John 6:35 ESV (Jesus speaking): “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
This is the third writing in a three-part series on the
subject of “True Bread” vs. “False Bread.” You can read the first two parts
here:
Believe and Confess
Romans 10:9-10 ESV: “…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
This is one of the primary scripture verses that the “False
Bread” uses as their synopsis of the gospel message. But, taken out of context,
and used especially here in America as the gospel message, it majorly dilutes
the gospel of our salvation to a mere intellectual assent to Jesus’ death and
resurrection, and to a mere outward confession of him as “Lord,” which can mean
nothing more than a title given to him.
So, we have to realize here that these scriptures were not
written individually. This was a letter that Paul wrote to the Roman church, so
as with any letter, especially those of the God-breathed Word of God, we need
to read what is said in its context.
For, as we all should well know, if our words are taken out
of context, they can be made to say something entirely different from what was
originally intended. So, let’s look at Romans, in general, in synopsis.
Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
The teaching here is that if we ignore God’s commands, and
we go our own way, and we do what our flesh desires, and we don’t honor God as
the holy God that he is, we are without excuse. For, we knew the truth, but we
suppressed the truth by our wickedness, and so the wrath of God is being
revealed against us, and we don’t have eternal life with God.
Romans 2:5-8 ESV: “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”
If we make sin our practice, we will not escape the judgment
of God. For, one day we are all going to reap what we sow, and God is going to
render to each of us according to our works (our deeds – cf. Gal. 6:7-8).
Romans 6:15-16 ESV: “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
If we are slaves to sin because we obey the lusts of our
flesh, it will lead to death. But, if we are slaves to obedience to Christ, it
leads to righteousness.
Romans 8:12-14 ESV: “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
If we live (walk, in conduct, in practice) according to (in
agreement with) the lusts of our flesh, we are going to die in our sins. But if
by the Spirit of God, we are putting to death the works (deeds) of our sinful flesh,
we will live with Christ for eternity. For, it isn’t those who profess faith in
Jesus Christ who are the children of God, but it is those of us who are
following (obeying) the leading of God and of His Spirit.
Whoever Believing
John 3:16 ESV: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
First off, “believes” is present tense, i.e. it is whoever
is believing in Jesus right now, not in the past, who has eternal life with
God. And, secondly, to believe in Jesus means to be persuaded by God, and if
persuaded by God, we are going to submit to the Lordship of Christ, and we are
going to follow our Lord in obedience to his ways.
John 3:19-21 ESV: “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
If we are true believers in Jesus Christ, that means we have
come into the light, and coming into the light means we do what is true and
righteous, and according to the will of God, as a matter of practice in our
daily walks. It doesn’t mean we never sin, but that sin is not our master, it
is not what rules us. We are not walking (living) in sin.
But, those who are still walking (in practice) in the
darkness (in sinful practices) will not come into the light, lest their evil
deeds be exposed. So, those who are walking in the darkness are not in the
light, i.e. they are not true believers in Jesus Christ, so they don’t have
eternal life with God (See also: 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Rom. 8:1-17; Lu. 9:23-26; Gal.
5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6).
Cleansing from
Unrighteousness
1 John 1:9 ESV: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This is not talking here about a mere verbal confession of
sin with our lips. How do I know that? Let’s look at the context:
1 John 1:5-8 ESV: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
There is no darkness in God at all. So, if we claim that we
are in fellowship with God, in intimate relationship with him, via faith in
him, but we are still walking (living, in practice, in conduct) in darkness
(sin, wickedness), then we are liars who do not live by the truth (see Rom.
8:1-17; Lu. 9:23-26).
But, if we walk (conduct our lives, in practice) in the
light (in God’s righteousness and holiness), as God/Jesus is in the light (in
holiness and righteousness) we have fellowship (intimacy) with God and with
others who are also in intimate relationship with God… and the blood of Jesus
his Son cleanses us from all sin.
So, this fits with everything we have talked about here. The
message is consistent all throughout the New Testament. Genuine faith in Jesus
Christ is proved genuine by what we do in heart and love response to God, in
listening to what he tells us, and in doing what he says to do.
When I Go Home
By G. M. Eldridge
“He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4
In the moment He appears
And the light from heaven shines,
I’ll forget ev’ry fear,
Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.
Then I’ll see Him as He is
And I’ll know Him as I’m known.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.
Ever present is the tho’t
That a moment waits for me
When unworthy as I am,
His glory I will see.
I will empty all my praise
Before my Father’s throne.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.
If the trial I endure,
And your presence I can’t find,
Be near me, Lord, I pray,
Bring back unto my mind
That your promises are firm
And I’m never on my own.
Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.
Caution: This link may contain ads
Copyright 2019 by
Acapeldridge
All Rights Reserved.
Used by Permission
No comments:
Post a Comment