Last week, we discovered that there were those who rejected the Gift of LIFE that Jesus came to give them for two primary reasons: 1) they were looking for Life in the wrong place (the Old Testament Scriptures with its focus on obedience to the Law); and 2) they refused to believe that only Jesus could give it to them. If you recall, this is how Jesus confronted the religious leaders of His day,
“You search the Scriptures (the Old Testament) for in them you think you will have eternal Life, and it is these Scriptures that bear witness of Me; but you are unwilling to come to Me so that I can give you Life” (Jn. 5:39-40)
They were searching diligently through the Law in order to find eternal life through acts of obedience, but they failed to realize that the Law only leads to spiritual death, and only Jesus could give them spiritual Life. Even today, some people try to keep the “letter of the Law,” but fail to realize that keeping the Law only results in spiritual death. The truth is that Life comes through the Spirit of God, given to us as a gift from Jesus Himself.
We ended our blog last week by asking the question,” To whom does Jesus give spiritual Life?” I noted last week that He gives it to a very select group of people. Let’s look at how Jesus stated it,
“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes” (Jn. 5:21).
So, Jesus gives the Gift of Life “to those whom He wishes?” The question is obvious, “To whom does He wish to give it?” This is an important question because it affects all of us. Some believe that He gives it to those whom He has preselected, according to the doctrine of predestination. The Bible actually teaches that God predestined the free gift of salvation to all who believe, which is far different from predestining individuals to believe, which removes free will from the individual in order for people to be saved. As I see it, it was God’s plan of salvation that was predestined, not the individuals who would receive it. Of course, God already knew who would believe in His Son and receive salvation, and that is called foreknowledge, not predestination.
Or could the Gift of Life be given to those who do their best to keep the Law and accumulate points related to good works or acts of religious ritual? As we have noted many times, the Bible explicitly says, “NO!”
But Jesus consistently preached the message of Repentance and Faith. Repentance from our faulty thinking and way of life, turning from both of them, and embracing the cross of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. And so, the answer to our question, “To whom does Jesus wish to give the Gift of Life,?” The answer is simply this: “He desires to give the Gift of Life to all those who repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation.
He desires to give each of us the Gift of Life, and He will do it, if He sees both repentance and faith in Christ. It’s a free gift, but did you know that it will cost you everything to receive it? A paradox? Of course, it is! It’s not about offering cash, or good works, or religious ritual, but it’s about offering yourself, giving your whole being to Him, emptying yourself of pride and all manner of “self,” and totally giving yourself to Jesus. After all, that’s what repentance is all about. Simple? Are you kidding me? It’s the hardest thing you will every do. But receiving the Gift of Life is worth it, in fact, it’s more than worth it because it’s the only way to receive eternal life.
Don’t put it off. Repentance and Faith. Just two simultaneous steps. Change your thinking and receive Christ as your Savior. You will never regret it.
Blessings to all of you. Peggy and I pray that you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
