John 9:31

God heareth not sinners. This statement was in agreement with the viewpoint of at least one division of the Pharisees (see on v. 16). The reasoning of the healed man was irrefutable. If, as some of the Pharisees admitted, God works miracles only for those who are worthy, then they must agree that the miracle worker was of God, especially in view of the unusual character of the miracle (v. 32).

The statement, “God heareth not sinners,” is, of course, true of the willful, unrepentant sinner. But God always hears the prayer of the penitent who pleads for mercy and pardon (see on Luke 18:13). He also frequently hears the prayers of those who have departed from the path of right; He does not immediately abandon those who stray. He often continues His blessings as an inducement to return. Because of this fact the converse of the above statement is not always true. The fact that God answers a man’s prayer is not necessarily evidence that He approves of that man’s entire conduct. The one who receives marked answers to prayer should not exult in a supposed evidence of righteousness and acceptance; he should search his heart diligently that he might the more fully conform to the divine pattern. He must not interpret the blessing of God as sanctioning his entire course of action. Any willful persistence in known sin will eventually lead to an irrevocable separation between the sinner and God (Rev. 22:11).

Doeth his will. Compare 1 John 3:22; SC 95.