John 7

v1-13: Salvation does not run in the bloodline of human family.  It didn't in Christ's human family, and "it does not run in that of anyone else in the world."  Though some of Christ's relations did believe (3 of the 12 were related to Him), others did not.  What this show us is that "many who have the same external privileges and advantages [such as growing up in a Christian home or attending church gatherings and hearing the Word preached] do not make the same use of them."

v14-36: We must not judge anyone by their outward appearance.  The Pharisees appeared righteous in the sight of many, but people were sadly mistaken about them.  They judged whether Jesus was the Son of God or not, by his outward appearance, expecting "the Messiah to be all show and magnificence, accompanied by all the ceremonies of worldly grandeur, and judging Christ by that rule, their judgment was a constant mistake from first to last, just as the kingdom of Christ was not to be of this world nor to come with observation."  We must be careful not to judge whether someone who appears to be a saint is a real saint merely by their outward appearance, "but by their intrinsic value and by the gifts and graces of God’s Spirit in them."

v37-44: Christ's invitation is full of good news promising comfort and happiness in Him.  He desires "that everyone would take notice and accept this invitation."  The invitation is to come to Christ, not to the Old Testament ceremonial laws, nor to pagan philosophy or to worldly wisdom. Jesus says, "if anyone wants to be truly and eternally happy, let him turn to me and be ruled by me, and I will undertake to make him so."

v45-52: "From its very beginning Christianity has been represented to the world as a great deception, and those who embraced it as people who are deceived."  The truth is that those who embrace the gospel are the ones who are "beginning to be undeceived."  Beware of being swayed by those who claim to be great experts because of all their knowledge and learning.  Many followers of Jesus have, "through meditation, experience, prayers, and especially obedience, a clearer, sounder, and more useful knowledge of the word of God than some great experts with all their knowledge and learning."