his own power may turn to God or away from God. In other words, free will teaches it is man's right and power to choose to do whatever he decides. Now, you're going to hear me speak of a man by the name of Erasmus. Erasmus was a Roman Catholic theologian.

[John Weaver] He was also a humanist. and he was also the antagonist of Martin Luther. So Erasmus wrote a diatribe against Luther on free will. Here is what Erasmus said, and he believed in free will. In chapter 2, section 13, he said, by freedom of will we understand in this connection the power of the human will whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal life.

[John Weaver] That's it in a nutshell. He said free will means that man can turn to God on his own or turn away from God. He can choose that which leads to eternal salvation or he can turn from it. So then in relationship to soteriology and soteriology It's just the doctrine of salvation. So in relation to salvation, free will is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as autonomous, that is independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any conditioning by moral and religious character.

[John Weaver] Now that definition is not mine. That definition belongs to those who believe in free will.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to listen very carefully and I want you to think with me momentarily. In relationship to salvation, free will is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any condition by moral and religious character. So as you think about that, first of all, I want you to know if one believes in such a statement, There is absolutely no need for Holy Spirit conviction. Because the definition says that free will then is able to choose either good or bad apart from any conditioning. So the convicting power of the Holy Spirit goes out the window.

[John Weaver] What does our Lord say in John 15 in verse 5? Without me you can do how much? Nothing. So if you believe this definition, which they advocate themselves. First of all, it does away with Holy Spirit conviction.

[John Weaver] Secondly, this definition denies the doctrine of total depravity and inability. It denies that man is absolutely totally brave and unable and dead in trespasses and sins, which the scripture clearly teaches. I was talking to a preacher at one time many years ago, who was a free will Baptist preacher. And I asked the preacher, do you not believe in the doctrine of total depravity? And he responded, yes, I believe in total depravity. I believe that man is totally depraved except for his will. My next question was, what part of total do you not understand?

[John Weaver] In other words, that brings me to this. Third, assertion. For such a concept to be true, you have to view the will in abstraction from the total or whole person. You have to say that somehow the will is isolated and uninfluenced, which is not true. The mind, the desires, the lusts, the habits, and a multitude of other things affects the will. You know, I could think to myself, I just need to reach out and slap Robert right now. What if I just will to reach out and slap him? Well, you know, before I do that, I got to think, well, you know, he's a little bigger than I am.

[John Weaver] He may be stronger than I am. He may be faster than I am. I think I'm not going to will to slap him.

[John Weaver] Now, what was my will affected by it? My thoughts. Also, here's a drunk man. You put a fifth of liquor in front of him. What is he going to do? He's going to reach out and take it. Why is he going to reach out and take it? Because his lust crave it and desire it. In other words, his will is influenced by everything. So Martin Luther wrote a book entitled The Bondage of the Will and in this book he is answering the humanist and the Roman Catholic theologian Erasmus and his diatribe and he thanked Erasmus in his book for bringing up the subject of free will.

[John Weaver] I want you to listen to what he said in one short paragraph. He's thanking Erasmus and he says, you alone have attacked the real thing that is the essential issue. You have not worried me with those extraneous issues about the papacy, purgatory, indulgences and such like trifles rather than issues. in respect of which almost all to date have sought my blood. You and you alone have seen the hinge on which all turns and aim for the vital spot. For that I hardly thank you, for it is more gratifying to me to deal with this issue." So Martin Luther said to Erasmus, thank you for bringing this up. You've given me now the opportunity to really deal with this issue.

[John Weaver] So what I want to show you, beginning today, is that salvation is not a product of man's will. It cannot be a product of man's will, for that would be contrary to scripture. And to remind you, I did not say that man's will is not involved in salvation. It certainly is. But it is not the origination of salvation, nor is it the instigator of salvation. In fact, one simple passage of Scripture ought to prove this.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. John 1 and verse 11. Look what the Scripture says. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even of them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note what our Lord dogmatically asserts. After we read verse 12, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even of them that believe on his name, who were born, Now here are three negatives, not of blood, that is ancestry, nor the will of man, that's natural regeneration, or not of the will of the flesh, that's natural generation, and then he says, nor of the will of man. So here are these three negatives. Now, watch this. Let's read this without the three negatives. Watch. Verse 12, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, who were born of God." The positive is, if we have been born, we have been born of God. And he says dogmatically, clearly, that our salvation is not of the will of man, it's not of the will of the flesh, nor is it by ancestry or any other means, it's just simply by God.

[John Weaver] In fact, that's what James 1.18 tells us, of His own will begatting us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. Charles Haddon Spurgeon again said, we declare on scriptural authority that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful supernatural irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained, would ever be constrained toward Christ. And, of course, Scripture demonstrates exactly that which Spurgeon has enunciated.

[John Weaver] The reason men will not come to Christ is not because of a lack of or because of insufficient evidence, which I'm going to show you, but it is because their wills are locked in stubborn rebellion against Christ. They hate Him, therefore they will not come to Him. In John 5 and verse 40, our Lord looked at these people and He said, and you will not come unto Me that you might have life. Now, the usual interpretation of this verse by preachers and by Christians usually means, well, you can come if you will come.

[John Weaver] But herein lies the rub. Sinners cannot come, and they do not want to come, and they do not will to come. John 5 in verse 40 usually is wrenched from its context and taught to mean something entirely different than what our Lord said. So, I want us to look at it in the context. First of all, I want you to see the context of the witnesses. Look in verse 31. Our Lord said this, If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.

[John Weaver] Now, we have to understand this statement in light of the analogy of faith. Certainly, whatever our Lord said would be true because He is God and it is impossible for Him to lie. So what in the world does he mean when he says, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true? Well, he's making that statement in light of the law. Literally what he is saying is this, if I offer no other testimony, or bring forth any proof for my Messiahship other than my own word, then my testimony would be suspicious. Why? Because the law demanded two or three witnesses. Christ is not going to bear independent witness of himself.

[John Weaver] For instance, in Deuteronomy 19 and verse 15, listen carefully. One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity or for any sin that he sinneth at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses shall the matter be established. Again, our Lord said in other passages, at the mouth of three witnesses shall every word be established. So our Lord is just saying, I'm not going to bear independent witness of myself. And so you're going to see in this context, our Lord offers more than two witnesses. Now, skip down to verse 32. He says, There is another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. Now, scholars are divided upon the identification of the witness in verse 32.

[John Weaver] Some say that it is God the Father, who by His Spirit in the prophets describes the person, office, and miracles of the work of Christ. And others then would try to say that it is the witness of John the Baptist. Certainly John is spoken about in verses 33 through 36, which we're going to deal with. And the Father is spoken about in verses 37 and 38. So how do we understand verse 32? When our Lord says, there is another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. Well, personally, I believe the another spoken of in verse 32 is that of the Father. That Christ is referring to the witness of the Father, which He's going to get to. Now, why would I believe that it refers to the Father? Well, first of all, because of the Greek word, when He says in verse 32, there is another that beareth witness of me. The word another in the Greek is the word allos, A-L-L-O-S.

[John Weaver] There are two Greek words that are normally used to refer to our English word another. One of them is allos, which means another of the same kind. And the other is heteros, which means another of a different kind. That's why we talk about a heterosexual marriage, a man and a woman. They're not alike, they're different. Well, when our Lord says, there is another that beareth witness of me, he uses the word alos, which means there is another of the same kind. And the only another that would be exactly like Christ, would have to be the Father or the Spirit. Moreover, our Lord says in verse 32, the latter part, I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true.

[John Weaver] You've got to stop and think. The Father and or the Spirit are the only ones who would always at all times speak truth. For instance, Numbers 23 and verse 19 says this, God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? And then when you get to Hebrews 6 and verse 18, we read that it is impossible for God to lie. Well, obviously, when our Lord said, and I know that He speaks the truth, it's impossible for God to lie. A godly man Even John the Baptist could be deceived and speak falsely, unknowingly. But God can never speak falsely, because He knows all things, and He does not lie. So obviously, I believe He is talking about in verse 32, the witness there of the Father. Now, I want us to begin with verse 33, where our Lord refers to the testimony of John the Baptist. Now, I want you to note, I use the word refers.

[John Weaver] He is not appealing to John the Baptist. He is referring to John the Baptist. In fact, our Lord did not need man's testimony, which He will say a little bit later. But in John 5 and verse 33, He says this, You sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man, but these things I say unto you, that you might be saved.

[John Weaver] He was a burning and a shining light, and you were willing for a season to rejoice in His light. Now, notice if you would. He said, you sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. If you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to John chapter 1, John chapter 1, and look if you would please beginning there with verse 19. John 1 verse 19. And here's where they sent unto Him. He said, You sent unto him? He bear witness. John 1 verse 19. And this is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

[John Weaver] And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he said, I am not. Art thou that prophet? He answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, saith the prophet Isaiah." Notice, you would, they actually sent and asked John who he really was. Now, John was sent to bear witness of Christ.

[John Weaver] Look in verse 6, if you would. John 1 verse 6, There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The saying came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light Talking about Christ, now that was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. And if you would skip down to John 1 in verse 29, you will see that John the Baptist actually gave testimony to our Lord. John 1 verse 29, The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me, For it was before me, and I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel.

[John Weaver] Therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and in a boat upon him. And I knew him not, but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God. Now, our Lord said in John 5, you sent unto John and he bear witness to me.

[John Weaver] He said he was a burning and a shining light. That is, he was burning inwardly, he was shining outwardly. That is certainly true. And he testified concerning Christ. Why? Because John the Baptist was the man who had been ordained by God to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Let me just show you very quickly. I want you to turn to the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 4, and then we're going to Matthew 11. We'll go to Matthew 11 after we go to Malachi chapter 4. Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, look if you would please at verses 5 and 6. You're going to find out who John the Baptist really was in spirit. Watch this, Malachi 4, verse 5. Here's the prophecy.

[John Weaver] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." So what did our Lord say about Elijah? He's going to send him before that great and dreadful day of the Lord. Well, who was this Elijah?

[John Weaver] Look in Matthew 11, beginning, if you would please, at verse 7. Matthew 11 and verse 7. Watch carefully. Matthew 11 verse 7, And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitude concerning John, What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in king's houses. But what went you out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is He, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you among them that are born of women, there is not risen a greater than John the Baptist, notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Now, notice who our Lord specifically said that John was the one that came in the spirit and the power of Elijah. Turn right over to Matthew 17, and look if you would, beginning there in verse 10.

[John Weaver] Matthew 17 in verse 10. I don't see how it can really get any plainer than this. John 17 verse 10. Look. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias or Elijah must first come? And Jesus entered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come in and store all things. But I say unto you that Elijah is come already. And they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.

[John Weaver] Likewise also shall the Son of Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. So John the Baptist then is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Elijah back in Malachi chapter 4. So, what in the world are we reading here? That God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. You've got to remember that John the Baptist in his time was exceedingly popular among the people. The people listened to John. The people believed that John was a prophet. And they were willing for a time to rejoice in John's preaching and John's teaching. In fact, our Lord used this truth to confound the Pharisees. You remember at one time, He asked them, He said, they asked Him, by what authority to do these things?

[John Weaver] He said, I'll tell you. He said, I'll ask you one question. If you answer my question, I'll answer yours. Then He asked this question. The ministry of John the Baptist, was it from heaven or of man? And he had them. They said, finally to him, we cannot say. And our Lord said this, they said, if we say of men, then we fear the people. Why? For all men counted John as a prophet. And when they refused to answer our Lord, our Lord of course, refused to answer them. So, as popular as John was, and although he was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, and prepared the way of Jesus Christ, look what our Lord said in John 5 and verse 34. He said, but I receive not testimony from man, but these things I say that you might be saved. Isn't that interesting? You see, Christ is not appealing to John, He is referring to John for their benefit. In other words, here's what our Lord was saying. If you were willing to listen to John the Baptist, you should be willing to listen to Me.

[John Weaver] Because he was the forerunner. He came to prepare the way before Me. If you were willing to rejoice in Him, you should be willing to rejoice in Me. But He says, Do not receive testimony from man. I don't need testimony from man. But I do want you to see the witnesses that our Lord called forth. Look in verse 36. Here is the witness of his works. He said in verse 36, but I have greater witness than that of John. For the works which the Father has given me to finish, the same works that I do bear witness of me. that the Father has sent me." Do you realize that over and over in the Scripture, our Lord appealed to His works? For instance, in John 10 and verse 25, Jesus answered them, I told you and you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. In John 10 and verse 38, He said to the people, But if I do, though you believe Me not, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him.

