Saved by Grace

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:35-40).

Jesus answered the emotional request from the crowd… “Sir, give us this bread always” (John 6:34). He answered with a declaration of truth… “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst”. He was clear, Christ is the manna. He is the One who came down from heaven and gave His life for the world that we might have life. That is salvation. He is the Bread that we are to feed upon constantly so that we might grow spiritually. But some of the crowd did not get it. So Jesus patiently explained what He meant when He called Himself the “bread of life”. In His explanation Jesus revealed more truth. He spoke about the relationship between election and free will here as He began to unveil the truth that we are saved by grace.

First Jesus stated a truth about election… “All that the Father gives me will come to me”. Then He stated a truth about free will… “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out”. Both truths are true. They do not contradict each other. The Father gives men to Christ, but men have to come. And the ones that come are the ones whom the Father gives to Him. Truth seekers recognize these two truths but cannot reconcile them without the help of the Holy Spirit. We don't know how or why God chose us, but the evidence that He chose us is our ability to discern and respond to the truth of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit, our Teacher helps us understand the mystery or tension that exists between election and free will because He loves to guide us into God’s truth… “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13). The Spirit revealed the truth about election through the teaching of the apostle Paul… “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Jesus confirmed the truth about election… “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). He also taught that many of those who followed Him could not believe in Him unless His Father had chosen them… “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:65).

This is a difficult truth unless we consider it in light of the truth that all are sinners… “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We should be amazed that God has chosen even one of us to be saved… “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). The fact that some in the crowd of His followers believed in Jesus is evidence of God’s grace. Paul was inspired by the Spirit of Truth to affirm that when a sinner repents and believes in Christ, God’s grace is revealed and glorified… “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love  he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:4-6). The fact that anyone can understand and respond to the truth of the gospel is evidence that God’s grace has already quickened them and given them life to believe in Christ… “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6).

As we grow up into Christ the fact that we believe, love, and serve Him is the evidence that God has chosen us and has quickened us to be…

Saved by Grace.