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John 8:47
ESV Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
NIV Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.'
NASB The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.'
CSB The one who is from God listens to God's words. This is why you don't listen, because you are not from God."
NLT Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.'
KJV He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

What does John 8:47 mean?

Jesus has been consistent in His message, even in the face of criticism (John 8:25). He has also provided reasons to accept His message. These have included miracles (John 5:36), prophecies from the Jewish Scriptures (John 5:39–40), and the testimonies of others (John 5:32–33). Further, Jesus has displayed a life of moral perfection—even His enemies can't point to an example of Him doing something wrong (John 8:46). For all of that, these men have not only rejected His message (John 8:43), they have attempted to kill Him (John 5:18).

Earlier in this discussion, Jesus used the analogy of fatherhood to explain why the religious leaders could not claim to be "true sons" of Abraham. Spiritually speaking, children inherit their nature from their fathers, and do what their fathers do. Abraham obeyed and honored God (John 8:39), but these men deal in lies and violence (John 8:44). This, according to Jesus, proves that they're the spiritual children of the devil instead! This also explains their attitude, which refuses to accept anything they do not want to hear (John 7:17). This is why Jesus says that they "do not hear" His message: as spiritual children of the devil, they don't want to hear it.
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