[John Weaver] What did He say? Believe the works. In John 14 verses 10 and 11, Our Lord said, Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me. He doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or else believe me for the very works sake." What's he doing? He's appealing to his works. In John 15 and verse 24, our Lord said,"...if I had not done among them the works which none other man had done, they had not had sin. But now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father." Do you remember what Nicodemus said to Christ when He came to Him in John chapter 3 and verse 2? He said, We know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." They knew the works. You see, our Lord's works bore unmistakable evidence to His deity, His mission, and the fact that He was the Messiah and sent from the Father.

[John Weaver] Our Lord healed the sick. He opened blinded eyes. He opened deaf ears. He raised the dead. He walked on water. He quieted the raging storms. He fed the multitudes. He turned water into wine. He cleansed the temple. All of these things are great facts of history and they demand attention and they cannot be evaded and they cannot be ignored. You know what I find absolutely amusing and astounding that there are some unbelievers although they profess to be theologians and sometimes pastors, there are some unbelievers who deny the works and the miracles of Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] They try to explain them away. Let me give you one illustration. This is not in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament. When I first started preaching, 46 years ago now, I wanted to buy books, and I found this book about the Exodus. And I thought, you know, here's a Bible book about the Exodus, I'm going to buy it and read it. And I bought it, and I started reading it. I didn't have to read past the first chapter, and then I took the book and destroyed it. Because the author of that book said, concerning Moses, and the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, is that Moses knew when the tide was going to be out. And when the tide went out, he and the children of Israel walked across, but Pharaoh and his army didn't know the tides, and when the tide came back in, they were all drowned. Well, that's not what the Bible says at all. The Bible says that God parted the way, and they walked across on dry ground.

[John Weaver] And I find it absolutely amazing that Moses, who had been in the desert for 40 years, came back and all of a sudden knew all the tide charts, and Pharaoh and his people who lived there didn't know the tide charts. Come on, that's stupidity. I find it amazing that these people can very confidently assert after 2,000 years of history, that none of these things ever happened, or somehow they were just simply natural occurrences.

[John Weaver] May I remind you that the Pharisees hated Christ intensely. If they could have denied the reality of His works, they would have done so. They could not deny them, there were too many witnesses. In Acts 4, verse 16, The Pharisees were concerned about a miracle done by Peter and John. And here's what they said. Listen to this. Saying, what shall we do to these men? For indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest all that dwell in Jerusalem. And we cannot deny it. In other words, we deny it if we could, but we can't. There's too many witnesses. Well, very obviously. If the Pharisees had been able to deny or disprove any of our Lord's miracles, I can assure you they would have found a way to do it if they could have done it. Since they could not disprove or deny His miracles, the only attempt they made to discredit Him was to ascribe His miracles to the work of satanic agency.

[John Weaver] If you want to see it, look in Matthew chapter 12. And our Lord even then turned the tables on them. Look in Matthew chapter 12, beginning there of verse 23. Matthew 12, verse 23. Matthew 12, verse 23. And all the people were amazed and said, is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils.

[John Weaver] And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought into desolation. And every house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself. How shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house.

[John Weaver] So our Lord then turned the tables upon them. And the only way, the only attempt that they made to discredit our Lord was saying He did all these miracles by the work and power of Satan. They couldn't deny them. J.C. Ryle, who was a bishop in England, pointed out five things in connection to our Lord's miracles. First of all, he said, their number. There were a number of them, not just one or two.

[John Weaver] There were a multiplicity of them. The second thing he pointed out was their greatness. They were not small and insignificant things. But they were mighty interferences with the ordinary course of life and nature. Our Lord walked on water. He calmed the seas with a word. I mean, my goodness, these are not ordinary acts. Neither is raising the dead or turning water into wine. So not only their number, but their greatness. Thirdly, he pointed out their publicity. That is, these things were not done secretly or in a corner, but they were done in front of thousands of people. Everyone could see. And they were even done in front of his enemies. Fourthly, their character.

[John Weaver] That is, they were always works of love and compassion. They were always beneficial to man and they were not raw demonstrations of power. And fifthly, he pointed out their direct appeal to man's senses. That is, man could see them. He could hear them, touch and taste them. I mean, when he fed the five thousand, My goodness, they could see, they could hear, they could taste, they could touch. I mean, under careful scrutiny. You look around today at a lot of people who claim to do miracles and most of them are internal where you can never see them. Our Lords were external. You could see them. You heard the story about the man who came forward at the healing crusade for prayer.

[John Weaver] And the evangelist asked him, so what's your need? He said, I want you to pray for my hearing. The evangelist slapped his hands over his ears and prayed mightily. And then when he took his hands away from his ears, he said, how's your hearing now? He said, I don't know, sir. It's not till next Thursday. So, I mean, you know, come on. Our Lord did things where everybody could see and everybody knew. A.W.

[John Weaver] Pink added two additional thoughts to this. He talked about their artlessness, that is, they were not mechanically staged, but they happened in the everyday course of life. And then seventhly, he pointed out their efficacy, that is, they were always powerful and they always worked. Did you ever notice that our Lord never, ever had a failure? Whatever he did, worked.

[John Weaver] Now these mighty miracles and some of the works that the Father sent him to do, testified of Jesus Christ, and therefore, he said, I do not need the testimony of man. Why? He had his works. Look if you would in verse 37. Because here is the testimony of the Father. He said, and the Father himself who has sent me hath borne witness of me, You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape. And you have not His word abiding in you, for whom He hath sent Him you believe not." So here's the witness of the Father. Now, so many people when they read this will tend to think that the testimony of the Father is in reference to our Lord's baptism and His transfiguration. Because you remember, in those two instances, there was an audible voice from heaven. However, I do not think that this passage refers to his baptism or to his transfiguration. First of all, because there were only three people at the transfiguration, there were more at the baptism, but plenty of people did not hear it, and probably the few who did, did not understand it.

[John Weaver] And I think verse 38 clarifies that it could not be at his baptism and his transfiguration. But verse 38 says, And you have not his word abiding in you, for whom he hath sent him you believe not. Well, if it does not refer to the mount of transfiguration and his baptism, what does it refer to? The witness of the Father that our Lord refers to in verse 37 and 38 would refer to the witness of the Father through the testimony of the Old Testament prophets. Because that's why He said in verse 38,"...and you have not His word abiding in you." In other words, that word was given hundreds of years before Christ.

[John Weaver] Let me just give you, for time's sake, some scriptures and let me read them for you. And I told you that the Father's witness came through the Old Testament prophets. Listen to 2 Chronicles 36, verses 15 and 16. I could multiply these passages, but I'm going to give you three. Verse 15 of 2 Chronicles 36. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up the times and sending, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place, But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words and misused His prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people till there was no remedy. So God sent His prophets. What did the people do? They despised them. They refused to listen to them. They stoned them. They killed them.

[John Weaver] Nehemiah 9 verse 30 says this, Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifies against them by thy spirit in the prophets. Yet would they not give ear? Therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. So again they would not listen. Zechariah 7 and verse 12. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets, therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts." So very obviously, God spoke through the prophets. The prophets wrote the books of the Bible. Therefore, in verse 38, our Lord said, And you have not His word abiding in you. Watch, for whom He hath sent, him you believe not. So He charges the Jews then with the facts that the Father's word that He sent through the prophets was not abiding in them. And the evidence of that fact was they did not believe on Him, that is on Christ, whom the Father had sent.

[John Weaver] You have to remember that the Jews prided themselves that they had the oracles of God. Yeah, they had them, but they did not believe them. And most of them really and truly did not even know the words of the Lord. I want you to very quickly turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24. Let me show you how ignorant even some of the believing Jews were. concerning the Old Testament. Look in Luke 24 and verse 27. You remember these two believers were on the Emmaus Road.

[John Weaver] And they were discouraged because it was the third day Christ had been crucified. And of course Christ joins Himself to them and they're totally and completely unaware of who He is. Let's begin reading with verse 21, they say, but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. And besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher. And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen the vision of angels which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulcher and found it even so as the women had said, but him they saw not.

[John Weaver] Then said he unto them, now watch what our Lord says, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written or have spoken, ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? Watch, and beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Here were two believers on the Emmaus road, they did not even know the scriptures.

[John Weaver] Skip down to verse 44. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me." Wow. It was all there. I like John 1 and verse 45. When Philip finds Nathanael, I want you to listen to what Philip said. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses, and the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. We found him.

[John Weaver] So all the Old Testament scriptures spoke of Christ. Here's the witness of our Lord's works. Here's the witness of our Lord's fathers.

[John Weaver] Now look, if you would please, in verse 39. Because here's the third witness that he brings forth, and that is the witness of the Scriptures. He says, in John 5 and verse 39, look what he says, Search the Scriptures, for in them you think that you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. Search the Scriptures. Now there's a command to search the Scriptures. However, you remember, The Jews were absolutely, totally ignorant of the Scriptures. You remember, even when Herod wanted to kill our Lord as a child, he had to ask, where is he going to be born?

[John Weaver] And then they told him. But do you realize, most of the time, according to 2 Corinthians 3, verses 14 and 15, when they look, they look with a blinded eye. The Bible says there,"...but their minds were blinded, for until this day remained the same veil, untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ, but even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their hearts."

[John Weaver] Obviously, they did not know. Christ has basically made three appeals. Now watch this. He appeals to His own works. He appeals to the witness of the Father. And he appeals to the scriptures, which of course were written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So Christ in his appeal to himself, his Father, and the Spirit of God. God only appeals to God.

[John Weaver] Now our Lord says you're to search the scriptures. Hmm. The word search does not mean to just simply look at scripture in a casual and occasional reading. No, no, no, no. If you search the Scriptures, you are given constant, minute, and diligent study. There are three ways that the Scripture speaks of Christ. First of all, they speak of Christ generally. Because the Scriptures are the voice of the uncreated Word, ever speaking to man in every part of him and declaring absolute truth. Secondly, The scriptures speak to us in figures, in symbols that we can understand. For instance, Jesus Christ was and is the Paschal Lamb.

[John Weaver] He was the brazen serpent there, basically. Look and live. Look at the brazen serpent that Moses looked up and our Lord said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Look at all the ceremonies. Look at all the sacrifices. Every one of these sacrifices, the whole tabernacle and temple, all of it pictured Christ. So the Scripture speaks to us about Christ even in pictures and emblems and symbols. And thirdly, the Scripture speaks of Christ in direct prophecies.

[John Weaver] I don't have to go over Genesis 3.15, the Protoevangelium, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 7.14. All of our Lord is revealed in every passage of Scripture.

[John Weaver] Now, why did our Lord say, in them, that is in the Scriptures, you're thinking that you have eternal life? Here's the answer. He said, because they testify of Me, and I am eternal life. Our Lord referred to John the Baptist, but He appealed only to His works, to the Father, and to the Spirit. who wrote the scriptures.

[John Weaver] Now, I gave you all that to show you this second point. Come to verse 40. Look at verse 40. And you will not come to me that you might have life. Here is the crisis of the will. Not just only the context of the witnesses, but here is the crisis of the will. Our Lord is speaking emphatically, and here is what He is saying. Listen carefully. In light of the testimony of John the Baptist, and you sent to him, you wanted to know who he was and what he had to say. And I'm referring to him, he said, only for your benefit. But in light of the witness of John the Baptist, in light of our Lord's works, in light of the Father's witness, in light of the Scripture's witness, what did our Lord say? You will not come to me that you might have life.

[John Weaver] In spite of the abundance of evidence, in spite of the multiplicity of witnesses, in spite of the verity of the witnesses, the will of man is still locked in stubborn rebellion to God. The problem is not one of verity. The problem is not one of insufficient witnesses. The problem is not one of lack of evidence. No, the problem is that the will of man is depraved and perverse and in bondage to his sin and is locked in rebellion to the Son of God.

[John Weaver] Listen, men ought to come to Christ. Men should come to Christ. Men are commanded to come to Christ. But herein lies the hatefulness and rebellion of fallen sinful man, man will not come in spite of the evidence. So the problem is not that the sinner needs to make use of his will. He's already making use of his will. He is not coming. He's not willing to come. The problem is he needs grace to use that will right. And if God's grace does not enable him to use his will rightly, he will never ever come to Christ. Because in light of all this evidence, you will not come that you might have life.

