I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Christ came as His Father's authorized representative, bearing God's image and character and credentials to do His work, doing nothing of Himself but only what He saw the Father do in perfect unison with His will. The Jewish leaders rejected Him because His truth condemned their cherished sins and pride, they sought honor from one another instead of from God and did not know God's voice, yet they would have honored Him had He flattered them. The one coming in his own name is every pretender and false prophet without divine authority who acts by his own will and seeks his own glory, prophesying smooth things that flatter pride and excuse wrongdoing to win allegiance unto ruin. To reject Christ's warning and reproof through the messengers He sends is the same rejection He faced, and it hardens the heart in pride and prejudice and prepares the soul to accept false teachings and strong delusion. In the last days many deceivers will claim to be Christ, and those who do not recognize Him and lack His love will be vulnerable to them, but those who make the Word a part of life will know how to distinguish the true from the false and need not be deceived.
Coming in Father's Name
Coming in His Father's name means claiming equal rights with God to do a work equally sacred and of the same character as the work that engages the Father in heaven. It means doing nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do, His relationship forbidding Him from working independently of Him or doing anything against His will. It means working in unison with His Commander, with no separate action and no opposition in purpose.
He came with His Father's authority as the Father's representative and the One sent to do the Father's work. He bore God's image and character, fulfilled God's word, and sought God's glory, and He carried divine credentials for His mission. The scribes and Pharisees and rulers and people nevertheless refused to receive Him, failing to recognize the Messiah present among them. Their pursuit of human approval and of honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God only kept them from accepting Him. His teaching condemned their cherished sins and required self-sacrifice, which they refused.
His coming was under an arrangement made with the Father to carry out a saving mission. That mission included a unique sacrifice and death, in which the sinless and righteous One took upon Himself the guilt of sinners and suffered for the unjust. Recognizing this calls for strong faith and earnest concern to bring the message of salvation to those who are perishing. The verse belongs to the fifth and sixth chapters of John, which contain instruction that is indeed the mystery of godliness. It is to be studied by making the Word a part of life and bringing its teachings into daily experience, and that study gives the knowledge that enables distinguishing the true from the false in days of peril.
As He was bound to the Father, man should consider himself inseparably bound to his heavenly Parent. He is responsible to God who holds all destinies, appointed and endowed to do God's work. While faithful to that stewardship he is warranted to claim God's blessings and promises. When exalted in his own wisdom and power and separating himself from God, he will be called to account for unauthorized acts.
Rejecting Christ, Receiving Impostors
The Jewish leaders rejected Him because the truth He spoke collided with their prejudices and customs and directly condemned their cherished sins, so they hardened their hearts against it and refused to listen. His teaching also challenged their pride and their desire for praise and power. Had He flattered their pride and justified their iniquity, they would have hastened to honor Him. He came with His Father's authority, yet the rulers turned Him away for this reason.
Their rejection had deeper spiritual causes, for they did not know God, so His voice through Christ sounded to them like a stranger's. They did not have the love of God in them and would not come to Him for life. They received honor from one another instead of seeking the honor that comes from God only, and this seeking of human approval kept them from believing. Mistaken expectations about the Messiah's coming kept them from recognizing Christ though He was present among them, and prejudice kept the leaders from accepting Him.
That rejection was shown in failing to recognize the Messiah present among them. It was shown in rejecting Christ and choosing Barabbas. The nation seeking the Messiah rejected Christ, who came to offer them salvation, and chose another leader instead, a course that left them facing ruin from which only repentance could save them.
The one coming in his own name means pretenders and false prophets who can present no evidence of divine authority. They claim Christ's character while acting by their own will and seeking their own glory, coming on their own authority and for their own glory. They prophesy smooth things that agree with cherished ideas, opinions and traditions, flattering pride, excusing wrongdoing, supporting cherished opinions, and gratifying the vanity of the rich and unsanctified. By these means they win firm allegiance and secure followers, yet they lead their followers to ruin, even to eternal ruin. Jesus' spiritual teaching required self-sacrifice, which those who welcomed such impostors refused.
Warning for Later Generations
The verse warns of a future time when many deceivers will arise claiming to be the Christ, coming on their own authority and in their own name while bearing no evidence of divine commission. Christ came with His Father's authority and character, yet He was rejected by those who lacked the love of God and did not recognize Him, and that same lack of recognition leaves people vulnerable to impostors who claim authority for themselves. Believers who know Him need not be deceived by them.
Rejecting Christ when He comes in His Father's name can be followed by accepting another who comes in his own name, and to reject the message carried by His messengers is to reject Christ Himself. Refusing His messages of warning and reproof repeats the rejection He faced on earth and prepares the heart to accept false teachings and strong delusions. Those who have thus refused are warned, when another opportunity to accept truth is given, not to harden their hearts in pride and prejudice.
The same principle applies when a message sent in God's name is rejected because it does not agree with one's own ideas and views, as happened in the response to the message associated with the Minneapolis meeting. That course opposed God's work and obstructed the light brought to the church through those God chose, for seeking honor from one another instead of the honor that comes from God only prevents true belief. In the time of the loud cry, those who have received great light yet rejected it may mistake human opinions and false theories for truth, failing to recognize the True Shepherd's voice even when God has given abundant evidence, and thus lead others astray. It applies likewise to neglecting those laboring to build up God's cause, where failing in duty and indulging undue sympathy leads to misjudging their work and failing to value it, while welcoming one who comes in his own name and seeks his own standing.
