Or, “wishes to do his will.” The clause may be translated, “if any man’s will is to do his will” (RSV). He who sincerely desires to do the will of God will be enlightened by God and enabled to evaluate correctly the claims of others. A prerequisite to receiving light is that the seeker for truth must be willing to follow in the light that may be revealed. For comment on how the will of God may be ascertained from the Bible see on Eze. 22:28.

The difficulty of finding out “what is truth” in religion is a common subject of complaint among men. They point to the many differences that prevail among Christians on matters of doctrine, and profess to be unable to decide who is right. In thousands of cases this professed inability to discover truth becomes an excuse for living without any religion at all.