"I Am From Above"

“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). 

Have you ever thought about what this means? Why does Jesus say that He is “from above?” What could He mean by that? Is He simply saying that He is from Heaven or is He suggesting something more here? I submit that Jesus is referring to His relationship with God.

On several different occasions, Jesus made mention of the fact that His disciples were not of the world either.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  (19)  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:18-19).

“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).

John also spoke of the faithful children of God being not of the world. [1]

 “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.  (20)  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (I John 5:19-20).

Jesus taught that He was from above. He also taught that we are not of this world. His disciples, having an understanding of this, echoed those thoughts throughout the inspired writings. But what does all of this mean?

First, what is the difference between the one who is above and those are of the world? In order to get the answer, let’s return to our original text.

“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.  (24)  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:23-24). [2]

Faith in God separates those that are of the world and those that are from above. Faith is the key. If you read back through the passages that I gave, you will notice that difference. It all comes down to where your heart is (Matthew 6:19-21). The apostles were considered “from above” because they had faith in God and in Christ and were willing to accept Him for who He truly is: I AM. If you do the same, you too will be considered “from above.”

In order that we can be called those “from above” Jesus had to give something up for us.

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;  (15)  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  (13)  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  (14)  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:12-14).

Jesus took on flesh and blood in order that He might die for us on the cross, so that we too could become the children of God. 

In Jesus’ resurrection, the Bible says that He, “… hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God [God is from above – DR], being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit [“in the spirit” (YLT) - DR]” (I Peter 3:18).

Regarding Jesus’ resurrection, Paul says, “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.  (34)  And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David” (Acts 13:33-34). [3]

On which day was Jesus begotten? At the time of His resurrection. What does the Bible mean by this? It’s not saying that Jesus was not the Son of God up until that point – He was (Matthew 16:16-17). What Paul is telling the Jews in Antioch is that Jesus, in His resurrection, became the beginning of the new creation and that, because of His resurrection, the “sure mercies” of David would be offered to the people.

“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” (Isaiah 55:3).

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14; II Corinthians 5:17).

So, Jesus took on flesh in order to die to the flesh so that He could be made alive in the spirit. In other words, Jesus died to the world and was risen in the spirit – in newness of life. We can be considered “from above” if we obey the gospel through conforming to His death, burial, and resurrection in baptism (Romans 6:3-4).

Footnotes

[1] See also I John 2:15-16 and I John 4:5-6

[2] Notice the contrast between being from above (I John 5:19-20) and being from beneath (John 8:24). The difference is life and death. See this episode of The Narrow Way.

[3] In a previous article we discussed the “restoration of Israel” [read here]. Read Acts 13:16-41 for some good information on that; especially Acts 13:24-26.