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The Daily Word of Righteousness
John 6:25-58, #4
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28,29)
The works God requires.
If I am not mistaken, right here is a basis for the current emphasis on "faith alone." All a person has to do is believe in Christ, and nothing else is necessary. We choose a verse, and then deduce from it. This is how the current set of errors came into being.
Yet, we have the remainder of the New Testament to tell us this is not true—at least in the sense it is employed it is not true. I guess the problem lies in what we mean by believing in Christ.
If by believing in Christ we mean believing He is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, that He rose from the dead, that He is coming again, then it is not true that believing in Christ is sufficient to please God or to inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
The demons know these things. You see, what we refer to today as belief is actually knowledge. The traditional Statement of Faith of a denomination is a statement of knowledge, not a statement of faith.
If by believing in Christ we mean denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following the Lord Jesus every day in every detail of life, then yes—believing in Christ is sufficient to please God and to inherit the Kingdom of God.
The demons do not deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus every day in every detail of life. Therefore they do not please God or have eternal life.
An individual can understand and believe every theological fact concerning the Lord Jesus, and possess no eternal life. The Pharisees had memorized the Law of Moses, it is said; but they possessed no eternal life.
I think we who preach the Gospel today need to make clear to God's people that it is not sufficient to understand and assent to the facts concerning Christ. There is no eternal life in this. We absolutely must leave room in our busy life to seek the Lord with our whole heart. We must do this each day. Also, in every decision we make through the day and night we must acknowledge the Lord, asking for His guidance. We must live uprightly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. If we do not, we can master all the points of Christian theology and not possess any eternal life.
The Lord was asking the Jews to place their faith in Him instead of in the Law of Moses. However, it was the Apostle Paul who explained how and why the Jew was to turn from Moses to Christ.
To be continued.