[John Weaver] You stop and think of all the Bibles that exist in this country. The average home has three or four Bibles. Probably the average Christian home has more than that. But even the average unbelievers in their home have one or two Bibles. And of all the testimony, men will not come. Jim Hendricks said this, If the natural man has a free will to believe the gospel, then why does he need grace? If his will is naturally free, then it would do away with the need for grace altogether. To teach that natural man has a free will overthrows the gospel. It is precisely because man is in bondage that he needs Christ to set him free. He says this, The fact that no man can choose to live a sinless life is proof positive that he does not have a free will.

[John Weaver] He is held captive under the yoke of sin and thus he sins willingly and of necessity and he cannot do otherwise. I want you to think about something by way of application. When our Lord looked at these people in John 5 and verse 40 and said this, and you will not come unto me that you might have life. Should it not be obvious to everyone that our Lord was not talking about a physical corporeal coming to Christ? I want you to think about this. These people were standing right in front of Him. They had come to Him physically.

[John Weaver] They had walked to where He was. And yet He looks at them and says, you will not come to Me that you might have life. Coming to Christ is not joining a church. Coming to Christ is not walking down an aisle. Coming to Christ is not raising your hand for prayer. Coming to Christ is not being baptized. Coming to Christ is a spiritual act. Coming to Christ involves repentance of sin, submission to His Lordship, and faith in His person. It is a spiritual act, not a physical one. There are so many people that have joined churches and have baptized and walked down an aisle and raised their hand for prayer and all these things, but they've never ever savingly come to Christ. Coming to Christ is not a physical act. It is a spiritual act.

[John Weaver] I want you to see Secondly, by way of application, the inseparability of Christ and His doctrine. Look at verse 38. In fact, let's read verse 39. Verse 38 and 39 together. That's fine. Verse 38, And you have not His word abiding in you, for whom He hath sent Him you believe not. Search the Scriptures, for in them you think that you have eternal life, and there they which testify of Me. Now skip down to verse 45. Look what our Lord says. Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.

[John Weaver] There is one who accuses you, even Moses, in whom you trust. Watch, for had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, before he wrote it. But if you believe not his writings, how shall you believe my words? What's our Lord saying? Christ is revealed in Scripture. You cannot come to Christ and deny the Bible. You cannot believe the Bible and deny Christ. There's an inseparability. The Bible is the written word and Christ is the living word.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, I hope you understand, and we will cover this more next week, it takes a supernatural drawing to bring sinners to Christ. You remember what our Lord said in John 6 in verse 44? No man can come unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day. Now, here it is. Divinely considered, men cannot come to Christ. Humanly considered, men will not come to Christ.

[John Weaver] It's not just that we need to use our wills. It's that our wills must be released from their bondage to sin and Satan and lust and wickedness in order that we might embrace Christ as He's fully and freely offered in the Gospel.

[John Weaver] Now, Lord willing, next week I'm going to Continue in John 5, but I want to show you where a lot of this doctrine of free will originates. And you may be surprised. And then I want to demonstrate in the next Sunday, the distinction, the difference between what I call freedom of will and free will. There's a vast difference. what the Bible teaches. We need the grace of God.

[John Weaver] Without Him, folks, we can do nothing. And we need grace to use our wills correctly. Even as Christians, we need grace to use our wills correctly. I quoted that passage for you so many times, and I quote it myself, where David said, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. How should a Christian use his will to love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind, and body? And we need grace, even as Christians, to do that.

[John Weaver] Father, help us, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. We're so thankful for your love, your grace, your mercy. We're thankful that Dr. Holmes is able to be here today and his mother. We're so thankful for her, Lord. And we pray healing upon Doc's leg. And pray, Father, that you would touch him and encourage him and help him. Lord, give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray. Amen.

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 1 of 3

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	6S7TAtsKi6I
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-11-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 185: The Terrible Sin of Man — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	84

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to the Series and Text

Weaver announces a three-part message on John 5:40, 'Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life,' and states he will address the concept of free will, arguing that the Bible teaches free agency, not free will.

I want to begin a message today which in all probability I will not finish until two more weeks. So this is going to be a three-part message. And I ask that you be faithful, if you would, to each part, because the next two parts I think are going to be not only enlightening but I trust astounding as well. John chapter 5, the title of the message is "The Terrible Sin of Man." The terrible sin of man. Look in John 5, beginning there verse 32:

Scripture Reading — John 5:32-47

"There is another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth, but I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me."

"And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think that ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." "I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me."

"For he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" The main text that I'm going to be ultimately dealing with is verse 40, where Jesus Christ said to these people, "Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life." I've been asked to deal with the concept of free will. In reality, there is no such thing as free will. Now the Bible does teach what some scholars call free agency. I will also show you that the same term could be applied and called and referred to as freedom of will. And there is a vast difference between what is known as free will and free agency or freedom of will. The will of man is not in any sense of the word free, and by the time I get to the third message, I think you're going to see and understand that that possibly cannot be the case.

Defining Free Will and Its Implications

Weaver defines free will using Erasmus's definition: the power of the human will to turn to or away from eternal life. He argues this concept denies Holy Spirit conviction, total depravity, and views the will in abstraction from the whole person.

Now let me just make one statement so that you will understand what I am not saying. I am not saying that the will of man is not involved in salvation. It certainly is. And I will explain that before I finish this. But what the scripture does not teach is the term free will. Let me explain that, and I'm going to use the definition of the people who actually believe in free will just momentarily. But free will—the term free will used theologically refers to the concept that man of his own ability and upon his own power may turn to God or away from God. In other words, free will teaches it is man's right and power to choose to do whatever he decides. Now, you're going to hear me speak of a man by the name of Erasmus. Erasmus was a Roman Catholic theologian.

He was also a humanist, and he was also the antagonist of Martin Luther. So Erasmus wrote a diatribe against Luther on free will. Here is what Erasmus said, and he believed in free will. In chapter 2, section 13, he said, "By freedom of will we understand in this connection the power of the human will whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal life." That's it in a nutshell. He said free will means that man can turn to God on his own or turn away from God. He can choose that which leads to eternal salvation or he can turn from it. So then in relationship to soteriology—and soteriology is just the doctrine of salvation—so in relation to salvation, free will is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as autonomous, that is independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any conditioning by moral and religious character.

Now that definition is not mine. That definition belongs to those who believe in free will. Now I want you to listen very carefully and I want you to think with me momentarily. In relationship to salvation, free will is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any condition by moral and religious character. So as you think about that, first of all, I want you to know if one believes in such a statement, there is absolutely no need for Holy Spirit conviction. Because the definition says that free will then is able to choose either good or bad apart from any conditioning. So the convicting power of the Holy Spirit goes out the window.

What does our Lord say in John 15:5? "Without me ye can do" how much? "Nothing." So if you believe this definition, which they advocate themselves, first of all, it does away with Holy Spirit conviction. Secondly, this definition denies the doctrine of total depravity and inability. It denies that man is absolutely totally depraved and unable and dead in trespasses and sins, which the scripture clearly teaches. I was talking to a preacher at one time many years ago, who was a Free Will Baptist preacher. And I asked the preacher, "Do you not believe in the doctrine of total depravity?" And he responded, "Yes, I believe in total depravity. I believe that man is totally depraved except for his will." My next question was, "What part of 'total' do you not understand?"

In other words, that brings me to this third assertion. For such a concept to be true, you have to view the will in abstraction from the total or whole person. You have to say that somehow the will is isolated and uninfluenced, which is not true. The mind, the desires, the lusts, the habits, and a multitude of other things affect the will. You know, I could think to myself, "I just need to reach out and slap Robert right now." What if I just will to reach out and slap him? Well, you know, before I do that, I've got to think, "Well, you know, he's a little bigger than I am.

The Will Is Influenced, Not Autonomous

Weaver illustrates that the will is affected by thoughts, desires, and habits, using examples of a potential slap and a drunk man reaching for liquor, showing the will is not independent.

He may be stronger than I am. He may be faster than I am. I think I'm not going to will to slap him." Now, what was my will affected by? My thoughts. Also, here's a drunk man. You put a fifth of liquor in front of him. What is he going to do? He's going to reach out and take it. Why is he going to reach out and take it? Because his lust craves it and desires it. In other words, his will is influenced by everything. So Martin Luther wrote a book entitled "The Bondage of the Will," and in this book he is answering the humanist and the Roman Catholic theologian Erasmus and his diatribe, and he thanked Erasmus in his book for bringing up the subject of free will.

Salvation Not of Man's Will

Weaver cites John 1:11-13 and James 1:18 to show that salvation is not of the will of man but of God, and quotes Spurgeon on the necessity of the Holy Spirit's influence.

Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. John 1:11. Look what the Scripture says:

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Now I want you to note what our Lord dogmatically asserts. After we read verse 12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born"—now here are three negatives—"not of blood," that is ancestry, "nor of the will of the flesh," that's natural generation, "nor of the will of man." So here are these three negatives. Now, watch this. Let's read this without the three negatives. Watch. Verse 12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born of God." The positive is, if we have been born, we have been born of God. And he says dogmatically, clearly, that our salvation is not of the will of man, it's not of the will of the flesh, nor is it by ancestry or any other means, it's just simply by God.

In fact, that's what James 1:18 tells us, "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." Charles Haddon Spurgeon again said, "We declare on scriptural authority that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained toward Christ." And, of course, Scripture demonstrates exactly that which Spurgeon has enunciated. The reason men will not come to Christ is not because of a lack of or because of insufficient evidence, which I'm going to show you, but it is because their wills are locked in stubborn rebellion against Christ. They hate Him, therefore they will not come to Him. In John 5:40, our Lord looked at these people and He said, "And ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life." Now, the usual interpretation of this verse by preachers and by Christians usually means, "Well, you can come if you will come."

Context of Witnesses in John 5

Weaver examines the witnesses Christ presents: John the Baptist (referred to, not appealed to), Christ's works, the Father's witness through the Old Testament prophets, and the Scriptures, all testifying to Christ.

Now, we have to understand this statement in light of the analogy of faith. Certainly, whatever our Lord said would be true because He is God and it is impossible for Him to lie. So what in the world does He mean when He says, "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true"? Well, He's making that statement in light of the law. Literally what He is saying is this: if I offer no other testimony, or bring forth any proof for my Messiahship other than my own word, then my testimony would be suspicious. Why? Because the law demanded two or three witnesses. Christ is not going to bear independent witness of Himself.

For instance, in Deuteronomy 19:15, listen carefully:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:15

"One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."

Again, our Lord said in other passages,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:15

"At the mouth of three witnesses shall every word be established."

So our Lord is just saying, "I'm not going to bear independent witness of myself." And so you're going to see in this context, our Lord offers more than two witnesses. Now, skip down to verse 32. He says, "There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true." Now, scholars are divided upon the identification of the witness in verse 32.

Some say that it is God the Father, who by His Spirit in the prophets describes the person, office, and miracles of the work of Christ. And others then would try to say that it is the witness of John the Baptist. Certainly John is spoken about in verses 33 through 36, which we're going to deal with. And the Father is spoken about in verses 37 and 38. So how do we understand verse 32? When our Lord says, "There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true." Well, personally, I believe the "another" spoken of in verse 32 is that of the Father. That Christ is referring to the witness of the Father, which He's going to get to. Now, why would I believe that it refers to the Father? Well, first of all, because of the Greek word. When He says in verse 32, "There is another that beareth witness of me," the word "another" in the Greek is the word allos, A-L-L-O-S.

There are two Greek words that are normally used to refer to our English word "another." One of them is allos, which means "another of the same kind." And the other is heteros, which means "another of a different kind." That's why we talk about a heterosexual marriage, a man and a woman. They're not alike, they're different. Well, when our Lord says, "There is another that beareth witness of me," He uses the word allos, which means there is another of the same kind. And the only another that would be exactly like Christ would have to be the Father or the Spirit. Moreover, our Lord says in verse 32, the latter part, "I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true." You've got to stop and think. The Father and/or the Spirit are the only ones who would always at all times speak truth. For instance, Numbers 23:19 says this: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" And then when you get to Hebrews 6:18, we read that it is impossible for God to lie. Well, obviously, when our Lord said, "And I know that He speaks the truth," it's impossible for God to lie. A godly man, even John the Baptist, could be deceived and speak falsely, unknowingly. But God can never speak falsely, because He knows all things, and He does not lie. So obviously, I believe He is talking about in verse 32, the witness there of the Father. Now, I want us to begin with verse 33, where our Lord refers to the testimony of John the Baptist. Now, I want you to note, I use the word "refers."

