What is the meaning of John 5:45? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father Jesus surprises His listeners. The religious leaders expect Him—after all the talk of judgment in John 5—to be their prosecutor. Yet He says He will not bring the charge. • John 3:17 reminds us, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him”. • Instead of a prosecutor, Jesus stands as Mediator (1 John 2:1; 1 Timothy 2:5). • This statement strips away every excuse: people cannot claim that Jesus’ mission was to eliminate them; His aim is rescue. • Judgment will still come (John 5:22, 27), but Jesus emphasizes that He offers grace before that day. Your accuser is Moses The real charge comes from the very Law the leaders revere. • Deuteronomy 31:26 reports Moses placing the Law “beside the ark… that it may remain there as a witness against you”. • The Law exposes sin, not because it is flawed, but because we are (Romans 3:20). • John 1:17 contrasts the two covenants: “The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. • Far from nullifying Moses, Jesus shows that the Law’s true role is to reveal our need for a Savior. in whom you have put your hope The leaders stake their eternal security on heritage and rule-keeping. Jesus exposes that misplaced confidence. • John 5:46: “If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me”. Moses points beyond himself to Christ. • Galatians 3:24 calls the Law “our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith”. • Romans 10:2-4 warns that zeal without understanding leads to self-righteousness; Christ is “the end of the Law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes”. • True hope rests not in personal performance but in the One whom Moses foreshadowed. summary John 5:45 turns the tables on religious presumption. Jesus is not the accuser; the very Law the leaders trust will indict them, because it highlights sin and points to Him. Real hope arises when we stop relying on our credentials and embrace the Savior to whom Moses testified. |
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