John (13)

Faith in Jesus Christ guarantees eternal life.

41-42 Faith is not seeking our own version of Jesus. Grumbling reveals unbelief. example of unbelief represented in Jews grumbling and disputing. However, also helps to answer what is faith in Christ? Do not think that questioning clear truth about Jesus is sincere, or coming from a right motive of humble seeking. No One seeks God with right intentions. So how does a person come to Christ? Look at verse 44… After telling them not to grumble… Jesus says…

44- God draws a person to Jesus through faith. The word here that Jesus uses to emphatically say, No one can come”, is dynomos. Where we get dynamite. This means that no one has the power, the ability, the sufficiency, to come to Christ unless the Father does the heavy lifting. The be drawn by God is to be lead out by force. To be pulled out of the deep cavern of sin through the ropes of faith. But God is the one on the other end of the rope. He the one who dropped faith over the edge to rescue a sinner. And He’s the one who draws a sinner to the top, where Christ is. Then notice the guarantee that Jesus makes at the end of 44.

44c- Jesus accomplishes eternal life… here is the guarantee.

Those who come to Christ are drawn by God with His perfect intentions. He draws us to His Son by giving the gift of life and faith. How does God go about drawing a person? How does He do the heavy lifting? Notice what Jesus says in verse 45…

45- Romans 10:17 tells us So.. Faith comes from hearing… Faith is not a blind leap into the darkness of wishful thinking. Rather, it is hearing truth and coming to Christ. Faith is not like trying a new flavor of ice cream .. where we have a craving and think that since this flavor isn’t meeting my needs anymore, I’ll just try a new flavor. No, that is coming to Jesus by the will of the flesh, not by the will of God. Also, notice verse 46....

46- Jesus is answering the grumble of His listeners. Yes, He has in fact come from Heaven. And He is the only one who has actually seen the Father. But Faith is not by sight. No, according to Hebrews 11:1, faith is assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And again, Jesus says in verse 47.

47- Faith in Christ guarantees eternal life. At this point, if we were in the crowd that day we might be asking ourselves… how can this be the case? How can this guy be so sure? So Jesus goes on to talk more about bread!

48- Jesus does not just provide bread, He is bread.

49- 51 Jesus is bread from heaven. The bread He gives is His flesh. This statement really turns the Jews upside down. Notice in verse 52…

52- Further Unbelief demonstrated in disputing.

53-55 Faith is like eating and drinking

A. According to God’s law, sin could not be forgiven unless there was a sacrifices shedding blood for the atonement of the sin.

56- guarantee of abiding union with God

57- guarantee of life thru the Son

58- live forever not like manna.

Faith is humble surrender to Christ. It is not seeking Him for a repair on life’s problems. Faith in Christ is dependence on Jesus for the root of our problems. Coming to Him because we are awakened to our sin.

Too often the gospel is preached to us as an invitation to spruce up our lives. Get a new set of tires to make the old car shine. Get a new hair due to rejuvenate the way you feel about yourself. try out a new coffee and see how you like it. I even saw a sign on a church one time that said, “Give Jesus a try, the Devil will always take you back.” This kind of gospel is no gospel at all. It is a ridiculous appeal to the flesh that does not lead to eternal life, rather is makes people remain in death and condemnation. Jesus is not some kind of pragmatic remedy to tune up your life. He is not a tonic or facial cream to take away the wrinkles of emotional problems. No, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Those who are drawn by God will come to Christ through faith in order to have their sins forgiven.

Difference between seeking according to flesh and being drawn by God the Father. The Father always draws through faith to Christ.

Faith in Christ is like eating bread. We consume Him in such a way that he provides life and sustenance to our being.

Unbelief is not only observed in total rejection of Jesus. It is also prevalent in polluted versions of Jesus. For example…

Before salvation is about a person receiving Jesus, it is about Jesus receiving a person from God the Father. These will come to Jesus and Jesus will not cast out nor loose. This is very helpful in understanding what it is to receive Jesus in John 1:12.

There is a direct connection to what Jesus is teaching here and John 1:17-18. The law came through Moses. The law was God’s means of teaching His people that He is holy and they are not. In the same way that the law was a temporary mean of preparing people for the fulfillment of the law; namely Jesus Christ. So too, manna was a temporary provision of life in which their father’s still died which pointed to the bread of Life who came down from heaven. When he is consumed by faith, there will be no death. Eternal life is a guarantee.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is not just the giver of bread, he is bread.

What is faith in Jesus?

Hebrews 10:19-25

Hebrews 10:19–25 ESV

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.