Spiritual Paternity Test
John 8:37-47
Each year, in the United States, there are around 300,000 paternity tests taken. This test examines the DNA of the child and the potential dad to determine whether he is in fact the biological father. The results can be legally used for child support, inheritance, social welfare benefits, immigration, or adoption purposes.
People say that I look a lot like my dad. My voice even sounds a lot like his voice. And probably because I spent a lot of time with him in my formative years, I have a lot of mannerisms that are like my dad. It’s easy to see that I am my father’s son because I look like him, I sound like him and I act like him. Paternity is obvious in my case.
In our text from John 8 today Jesus gives a spiritual paternity test to some Jews who had believed in Him. Last time we saw from verse 31 that Jesus spoke these words “to those Jews who believed Him.” But Jesus is not just looking for professions of faith, He is looking for true followers, true disciples. So He declared, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” (John 8:31-32).
Telling them that they need to be set free from sin stunned them. They thought that because they were descended from Abraham that they were righteous. The believed that unlike the pagan nations they were free from spiritual bondage. Jesus pointed out however, that “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin,” (John 8:34) and that only “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed,” (John 8:36).
Now He deals with their claim to be children of Abraham by showing that their claim was false as seen in their deeds. Their murderous intentions toward Jesus revealed that they were not children of God, as they thought, but of the devil. What makes this dialogue troubling is that these Jews who were actually children of the devil were very religious people who professed to believe in Jesus. In other words, they weren’t raw pagans, Roman polytheists, or avowed atheists. These people professed to believe in the God of Abraham and outwardly they were zealous for their religion. But Jesus plainly tells them that they were deceived. Their attitudes and actions show they actually were children of the devil. And so we who profess to be Christians and perhaps even are zealous about our faith need to consider carefully this paternity test. Am I truly a child of God or am I a child of the devil?
Listen to our scripture today, John 8:37-47:
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father–God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
1. Is Abraham your father? (8:37-40)
These Jews had made the claim in verse 33 that they were Abraham’s descendants and because of that, they were spiritually free. Here Jesus nullifies their argument. Granted, they are children of Abraham in physical lineage. Jesus says in verse 37, “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants.” They can certainly trace their family roots all the way back to Abraham. They were counting on their spiritual heritage to put them in good standing with God.
But here is the problem: “… but you seek to kill Me,” (8:37). Jesus knew the thoughts of their hearts. He knew about the Pharisees’ plot to kill Him. Why were they trying to get rid of Jesus? He tells them the reason at the end of verse 37, “… because My word has no place in you.”
The truth threatened them because it exposed their sinful hearts. Rather than believing the truth and repenting of their sin, they were trying to eliminate the messenger. How are you the offspring of Abraham, heirs of the promise and in covenant relationship with the Father, when you are trying to kill the Son? How can you be Abraham’s offspring when the words of Son have no place within you? Jesus had said in verse 31 that the true disciple is the one who abides in Christ’s word. He is at home in Christ’s word. But for these false children of Abraham the words of the Son of God have no place. His words do not reside in their hearts. They are not living on His words. Do the words of Jesus find a place in you?
Jesus pushes this even further in verse 38 by declaring “I speak what I have seen with My Father.” Once again Jesus is claiming to be the Son of God who has seen the Father and speaks from the Father. These are not just His words, they are the Father’s words.
Now Jesus draws the sharp contrast between Himself and these Jews. Jesus insinuates that their spiritual heritage is not to Abraham but to another father. Notice verse 38 again, “I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” Jesus is declaring that He belongs to His Father, who is God, and they belong to their father, who is not God. They are “sons” of someone, but they are not “sons” of Abraham in the way they believe they are. Their practice (“you do”) reveals their true “father.” We are just about to be told who this “father” is.
They immediately catch what Jesus is inferring. It infuriates them that Jesus implies they don’t have a relationship with God. They immediately retort in verse 39, “Abraham is our father.” They’re saying, “Don’t tell us that we do not have a relationship with God. Abraham is our father.”
But Jesus gives them the paternity test: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” Jesus defines spiritual family. You show that you are in the spiritual family of Abraham when you do what Abraham did.
However, they are not acting like Abraham because they are trying to kill Jesus (8:40), “But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.” Jesus says that He has come declaring the truth, yet they are trying to kill Him. Abraham did the opposite. He was receptive to divine revelation and acted in obedience to it. They are not acting like Abraham at all.
Well, what are the deeds of Abraham? Well, go down to verse 56. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day. Bound up in the very Abrahamic covenant itself was the promise of a seed, right? Genesis 22:18 the Lord says to Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” In Galatians 3:16 Paul writes, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” Abraham was looking forward to Christ. Genesis 15:6 says Abraham, “believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Hebrews 11:13 says that Abraham, like the other faithful, “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced [them].”
Do you remember in Genesis chapter 18 three angels come to Abraham and Sarah prior to the destruction of Sodom? And one of those angels turned out to be God. It’s a theophany. This was God in physical presence. This is a Christophany. It was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. And what did Abraham do when the pre-incarnate Christ appeared? He received Him.
