Read and pray: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (Jn 14:1)
THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING
REVEALED IN JOHN 14
John 14 seems easy to read, and there are many commentaries on this chapter of the Bible, but in reality, it is a chapter that is difficult to understand. Most people lack adequate light regarding it. Through the Lord’s leading and our experience, we are beginning to comprehend its true meaning.
This chapter speaks of God’s building in the universe. The teaching of the United Brethren¹ resulted in the mistaken conclusion that John 14 is a prophetic chapter. They consider what the Lord says in verse 3, when addressing His disciples before His departure from the world, as a prophetic word.
They understand that this verse means that the Lord Jesus would go to heaven to prepare a place for us and that once this place was prepared, He would come and take us to heaven to be with Him. Thus, the United Brethren decided that this chapter deals with prophecy. However, the idea contained in this chapter is more significant, profound, and elevated than the idea they attribute to it. They did not perceive the true meaning of verse 3.
In verse 1, the Lord says: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” This verse is the theme of chapter 14. The Chinese Union Version [Chinese Union Bible] translates this verse exactly as the Recovery Version in Portuguese cited above; however, the word “in” is actually “into” in the original Greek. For this reason, the literal translation could be: “Believe into God, believe also into Me.” The Greek preposition meaning “into” is eis. It is the same word used in the phrase “baptized into Christ Jesus” in Romans 6:3. This preposition means “into.”
For example, if we have a box and insert our hand through a hole on one side, our hand goes into the box. Therefore, “into” conveys the meaning of the Greek word more accurately.
The central idea in John 14 is: “Believe to enter into God, believe to enter also into Me.” As those who believe in the Lord Jesus, we need to believe into God and believe into the Lord. [That is, to be brought into God by believing and to be brought into the Lord by believing.]
When reading the Bible, it is very important to grasp the central theme. For example, Genesis 1 begins with: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”; therefore, the central theme of Genesis 1 is God’s creation. Similarly, John 14:1 says: “Believe into God, believe also into Me.” Our need to fully enter into God is the central theme.
THE LORD’S GOING IS
HIS COMING
In verse 2, the Lord says: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Verse 1 says: “Believe into God.” And verse 2 continues: “In My Father’s house.” This is a great turning point.
According to common understanding, the Father’s house refers to heaven. However, the Bible states that the church of the living God is the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15). It does not say that the Father’s house is heaven. What is this Father’s house, and what does the Lord’s going refer to? The mistaken understanding of the United Brethren is that the Lord’s going was His departure from the world to go to heaven.
In John 14:3, the Lord says: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself.” The Chinese Union Bible translates the expression “to Myself” as “to the place where I am.” For this reason, people understand this verse as if it says that the Lord will receive us into a place—the place where He is. However, He is not referring to a place. His word here means that He will receive us into Himself, not into a physical location.
“If I go […] I will come” aligns with the original text. The Lord’s going is His coming. His going to prepare a place for the disciples was His coming to them.
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¹ Also known as "Plymouth Brethren" – a name derived from Plymouth, a city in England, where one of the first groups was reported in 1831. However, the movement quickly spread across Europe and other parts of the world. The movement began around 1825 in Ireland and England, with leaders such as John Nelson Darby, Anthony Norris Groves, Edward Cronin, and Francis Hutchinson. They sought to gather solely as Christians, without a specific denomination, valuing the authority of the Scriptures and rejecting ecclesiastical hierarchies.
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