John 8:42
“Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →True children of God would recognize and love Jesus, for he proceeds from God and was sent by God.
Context
Jesus explains the ultimate test of whether God is truly one's father: love for the Son whom God has sent.
What Does John 8:42 Mean?
This is the hinge. Jesus moves from identifying what they do to identifying what they would do if God were truly their Father. If God were your father, you would love me. Why? Because I came from him. I proceeded forth from God. My entire being, my mission, my words are the overflow of my relationship with the Father. Any child of God, hearing the voice of the one who proceeded from God, would recognize that voice and respond in love. They would welcome him, trust him, follow him.
But they do not love him. This is not a minor disagreement about doctrine or policy. It is a fundamental failure of recognition. The Father sent the Son. To reject the Son is to reject the One who sent him. To have God as your Father would mean receiving his Son with open arms. Their coldness, their hostility, their violent intent, prove that however they speak of God, they have not truly received him.
In the Original Language
exerchomai (exerchomai), 'proceeded forth, came out' -- to come forth from a source, to emanate
Application
Does our love for Jesus grow? This is the litmus test of our relationship with God. To know the Father is to love his Son. To refuse the Son is to prove we do not truly know the Father.