He is not appealing to John the Baptist. He is referring to John the Baptist. In fact, our Lord did not need man's testimony, which He will say a little bit later. But in John 5:33, He says this: "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved." "He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." Now, notice if you would. He said, "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth." If you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, and look if you would please beginning there with verse 19. John 1:19. And here's where they sent unto him. He said, "Ye sent unto him? He bare witness." John 1:19: "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?"

"And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." Notice, if you would, they actually sent and asked John who he really was. Now, John was sent to bear witness of Christ.

Look in verse 6, if you would. John 1:6:

Scripture Reading — John 1:6-9, 29-34

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light."

Talking about Christ.

Scripture Reading — John 1:6-9, 29-34

"That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

And if you would skip down to John 1:29, you will see that John the Baptist actually gave testimony to our Lord. John 1:29: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." Now, our Lord said in John 5, "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness to me." He said, "He was a burning and a shining light." That is, he was burning inwardly, he was shining outwardly. That is certainly true. And he testified concerning Christ. Why? Because John the Baptist was the man who had been ordained by God to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Let me just show you very quickly. I want you to turn to the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 4, and then we're going to Matthew 11. We'll go to Matthew 11 after we go to Malachi chapter 4. Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, look if you would please at verses 5 and 6. You're going to find out who John the Baptist really was in spirit. Watch this, Malachi 4:5. Here's the prophecy.

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." So what did our Lord say about Elijah? He's going to send him before that great and dreadful day of the Lord. Well, who was this Elijah? Look in Matthew 11, beginning, if you would please, at verse 7. Matthew 11:7. Watch carefully.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 11:7-11

"And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Now, notice who our Lord specifically said that John was the one that came in the spirit and the power of Elijah. Turn right over to Matthew 17, and look if you would, beginning there in verse 10.

Matthew 17:10. I don't see how it can really get any plainer than this. Matthew 17:10. Look. "And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.

Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." So John the Baptist then is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Elijah back in Malachi chapter 4. So, what in the world are we reading here? That God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. You've got to remember that John the Baptist in his time was exceedingly popular among the people. The people listened to John. The people believed that John was a prophet. And they were willing for a time to rejoice in John's preaching and John's teaching. In fact, our Lord used this truth to confound the Pharisees. You remember at one time, He asked them—they asked Him, "By what authority doest thou these things?"

He said, "I'll tell you. I'll ask you one question. If you answer my question, I'll answer yours." Then He asked this question: "The ministry of John the Baptist, was it from heaven or of men?" And He had them. They said, finally to Him, "We cannot say." And our Lord said this—they said, "If we say, Of men, then we fear the people." Why? "For all men counted John as a prophet." And when they refused to answer our Lord, our Lord, of course, refused to answer them. So, as popular as John was, and although he was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, and prepared the way of Jesus Christ, look what our Lord said in John 5:34. He said, "But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved." Isn't that interesting? You see, Christ is not appealing to John, He is referring to John for their benefit. In other words, here's what our Lord was saying: "If you were willing to listen to John the Baptist, you should be willing to listen to Me.

Because he was the forerunner. He came to prepare the way before Me. If you were willing to rejoice in him, you should be willing to rejoice in Me." But He says, "I receive not testimony from man. I don't need testimony from man." But I do want you to see the witnesses that our Lord called forth. Look in verse 36. Here is the witness of His works. He said in verse 36, "But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me." Do you realize that over and over in the Scripture, our Lord appealed to His works? For instance, in John 10:25, "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me." In John 10:38, He said to the people, "But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him."

What did He say? "Believe the works." In John 14:10-11, our Lord said, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." What's He doing? He's appealing to His works. In John 15:24, our Lord said, "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." Do you remember what Nicodemus said to Christ when he came to Him in John 3:2? He said, "We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." They knew the works. You see, our Lord's works bore unmistakable evidence to His deity, His mission, and the fact that He was the Messiah and sent from the Father.

Our Lord healed the sick. He opened blinded eyes. He opened deaf ears. He raised the dead. He walked on water. He quieted the raging storms. He fed the multitudes. He turned water into wine. He cleansed the temple. All of these things are great facts of history and they demand attention and they cannot be evaded and they cannot be ignored. You know what I find absolutely amusing and astounding? That there are some unbelievers, although they profess to be theologians and sometimes pastors, there are some unbelievers who deny the works and the miracles of Jesus Christ.

They try to explain them away. Let me give you one illustration. This is not in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament. When I first started preaching, 46 years ago now, I wanted to buy books, and I found this book about the Exodus. And I thought, you know, here's a Bible book about the Exodus, I'm going to buy it and read it. And I bought it, and I started reading it. I didn't have to read past the first chapter, and then I took the book and destroyed it. Because the author of that book said, concerning Moses and the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, that Moses knew when the tide was going to be out. And when the tide went out, he and the children of Israel walked across, but Pharaoh and his army didn't know the tides, and when the tide came back in, they were all drowned. Well, that's not what the Bible says at all. The Bible says that God parted the way, and they walked across on dry ground.

And I find it absolutely amazing that Moses, who had been in the desert for 40 years, came back and all of a sudden knew all the tide charts, and Pharaoh and his people who lived there didn't know the tide charts. Come on, that's stupidity. I find it amazing that these people can very confidently assert after 2,000 years of history, that none of these things ever happened, or somehow they were just simply natural occurrences. May I remind you that the Pharisees hated Christ intensely. If they could have denied the reality of His works, they would have done so. They could not deny them, there were too many witnesses. In Acts 4:16, the Pharisees were concerned about a miracle done by Peter and John. And here's what they said. Listen to this: "Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it." In other words, we'd deny it if we could, but we can't. There's too many witnesses. Well, very obviously, if the Pharisees had been able to deny or disprove any of our Lord's miracles, I can assure you they would have found a way to do it if they could have done it. Since they could not disprove or deny His miracles, the only attempt they made to discredit Him was to ascribe His miracles to the work of satanic agency.

If you want to see it, look in Matthew chapter 12. And our Lord even then turned the tables on them. Look in Matthew chapter 12, beginning there at verse 23. Matthew 12:23.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 12:23-29

"And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house."

So our Lord then turned the tables upon them. And the only way, the only attempt that they made to discredit our Lord was saying He did all these miracles by the work and power of Satan. They couldn't deny them. J.C. Ryle, who was a bishop in England, pointed out five things in connection to our Lord's miracles. First of all, he said, their number. There were a number of them, not just one or two.

There were a multiplicity of them. The second thing he pointed out was their greatness. They were not small and insignificant things. But they were mighty interferences with the ordinary course of life and nature. Our Lord walked on water. He calmed the seas with a word. I mean, my goodness, these are not ordinary acts. Neither is raising the dead or turning water into wine. So not only their number, but their greatness. Thirdly, he pointed out their publicity. That is, these things were not done secretly or in a corner, but they were done in front of thousands of people. Everyone could see. And they were even done in front of His enemies. Fourthly, their character.

That is, they were always works of love and compassion. They were always beneficial to man and they were not raw demonstrations of power. And fifthly, he pointed out their direct appeal to man's senses. That is, man could see them. He could hear them, touch and taste them. I mean, when He fed the five thousand, my goodness, they could see, they could hear, they could taste, they could touch. I mean, under careful scrutiny. You look around today at a lot of people who claim to do miracles and most of them are internal where you can never see them. Our Lord's were external. You could see them. You heard the story about the man who came forward at the healing crusade for prayer.

And the evangelist asked him, "So what's your need?" He said, "I want you to pray for my hearing." The evangelist slapped his hands over his ears and prayed mightily. And then when he took his hands away from his ears, he said, "How's your hearing now?" He said, "I don't know, sir. It's not till next Thursday." So, I mean, you know, come on. Our Lord did things where everybody could see and everybody knew. A.W. Pink added two additional thoughts to this. He talked about their artlessness, that is, they were not mechanically staged, but they happened in the everyday course of life. And then seventhly, he pointed out their efficacy, that is, they were always powerful and they always worked. Did you ever notice that our Lord never, ever had a failure? Whatever He did, worked.

Now these mighty miracles and some of the works that the Father sent Him to do, testified of Jesus Christ, and therefore, He said, "I do not need the testimony of man." Why? He had His works. Look if you would in verse 37. Because here is the testimony of the Father. He said, "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." So here's the witness of the Father. Now, so many people when they read this will tend to think that the testimony of the Father is in reference to our Lord's baptism and His transfiguration. Because you remember, in those two instances, there was an audible voice from heaven. However, I do not think that this passage refers to His baptism or to His transfiguration. First of all, because there were only three people at the transfiguration, there were more at the baptism, but plenty of people did not hear it, and probably the few who did, did not understand it.

And I think verse 38 clarifies that it could not be at His baptism and His transfiguration. But verse 38 says, "And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." Well, if it does not refer to the mount of transfiguration and His baptism, what does it refer to? The witness of the Father that our Lord refers to in verses 37 and 38 would refer to the witness of the Father through the testimony of the Old Testament prophets. Because that's why He said in verse 38, "And ye have not his word abiding in you." In other words, that word was given hundreds of years before Christ. Let me just give you, for time's sake, some scriptures and let me read them for you. And I told you that the Father's witness came through the Old Testament prophets. Listen to 2 Chronicles 36:15-16. I could multiply these passages, but I'm going to give you three. Verse 15 of 2 Chronicles 36:

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 36:15-16

"And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy."

So God sent His prophets. What did the people do? They despised them. They refused to listen to them. They stoned them. They killed them.

Nehemiah 9:30 says this:

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:30

"Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands."

So again they would not listen. Zechariah 7:12: "Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts." So very obviously, God spoke through the prophets. The prophets wrote the books of the Bible. Therefore, in verse 38, our Lord said, "And ye have not his word abiding in you." Watch, "for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." So He charges the Jews then with the facts that the Father's word that He sent through the prophets was not abiding in them. And the evidence of that fact was they did not believe on Him, that is on Christ, whom the Father had sent.

You have to remember that the Jews prided themselves that they had the oracles of God. Yeah, they had them, but they did not believe them. And most of them really and truly did not even know the words of the Lord. I want you to very quickly turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24. Let me show you how ignorant even some of the believing Jews were concerning the Old Testament. Look in Luke 24:27. You remember these two believers were on the Emmaus road.

And they were discouraged because it was the third day Christ had been crucified. And of course Christ joins Himself to them and they're totally and completely unaware of who He is. Let's begin reading with verse 21, they say, "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not."

"Then he said unto them"—now watch what our Lord says—"O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" Watch, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Here were two believers on the Emmaus road, they did not even know the scriptures. Skip down to verse 44. "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." Wow. It was all there. I like John 1:45. When Philip finds Nathanael, I want you to listen to what Philip said. "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." We found him.

So all the Old Testament scriptures spoke of Christ. Here's the witness of our Lord's works. Here's the witness of our Lord's Father. Now look, if you would please, in verse 39. Because here's the third witness that He brings forth, and that is the witness of the Scriptures. He says, in John 5:39, look what He says: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Search the Scriptures. Now there's a command to search the Scriptures. However, you remember, the Jews were absolutely, totally ignorant of the Scriptures. You remember, even when Herod wanted to kill our Lord as a child, he had to ask, "Where is he going to be born?"

And then they told him. But do you realize, most of the time, according to 2 Corinthians 3:14-15, when they look, they look with a blinded eye. The Bible says there, "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart." Obviously, they did not know. Christ has basically made three appeals. Now watch this. He appeals to His own works. He appeals to the witness of the Father. And He appeals to the scriptures, which of course were written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So Christ in His appeal to Himself, His Father, and the Spirit of God. God only appeals to God.

Now our Lord says you're to search the scriptures. Hmm. The word "search" does not mean to just simply look at scripture in a casual and occasional reading. No, no, no, no. If you search the Scriptures, you are given constant, minute, and diligent study. There are three ways that the Scripture speaks of Christ. First of all, they speak of Christ generally. Because the Scriptures are the voice of the uncreated Word, ever speaking to man in every part of him and declaring absolute truth. Secondly, the Scriptures speak to us in figures, in symbols that we can understand. For instance, Jesus Christ was and is the Paschal Lamb.

