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John 8:37,43,45
I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you…

John 1:12,13
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,even to them that believe on his name: …

John 6:45,46,65
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me…

hears the words of God.
Hearing in this context goes beyond the physical act of listening; it involves understanding, accepting, and obeying God's message. In the Hebrew tradition, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) calls for attentive listening that leads to action. Jesus often used the phrase "He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15) to indicate the need for spiritual receptivity. The words of God refer to His teachings, commandments, and revelations, which are accessible through Scripture and the Holy Spirit's guidance.

The reason you do not hear
This part of the verse addresses spiritual deafness, a condition where individuals are unable or unwilling to perceive and accept divine truth. In the Gospels, Jesus frequently encountered religious leaders who, despite their knowledge of the Scriptures, failed to recognize Him as the Messiah (John 5:39-40). This inability to hear is often linked to hardened hearts and spiritual blindness (Isaiah 6:9-10,Matthew 13:14-15).

is that you do not belong to God.”
Here, Jesus provides a direct explanation for the spiritual deafness of His audience. Not belonging to God indicates a lack of genuine relationship with Him, which results in an inability to comprehend His words. This statement challenges the assumption that mere religious affiliation or ancestry guarantees spiritual insight. It underscores the necessity of a personal, transformative relationship with God, as seen in the new covenant promise of a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26-27) and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).

John 8:47 opens by identifying a distinct group: “Whoever belongs to God.” Scripture teaches that this belonging is literal, relational, and covenantal.

• Belonging is established by new birth—“Yet to all who received Him… He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12-13).

• It is authenticated by the Spirit—“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16).

• It is marked by holiness—“The Lord knows those who are His, and, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness’” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Jesus is talking to people who assumed they belonged to God because of heritage, yet He insists true belonging rests on personal faith and obedience (compareJohn 8:39-40).

Those who belong to God “hear” His words—meaning they welcome, understand, and obey them.

• “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

• Faith itself is birthed through this hearing—“So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

• Hearing is ongoing: believers keep responding to daily guidance (Hebrews 3:7-8;Psalm 95:7-8).

God’s word is never mere information; it is life-giving truth to be cherished and acted on.

Jesus now exposes why some standing before Him remain unmoved: “The reason you do not hear…”

• Spiritual deafness stems from an unchanged heart (Ezekiel 12:2;Matthew 13:15).

• “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God… he cannot understand them” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

• Until God draws a person and opens ears, the message remains veiled (John 6:44; 12:39-40).

Jesus’ words are perfectly clear; the barrier lies within unregenerate listeners.

The blunt conclusion: failure to hear proves lack of belonging.

• Just a few verses earlier Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil” (John 8:44).

• Scripture draws the same line: “Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child” (1 John 3:10).

• Apart from Christ, people remain “dead in trespasses and sins… following the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-2).

Belonging is not hereditary or cultural; it is granted only through repentance and faith in the Son.

John 8:47 teaches that genuine relationship with God is evidenced by receptive, obedient hearing of His Word. Those who truly belong to Him—through the new birth—attune their hearts to Scripture and follow Christ’s voice. Persistent deafness to God’s truth exposes an unregenerate state. Assurance of belonging is therefore seen not in lineage or claims but in a life that gladly hears and obeys the words of God.

(6) THE I AM.The claim to be the Source of liberty and life, in reply to those who appealed to their Father God and their father Abraham, led Jesus to assert his anteriority to Abraham.Verse 47. - There was some pause after this searching inquiry. Silence showed that, if they could not convince him of sin, they were ready with no answer to his question. He assumes that his word is unanswerable; he is what he says he is, and is able to set men free from sin and to give them eternal life. Their position is still further explained by a distinct syllogism, of which the major premiss is:He that is ofGod heareth the words of God; words which it is obviously taken for granted he is freely, surely uttering. Who are the persons referred to? Some, like Hilgenfeld, discover here a Manichaean, Gnostic sense - "those who are essentially of a Divine origin and spiritual nature," are absolutely different from those who are of the psychic or hylic nature. Thus they cut away all force from the moral reproof which follows. Others insist that here Jesus speaks of the regenerated man, the true child of God, who has power to believe, who has come to the Father, being predestinated unto eternal life. Even this interpretation does not leave sufficiently ample play to the human freedom, and the personal self-responsibility, which pervades the teaching of the gospel. Elsewhere he speaks of these who are "of the truth" and "hear his voice," of "those whom the Father draws" to him by the very love and grace which he, the Son, lavishes upon them (see notes,John 6:37, 44;John 18:37;John 17:6, 9, 11). He also speaks of those who come to him being given to him. He is here contemplating this wide class, who are scattered through all time and places, with susceptible minds capable of hearing freely, and believing when they hear, the words of God. For this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God;i.e. seeing that ye do not hear the words of God, it is evident that ye are not of God. They are not excluded from becoming so by any irreversible fate, but their present obtuseness of spiritual perception, their refusal to accept truth on its clearest exposition, shows that they are not born of God; they are not being drawn to him by inworking of the Father's grace. The very form of the expression was once more meant to touch their conscience.

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