“Jesus now describes the guilt of the world. He came to these people with both words (15:22) and sign-miracles (15:24), yet they remained obstinate in their unbelief, and this sin of unbelief was without excuse. Jesus was not saying that if He had not come and spoken to these people they would be sinless; rather He was saying that if He had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of the sin of rejecting Him and the Father he came to reveal. Rejecting Jesus is the one ultimate sin for which there can be no forgiveness because the one who has committed this sin has at the same time rejected the only cure that exists. Jesus spoke similarly to the Pharisees in 9:41: “If you were blind, you would have no sin (same phrase as here), but now you say ‘We see’ your sin remains.” (NET Bible, John 15:22)
“…our first response to the Lord may not tell the story of how we will be judged by God on the last day (Mt 21:28-32). Even after we are illumined by Christ, we can still lapse or apostatize. Likewise, the one who rejects Him initially may later repent and be saved. The bottom line is that Christ comes to save – to give sight, to illumine us. If we persistently prefer our own insights, we will remain blind (vs. 41). Then, at the great and final judgment, we will remain in darkness as a function of our personal choice.” (Dynamis 5/21/2020)
“There are things which cannot be taken from us nor can we give them up. Chief among these is the love of God in Christ. God’s love for us is steadfast, everlasting, and never failing. The Love of God is the one constant among all the visible and invisible realms of creation. Not even the devil can take it away from us. And though we reject Him, God still waits for us to return to Him as the father waited for His son to come back home in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.” (Fr. Basil)
“Lord promises that those who die with Christ will live with Him (2 Timothy 2:11)… the verse that follows promises that those who endure suffering for their faith will reign with Christ… And our endurance in trials would result in our reigning with Christ in the Kingdom of God…these promises are immutable because God is eternally the same. Therefore, we can trust in the pledges of the everlasting God without reservation…On the other hand, the Lord promises with equal consistency that He will deny those who deny Him (2 Timothy 2:12). To deny Him means to disown Him…As God is true to His promises, so He is true to His judgments. And He decrees that those who reject Him, God vows to reject. Does this mean that there is a contradiction between God’s mercies and His judgments? We find no tension between the two if we understand that God honors the freedom for human beings to choose to respond to Him, either in belief or unbelief. Once again, the verdict of God is grounded in His being and nature.” (Fr. Basil)
“We will find true joy and freedom in accepting the high calling to become more like God holiness, not in rejecting it. To turn away from who we are in God is to diminish ourselves and pursue a path that leads inevitably to misery and despair. As those who bear the divine image and likeness, we will find fulfillment only in Him.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“God is the creator of heaven and earth. God creates the world out of goodness. He is interested in His creation, and involved with it. Unlike philosophical systems (deism, secularism) that want God disinvolved, our Christian god is a caring and loving God, the Father in heaven. He creates, keeps things into being, and provides for them as well. Even if His creation turns against Him and rejects Him - that is, the mystery of God the Father's kenosis, self-emptying - God continues to love it and care for it.” (Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh)
“…despite the Bible affirmation that we are created in the image and likeness of God, we don't seem to appreciate that God loves us for who we are as real people (our “ordinary” selves). Instead we seem to reject our birthright at times. We move through the world feeling bad about ourselves (because of our mistakes and sins), and we forget about God's deep love—a love that should be the solid basis of a self-esteem which would enable us to form sound relationships with others.” (Robert J. Wicks)
“Although God reveals Himself and His love through nature and the Bible, there are many who decide to ignore or reject Him and pursue goals they believe are more important. The Bible makes it clear that these people are idol worshipers because they give their highest loyalty to something other than God." (Life Application Study Bible, Psalm 97:7)
“The fear of the LORD. This concept is the most basic ingredient in wisdom. Fools have rejected the fear of the Lord…Fools do not necessarily lack intelligence…Fools are people who reject God…All who reject God’s message are foolish, no matter how wise the world thinks they are…“In your freedom, if you reject His love, you will be forever tormented by your own foolishness. That’s why they call it hell.” (Foundation Study Bible, Proverbs 1:7, Life Application Study Bible, Psalms 53:1, 1 Corinthians 2:10, Father Barnabas Powell)
“Even after we are illumined by Christ, we can still lapse or apostatize. Likewise, the one who rejects Him initially may later repent and be saved…It is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all.” ((Dynamis 5/22/2014, Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 11:20-24)
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