He was the brazen serpent there, basically. Look and live. Look at the brazen serpent that Moses lifted up and our Lord said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." Look at all the ceremonies. Look at all the sacrifices. Every one of these sacrifices, the whole tabernacle and temple, all of it pictured Christ. So the Scripture speaks to us about Christ even in pictures and emblems and symbols. And thirdly, the Scripture speaks of Christ in direct prophecies.

I don't have to go over Genesis 3:15, the Protoevangelium, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 7:14. All of our Lord is revealed in every passage of Scripture. Now, why did our Lord say, "in them," that is in the Scriptures, "ye think that ye have eternal life"? Here's the answer. He said, because they testify of Me, and I am eternal life. Our Lord referred to John the Baptist, but He appealed only to His works, to the Father, and to the Spirit who wrote the scriptures.

The Crisis of the Will in John 5:40

Despite abundant evidence, Christ declares 'ye will not come to me.' The problem is not lack of evidence but the depraved, rebellious will of man, which needs grace to be enabled to come.

Now, I gave you all that to show you this second point. Come to verse 40. Look at verse 40. "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Here is the crisis of the will. Not just only the context of the witnesses, but here is the crisis of the will. Our Lord is speaking emphatically, and here is what He is saying. Listen carefully. In light of the testimony of John the Baptist—and you sent to him, you wanted to know who he was and what he had to say, and I'm referring to him, He said, only for your benefit—but in light of the witness of John the Baptist, in light of our Lord's works, in light of the Father's witness, in light of the Scripture's witness, what did our Lord say? "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."

In spite of the abundance of evidence, in spite of the multiplicity of witnesses, in spite of the verity of the witnesses, the will of man is still locked in stubborn rebellion to God. The problem is not one of verity. The problem is not one of insufficient witnesses. The problem is not one of lack of evidence. No, the problem is that the will of man is depraved and perverse and in bondage to his sin and is locked in rebellion to the Son of God. Listen, men ought to come to Christ. Men should come to Christ. Men are commanded to come to Christ. But herein lies the hatefulness and rebellion of fallen sinful man: man will not come in spite of the evidence. So the problem is not that the sinner needs to make use of his will. He's already making use of his will. He is not coming. He's not willing to come. The problem is he needs grace to use that will right. And if God's grace does not enable him to use his will rightly, he will never ever come to Christ. Because in light of all this evidence, "ye will not come that ye might have life."

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the text: coming to Christ is spiritual, not physical; Christ and Scripture are inseparable; and a supernatural drawing is needed. He previews next week's topic on the origin of free will doctrine.

They had walked to where He was. And yet He looks at them and says, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Coming to Christ is not joining a church. Coming to Christ is not walking down an aisle. Coming to Christ is not raising your hand for prayer. Coming to Christ is not being baptized. Coming to Christ is a spiritual act. Coming to Christ involves repentance of sin, submission to His Lordship, and faith in His person. It is a spiritual act, not a physical one. There are so many people that have joined churches and have been baptized and walked down an aisle and raised their hand for prayer and all these things, but they've never ever savingly come to Christ. Coming to Christ is not a physical act. It is a spiritual act.

I want you to see secondly, by way of application, the inseparability of Christ and His doctrine. Look at verse 38. In fact, let's read verse 39. Verse 38 and 39 together. That's fine. Verse 38: "And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." Verse 39: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Now skip down to verse 45. Look what our Lord says: "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father:

there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" What's our Lord saying? Christ is revealed in Scripture. You cannot come to Christ and deny the Bible. You cannot believe the Bible and deny Christ. There's an inseparability. The Bible is the written word and Christ is the living word.

Thirdly, I hope you understand, and we will cover this more next week, it takes a supernatural drawing to bring sinners to Christ. You remember what our Lord said in John 6:44? "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Now, here it is. Divinely considered, men cannot come to Christ. Humanly considered, men will not come to Christ. It's not just that we need to use our wills. It's that our wills must be released from their bondage to sin and Satan and lust and wickedness in order that we might embrace Christ as He's fully and freely offered in the Gospel.

Now, Lord willing, next week I'm going to continue in John 5, but I want to show you where a lot of this doctrine of free will originates. And you may be surprised. And then I want to demonstrate in the next Sunday, the distinction, the difference between what I call freedom of will and free will. There's a vast difference. What the Bible teaches. We need the grace of God. Without Him, folks, we can do nothing. And we need grace to use our wills correctly. Even as Christians, we need grace to use our wills correctly. I quoted that passage for you so many times, and I quote it myself, where David said, "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength." How should a Christian use his will to love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind, and body? And we need grace, even as Christians, to do that.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Bondage of the Will

Summary: Man's will is not free but enslaved to sin, unable to turn to God apart from divine grace.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The will of man is not in any sense of the word free' and quotes Spurgeon: 'Free will is nonsense.' He argues from John 5:40 that sinners 'will not come' despite evidence.

Salvation by Grace Alone

Summary: Salvation originates from God, not man's will; man cannot come to Christ unless drawn by the Father.

Evidence: Weaver cites John 1:13, 'not of the will of man, but of God,' and John 6:44, 'No man can come to me, except the Father...draw him.'

Sufficiency of Christ's Witnesses

Summary: Christ's deity and mission are attested by multiple witnesses: John the Baptist, His works, the Father, and Scripture, leaving sinners without excuse.

Evidence: Weaver details each witness in John 5:33-39, emphasizing that Christ appeals only to divine testimony—His works, the Father, and the Spirit-inspired Scriptures.

The Depravity of Man

Summary: Man's will is depraved and in rebellion, necessitating grace to respond to the gospel.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the will of man is depraved and perverse and in bondage to his sin and is locked in rebellion to the Son of God.'

Key Arguments

Free will denies total depravity and Holy Spirit conviction

Summary: If man's will is free to choose good or bad apart from conditioning, then total depravity and the need for Holy Spirit conviction are negated.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'if one believes in such a statement, there is absolutely no need for Holy Spirit conviction' and 'this definition denies the doctrine of total depravity and inability.'

The will is influenced, not autonomous

Summary: The will is directed by understanding, motives, and other parts of the soul; it is not independent.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'The will is well known by all to be directed by the understanding, to be moved by motives...' and gives examples of a slap and a drunk man.

Scripture explicitly denies salvation by man's will

Summary: John 1:13 states believers are born 'not of the will of man, but of God,' directly contradicting free will in salvation.

Evidence: Weaver reads John 1:11-13 and emphasizes the three negatives: 'not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.'

Abundant evidence does not overcome the rebellious will

Summary: Despite the testimony of John, Christ's works, the Father, and Scripture, sinners still will not come, proving the will's bondage.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'In spite of the abundance of evidence...the will of man is still locked in stubborn rebellion to God.'

Scripture References

John 5:32-47

Context: The main passage under exposition, focusing on verse 40: 'Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.'

John 15:5

Context: Quoted to show that without Christ we can do nothing, countering the idea of autonomous free will.

John 1:11-13

Context: Used to prove that salvation is not of the will of man but of God.

James 1:18

Context: Cited to show that God begat us by His own will.

Deuteronomy 19:15

Context: Referenced to explain why Christ said His witness alone would not be true under the law requiring two or three witnesses.

John 1:19-23

Context: Shows the Jews sent priests and Levites to John, fulfilling 'Ye sent unto John.'

John 1:6-9, 29-34

Context: John the Baptist's witness to Christ as the Lamb of God and Son of God.

Malachi 4:5-6

Context: Prophecy of Elijah's coming, fulfilled by John the Baptist.

Matthew 11:7-11

Context: Jesus identifies John as the messenger preparing the way, more than a prophet.

Matthew 17:10-13

Context: Jesus explicitly says John the Baptist is the Elijah who was to come.

John 10:25, 38

Context: Jesus appeals to His works as bearing witness of Him.

John 14:10-11

Context: Jesus tells disciples to believe because of the works themselves.

John 15:24

Context: Jesus says His unique works leave people without excuse for their sin.

John 3:2

Context: Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus' miracles as evidence of God's presence.

Acts 4:16

Context: Pharisees admit they cannot deny a notable miracle done by Peter and John.

Matthew 12:23-29

Context: Pharisees attribute Jesus' miracles to Satan; Jesus refutes them.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16

Context: God sent prophets, but the people mocked and despised them.

Nehemiah 9:30

Context: God testified by His Spirit in the prophets, but they would not listen.

Zechariah 7:12

Context: They made their hearts hard as adamant stone to avoid hearing the law.

Luke 24:21-27, 44

Context: Jesus expounds from Moses and the prophets the things concerning Himself, showing the Scriptures testify of Him.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Quoted from his sermon 'Free Will, a Slave' to support the argument that free will is nonsense and that man's will is not free.

Martin Luther

Context: Cited for his strong assertion against free will and his book 'The Bondage of the Will' written against Erasmus.

Erasmus

Context: Roman Catholic theologian and humanist who debated Luther on free will; his definition of free will is quoted and refuted.

J.C. Ryle

Context: Bishop in England who pointed out five characteristics of Christ's miracles: number, greatness, publicity, character, and direct appeal to senses.

A.W. Pink

Context: Added two additional thoughts on Christ's miracles: their artlessness and efficacy.

Jim Hendricks

Context: Quoted on the necessity of grace if the natural man has a free will, and that man is held captive under sin.

Important Quotes

If any man doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright.

Significance: Martin Luther's strong assertion that salvation is entirely of grace, not human will.

By freedom of will we understand in this connection the power of the human will whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal life.

Significance: Erasmus's definition of free will, which Weaver uses to show what he is arguing against.

Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Significance: The central text of the message, highlighting the willful rebellion of sinners despite evidence.

The human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained toward Christ.

Significance: Spurgeon's summary of the bondage of the will, affirming the necessity of grace.

In spite of the abundance of evidence, in spite of the multiplicity of witnesses, in spite of the verity of the witnesses, the will of man is still locked in stubborn rebellion to God.

Significance: Weaver's conclusion that the problem is not evidence but the depraved will.

Discussion Questions

How does the definition of free will provided by Erasmus differ from the biblical concept of free agency or freedom of will?

Context: Weaver contrasts Erasmus's definition with the Bible's teaching that the will is influenced and in bondage.

Why does Weaver argue that believing in free will eliminates the need for Holy Spirit conviction and denies total depravity?

Context: He states that if the will is independent and undetermined, then conviction and inability are unnecessary.

In what ways does John 1:11-13 directly contradict the idea that salvation is a product of man's will?

Context: The passage explicitly says believers are born 'not of the will of man, but of God.'

How do the multiple witnesses in John 5 (John the Baptist, Christ's works, the Father, Scripture) leave sinners without excuse?

Context: Weaver explains that Christ appeals to divine testimony, yet sinners still refuse to come.

What does it mean that coming to Christ is a spiritual act, not a physical one, and how does this challenge common evangelistic practices?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that physical actions like walking an aisle do not equate to saving faith.

Why is it impossible to separate Christ from Scripture, according to John 5:38-47?

Context: Weaver points out that believing Moses' writings is tied to believing Christ, showing the inseparability of the written and living Word.

Applications

Recognize the bondage of the will

Summary: Understand that apart from grace, the human will is enslaved to sin and cannot choose Christ.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'the will of man is depraved and perverse and in bondage to his sin and is locked in rebellion to the Son of God.'

Depend on God's grace for salvation and sanctification

Summary: We need grace not only to come to Christ initially but also to use our wills correctly as Christians.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We need grace to use our wills correctly. Even as Christians, we need grace to use our wills correctly.'

Examine the nature of your coming to Christ

Summary: Ensure that your faith is a spiritual act of repentance and submission, not merely physical or ritual actions.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'Coming to Christ is not joining a church... It is a spiritual act, not a physical one.'

Search the Scriptures diligently

Summary: Engage in constant, minute, and diligent study of the Bible, which testifies of Christ.

