John 7:52 Commentary and Bible Study

And that is the end; everybody disperses, and they seem to get away with it. But the passage is not just about them, it is about all false religion. They thought they were joined to God, but they did not really know him, deeply, personally. They had no notion of their sin and their need. They had never repented. They never looked for the free mercy of God as the only way of salvation. They trusted in ceremonies and false religion always trusting in priests or powerful Mullahs, ceremonies, or forebears. The only way to have real communion with God is through Christ, the only Saviour, and to believe in him, and repent before him, and obey him, so that we receive free pardon and a new life.They thought they had power. But false religion does not give you power, does not give you power over sin, power to shape character: the power of prayer. It does not give you power to sail through death straight to heaven and glory. They thought they had knowledge, but they did not understand the Scriptures cover to cover are about the need for free forgiveness, the grace of God. The Old Testament sacrifices point to the great sacrifice when Christ, second person of the Godhead, would come and die for those who would be saved. Knowledge can only come through Christ.Three vital things – being joined to God, communion; having power over your sin and over death, and power with God in prayer; and having knowledge of the way of salvation, of God’s will, of human nature. All these things come only through Christ.