Christ's Doctrine of Faith: A Study of "Believing" in John's Gospel (John 12:36)

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In John 12:36, we find the sixty-ninth time the idea of belief occurs in John’s Gospel. The text says this: “While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them” (KJV). So, as always, let us examine the context of this passage, as well as some facts about faith we see in this passage!

First, the context. Right after the text informs us that, because of Lazarus, many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus, we hear that, the next day, many people, who had arrived at the feast when they heard Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took palm tree branches and went forth to meet Him and cried: “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (KJV). Jesus, having found a young donkey, sits on it, as it is written: “Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt” (KJV). His disciples did not understand these things at first, but, when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that those things were written of Him and that they did those things to Him. Therefore, the people bore record that were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his grave and raised him from the dead. For this reason, the people met Him, because they heard that He performed this miracle. Therefore, the Pharisees ask each other if they perceive how they are not prevailing, pointing out that, hyperbolically speaking, the world has gone after Him. Next, we see some Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. These Greeks come to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and request to see Jesus. Philip comes and tells Andrew, and Philip and Andrew, together, go to Jesus to tell Him. Christ answers that the hour has come for Him, as the Son of Man, to be glorified. He emphatically assures them that, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone, while, if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. The Lord elaborates that the one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. Then, He says that, if any man would serve Him, he should follow Him, before further clarifying that, where He is, His servant also will be. Christ also says that, if any man serves Him, the Father will honor that man. Then, He makes it known that His soul is troubled at this moment, and He rhetorically asks what He will say: “Father, save me from this hour” (KJV)? He clarifies that the answer to this rhetorical question is negative when He states that, for this cause, He came to this hour. He prays to the Father glorify His name, to which the Father responds, with a voice from heaven, that He has glorified His name and will glorify His name again. Consequently, the people who stood by and heard it said that it thundered, while others said an angel spoke to Him. Jesus responds by telling them that the voice did not come because of Him, but for their sakes. He then declares that, at that moment, was the judgment of this world and that, at that moment, the prince of this world would be cast out. He then says that He, if He is lifted up from the earth, will draw all to Him. The text remarks that, by this statement, Jesus was signifying the death He would die. The people then answer Him by saying that they have heard out of the Law that Christ abides forever before asking how, if this is so, Jesus can say that the Son of Man must be lifted up. The crowd then asks who this Son of Man is. Jesus replies that the light is with them for a little while yet before He commands them to walk while they have the light, so that darkness does not come upon them, because the one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. Then, He commands to, while they have the light, believe in the light, so that they may be the children of light. The text then informs us that Jesus spoke these things, departed, and hid Himself from them. This is the context of John 12:36!

Second, the facts about faith. One fact about faith in Christ is that it results in the believer possessing light, so he may know where he is going. This is obviously in a spiritual sense, and not in a physical or empirical sense. That is, the believer experiences the “light of life,” the life eternal that is knowing God (John 3:16, 17:3), while the unbeliever, who does not obey the Gospel, is in the “darkness” of not knowing God (Romans 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8). A second fact about faith in Christ is that it makes a believer a child of light. We saw back in John 1:12-13 that belief in Christ makes one a child of God (the Father). We see a similar thing here. Christ is obviously the “Light” here in John 12:36. So, believing in Him as the “Light” makes one a child of light. “Children of light” means at least one thing: the internal moral transformation that occurs for the believer in his heart when he is converted to the Lord Jesus Christ. A third fact leads us to focus again on Jesus being the “Light.” While all other sources we attempt to derive knowledge of God from are false and deceptive (and hence darkness), we see the light of the true knowledge of God in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6). These are some facts about faith from John 12:36!