Evidence: Weaver explains the command 'Search the scriptures' means not casual reading but diligent study.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:02:57Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:41:20Z

Clean Transcript

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 1 of 3

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

I want to begin a message today which in all probability I will not finish until two more weeks. So this is going to be a three-part message. And I ask that you be faithful, if you would, to each part, because the next two parts I think are going to be not only enlightening but I trust astounding as well. John chapter 5, the title of the message is "The Terrible Sin of Man." The terrible sin of man. Look in John 5, beginning there verse 32: "There is another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth, but I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me."
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"And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think that ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."
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"I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me."
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"For he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" The main text that I'm going to be ultimately dealing with is verse 40, where Jesus Christ said to these people, "Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life." I've been asked to deal with the concept of free will. In reality, there is no such thing as free will.
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Now the Bible does teach what some scholars call free agency. I will also show you that the same term could be applied and called and referred to as freedom of will. And there is a vast difference between what is known as free will and free agency or freedom of will. The will of man is not in any sense of the word free, and by the time I get to the third message, I think you're going to see and understand that that possibly cannot be the case.
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I want to begin by giving you a quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He has a message that he preached many, many years ago entitled, "Free Will, a Slave." And here's what he said, and I love his introduction. He says, "This is one of the great guns of the Arminians, mounted upon the top of their walls and often discharged with terrible noise against the poor Christians called Calvinists."
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"I intend to spike the gun this morning, or rather to turn it on the enemy, for it was never theirs. It was never cast at their foundry at all, but was intended to teach the very opposite doctrine to which they assert. Usually, when the text is taken"—he's talking about John 5:40—"usually when the text is taken, the divisions are, first, that man has a will; secondly, that he is entirely free; thirdly, that men must make themselves willing to come to Christ, otherwise, they will not be saved. Now, we shall have no such divisions, but we will endeavor to take a more calm look at the text, and not because there happens to be the words 'will' or 'will not' in it, run away with the conclusion that it teaches the doctrine of free will. It has already been proved beyond all controversy that free will is nonsense."
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"Freedom cannot belong to the will any more than ponderability can belong to electricity. They are altogether different things. Free agency we may believe in, but free will is simply ridiculous. The will is well known by all to be directed by the understanding, to be moved by motives, to be guided by other parts of the soul, and to be a secondary thing. Philosophy and religion both discard, at once, the very thought of free will. And I will go as far as Martin Luther, in that strong assertion of his, where he says, 'If any man doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright.' It may seem a harsh sentiment, but he who believes—he who in his soul believes that man does of his own free will turn to God—cannot have been taught of God, for that is one of the first principles taught us when God begins with us, that we have neither the will nor
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power, but that He gives both; that He is the Alpha and the Omega in the salvation of men." And that is certainly true.
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Now let me just make one statement so that you will understand what I am not saying. I am not saying that the will of man is not involved in salvation. It certainly is. And I will explain that before I finish this. But what the scripture does not teach is the term free will. Let me explain that, and I'm going to use the definition of the people who actually believe in free will just momentarily. But free will—the term free will used theologically refers to the concept that man of his own ability and upon his own power may turn to God or away from God. In other words, free will teaches it is man's right and power to choose to do whatever he decides. Now, you're going to hear me speak of a man by the name of Erasmus. Erasmus was a Roman Catholic theologian.
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He was also a humanist, and he was also the antagonist of Martin Luther. So Erasmus wrote a diatribe against Luther on free will. Here is what Erasmus said, and he believed in free will. In chapter 2, section 13, he said, "By freedom of will we understand in this connection the power of the human will whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal life."
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That's it in a nutshell. He said free will means that man can turn to God on his own or turn away from God. He can choose that which leads to eternal salvation or he can turn from it. So then in relationship to soteriology—and soteriology is just the doctrine of salvation—so in relation to salvation, free will is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as autonomous, that is independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any conditioning by moral and religious character.
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Now that definition is not mine. That definition belongs to those who believe in free will.
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Now I want you to listen very carefully and I want you to think with me momentarily. In relationship to salvation, free will is that concept of the will whereby the will of man is regarded as independent and undetermined and therefore capable of willing either good or bad apart from any condition by moral and religious character. So as you think about that, first of all, I want you to know if one believes in such a statement, there is absolutely no need for Holy Spirit conviction. Because the definition says that free will then is able to choose either good or bad apart from any conditioning. So the convicting power of the Holy Spirit goes out the window.
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What does our Lord say in John 15:5? "Without me ye can do" how much? "Nothing." So if you believe this definition, which they advocate themselves, first of all, it does away with Holy Spirit conviction.
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Secondly, this definition denies the doctrine of total depravity and inability. It denies that man is absolutely totally depraved and unable and dead in trespasses and sins, which the scripture clearly teaches. I was talking to a preacher at one time many years ago, who was a Free Will Baptist preacher. And I asked the preacher, "Do you not believe in the doctrine of total depravity?" And he responded, "Yes, I believe in total depravity. I believe that man is totally depraved except for his will." My next question was, "What part of 'total' do you not understand?"
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In other words, that brings me to this third assertion. For such a concept to be true, you have to view the will in abstraction from the total or whole person. You have to say that somehow the will is isolated and uninfluenced, which is not true. The mind, the desires, the lusts, the habits, and a multitude of other things affect the will. You know, I could think to myself, "I just need to reach out and slap Robert right now." What if I just will to reach out and slap him? Well, you know, before I do that, I've got to think, "Well, you know, he's a little bigger than I am.
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He may be stronger than I am. He may be faster than I am. I think I'm not going to will to slap him."
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Now, what was my will affected by? My thoughts. Also, here's a drunk man. You put a fifth of liquor in front of him. What is he going to do? He's going to reach out and take it. Why is he going to reach out and take it? Because his lust craves it and desires it. In other words, his will is influenced by everything. So Martin Luther wrote a book entitled "The Bondage of the Will," and in this book he is answering the humanist and the Roman Catholic theologian Erasmus and his diatribe, and he thanked Erasmus in his book for bringing up the subject of free will.
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I want you to listen to what he said in one short paragraph. He's thanking Erasmus and he says, "You alone have attacked the real thing, that is the essential issue. You have not worried me with those extraneous issues about the papacy, purgatory, indulgences and such like trifles rather than issues, in respect of which almost all to date have sought my blood. You and you alone have seen the hinge on which all turns and aim for the vital spot. For that I heartily thank you, for it is more gratifying to me to deal with this issue." So Martin Luther said to Erasmus, "Thank you for bringing this up. You've given me now the opportunity to really deal with this issue."
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So what I want to show you, beginning today, is that salvation is not a product of man's will. It cannot be a product of man's will, for that would be contrary to scripture. And to remind you, I did not say that man's will is not involved in salvation. It certainly is. But it is not the origination of salvation, nor is it the instigator of salvation. In fact, one simple passage of Scripture ought to prove this.
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Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. John 1:11. Look what the Scripture says: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
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Now I want you to note what our Lord dogmatically asserts. After we read verse 12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born"—now here are three negatives—"not of blood," that is ancestry, "nor of the will of the flesh," that's natural generation, "nor of the will of man." So here are these three negatives. Now, watch this. Let's read this without the three negatives. Watch. Verse 12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born of God." The positive is, if we have been born, we have been born of God. And he says dogmatically, clearly, that our salvation is not of the will of man, it's not of the will of the flesh, nor is it by ancestry or any other means, it's just simply by God.
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In fact, that's what James 1:18 tells us, "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." Charles Haddon Spurgeon again said, "We declare on scriptural authority that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained toward Christ." And, of course, Scripture demonstrates exactly that which Spurgeon has enunciated.
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The reason men will not come to Christ is not because of a lack of or because of insufficient evidence, which I'm going to show you, but it is because their wills are locked in stubborn rebellion against Christ. They hate Him, therefore they will not come to Him. In John 5:40, our Lord looked at these people and He said, "And ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life." Now, the usual interpretation of this verse by preachers and by Christians usually means, "Well, you can come if you will come."
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But herein lies the rub. Sinners cannot come, and they do not want to come, and they do not will to come. John 5:40 usually is wrenched from its context and taught to mean something entirely different than what our Lord said. So, I want us to look at it in the context. First of all, I want you to see the context of the witnesses. Look in verse 31. Our Lord said this, "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true."
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Now, we have to understand this statement in light of the analogy of faith. Certainly, whatever our Lord said would be true because He is God and it is impossible for Him to lie. So what in the world does He mean when He says, "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true"? Well, He's making that statement in light of the law. Literally what He is saying is this: if I offer no other testimony, or bring forth any proof for my Messiahship other than my own word, then my testimony would be suspicious. Why? Because the law demanded two or three witnesses. Christ is not going to bear independent witness of Himself.
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For instance, in Deuteronomy 19:15, listen carefully: "One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established." Again, our Lord said in other passages, "At the mouth of three witnesses shall every word be established." So our Lord is just saying, "I'm not going to bear independent witness of myself." And so you're going to see in this context, our Lord offers more than two witnesses. Now, skip down to verse 32. He says, "There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true." Now, scholars are divided upon the identification of the witness in verse 32.
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Some say that it is God the Father, who by His Spirit in the prophets describes the person, office, and miracles of the work of Christ. And others then would try to say that it is the witness of John the Baptist. Certainly John is spoken about in verses 33 through 36, which we're going to deal with. And the Father is spoken about in verses 37 and 38. So how do we understand verse 32? When our Lord says, "There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true." Well, personally, I believe the "another" spoken of in verse 32 is that of the Father. That Christ is referring to the witness of the Father, which He's going to get to. Now, why would I believe that it refers to the Father? Well, first of all, because of the Greek word. When He says in verse 32, "There is another that beareth witness of me," the word "another" in the Greek is the word allos, A-L-L-O-S.
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There are two Greek words that are normally used to refer to our English word "another." One of them is allos, which means "another of the same kind." And the other is heteros, which means "another of a different kind." That's why we talk about a heterosexual marriage, a man and a woman. They're not alike, they're different. Well, when our Lord says, "There is another that beareth witness of me," He uses the word allos, which means there is another of the same kind. And the only another that would be exactly like Christ would have to be the Father or the Spirit. Moreover, our Lord says in verse 32, the latter part, "I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true."
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You've got to stop and think. The Father and/or the Spirit are the only ones who would always at all times speak truth. For instance, Numbers 23:19 says this: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" And then when you get to Hebrews 6:18, we read that it is impossible for God to lie. Well, obviously, when our Lord said, "And I know that He speaks the truth," it's impossible for God to lie. A godly man, even John the Baptist, could be deceived and speak falsely, unknowingly. But God can never speak falsely, because He knows all things, and He does not lie. So obviously, I believe He is talking about in verse 32, the witness there of the Father. Now, I want us to begin with verse 33, where our Lord refers to the testimony of John the Baptist. Now, I want you to note, I use the word "refers."
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He is not appealing to John the Baptist. He is referring to John the Baptist. In fact, our Lord did not need man's testimony, which He will say a little bit later. But in John 5:33, He says this: "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved."
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"He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." Now, notice if you would. He said, "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth." If you would turn very quickly in your Bibles to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, and look if you would please beginning there with verse 19. John 1:19. And here's where they sent unto him. He said, "Ye sent unto him? He bare witness." John 1:19: "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?"
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"And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." Notice, if you would, they actually sent and asked John who he really was. Now, John was sent to bear witness of Christ.
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Look in verse 6, if you would. John 1:6: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light." Talking about Christ. "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." And if you would skip down to John 1:29, you will see that John the Baptist actually gave testimony to our Lord. John 1:29: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel,
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therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." Now, our Lord said in John 5, "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness to me."
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He said, "He was a burning and a shining light." That is, he was burning inwardly, he was shining outwardly. That is certainly true. And he testified concerning Christ. Why? Because John the Baptist was the man who had been ordained by God to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Let me just show you very quickly. I want you to turn to the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 4, and then we're going to Matthew 11. We'll go to Matthew 11 after we go to Malachi chapter 4. Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, look if you would please at verses 5 and 6. You're going to find out who John the Baptist really was in spirit. Watch this, Malachi 4:5. Here's the prophecy.
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"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." So what did our Lord say about Elijah? He's going to send him before that great and dreadful day of the Lord. Well, who was this Elijah?
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Look in Matthew 11, beginning, if you would please, at verse 7. Matthew 11:7. Watch carefully. "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Now, notice who our Lord specifically said that John was the one that came in the spirit and the power of Elijah. Turn right over to Matthew 17, and look if you would, beginning there in verse 10.
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Matthew 17:10. I don't see how it can really get any plainer than this. Matthew 17:10. Look. "And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.
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Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." So John the Baptist then is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Elijah back in Malachi chapter 4. So, what in the world are we reading here? That God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. You've got to remember that John the Baptist in his time was exceedingly popular among the people. The people listened to John. The people believed that John was a prophet. And they were willing for a time to rejoice in John's preaching and John's teaching. In fact, our Lord used this truth to confound the Pharisees. You remember at one time, He asked them—they asked Him, "By what authority doest thou these things?"
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He said, "I'll tell you. I'll ask you one question. If you answer my question, I'll answer yours." Then He asked this question: "The ministry of John the Baptist, was it from heaven or of men?" And He had them. They said, finally to Him, "We cannot say." And our Lord said this—they said, "If we say, Of men, then we fear the people." Why? "For all men counted John as a prophet." And when they refused to answer our Lord, our Lord, of course, refused to answer them. So, as popular as John was, and although he was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, and prepared the way of Jesus Christ, look what our Lord said in John 5:34. He said, "But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved." Isn't that interesting? You see, Christ is not appealing to John, He is referring to John for their benefit. In other words, here's what our Lord was saying: "If you were willing to listen to John the Baptist, you should be willing to listen to Me.
