Day 6
John 5:39-40
39 Search the Scriptures: for in them ye think to have eternal life; but they are they which testify of me. 40 But ye will not come to me, that ye might have eternal life.
This is a picture of the very sad state that man is in. “Search the Scriptures; open your eyes!” says Christ, “For you honestly think that these words will teach you how to attain eternal life for yourself, when in reality these words are them which testify of the only Way, Truth, an Life; Me.” This is Christ’s message in these passages, and yet even today we refuse to harken to Him. We think that it must be US, it must be OUR work, OUR choice that saves us, when in reality the Scriptures and Christ alike are clear; it must be “of Him, and through Him, and to Him.” [ Romans 11:36 ]. “And you hath He quickened, that were dead in trespasses and sins.” [ Ephesians 2:1]. We cannot quicken ourselves, for we are dead. A dead man cannot possibly breathe life into himself, nor can a spiritually dead man quicken himself to accepting the Gospel. Only the Work of the Spirit can quicken us; only by Christ’s Spirit can we be brought to a point of acceptance. Because as Christ said Himself, “But ye WILL NOT COME to me, that ye may have eternal life.” We as fallen creatures feel the impulsive need to save ourselves; to be our own saviors in some way or another, be it through paying indulgences and the mass, or by the more subtle and dangerous act of claiming that you merely accepted of your own free will. A single drop of poison contaminates the whole drink, so a single speck of claiming a hand in your salvation will poison your soul. We must come to a point where we accept that we cannot and will not choose Christ unless He first chooses us. In John 3, we see that “God so loveth the world, that he hath given his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life”. This in itself is seems to express the fact that the whole of the world is saved, and yet when we read on, we see the true state of the natural human condition;
“And this is the condemnation, that that light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than that light, because their deeds were evil.” Men hate the light, because the same light that brightens the path exposes the truth. We must accept that the “wickedness of man is great on the earth, and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are only evil continually.” If the story were to end here, what a desolate story that would be, but take heart! Part of the beauty of the Gospel is the wretchedness of the beginning, for this wretchedness makes Christ’s Light seem all the brighter! Some may “believe not”, but this is because they “are not of My sheep.”
For Christ’s sheep “hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of mine hand.” What a powerful and soul-moving claim this is! But, some may ask, how do I know if I am of his elect sheep? You MUST know, if not now, certainly when it is time, for if you are of the elect of God, you will certainly know his voice when it calls you to itself. If you are Christ’s, you will hear His voice and know it by heart, and He will know you by His blood, and you will undoubtedly follow Him. So, again we ask; what is the Gospel message? Simply the story of a free choice you must make? Certainly the dramatic romance that is the Gospel does not end on such a bland note! No, the Gospel message is this: That men love darkness rather than light, yet Christ still comes to seek and save that which is lost.” May we take heart in the beautiful majesty of the Gospel message!
John 5:39-40
39 Search the Scriptures: for in them ye think to have eternal life; but they are they which testify of me. 40 But ye will not come to me, that ye might have eternal life.
This is a picture of the very sad state that man is in. “Search the Scriptures; open your eyes!” says Christ, “For you honestly think that these words will teach you how to attain eternal life for yourself, when in reality these words are them which testify of the only Way, Truth, an Life; Me.” This is Christ’s message in these passages, and yet even today we refuse to harken to Him. We think that it must be US, it must be OUR work, OUR choice that saves us, when in reality the Scriptures and Christ alike are clear; it must be “of Him, and through Him, and to Him.” [ Romans 11:36 ]. “And you hath He quickened, that were dead in trespasses and sins.” [ Ephesians 2:1]. We cannot quicken ourselves, for we are dead. A dead man cannot possibly breathe life into himself, nor can a spiritually dead man quicken himself to accepting the Gospel. Only the Work of the Spirit can quicken us; only by Christ’s Spirit can we be brought to a point of acceptance. Because as Christ said Himself, “But ye WILL NOT COME to me, that ye may have eternal life.” We as fallen creatures feel the impulsive need to save ourselves; to be our own saviors in some way or another, be it through paying indulgences and the mass, or by the more subtle and dangerous act of claiming that you merely accepted of your own free will. A single drop of poison contaminates the whole drink, so a single speck of claiming a hand in your salvation will poison your soul. We must come to a point where we accept that we cannot and will not choose Christ unless He first chooses us. In John 3, we see that “God so loveth the world, that he hath given his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life”. This in itself is seems to express the fact that the whole of the world is saved, and yet when we read on, we see the true state of the natural human condition;
“And this is the condemnation, that that light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than that light, because their deeds were evil.” Men hate the light, because the same light that brightens the path exposes the truth. We must accept that the “wickedness of man is great on the earth, and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are only evil continually.” If the story were to end here, what a desolate story that would be, but take heart! Part of the beauty of the Gospel is the wretchedness of the beginning, for this wretchedness makes Christ’s Light seem all the brighter! Some may “believe not”, but this is because they “are not of My sheep.”
For Christ’s sheep “hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of mine hand.” What a powerful and soul-moving claim this is! But, some may ask, how do I know if I am of his elect sheep? You MUST know, if not now, certainly when it is time, for if you are of the elect of God, you will certainly know his voice when it calls you to itself. If you are Christ’s, you will hear His voice and know it by heart, and He will know you by His blood, and you will undoubtedly follow Him. So, again we ask; what is the Gospel message? Simply the story of a free choice you must make? Certainly the dramatic romance that is the Gospel does not end on such a bland note! No, the Gospel message is this: That men love darkness rather than light, yet Christ still comes to seek and save that which is lost.” May we take heart in the beautiful majesty of the Gospel message!
