John 8 Verse 43-47 

Do we have to be of God to hear God’s words? 

John 8:43 “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” 

This passage is one of the greatest proof texts that a person must be born again before he can hear the word and believe.  It proves that belief cannot be a cause of the new or spiritual birth.   

“Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.”  The Lord asked a question and answered it.  These Jewish Pharisees could not understand his speech.  Now it was not because they were naturally ignorant, for they were not.  They were logical educated men.  They could understand the words, but had no spiritual understanding of what the Lord was saying.  The reason they could not understand the Lord’s speech was not because they lacked the will to believe or understand his speech.  The problem is that they lacked the ability to understand his speech.  They could not hear his word.   

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”  If anyone had any doubt that these were not born again children of God, this passage should remove all doubt.  The Lord said they were of their father the devil.  Moreover, like all who have not been born of God, they did the lusts of their father the devil.  Two great principles about Satan and his children are stated by the Lord above: The devil is a murderer and a liar.  These unregenerate Pharisees, likewise, were liars and murderers.   

“And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin?”  An unregenerate though he would like to cannot convict the Lord of sin.  Moreover, they could not believe him.   

“And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”  From this we gather that a person cannot believe the Lord if he has not been born of God.  Moreover, a person who is not of God cannot hear God’s words.  A person must be of God before he can hear God’s words.  The reason these unbelieving Pharisees could not hear God’s words is because they were not of God.  

A lesson we can draw from this is that a person who is not of God cannot be made to be of God by hearing God’s words.  He must first be of God before he can hear God’s words.  This is totally consistent with what we read in 1 Cor. 1:18: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”  To those who perish (not born of God) the preaching of the cross is just foolishness.  A preacher can preach to such an individual for months and it will still be foolishness to one who is not born of God.  However, to a person who is saved (born of the Spirit) the preaching of the cross is the power of God.  Again, you must be saved first and then the preaching is effective. 

John 8 Verses 48-59 

John 8:48 “Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” 

“Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?  Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.  And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.”  To the Jews, saying thou art a Samaritan amounted to a great insult.  Thus, these Pharisees were speaking insults to the Lord.  Moreover, they accused him of having a devil.  Jesus in answering them denied that he had a devil and stated that he was honoring the Father, but that these Jews were dishonoring him.  While the Lord walked here on earth, he sought not his own glory.   

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.  Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.  Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?”  God’s born again children in their spirit and soul never taste of death.  At the death of the body, the spirit and soul go into the very presence of God in heaven and await the resurrection of the body.  However, these unbelieving Jewish Pharisees could not see or understand anything about spiritual things and therefore only understood the death of the body of which all will experience except those who will be alive and remain at the coming of Christ.   

“Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.”  Again, the Lord reiterates to these unregenerate Pharisees that they neither know the Father or the Son.   

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.  Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.  Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”  In this passage, the Lord reveals that he is the “I am” that revealed to Moses his name and by which Moses was to tell the children of Israel that name so that the children of Israel would know that he was sent from God.  By saying, “before Abraham was, I am” the Jews, who had a knowledge of the letter of the law, but no knowledge of the spirit of the law, recognized the Lord was claiming to be I AM and thus not believing, they took up stones with the intent to stone the Lord to death.  However, they could not touch him as his time was not yet come.  He simply passed through the midst of them.