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Because he was the forerunner. He came to prepare the way before Me. If you were willing to rejoice in him, you should be willing to rejoice in Me." But He says, "I receive not testimony from man. I don't need testimony from man." But I do want you to see the witnesses that our Lord called forth. Look in verse 36. Here is the witness of His works. He said in verse 36, "But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me." Do you realize that over and over in the Scripture, our Lord appealed to His works? For instance, in John 10:25, "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me." In John 10:38, He said to the people, "But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him."
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What did He say? "Believe the works." In John 14:10-11, our Lord said, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." What's He doing? He's appealing to His works. In John 15:24, our Lord said, "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." Do you remember what Nicodemus said to Christ when he came to Him in John 3:2? He said, "We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." They knew the works. You see, our Lord's works bore unmistakable evidence to His deity, His mission, and the fact that He was the Messiah and sent from the Father.
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Our Lord healed the sick. He opened blinded eyes. He opened deaf ears. He raised the dead. He walked on water. He quieted the raging storms. He fed the multitudes. He turned water into wine. He cleansed the temple. All of these things are great facts of history and they demand attention and they cannot be evaded and they cannot be ignored. You know what I find absolutely amusing and astounding? That there are some unbelievers, although they profess to be theologians and sometimes pastors, there are some unbelievers who deny the works and the miracles of Jesus Christ.
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They try to explain them away. Let me give you one illustration. This is not in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament. When I first started preaching, 46 years ago now, I wanted to buy books, and I found this book about the Exodus. And I thought, you know, here's a Bible book about the Exodus, I'm going to buy it and read it. And I bought it, and I started reading it. I didn't have to read past the first chapter, and then I took the book and destroyed it. Because the author of that book said, concerning Moses and the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, that Moses knew when the tide was going to be out. And when the tide went out, he and the children of Israel walked across, but Pharaoh and his army didn't know the tides, and when the tide came back in, they were all drowned. Well, that's not what the Bible says at all. The Bible says that God parted the way, and they walked across on dry ground.
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And I find it absolutely amazing that Moses, who had been in the desert for 40 years, came back and all of a sudden knew all the tide charts, and Pharaoh and his people who lived there didn't know the tide charts. Come on, that's stupidity. I find it amazing that these people can very confidently assert after 2,000 years of history, that none of these things ever happened, or somehow they were just simply natural occurrences.
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May I remind you that the Pharisees hated Christ intensely. If they could have denied the reality of His works, they would have done so. They could not deny them, there were too many witnesses. In Acts 4:16, the Pharisees were concerned about a miracle done by Peter and John. And here's what they said. Listen to this: "Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it." In other words, we'd deny it if we could, but we can't. There's too many witnesses. Well, very obviously, if the Pharisees had been able to deny or disprove any of our Lord's miracles, I can assure you they would have found a way to do it if they could have done it. Since they could not disprove or deny His miracles, the only attempt they made to discredit Him was to ascribe His miracles to the work of satanic agency.
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If you want to see it, look in Matthew chapter 12. And our Lord even then turned the tables on them. Look in Matthew chapter 12, beginning there at verse 23. Matthew 12:23. "And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."
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"And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house."
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So our Lord then turned the tables upon them. And the only way, the only attempt that they made to discredit our Lord was saying He did all these miracles by the work and power of Satan. They couldn't deny them. J.C. Ryle, who was a bishop in England, pointed out five things in connection to our Lord's miracles. First of all, he said, their number. There were a number of them, not just one or two.
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There were a multiplicity of them. The second thing he pointed out was their greatness. They were not small and insignificant things. But they were mighty interferences with the ordinary course of life and nature. Our Lord walked on water. He calmed the seas with a word. I mean, my goodness, these are not ordinary acts. Neither is raising the dead or turning water into wine. So not only their number, but their greatness. Thirdly, he pointed out their publicity. That is, these things were not done secretly or in a corner, but they were done in front of thousands of people. Everyone could see. And they were even done in front of His enemies. Fourthly, their character.
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That is, they were always works of love and compassion. They were always beneficial to man and they were not raw demonstrations of power. And fifthly, he pointed out their direct appeal to man's senses. That is, man could see them. He could hear them, touch and taste them. I mean, when He fed the five thousand, my goodness, they could see, they could hear, they could taste, they could touch. I mean, under careful scrutiny. You look around today at a lot of people who claim to do miracles and most of them are internal where you can never see them. Our Lord's were external. You could see them. You heard the story about the man who came forward at the healing crusade for prayer.
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And the evangelist asked him, "So what's your need?" He said, "I want you to pray for my hearing." The evangelist slapped his hands over his ears and prayed mightily. And then when he took his hands away from his ears, he said, "How's your hearing now?" He said, "I don't know, sir. It's not till next Thursday." So, I mean, you know, come on. Our Lord did things where everybody could see and everybody knew. A.W.
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Pink added two additional thoughts to this. He talked about their artlessness, that is, they were not mechanically staged, but they happened in the everyday course of life. And then seventhly, he pointed out their efficacy, that is, they were always powerful and they always worked. Did you ever notice that our Lord never, ever had a failure? Whatever He did, worked.
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Now these mighty miracles and some of the works that the Father sent Him to do, testified of Jesus Christ, and therefore, He said, "I do not need the testimony of man." Why? He had His works. Look if you would in verse 37. Because here is the testimony of the Father. He said, "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." So here's the witness of the Father. Now, so many people when they read this will tend to think that the testimony of the Father is in reference to our Lord's baptism and His transfiguration. Because you remember, in those two instances, there was an audible voice from heaven. However, I do not think that this passage refers to His baptism or to His transfiguration. First of all, because there were only three people at the transfiguration, there were more at the baptism, but plenty of people did not hear it, and probably the few who did, did not understand it.
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And I think verse 38 clarifies that it could not be at His baptism and His transfiguration. But verse 38 says, "And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." Well, if it does not refer to the mount of transfiguration and His baptism, what does it refer to? The witness of the Father that our Lord refers to in verses 37 and 38 would refer to the witness of the Father through the testimony of the Old Testament prophets. Because that's why He said in verse 38, "And ye have not his word abiding in you." In other words, that word was given hundreds of years before Christ.
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Let me just give you, for time's sake, some scriptures and let me read them for you. And I told you that the Father's witness came through the Old Testament prophets. Listen to 2 Chronicles 36:15-16. I could multiply these passages, but I'm going to give you three. Verse 15 of 2 Chronicles 36: "And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." So God sent His prophets. What did the people do? They despised them. They refused to listen to them. They stoned them. They killed them.
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Nehemiah 9:30 says this: "Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands." So again they would not listen. Zechariah 7:12: "Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts." So very obviously, God spoke through the prophets. The prophets wrote the books of the Bible. Therefore, in verse 38, our Lord said, "And ye have not his word abiding in you." Watch, "for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." So He charges the Jews then with the facts that the Father's word that He sent through the prophets was not abiding in them. And the evidence of that fact was they did not believe on Him, that is on Christ, whom the Father had sent.
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You have to remember that the Jews prided themselves that they had the oracles of God. Yeah, they had them, but they did not believe them. And most of them really and truly did not even know the words of the Lord. I want you to very quickly turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 24. Let me show you how ignorant even some of the believing Jews were concerning the Old Testament. Look in Luke 24:27. You remember these two believers were on the Emmaus road.
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And they were discouraged because it was the third day Christ had been crucified. And of course Christ joins Himself to them and they're totally and completely unaware of who He is. Let's begin reading with verse 21, they say, "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not."
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"Then he said unto them"—now watch what our Lord says—"O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" Watch, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Here were two believers on the Emmaus road, they did not even know the scriptures.
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Skip down to verse 44. "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." Wow. It was all there. I like John 1:45. When Philip finds Nathanael, I want you to listen to what Philip said. "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." We found him.
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So all the Old Testament scriptures spoke of Christ. Here's the witness of our Lord's works. Here's the witness of our Lord's Father.
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Now look, if you would please, in verse 39. Because here's the third witness that He brings forth, and that is the witness of the Scriptures. He says, in John 5:39, look what He says: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Search the Scriptures. Now there's a command to search the Scriptures. However, you remember, the Jews were absolutely, totally ignorant of the Scriptures. You remember, even when Herod wanted to kill our Lord as a child, he had to ask, "Where is he going to be born?"
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And then they told him. But do you realize, most of the time, according to 2 Corinthians 3:14-15, when they look, they look with a blinded eye. The Bible says there, "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart."
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Obviously, they did not know. Christ has basically made three appeals. Now watch this. He appeals to His own works. He appeals to the witness of the Father. And He appeals to the scriptures, which of course were written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So Christ in His appeal to Himself, His Father, and the Spirit of God. God only appeals to God.
#67 | 51:16 to 51:45 | cleaned
Now our Lord says you're to search the scriptures. Hmm. The word "search" does not mean to just simply look at scripture in a casual and occasional reading. No, no, no, no. If you search the Scriptures, you are given constant, minute, and diligent study. There are three ways that the Scripture speaks of Christ. First of all, they speak of Christ generally. Because the Scriptures are the voice of the uncreated Word, ever speaking to man in every part of him and declaring absolute truth. Secondly, the Scriptures speak to us in figures, in symbols that we can understand. For instance, Jesus Christ was and is the Paschal Lamb.
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He was the brazen serpent there, basically. Look and live. Look at the brazen serpent that Moses lifted up and our Lord said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." Look at all the ceremonies. Look at all the sacrifices. Every one of these sacrifices, the whole tabernacle and temple, all of it pictured Christ. So the Scripture speaks to us about Christ even in pictures and emblems and symbols. And thirdly, the Scripture speaks of Christ in direct prophecies.
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I don't have to go over Genesis 3:15, the Protoevangelium, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 7:14. All of our Lord is revealed in every passage of Scripture.
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Now, why did our Lord say, "in them," that is in the Scriptures, "ye think that ye have eternal life"? Here's the answer. He said, because they testify of Me, and I am eternal life. Our Lord referred to John the Baptist, but He appealed only to His works, to the Father, and to the Spirit who wrote the scriptures.
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Now, I gave you all that to show you this second point. Come to verse 40. Look at verse 40. "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Here is the crisis of the will. Not just only the context of the witnesses, but here is the crisis of the will. Our Lord is speaking emphatically, and here is what He is saying. Listen carefully. In light of the testimony of John the Baptist—and you sent to him, you wanted to know who he was and what he had to say, and I'm referring to him, He said, only for your benefit—but in light of the witness of John the Baptist, in light of our Lord's works, in light of the Father's witness, in light of the Scripture's witness, what did our Lord say? "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."
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In spite of the abundance of evidence, in spite of the multiplicity of witnesses, in spite of the verity of the witnesses, the will of man is still locked in stubborn rebellion to God. The problem is not one of verity. The problem is not one of insufficient witnesses. The problem is not one of lack of evidence. No, the problem is that the will of man is depraved and perverse and in bondage to his sin and is locked in rebellion to the Son of God.
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Listen, men ought to come to Christ. Men should come to Christ. Men are commanded to come to Christ. But herein lies the hatefulness and rebellion of fallen sinful man: man will not come in spite of the evidence. So the problem is not that the sinner needs to make use of his will. He's already making use of his will. He is not coming. He's not willing to come. The problem is he needs grace to use that will right. And if God's grace does not enable him to use his will rightly, he will never ever come to Christ. Because in light of all this evidence, "ye will not come that ye might have life."
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You stop and think of all the Bibles that exist in this country. The average home has three or four Bibles. Probably the average Christian home has more than that. But even the average unbelievers in their home have one or two Bibles. And of all the testimony, men will not come. Jim Hendricks said this: "If the natural man has a free will to believe the gospel, then why does he need grace? If his will is naturally free, then it would do away with the need for grace altogether. To teach that natural man has a free will overthrows the gospel. It is precisely because man is in bondage that he needs Christ to set him free." He says this: "The fact that no man can choose to live a sinless life is proof positive that he does not have a free will.
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He is held captive under the yoke of sin and thus he sins willingly and of necessity and he cannot do otherwise." I want you to think about something by way of application. When our Lord looked at these people in John 5:40 and said this, "And ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life," should it not be obvious to everyone that our Lord was not talking about a physical corporeal coming to Christ? I want you to think about this. These people were standing right in front of Him. They had come to Him physically.
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They had walked to where He was. And yet He looks at them and says, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Coming to Christ is not joining a church. Coming to Christ is not walking down an aisle. Coming to Christ is not raising your hand for prayer. Coming to Christ is not being baptized. Coming to Christ is a spiritual act. Coming to Christ involves repentance of sin, submission to His Lordship, and faith in His person. It is a spiritual act, not a physical one. There are so many people that have joined churches and have been baptized and walked down an aisle and raised their hand for prayer and all these things, but they've never ever savingly come to Christ. Coming to Christ is not a physical act. It is a spiritual act.
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I want you to see secondly, by way of application, the inseparability of Christ and His doctrine. Look at verse 38. In fact, let's read verse 39. Verse 38 and 39 together. That's fine. Verse 38: "And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not." Verse 39: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." Now skip down to verse 45. Look what our Lord says: "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father:
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there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" What's our Lord saying? Christ is revealed in Scripture. You cannot come to Christ and deny the Bible. You cannot believe the Bible and deny Christ. There's an inseparability. The Bible is the written word and Christ is the living word.
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Thirdly, I hope you understand, and we will cover this more next week, it takes a supernatural drawing to bring sinners to Christ. You remember what our Lord said in John 6:44? "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Now, here it is. Divinely considered, men cannot come to Christ. Humanly considered, men will not come to Christ.
#80 | 1:01:11 to 1:01:49 | cleaned
It's not just that we need to use our wills. It's that our wills must be released from their bondage to sin and Satan and lust and wickedness in order that we might embrace Christ as He's fully and freely offered in the Gospel.
#81 | 1:01:52 to 1:02:15 | cleaned
Now, Lord willing, next week I'm going to continue in John 5, but I want to show you where a lot of this doctrine of free will originates. And you may be surprised. And then I want to demonstrate in the next Sunday, the distinction, the difference between what I call freedom of will and free will. There's a vast difference. What the Bible teaches. We need the grace of God.
#82 | 1:02:18 to 1:02:55 | cleaned
Without Him, folks, we can do nothing. And we need grace to use our wills correctly. Even as Christians, we need grace to use our wills correctly. I quoted that passage for you so many times, and I quote it myself, where David said, "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength." How should a Christian use his will to love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind, and body? And we need grace, even as Christians, to do that.
#83 | 1:02:55 to 1:03:41 | cleaned
Father, help us, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. We're so thankful for your love, your grace, your mercy. We're thankful that Dr. Holmes is able to be here today and his mother. We're so thankful for her, Lord. And we pray healing upon Doc's leg. And pray, Father, that you would touch him and encourage him and help him. Lord, give us grace that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:02:57Z