Instead, they are following a different father. Jesus again says in verse 41, “You do the deeds of your father.” Their father is not Abraham because rather than receiving Jesus and His words, they are rejecting Him and seeking to kill Him.
Of course, the people again do not respond well to this. They sink into a personal attack, “Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication,” probably implying that Jesus was.
So they further to claim that God Himself is their Father, “we have one Father—God.”
2. Is God your father? (8:41-43)
In verse 42 Jesus directly challenges their assertion to have God as their father. And in doing so He gives us a paternity test for God as your Father.
Test of a true child of God (8:42-47)
So Jesus puts forward a test to know if God is truly your Father.
a. If God were your Father, you will love Jesus (8:42).
Verse 42, “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.” What an important test for us to consider! Jesus repeatedly asked Peter when He restored him after his denials (21:16), “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Love is a commitment to seek the highest good of the one loved. Love for Christ is a commitment to seek His glory through all that I do. It certainly involves my feelings, in that I am most happy when I see my Lord most glorified. But the basis of biblical love isn’t feelings, but the commitment to seek His highest good.
Have you made that commitment? Do you love Jesus? Do you love Jesus enough to forsake your sin? Does Jesus hold the most important place in your life? Do you want to spend time with Jesus?
If God is your Father, you will love Jesus.
b. If God were your Father, you will listen to Christ’s word (8:43).
“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.” These Jews heard Jesus’ words but did not really understand or take them to heart. It’s not that their ears were bad, it’s that their hearts were bad. They could not bear to listen, they would not understand because they were unwilling to do so.
Children understand the will of the parents. Parents communicate their will and the children must understand that will to be in favor with the family and to receive the family’s blessings. If God is your Father, then you will care to know and understand what He is saying to you.
This becomes the joy of Bible reading. It is our opportunity to learn the will of the Father. If God is our Father, we will want to understand what He has to say to us. We will let His words penetrate our minds and hearts in such a way so as to learn from the Father. This is what Jesus said in John 6:45. “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.” If God is your Father, you will desire to learn more and understand more about Him.
c. If God were your Father, you would do the will of the Father (8:44).
What you do shows to whom you belong. Jesus tells these people that their father is the devil and their will is to do their father’s desires. On the contrary, children of God want to do the will of God.
We can know who our father is by looking at how we approach God. Do we desire the will the Father or desire to make God’s will be our will? If we are following our own will then the devil is our father. We are obeying his desire which is to get us to disregard the will of God. Jesus proves that his Father is God because he always does what is pleasing to the Father (8:29).
d. If God were your Father, you will believe the truth (8:45-46).
Not believing the truth shows that we belong to the devil. Jesus says in verse 45, “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” We have the wrong father when the truth is rejected. When God is not our true Father, then we are left in the bondage of darkness and ignorance. Jesus said, “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
3. Is the Devil Your Father? (vv.44-47)
Jesus spells it out as plainly as He can in verse 44, “You are of your father the devil.” Why does He say such a harsh thing to them? What proves that they are really children of the devil? Again verse 44, “the desires of your father you want to do.” What desires? The same desires that are characteristic of the devil. Jesus says, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Satan in effect murdered the entire human race by lying to Eve about what God had said. As such, he is the author of all the murders and lies ever since that tragic incident in the Garden. Since these Jews were seeking to murder Jesus (8:37, 40) and since they were liars (8:55), they were reflecting their true nature as children of the devil.
Sometimes the truth which must be revealed for a person’s own good is a truth that hurts. Withholding it from him would only make things worse. A mistaken paternity is one such a truth. If a child’s real father has a genetic disease that the child may inherit, the consequences of being mistaken about one’s paternity can be fatal.
The same thing is true of being mistaken of one’s spiritual paternity, except that the end result is much worse – eternal death. And therefore it is of utmost importance that we should not be mistaken about our spiritual paternity. We must not be afraid to face the truth, even if it hurts.
Here’s the hard question that each of us needs to ask ourselves, so that we don’t end up being deceived: “Whose child do my actions reveal me to be?” There are far more tests than the two in verse 44, but take them: Do you have murderous intents for others? You say, “Whew, I’m off the hook on that one! I don’t want to kill anyone!” But not so fast! Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that if you are angry with your brother and despising him you are guilty of murder in your heart and are in danger of a fiery hell.
Or, take the other test in verse 44: Lying. Jesus says of Satan, “[He] does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Are you committed to being a truthful person, or do you bend the truth when it’s to your advantage? Do you put on a “Christian” front so that you look good at church, but you actually live in violation of God’s Word at home or when you’re in private? Hypocrisy is lying. Being truthful is a mark of God’s true children, but lying is a mark of the devil’s children.
So what should you do, if you are convicted that you are a child of the Devil? Is there a way to get rid of his awful paternity and influence in your life? Yes, there is: It is found in John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Receive Jesus today. Turn from your sin and self. Believe in His name.
And what should you do if this message has helped to confirm in your heart that you are not a child of the Devil but a child of God? Be very thankful, and make sure that you continue to bear the marks of resemblance to your heavenly Father in your life. Ephesians 5:1-2 tells us, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
