The fourteenth chapter of John’s gospel is great for several reasons. It is great because of its contents, and it is great because of the situation to which it speaks. The chapter begins, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” But the reason Jesus spoke those words is that the disciples were troubled and had every cause to be. As a matter of fact, earlier even Jesus was troubled. He said, “Now my heart is troubled” (John 12:27). Here the disciples are troubled, and Jesus says to them, “Do not . . . be troubled.”
 

The second reason why there will be no separation from the love of God is the impotence of everything, when set over against the sovereign love of God toward us in Christ Jesus. What are things, when set over against God? Paul talks about a number of things that might tend to separate us from that love. He talks about sin in verses 33 and 34. Who can bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? Who is going to be able to do that, if God by His love has provided for our redemption?

Yesterday we concluded by looking at the first reason we might have for being defeated. The second reason is found in verses 17 to 25, where Paul talks about our present sufferings. These discourage us. How are we to know that these will not drag us down? A sinful nature is bad enough. It is within. But, in addition, we have problems without.

But how can that be that condemnation does not come to us? There should be condemnation for us because we are sinners. I think that in the days before Christ’s crucifixion no one really understood how that could be. Certainly the men who set out to trap the woman did not understand it. Earlier they had been trying to trap Jesus in foolish ways. They quizzed Him about a woman who had seven husbands and asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection. Just before that they had asked Him about paying taxes. Jesus dealt with these problems easily. 
 

In other words, our natural state is not neutral. Our moral condition is not that of a tabula rasa in the sight of God, a blank slate upon which we can write negative or positive thoughts, good or bad ideas, condemnation or no condemnation. We are already under condemnation, because we carry within us a sinful nature and are born under the curse of Adam. When we have the opportunity to express this nature, as we do every day of our lives, we express it inevitably by opposing God and running from him.