Hey everyone, this is Pastor Bruce Mejia here.
I want to share a little nugget of truth with you.
Every once in a while I'll post a video about salvation, just explaining the different facets
of justification, how this salvation is by faith alone and not of works.
And every once in a while I'll get a comment with this really silly interpretation that
states that faith is a work.
And they'll use John 6 29 as their proof text where it says that this is the work of God,
the belief on him on whom he hath sent.
But let me explain to you why this is a silly interpretation and what this passage actually
means.
When you study the Bible, if you were to collect all the verses and passages dealing with salvation,
you would see that they collectively agree that salvation is by faith alone at the exclusion
of works.
And in fact, the Bible even teaches that if you were to add works to your faith for salvation,
you've essentially made the gift of God obsolete to yourself.
You can't be saved.
The Bible says in Romans 11 verse 6, and if by grace then it is no more of works, otherwise
grace is no more grace, and if it be of works, then it is no more of grace, otherwise work
is no more work.
So it's pretty clear.
So what is this passage referring to?
Well, when you read the story, you see that there's a group of people that are seeking
Jesus, not because they're looking for the truth, not because they want to be saved,
but because they want to be physically satiated with food.
In fact, verse 26 states, barely, barely I say unto you, you seek me, not because you
saw the miracles, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled, labor not for that
meat which perishes, but labor for the meat which endureth into everlasting life.
And what he's basically telling them is that, you know, they're putting all this effort
and work into seeking food, seeking to be satiated, whereas what they should be doing
is investing all that labor and work into looking for the truth.
This is what we would commonly refer to as responding to the light that God gives them.
And it's actually a teaching that's pretty consistent throughout the Bible.
You know, the Bible says in John chapter three, that he that doeth truth cometh to the light.
The Bible says that strive to enter in at the straight gate.
Hebrews chapter four, verse number 10 says, for he that has entered into his rest has
ceased from his own labors, as God did from his.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example
of unbelief.
You see, obviously, works can't save you.
The Bible is pretty clear on that.
However, unsaved people should labor and work to look for the truth, to seek after what
the truth really is, especially in regards to salvation.
And that effort can't save them, that labor can't save them.
But what it can do is situate them into a position where they can hear the gospel and
be saved.
And this is why it's important that we go out and preach the gospel and try to get people
saved and give them an opportunity to accept the free gift of eternal life.
But you know, God has given every single human being in this world of measure of light.
The Bible says that he lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
This can often be through the testimony of our conscience, the testimony of creation,
even in some instances, people own Bibles that they read, and all that's intended to
position them so that when they hear the gospel preached from a soul winner, Lord willing
to get saved.
Now, obviously, there's people out there that will hear the gospel, and they respond to
the light, they respond to the light, they hear the gospel, and they reject it, at which
point, you know, they can become ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of
the truth.
And so that's what that passage is teaching there.
It's essentially another example of the importance of responding to the light that God gives
them.
We don't labor to be saved.
We labor and work before salvation to find the truth, at which point Jesus Christ makes
the truth available to us through those who are partaking in the ministry of reconciliation
through his ambassadors.
Amen.
And so hope that made sense.
God bless.