John 6:37-46
For several years I read books written by a popular pastor of a large Christian congregation. His thought-provoking words sounded true and sincere. Not long ago, though, he took a detour from the Word and began teaching that there were many ways to God besides Christ. His influence is significant and I'm concerned for those that were following the man, rather than the Word of God, and may believe his false teaching.
We have in Jesus a firm foundation. He is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep. In John 10: 27-28 He tells us, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
It's when we take our eyes off of Christ and follow something or someone else that we become dissapointed.
Jesus came from heaven to do God's will. It is God's will that all who come to believe in Christ will have eternal life, and it is God who draws us to Christ. On our own we wouldn't believe - remember it says in John 1:10-11, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him."
The people Jesus is speaking to in John 6:41-42 don't believe He came from heaven. They think He is the Mary and Joseph's son, nothing more. This is the official word from the religious leaders, and the people will suffer from believing these men, rather than what Christ is telling them. Because, He is the only way to eternal life.
There are still those who claim to be shepherds of the people that would lead them away by falsely teaching that Christ was a good man, and nothing more. We must choose between their misguided words, or the words of Christ that proclaim, "I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
What a promise of eternal life and security in our salvation! Jesus said "I shall lose none of all he has given me." Christ has a firm hold on us that can never be broken or lost. He confirms this promise in Chapter 10. "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." Once I believed and put my trust in Him my salvation was sealed, once and for all, never to be questioned or taken away. Forever! Wow, what a Savior we have that loves us so completely! For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, not anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
ReplyDelete