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 1 of 3

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this first part of a three-part message, Pastor John Weaver introduces the topic of free will versus free agency, arguing from John 5:40 that man's will is not free but in bondage to sin. He examines the context of John 5, highlighting the witnesses to Christ—John the Baptist, Christ's works, the Father, and the Scriptures—and concludes that despite overwhelming evidence, sinners will not come to Christ because their wills are depraved and rebellious. The message emphasizes that salvation is not a product of man's will but requires God's grace to enable the will to respond rightly.

Introduction to the Series and Text

Scripture Reading — John 5:32-47

"There is another that beareth witness of me, and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth, but I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me."

Defining Free Will and Its Implications

The Will Is Influenced, Not Autonomous

Weaver illustrates that the will is affected by thoughts, desires, and habits, using examples of a potential slap and a drunk man reaching for liquor, showing the will is not independent.

Salvation Not of Man's Will

Weaver cites John 1:11-13 and James 1:18 to show that salvation is not of the will of man but of God, and quotes Spurgeon on the necessity of the Holy Spirit's influence.

Look in your Bibles, if you would, to John chapter 1. John chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. John 1:11. Look what the Scripture says:

Scripture Reading — John 1:11-13

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Context of Witnesses in John 5

For instance, in Deuteronomy 19:15, listen carefully:

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:15

"One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."

Again, our Lord said in other passages,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 19:15

"At the mouth of three witnesses shall every word be established."

Look in verse 6, if you would. John 1:6:

Scripture Reading — John 1:6-9, 29-34

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light."

Talking about Christ.

Scripture Reading — John 1:6-9, 29-34

"That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

Scripture Reading — Matthew 11:7-11

"And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Now, notice who our Lord specifically said that John was the one that came in the spirit and the power of Elijah. Turn right over to Matthew 17, and look if you would, beginning there in verse 10.

If you want to see it, look in Matthew chapter 12. And our Lord even then turned the tables on them. Look in Matthew chapter 12, beginning there at verse 23. Matthew 12:23.

Scripture Reading — Matthew 12:23-29

"And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house."

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 36:15-16

"And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy."

So God sent His prophets. What did the people do? They despised them. They refused to listen to them. They stoned them. They killed them.

Nehemiah 9:30 says this:

Scripture Reading — Nehemiah 9:30

"Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands."

The Crisis of the Will in John 5:40

Despite abundant evidence, Christ declares 'ye will not come to me.' The problem is not lack of evidence but the depraved, rebellious will of man, which needs grace to be enabled to come.

Applications and Conclusion

The Terrible Sin of Man Part 1 of 3

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	6S7TAtsKi6I
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-11-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 185: The Terrible Sin of Man — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	84

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to the Series and Text: Weaver announces a three-part message on John 5:40, 'Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life,' and states he will address the concept of free will, arguing that the Bible teaches free agency, not free will.
Defining Free Will and Its Implications: Weaver defines free will using Erasmus's definition: the power of the human will to turn to or away from eternal life. He argues this concept denies Holy Spirit conviction, total depravity, and views the will in abstraction from the whole person.
The Will Is Influenced, Not Autonomous: Weaver illustrates that the will is affected by thoughts, desires, and habits, using examples of a potential slap and a drunk man reaching for liquor, showing the will is not independent.
Salvation Not of Man's Will: Weaver cites John 1:11-13 and James 1:18 to show that salvation is not of the will of man but of God, and quotes Spurgeon on the necessity of the Holy Spirit's influence.
Context of Witnesses in John 5: Weaver examines the witnesses Christ presents: John the Baptist (referred to, not appealed to), Christ's works, the Father's witness through the Old Testament prophets, and the Scriptures, all testifying to Christ.
The Crisis of the Will in John 5:40: Despite abundant evidence, Christ declares 'ye will not come to me.' The problem is not lack of evidence but the depraved, rebellious will of man, which needs grace to be enabled to come.
Applications and Conclusion: Weaver applies the text: coming to Christ is spiritual, not physical; Christ and Scripture are inseparable; and a supernatural drawing is needed. He previews next week's topic on the origin of free will doctrine.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Free will denies total depravity and Holy Spirit conviction

If man's will is free to choose good or bad apart from conditioning, then total depravity and the need for Holy Spirit conviction are negated.

Weaver states, 'if one believes in such a statement, there is absolutely no need for Holy Spirit conviction' and 'this definition denies the doctrine of total depravity and inability.'

The will is influenced, not autonomous

The will is directed by understanding, motives, and other parts of the soul; it is not independent.

Weaver quotes Spurgeon: 'The will is well known by all to be directed by the understanding, to be moved by motives...' and gives examples of a slap and a drunk man.

Scripture explicitly denies salvation by man's will

John 1:13 states believers are born 'not of the will of man, but of God,' directly contradicting free will in salvation.

Weaver reads John 1:11-13 and emphasizes the three negatives: 'not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.'

Abundant evidence does not overcome the rebellious will

Despite the testimony of John, Christ's works, the Father, and Scripture, sinners still will not come, proving the will's bondage.

Weaver says, 'In spite of the abundance of evidence...the will of man is still locked in stubborn rebellion to God.'

Scripture References

John 5:32-47: The main passage under exposition, focusing on verse 40: 'Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.'
John 15:5: Quoted to show that without Christ we can do nothing, countering the idea of autonomous free will.
John 1:11-13: Used to prove that salvation is not of the will of man but of God.
James 1:18: Cited to show that God begat us by His own will.
Deuteronomy 19:15: Referenced to explain why Christ said His witness alone would not be true under the law requiring two or three witnesses.
John 1:19-23: Shows the Jews sent priests and Levites to John, fulfilling 'Ye sent unto John.'
John 1:6-9, 29-34: John the Baptist's witness to Christ as the Lamb of God and Son of God.
Malachi 4:5-6: Prophecy of Elijah's coming, fulfilled by John the Baptist.
Matthew 11:7-11: Jesus identifies John as the messenger preparing the way, more than a prophet.
Matthew 17:10-13: Jesus explicitly says John the Baptist is the Elijah who was to come.
John 10:25, 38: Jesus appeals to His works as bearing witness of Him.
John 14:10-11: Jesus tells disciples to believe because of the works themselves.
John 15:24: Jesus says His unique works leave people without excuse for their sin.
John 3:2: Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus' miracles as evidence of God's presence.
Acts 4:16: Pharisees admit they cannot deny a notable miracle done by Peter and John.
Matthew 12:23-29: Pharisees attribute Jesus' miracles to Satan; Jesus refutes them.
2 Chronicles 36:15-16: God sent prophets, but the people mocked and despised them.
Nehemiah 9:30: God testified by His Spirit in the prophets, but they would not listen.
Zechariah 7:12: They made their hearts hard as adamant stone to avoid hearing the law.
Luke 24:21-27, 44: Jesus expounds from Moses and the prophets the things concerning Himself, showing the Scriptures testify of Him.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Quoted from his sermon 'Free Will, a Slave' to support the argument that free will is nonsense and that man's will is not free.
Martin Luther: Cited for his strong assertion against free will and his book 'The Bondage of the Will' written against Erasmus.
Erasmus: Roman Catholic theologian and humanist who debated Luther on free will; his definition of free will is quoted and refuted.
J.C. Ryle: Bishop in England who pointed out five characteristics of Christ's miracles: number, greatness, publicity, character, and direct appeal to senses.
A.W. Pink: Added two additional thoughts on Christ's miracles: their artlessness and efficacy.
Jim Hendricks: Quoted on the necessity of grace if the natural man has a free will, and that man is held captive under sin.

Important Quotes

If any man doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and hath not learned Jesus Christ aright.

Martin Luther's strong assertion that salvation is entirely of grace, not human will.

By freedom of will we understand in this connection the power of the human will whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads to eternal life.

Erasmus's definition of free will, which Weaver uses to show what he is arguing against.

Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

The central text of the message, highlighting the willful rebellion of sinners despite evidence.

The human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained toward Christ.

Spurgeon's summary of the bondage of the will, affirming the necessity of grace.

In spite of the abundance of evidence, in spite of the multiplicity of witnesses, in spite of the verity of the witnesses, the will of man is still locked in stubborn rebellion to God.

Weaver's conclusion that the problem is not evidence but the depraved will.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the definition of free will provided by Erasmus differ from the biblical concept of free agency or freedom of will?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts Erasmus's definition with the Bible's teaching that the will is influenced and in bondage.

[Question]

Why does Weaver argue that believing in free will eliminates the need for Holy Spirit conviction and denies total depravity?

[Context]

He states that if the will is independent and undetermined, then conviction and inability are unnecessary.

[Question]

In what ways does John 1:11-13 directly contradict the idea that salvation is a product of man's will?

[Context]

The passage explicitly says believers are born 'not of the will of man, but of God.'

[Question]

How do the multiple witnesses in John 5 (John the Baptist, Christ's works, the Father, Scripture) leave sinners without excuse?

[Context]

Weaver explains that Christ appeals to divine testimony, yet sinners still refuse to come.

[Question]

What does it mean that coming to Christ is a spiritual act, not a physical one, and how does this challenge common evangelistic practices?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that physical actions like walking an aisle do not equate to saving faith.

[Question]

Why is it impossible to separate Christ from Scripture, according to John 5:38-47?

[Context]

Weaver points out that believing Moses' writings is tied to believing Christ, showing the inseparability of the written and living Word.

Applications

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