Christ came as His Father's authorized representative, bearing God's image and character and credentials to do His work, doing nothing of Himself but only what He saw the Father do in perfect unison with His will. The Jewish leaders rejected Him because His truth condemned their cherished sins and pride, they sought honor from one another instead of from God and did not know God's voice, yet they would have honored Him had He flattered them. The one coming in his own name is every pretender and false prophet without divine authority who acts by his own will and seeks his own glory, prophesying smooth things that flatter pride and excuse wrongdoing to win allegiance unto ruin. To reject Christ's warning and reproof through the messengers He sends is the same rejection He faced, and it hardens the heart in pride and prejudice and prepares the soul to accept false teachings and strong delusion. In the last days many deceivers will claim to be Christ, and those who do not recognize Him and lack His love will be vulnerable to them, but those who make the Word a part of life will know how to distinguish the true from the false and need not be deceived.
Coming in Father's Name
Coming in His Father's name means claiming equal rights with God to do a work equally sacred and of the same character as the work that engages the Father in heaven. It means doing nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do, His relationship forbidding Him from working independently of Him or doing anything against His will. It means working in unison with His Commander, with no separate action and no opposition in purpose.
He came with His Father's authority as the Father's representative and the One sent to do the Father's work. He bore God's image and character, fulfilled God's word, and sought God's glory, and He carried divine credentials for His mission. The scribes and Pharisees and rulers and people nevertheless refused to receive Him, failing to recognize the Messiah present among them. Their pursuit of human approval and of honor from one another rather than the honor that comes from God only kept them from accepting Him. His teaching condemned their cherished sins and required self-sacrifice, which they refused.
His coming was under an arrangement made with the Father to carry out a saving mission. That mission included a unique sacrifice and death, in which the sinless and righteous One took upon Himself the guilt of sinners and suffered for the unjust. Recognizing this calls for strong faith and earnest concern to bring the message of salvation to those who are perishing. The verse belongs to the fifth and sixth chapters of John, which contain instruction that is indeed the mystery of godliness. It is to be studied by making the Word a part of life and bringing its teachings into daily experience, and that study gives the knowledge that enables distinguishing the true from the false in days of peril.
As He was bound to the Father, man should consider himself inseparably bound to his heavenly Parent. He is responsible to God who holds all destinies, appointed and endowed to do God's work. While faithful to that stewardship he is warranted to claim God's blessings and promises. When exalted in his own wisdom and power and separating himself from God, he will be called to account for unauthorized acts.
Rejecting Christ, Receiving Impostors
The Jewish leaders rejected Him because the truth He spoke collided with their prejudices and customs and directly condemned their cherished sins, so they hardened their hearts against it and refused to listen. His teaching also challenged their pride and their desire for praise and power. Had He flattered their pride and justified their iniquity, they would have hastened to honor Him. He came with His Father's authority, yet the rulers turned Him away for this reason.
Their rejection had deeper spiritual causes, for they did not know God, so His voice through Christ sounded to them like a stranger's. They did not have the love of God in them and would not come to Him for life. They received honor from one another instead of seeking the honor that comes from God only, and this seeking of human approval kept them from believing. Mistaken expectations about the Messiah's coming kept them from recognizing Christ though He was present among them, and prejudice kept the leaders from accepting Him.
That rejection was shown in failing to recognize the Messiah present among them. It was shown in rejecting Christ and choosing Barabbas. The nation seeking the Messiah rejected Christ, who came to offer them salvation, and chose another leader instead, a course that left them facing ruin from which only repentance could save them.
The one coming in his own name means pretenders and false prophets who can present no evidence of divine authority. They claim Christ's character while acting by their own will and seeking their own glory, coming on their own authority and for their own glory. They prophesy smooth things that agree with cherished ideas, opinions and traditions, flattering pride, excusing wrongdoing, supporting cherished opinions, and gratifying the vanity of the rich and unsanctified. By these means they win firm allegiance and secure followers, yet they lead their followers to ruin, even to eternal ruin. Jesus' spiritual teaching required self-sacrifice, which those who welcomed such impostors refused.
Warning for Later Generations
The verse warns of a future time when many deceivers will arise claiming to be the Christ, coming on their own authority and in their own name while bearing no evidence of divine commission. Christ came with His Father's authority and character, yet He was rejected by those who lacked the love of God and did not recognize Him, and that same lack of recognition leaves people vulnerable to impostors who claim authority for themselves. Believers who know Him need not be deceived by them.
Rejecting Christ when He comes in His Father's name can be followed by accepting another who comes in his own name, and to reject the message carried by His messengers is to reject Christ Himself. Refusing His messages of warning and reproof repeats the rejection He faced on earth and prepares the heart to accept false teachings and strong delusions. Those who have thus refused are warned, when another opportunity to accept truth is given, not to harden their hearts in pride and prejudice.
The same principle applies when a message sent in God's name is rejected because it does not agree with one's own ideas and views, as happened in the response to the message associated with the Minneapolis meeting. That course opposed God's work and obstructed the light brought to the church through those God chose, for seeking honor from one another instead of the honor that comes from God only prevents true belief. In the time of the loud cry, those who have received great light yet rejected it may mistake human opinions and false theories for truth, failing to recognize the True Shepherd's voice even when God has given abundant evidence, and thus lead others astray. It applies likewise to neglecting those laboring to build up God's cause, where failing in duty and indulging undue sympathy leads to misjudging their work and failing to value it, while welcoming one who comes in his own name and seeks his own standing.