John 3:21, “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God”
At the beginning of the series we asked ourselves four important questions in relation to the new birth, WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHO. In addressing each of these questions, the common thread centered on the question WHO. WHO is the cause of WHAT, WHY and HOW. We started with “WHO” because He is the most important in every verse covered. We said “Salvation belongs to the Lord”, Jonah 2:9, Psalm 3:8, Revelation 7:10 and the climax of verse 21 points us back to WHO.
As Jesus and Paul both declared that no one is good, no one does good, no one comes to the light, this verse John 3:21, “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen…” This helps us see that we come to the light because we have been drawn by someone outside of us. John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” Men cannot come to the light unless they are drawn by the truth of the word, the Father draws by His word. This truth helps sinners see how lost, dead, miserable they are and awakens them to the need of a Savior as we have already seen.
We then do truth because we have been made alive, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins”, Ephesians 2:1. “…that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” In what way but by understanding Ephesians 2:4, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved”.
How do we fulfil good works if we are made alive, Romans 8:3-4, “3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled IN us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
This is faith at work or faith that works. The evidence of the new birth is good works. The good works are a result of an inside job (the new heart). Philippians 2:12-13, “12 …, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”, we workout (bring out) what God is doing within. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”; Ephesians 2:10. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith IN the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”, Galatians 2:20. That which is not of faith is sin.
Without the New birth through the giver of new birth, men remain dead in their trespasses, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”, 1John 5:11 (ESV), there can be no life or hope to see and enter the kingdom of God. “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, Romans 5:19-21.
This bad news for unrighteous (the wrath of God) highlights the good news of the gospel that in spite of how far man has gone, if he is awakened to his sin and his danger and is convinced of his need for a Savior, he will repent and trust Christ alone for his salvation. God will grant him His righteousness he desperately needs and his good works will be a result of God’s work in him and not his because “… they have been done IN God”, John 3:21, Blessings Ev
He Has Magnified His Word 