John 11:25
John 11:25-26 (see also John 6:63)
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Question: Did Jesus say that he who believes shall live, or that he who already lives shall believe?
Answer: The biblical order is hears → believes → saved. (John 5:24; Ephesians 1:13)
When Adam fell, physical death spread to all mankind (1st Corinthians 15:22-22), as well as a spiritual death (Genesis 2:16-17), which ultimately will lead to eternal death. Eternal death (Romans 6:23) comes when physical death (James 2:26) catches up with spiritual death. Spiritual death is being “in the flesh,” and not belonging to God. (Romans 8:9-10) Conversely, spiritual life is “being in the Spirit” by walking with Him, whereby the fleshly nature is overpowered. (Galatians 5:16, 18, 25) When physical death catches up to one who has spiritual life, you will never die again (Revelation 20:6), but have eternal life.
Jay Carty: “Spiritual birth requires a decision. Spiritual deadness doesn’t. As a matter of fact, failing to decide is considered a decision against God’s solution and leaves a person spiritually dead.” (Playing with Fire, p.37, emphasis mine)
John 11:25-26 (Jay Carty’s paraphrase)
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes [spiritual death to spiritual life] in Me shall live [eternal life instead of eternal death], even if he dies [physical life to physical death], and everyone who lives [who is physically alive] and believes in Me [spiritual death to spiritual life] shall never die [eternal life, not eternal death]. Do you believe this?” (Playing with Fire, pp.31-32, emphasis mine)
John 4:13-14: “Jesus said to her, ‘Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” [RSV]
John 7:38: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” [KJV]
John Calvin: “This is how death reigns everywhere, for the death of the soul is alienation from God. So people who believe in Christ, although they had been once dead, begin to live; for faith is a spiritual resurrection of the soul and, as it were, brings the soul alive, that it may live for God. As it was said earlier, ‘The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live; (5:25). This is indeed a strong commendation of faith, which conveys to us the life of Christ and thus liberates us from death.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, pp.277-278, emphasis mine)
Notice that Calvin did not say that faith gives rise to a spiritual resurrection of the soul. Here is what Calvin really teaches: “…those who believe are already born of God.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.23, emphasis mine) In contrast, however, John 11:25 teaches that faith is indeed the beginning of spiritual life: “he who believes in Me shall live.” (John 11:25) But according to Calvinism, you’d have to change that to say, “he who lives shall believe in Me.” In other words, Calvin would have it read, “he who is already Born Again, shall believe in Me.” But that is not at all how John 11:25 reads. In fact, when you believe in Christ, then and only then, do you receive the Holy Spirit who then regenerates you and makes you Born Again by His indwelling, thus making your body “the temple of God.” (1st Corinthians 3:16) “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Ephesians 1:13)
John Calvin: “26. ‘And whoever lives and believes in me…’ Christ now explains the second clause, about how Christ is ‘the life’--because he will never allow the life to be lost which he has once given, but keeps it to the end. What would become of people, as they are so inherently frail, if when they have obtained life they are then left to themselves? The ongoing life, must, therefore, also rest on Christ’s power, so that he may complete what he has started.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.278, emphasis mine)
If it was possible that you could lose your salvation and become un-born again, and then to receive it back again upon repentance, then wouldn’t the temple of your body be a revolving door for the Holy Spirit, each time you sinned? However, when you become saved, God puts His spiritual DNA in you: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, ‘THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.’ But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1st Corinthians 6:15-19)
As Adrian Rogers puts it, “If the devil could steal your salvation, why hasn’t he? Don’t you know that if he could, he would? And if he hasn’t, hasn’t he been good to you? And if he has been good to you, then you are saved by the grace of the devil. That’s something for you to think about.” (Foundations For Our Faith: A Solid Word For An Unsure Age, Vol. II A Study In Romans Chapters 5-9)
