Exposition of John, Chapter 11 · Verse 17
Verſe 25. Jeſus ſaid unto her, I am the reſurrection, and the life: he that beleeveth in me, though he were dead, yet ſhall he live.
26. And whoſoever liveth and beleeveth in me, ſhall never die. Beleeveſt thou this?
In the fifth place, we have Chriſts reply to her exception, for underſtanding whereof, we are to conſider, that whatever faith Martha hath hitherto profeſſed, Yet, 1 She hath not looked on Chriſt as able to do any thing by his own power, but only by employing God in prayer. 2. She hath indeed profeſſed her faith of a general reſurrection, but doubted of her brothers being raiſed even now. 3. And in what ſhe beleeves of a general reſurrection, ſhe makes no mention of Chriſts power to do it. Therefore, Chriſt fits his anſwer to cure theſe evils in her; Wherein, firſt, He layeth down a general aſſertion, I am the reſurrection and the life, that is, (if we take this truth in its full latitude, and with an eye to Chriſts whole ſcope here) He is the author of all reſurrection, and of all life, whether bodily or ſpiritual; as having abſolute power and dominion over death, as God, and being life it ſelfe: And therefore as he was to be eyed in her beleeving the general reſurrection; So his power to raiſe and quicken the dead at that time, was ſufficient to prove he could even now raiſe her brother. And according to this interpretation, his being the life, which is ſubjoyned to his being the reſurrection, is not neceſſarily here to be underſtood only of that eternal life, unto which the juſt are raiſed by Chriſt, and of which he gave a pledge, by his raiſing up himſelfe, as Mediatour; But it is to be taken generally, that he, as God, hath power to raiſe whom, and when he will, as being the fountain of life, to give life to whom he will. But if we look to the purpoſe immediately ſubjoyned, we may take this aſſertion more ſtrictly, and in a ſpiritual ſenſe, That he is the reſurrection, in his firſt giving of ſpiritual life unto dead ſinners, which is further explained in the end of ver. 25. And he is the life, in continuing and preſerving that ſpiritual life which he conferreth, which is further inſiſted on, ver. 26. as ſhall be cleared. This interpretation as it is true in it ſelfe, and agreeable to what followeth; So it needs not ſeclude the other, which is more general, and reacheth Chriſts full ſcope: But may come in as a particular ſpecialy comprehended under it, as appears by his own Commentary ſubjoyned to it. And therefore, Secondly, He illuſtrates and confirmes this general in a two-fold particular aſſertion. One is, He that beleeveth on me, though he were dead, yet ſhall he live; which though it conclude well, if we underſtand it of a bodily reſurrection; That they who cloſe by him with faith, albeit they uſe bodily, yet he will raiſe them up to live again, and can do to when he pleaſeth, Yet comparing it with the following verſe, which is conjoined with it, by the c…pulative and, as a further confirmation, and is undoubtedly to be underſtood ſpiritually, I incline …ather to underſtand it ſpiritually, and that Chriſt is here proving himſelfe to be the ſpiritual reſurrection of a dead ſinner, and that they who, being dead by nature, do lay hold on him by ſaith, ſhall partake of the firſt reſurrection, and be made to live a life of grace. And upon this doth the ſecond aſſertion fitly follow, whoſoever liveth and beleeveth in me ſhall never die, wherein he aſſures her, that beleevers are delivered from ſpiritual and eternal death. And ſo this adds to the former; For as in the former, he proves himſelfe chiefly to be the reſurrection, by raiſing up the dead to a ſtate of life; ſo here he confirmes further how he is the life, by preſerving and keeping in that life eternally, which he had conferred upon beleevers, and ſtated them in it. And this doctrine doth very well agree with Chriſts ſcope in this place; For hereby he not only leads Martha, to eye him m…re …hen ſhe did in what ſhe beleeved, and to beleeve in him, if ſhe looked for a comfortable iſſue of her trial; And to conſider the mercy of ſpiritual reſurrection, when now ſhe is taken up ſo much with raiſing up of her brother; But this inſtance, of ſpiritual reſurrection and life, is a very pregnant proofe of that general, that he is the reſurrection and life, and ſufficient to confirme that he can raiſe whom and when he will; no leſſe power being required to the one, then to the other, Eph. 1.19, 20. Col. 2.12. Thirdly, in this anſwer, Chriſt having thus inſtructed her, doth poſe her, if ſhe beleeves this, and conſequently will cloſe with that promiſe, ver. 23. as to be preſently performed.
