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THE KING’S BUSINESS
terpreted in the strictest and widest sense (cf. ch. 13:3; 16:15 ; 1 Cor. 15.: 27) I so we have here the declaration of the sovereignty of the Son over the whole universe of existing things, and, of course, the implied declaration of His omnipotence. He is indeed God, but at the same time His sub ordination to the Father is clearly brought out, He has absolutely all things in His hand because the Father put them in His hand. He is omni potent, but His omnipotence is a de rived omnipotence. He is God, but not Deity in its source and origin, but Deity in its outflow. It is amaz ing how the Bible everywhere pre serves the balance of truth whether it is John the Baptizer who is speaking, or John the Evangelist, or Paul, or some one else. In writings outside the Bible, the one who believes strong ly in the Deity of Christ is likely to lose sight of His humanity and His subordination to the Father; on the other hand, the one who has gotten a clear vision of His real humanity is likely to lose sight of His Deity, but it is never so in the Bible. Where you find the one side of the truth in the Bible you are sure to find the other side in closest juxtaposition. No theologian or philosopher has ever arisen who was so profound and well- balanced a thinker that he was al ways able to preserve the balance of truth, and to present all sides of the truth, as is done in the Bible. This is one of the many proofs that the Bible stands absolutely alone as God’s Word; while all other books, even though founded upon the Bible, are man’s word. V. 36. "He that believeth on (or, into ) the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not (rather, dis believeth, or, disobeyeth) the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him.”
the Father say at the baptism when He gave the Spirit without measure to the Son and spoke from the open heavens saying, “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). The coincidence is all the more striking because this utter ance of the Father is not mentioned in the Gospel of John. John the Bap- tizer’s words here are simply an echo of those he heard on that occasion. Here again we have a clear indica tion that John the Baptizer is the speaker here, and not John the Evan gelist. We see too how without foun dation is the position of those who say that the utterances here ascribed to John the Baptizer are beyond him. John must have known Jesus as “the Son of God,” because He Himself had heard the voice of God speaking from heaven saying, “This is my be loved Son.” As he had heard these Words spoken at the baptism, it is not at all surprising that he refers to Jesus here as the “beloved Son’’ of God. Not only had the Father given the* Spirit in His fulness to the Son but in proof of His love for Him had bestowed upon Him supreme author ity over all things. He had given all things, not merely into His hands, but “in His hand” as is the exact force of the Greek words used, so that now all things are in the hand of the Son. Much the same thought is found in Matthew 11:27 and Ephe sians 1 :22 and in Hebrews 1 :2, 3, 10-12. A closely' related thought is found in Matthew 28:18. In verse 31 John had declared that Jesus was “above all.” But whether the “all” in that verse referred merely to per sons or to things would not be clear either from the Greek text or the English translation, but here is the plain declaration that He is above all things, that "all things” are in His hand. The “all things” must be in
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