Will You Die In Your Sins?

 

Who Are You? – John 8:21-30

Dear Friends, picture the tense atmosphere in the temple courts. Jesus has just shown grace to the woman caught in adultery, and now the religious leaders are pressing Him again. He looks at them and says something that cuts to the heart:

“I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” (John 8:21 ESV)

The crowd is confused. “Will he kill himself?” they mutter, not understanding that He is speaking of His return to the Father. Jesus continues with quiet authority:

“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (vv. 23–24)

Then comes the pivotal question from the crowd: “Who are you?” Jesus replies,

“Exactly what I have been telling you from the beginning… When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” (vv. 25, 28–29)

Many who heard Him believed. Yet for others, the words only deepened their resistance. Jesus was pointing them to the cross — the very moment they would “lift Him up” — as the place where His identity as the sent One from the Father would be revealed most clearly.

Today we still live in a world that asks, “Who are you, Jesus?” Some dismiss Him, others try to reshape Him to fit their ideas. But Jesus answers the same way: look to the cross. There, lifted up between heaven and earth, He shows us who He truly is — the sinless Son who always pleased the Father, the One who came from above to rescue those from below.

The warning is solemn: unless we believe that He is the “I AM,” we will die in our sins. Yet the invitation is full of hope. The same cross that reveals His glory also offers forgiveness and life to all who look to Him in faith.

Today, pause in the quiet. Are you still trying to figure Jesus out on your own terms, or have you looked to the One lifted up? Where might pride or confusion still keep you from simply believing that He is who He says He is?

Point to Ponder: The cross is not just where Jesus died — it is where He is most clearly revealed as the One sent from the Father.

Verse to Remember: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he.” (John 8:28 ESV)

Question to Consider: This week, in one honest moment with God, ask yourself: Am I trusting in Jesus as the “I AM,” the only One who can save me from dying in my sins? What would it look like to rest fully in His finished work on the cross?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church