True belief

 “Jesus cried and said, He that believeth in me believeth not on me, but on Him that sent me, and he that seeth me seeth Him that sent me.  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in me should not abide in darkness; and if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.  He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judges him- the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.  For I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His commandment is life everlasting, whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”      v44-50

Four times over in these closing verses, He uses the word judge-Greek krino in verses 47-48, which is a discriminating instrument to decide between two opposing positions.  Those rulers who believed in Him, yet who would not confess Him because they feared man rather than God, were they true believers?  The answer is not straightforward, and Jesus presents it generally enough to leave the way open.  We do know that two of their number, namely Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea came good in the end; what became of the rest, we don’t know.  Jesus simply elucidates the issues involved:

Ø Belief in Him is the same as belief in God, there is no division in the Godhead-v44.

Ø To believe is to “see”, that is to perceive, to fully understand; everything else is from spiritual blindness.  This is no mere mental assent, but a full understanding of who God is-v45.

Ø His mission to the world was that of light shining in darkness, response to which brings a person out of the environment of darkness into the realm of light-v46.

Ø Belief or otherwise will be judged by His words, not by Him.  His words therefore are the judge of our status with God. This brings in a whole raft of teaching by which we can discern our faith, v47-48.  Belief therefore is not merely the proclamation of the lips but also the actions of our lives.  Acceptance of His teachings are the verification of faith.

Ø His words, His sayings, are the very words of God Himself-v49

Ø Those words are the very essence of eternal life, it follows therefore that rejection of them will lead to everlasting punishment.  Whether or not a person truly believes is not on profession of lips only but also on the reality of the life lived.