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Thoughts on John 11:43 Elder Philip N. Conley

He is telling dead children to come with 100% success. How infinite and authoritative
is the power of this One!

Lazarus did not say, "Not today Lord. Maybe tomorrow if I feel like it." Doing some
field work yesterday, I had the opportunity to listen (albeit briefly) to a radio preacher
say these words, "It is the Holy Spirit's function to give the new birth. It's His job. We
must let Him work and give us the relationship that matches our standing with God."

He went on to declare that we already have good standing with God - through Christ's
death - but the relationship is not cemented until we let the Holy Spirit through the
door. Should this statement be true, we have a division and disharmony of power in

the Godhead. Indeed, Christ can make us just and grant good standing in the halls of
heaven, but the Holy Spirit is helpless and powerless to consummate that relationship
unless we "let Him?" Isaiah plainly states that the Lord will work and who shall let it.
(Isaiah 43:13)

When the power of Christ speaks life into the body of Lazarus, heart and soul in the
new birth, or the resurrection at the end of time, the effect is immediate with force of
power to fulfill the command. Lazarus was dead, and given a command. Naturally

this does not work. Dead alien sinners are spoken to by God with a command. Bodies
gone into the ground decay and have gone back to dust, but will one day be com-
manded to live and come. The reason that the dead do not stay dead nor disobey the
command is because the command contains life, and with the life the draw to do what
is commanded. (John 6:37, 44) Job never hinted at the possibility of refusal to obey

this call (Job 14:14-15); Christ never admitted one iota of possibility that His work in
ANY count come to nought. (John 10:27-30)

The final word "forth" brings the thought full circle. We have a personal call that is
effectual in power by command, but the word "forth" denotes not the power or the
personality of the call but the direction of it. Lazarus was not called out to some un-
specified location, left to his own devices to "finally make it," persevere long enough
to outrun the devil into heaven, or any other erroneous teaching that is promoted from

time to time. Christ called (commanded) Lazarus to a direction of "forth." That word,
when spoken in this way, literally means that the direction implied is towards the
speaker. Christ's direction by command of call was to Him! Lazarus was not called

half-way, part-way, but all the way to Christ. This direction shows completion. What
Christ did, He completed totally and fully.