From ver. 25. Learn, 1. Beleevers have need of daily inſtruction from Chriſt, that they may know and underſtand theſe things better which they beleeve in part; Therefore, albeit ſhe beleeve a reſurrection. ver. 24. yet Chriſt findes it needful to informe her better in many things about it. 2. It is not enough that we beleeve great benefits and mercies, unleſſe we beleeve them to be in Chriſt, and ſeek them in him; for, it is not enough ſhe beleeve a reſurrection, unleſſe ſhe beleeve that he is the reſurrection and the life. 3. Chriſt is to be looked on, not as the inſtrument of life and reſurrection to any, but as the author and principal worker thereof by his own power; for, albeit many Prophets and Apoſtles have raiſed the dead, yet it can be ſaid of none but he, I am the reſurrection and the life. 4. Such as cloſe with and enjoy Chriſt, will finde all things in him, and at their hand, which otherwiſe they may ſeek far off, and poſſibly not fin…; Therefore, whereas ſhe looked afar off to the better day, for the accompliſhment of Chriſts promiſe, he ſets her ſee it in him, at her hand, that he is the reſurrection and the life, to raiſe up her brother even now. 5. As time is a ſpiritual reſurrection of the ſoul in this life; So they who are acquainted with Chriſts w…king therein, and in daily entertaining thereof, need fi…e no difficultie to exalt Chriſt is the fountain of life and reſurrection, and to beleeve that he is able to work wonderful outward deliverances, were it even to raiſe a dead body; Therefore, doth he being in this inſtance in the end of this, and in the following verſe, to prove that he is the reſurrection and life, and that he can …iſe her brother, even p…tly. And indeed, all the wonders that God wrought of o… upon the creatures f… this pe…e, a beleever may finde them all wrought within him, in his ſpiritual reſtauration. 6. By nature men a…e … eſtranged and far from grace, …s a dead man is …m life; for, ſo is here ſuppoſed, that man is dead, and needs Chriſt to be the reſurrection. 7. The only fountain and cauſe of the recovery of this condition, is in Chriſt, the author of both bodily and …p…ritu… reſurrection, as here we are taught. 8. The only mea… to partake of this reſurrection, is by ſaith to lay hold on Chriſt, for, he that beleeves in me, ſhall live …. Chriſt being thus laid hold on, no bonds of ſpiritual … ſhall hinder his quickening vertue to …e them …p, but he will make the very dead to live; for, he that beleeveth, though he were dead, yet ſhall he live. This is not to be vnderſtood, as if any man that is dead by nature could in that eſtate, lay hold on Chriſt by faith; for he muſt firſt be prevented by paſſive regeneration, and the infuſion of grace: But the meaning is that it is faith only, that puts the ſinner in a ſtate o… life, and is he ſaving exerciſe of infuſed grace, without which all antecedent exerciſes, … diſcovery and conviction of ſin and miſery, terrour, &c. will not availe, as being common to Saints and regenerate men with temporaries.
From ver. 26. Learn, 1. As the children of God are by regeneration, put in a ſtate of life; ſo they prove it by their after carriage, by exerciſing the functions of ſpiritual life, and being lively in their way; for, he to whom Chriſt is the reſurrection, to quicken him when he is dead, he liveth 2. As ſpiritual life flowes only from Chriſt embraced by faith; ſo it muſt be entertained and preſerved by the ſame mean of faith in Chriſt; for, as the dead, by beleeving, do live, ſo he that liveth, muſt beleeve in me, ſaith he. The keeping in of our ſpiritual life is a continued reſurrection, as the preſervation of the creatures is a continued creation; And as the ſame power is employed in begetting and entertaining this life; ſo the ſame mean of faith muſt ſtill be kept in exerciſe. So that they are exceedingly in the wrong, who in their defections and …iſtempers, and in their ſwoundings and faintings, do caſt away their confidence. 3. The power of Chriſt will be forth coming, to preſerve beleevers in him from an utter decay in their ſpiritual life; So that albeit they may be overtaken with ſome degrees of death, yet upon renewing of their faith, they ſhall be recovered out of their ſwounds. He will alſo preſerve them from eternal death, and bodily death it ſelfe ſhall not extinguiſh the life that is begotten and entertained by faith in Jeſus Chriſt; for, he that liveth and beleeveth in me, ſhall never die. 4. It is the will of God, that when he reveals truth, we embrace it by faith, and do not either reject it, or give only a general aſſent to it in our judgements; Therefore doth he poſe her, Beleeveſt thou this? and thus ſhould we daily poſe our own hearts. 5. In particular, it is neceſſary that we be well grounded in the faith of getting life through Chriſt, and that we make ſpecial application of the general promiſe made by him concerning this, and that faith be not to ſeek in a pinch when Chriſt calls for it; for, it is in theſe matters that he requires her to profeſſe her faith, Beleeveſt thou this?