Two Great Truths

John 10:22-42

As we look at this passage I would like to dwell on two great truths that are extremely critical to our faith. After Jesus tells the parable of the Good Shepherd the Pharisees continue to argue with Him. They wanted Jesus to relate to them on their terms, but He continues to assert His deity.

In v. 27 He speaks again of believers as sheep and explains that they listen to Him and follow Him. He also says that He knows them and in v. 28 asserts that He gives eternal life and the believer will never perish and also that no one can take the believer from Him. Notice as He continues that thought in v. 29 he also says that no one can take the believer from the Father either. That means that we are eternally secure in Him. Once we have trusted Him as our Savior we will not lose our relationship with Him.

Some believe that it is possible to lose our salvation, but that implies that they are depending on their works or their attitude to help get them to heaven. This passage repeats a teaching we notice in John 6:37-39 where Jesus says “the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” and in v. 39 “all that He has give Me I lose nothing”. Satan will always try to put doubt into our minds regarding our relationship with our Savior, but we can resist that by recalling these Scriptures.

Verse 35 contains the second truth I would like to consider “the Scripture cannot be broken”. This statement supports our belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. We believe that the original text of Scripture contains no errors and is completely trustworthy. There is much internal evidence of this truth. II Tim. 3:16 assures us that “all Scripture is inspired by God” and II Peter 1:21 further explains that “men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God”.

This is another area that Satan loves to attack the Christian. If he can get us to doubt God’s Word then he has opened the door to further disbelief. As he attempts to place these doubts in our mind we must remember that inerrancy does not guarantee scientific exactness (but estimation), it is not exhaustive, but sufficient; and our lack of understanding does not reduce its credibility. We must keep in mind it is not a scientific book, but where it touches on science it is true; it is not a history book, but where it touches on history it is true.

We should be thankful to God for giving us His trustworthy Word and for the ministry of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Scripture as it applies to our life.

Parable of the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-18

Previously we considered the healing of the man born blind. As Christ healed the physical blindness He was indicating to Israel that He was the One who could remove their spiritual blindness. As we see from the discussion with the Pharisees the miracle raised the question of the identity of the person of Christ. This question will be answered through the use of the Shepherd/sheep analogy.

He used the sheepfold to represent the nation of Israel. John the Baptist represents the “doorkeeper” or “watchman” mentioned in verse three. He fulfilled his mission by introducing Christ to the nation of Israel as both the Savior and the Sovereign Lord. One proof that Christ was who He proclaimed to be is that those who are His own sheep listen to His voice and recognize Him and are willing to follow Him (v. 3-4).

Next He explained the kind of Shepherd He is. In v. 9 He claims to be the way of salvation. He is also a Shepherd who liberates His sheep for we can “go in and out”. This speaks to the freedom and liberty we have in Christ. We will find “pasture” or provision for He is our provider and He does that abundantly. We not only have life, we have an abundant life because of all the blessings we have in Him.

Finally, He showed His deep love for us as a Shepherd because He was willing to lay down His life for us. He cares more for us than He does His own life. These are characteristics of Christ that no false shepherd can claim and are further proof that He is who He claimed to be.

Jewish people have had an especially difficult time recognizing Christ as their Savior, but so have many Gentiles. We can be thankful that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we have recognized Him as our Shepherd.

Healing The Man Born Blind

John 9:1-41

The entire ninth chapter deals with Jesus healing a man born blind, which is the sixth sign miracle John records in his book. Jesus used this occurrence to teach His disciples, to challenge the Pharisees and to affirm His deity.

First, notice the disciples reveal an error in their spiritual thinking. They thought that his blindness, and likely other similar problems were caused by sin. Jesus response to them was that it wasn’t provoked by a sin problem but it was a way that God’s works could be revealed and glorified. It is natural to search for why we deal with various issues in our lives and when we do, we need to consider how God may receive glory through that circumstance.

