John 15:22 reads, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin” (NKJV). First of all, the Lord was NOT saying that if He had not come and spoken the truth to them, that they would have been without sin, for ever since Adam introduced sin in the Garden of Eden men have sinned. Romans 5:12 confirms this, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” We see the same truth in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

We believe the Lord is telling them that in view of the truth He brought to them, their sin of unbelief was so great that by comparison their other sins were as nothing. They had absolutely no excuse to reject Him, yet they did and their sin will ultimately lead to their eternal doom. John 8:24 speaks to this, “For if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.”

In essence, the Lord was teaching them that “the more you know, the more responsible you are.” We see this same principle in Matthew 11:20-24 which states, “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you’” (NASB). Luke joins Matthew by saying, “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes, For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:47-48) The Son of God had become a man and revealed to men the whole truth about God, about their sin, and about their need of a Savior. Yet they rejected Him! Their sin of unbelief was SO MUCH GREATER than those who lived in Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, and in the coming Day of Judgment they will be judged according to the light they received.

How is it with you, dear friend? Have you heard the gospel of Jesus Christ as declared in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”?  If so, you are responsible to believe it. If you haven’t, we would encourage you to take God at His Word and believe in His Son as your Savior. If you do not, you will have no excuse for your sin and in the Day of Judgment you will indeed be judged for rejecting the Savior of sinners. (188.3)  (DO)