Notice in verse four the use of the word “we”. Jesus is including the disciples in the statement about working the works of God. That includes us also. As Christians we have responsibilities for which God will hold us responsible. We will one day receive rewards based on how well we carry out those duties.

Do you wonder why Jesus puts clay on the blind man’s eyes and giving him a task rather than simply restoring his sight? I think He is doing that to help develop the man’s faith. Clay certainly had no medicinal benefit. He also may be using the washing of the clay to illustrate how He will cleanse us from our sins and restore our spiritual sight. It is interesting that all the elements of salvation are presented in this story; a Savior to save, a need recognized, and the obedience of faith.

As we look at the Pharisees judgmental attitude I am reminded of how easy it is to judge others without really understanding the situation. It is interesting that the parents were afraid to give an opinion; concerned that they would be excommunicated from the temple. It forces me to ask the question do I hold on to religious practices for fear of what others will think?

Finally, what does this passage teach us about developing our faith? We can read the Bible and be obedient to the things we learn just as the blind man was obedient to Jesus instructions. We should develop the courage to hold fast to our convictions in times of testing. We can be willing to suffer for His sake if we are placed in that position.

A Conversation with Pharisees

John 8:12-59

I’ll admit to really struggling with what I should share with you from this passage. It involves a long conversation that Jesus had with the Pharisees, a religious group of men who knew the Old Testament law but could not seem to realize that Jesus came to fulfill that law.

Jesus said some interesting things in this passage as He continued to reveal Himself:
born, I AM”

“I am the Light of the world”
“I am not judging anyone”
“I am not of this world”
“Unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins”
“He who sent Me is true”
“I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me” “He who sent Me is with Me”
“If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine”
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”
“If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed”
“I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He who sent Me”
“He who is of God hears the words of God”
“I honor My Father”
“I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges”
“If anyone keeps My word he shall never see death”
“It is My Father who glorifies Me”

If you examine how the Pharisees responded you will see that they clearly did not understand. Jesus, however, remained extremely patient with them. I wrestle with why this conversation is recorded in God’s Word. Perhaps it is here to caution us that as we share with others we will get rejection and should not be surprised by that. When that occurs we should not get defensive and argumentative, but patiently share the truth. We should also remember that it is our responsibility to share; it is the Holy Spirit who convicts and leads hearts to trust Him.
Finally, we should also see there is a time to walk away, but not be discouraged. When we have faithfully shared the Gospel we have accomplished our mission and now can pray that the Spirit’s ministry would be effective in their lives.

Judging Others

John 8:1-11

A note in your Bible probably mentions that most scholars feel these verses were not a part of the original text because they are not in the earliest manuscripts we have found. Most agree, however that the incident was historical and this is a part of history mentioned by John in the last verse of this book: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written” (John 21:25). Jesus does speak on this subject in Scripture and in Matt. 7:1 He says “Do not judge lest you be judged yourselves.”

The Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus to try to trap Him. If they could get Him to condemn her it would give evidence of a lack of grace and failure to act as a Savior, but if He did not condemn her He would fail to uphold the Law. If He failed to uphold the Law the Pharisees thought the people would reject Him and cling to Moses and they would have a pretext for bringing Him before the Sanhedrin (ruling council).

Jesus, as He often does as a teacher, rather than responding to their question makes a very convicting statement: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” We’re told that the Pharisees, beginning with the oldest, and wisest, all began to leave, realizing that they, too, were sinners. Jesus then reveals His grace by saying to the woman “Neither do I condemn you; go your way; from now on sin no more.”

Paul instructs in I Corinthians 11:28 that we should examine ourselves to assure we are in right relationship with the Lord. We all succumb to temptation frequently and when we do God provides forgiveness when we confess those sins (I John 1:9). We are to be concerned about the spiritual relationship of others, but should express that by sharing the message of salvation with them. It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to bring them to the point where they will trust Jesus as their Savior. Our responsibility is to pray for them and relay the message.