Tag Archives: Gospel of John

Whosoever has Enduring Faith?

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The passage John 3:16 is perhaps the most popular and well known verse in the Scriptures. Most of you reading this probably have the familiar words forming in your mind right now.

For this is the way  God loved the world: He gave his one and only  Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (NET)

Many call it the “gospel in a nutshell”. Max Lucado describes the passage in his book 3:16 as

[a] twenty-six word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions.

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Talkin ’bout regeneration

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One night a Pharisee named Nicodemus visited Jesus. He had seen the miracles that Jesus was doing and knew that He must have been sent by God. We can infer that Nicodemus must have known or at least suspected that these signs were pointing to “the one who is to come” (see Jesus answer to John the Baptist in Matthew 11:2-6). And he probably heard Jesus proclaim that the “kingdom was at hand” (Mark 1:15).

Knowing that Nicodemus’ thoughts were on the kingdom and the coming King, Jesus responds to Nicodemus by telling him (John 3:3 NET):

I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

This statement confused Nicodemus. He did not fully understand what regeneration was or why it was needed. Continue reading →

Another look at those who Come to Jesus

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I agree with John Calvin, writing his two volume commentary on the Gospel of John, when he says that the phrase “come to Christ” is used as a metaphor for believing in Christ. And it would be hard to miss the repetition of the phrase “comes to Me” as one reads through John 6:25-65. Examining these verses we can deduce the following:

  • Everyone that comes to Jesus has been given to Jesus by the Father (37)
  • Everyone that comes to Jesus will not be cast out (37, 39)
  • Everyone that comes to Jesus has eternal life (40, 47, 53, 54)
  • Everyone that comes to Jesus will be raised on the last day (40, 44, 54)
  • Everyone that comes to Jesus is drawn by the Father (44)
  • Everyone that comes to Jesus has heard and learned from the Father (45)
  • Everyone that comes to Jesus has been granted by the Father (65)

A person that comes to Jesus can draw great encouragement from the promises that Jesus makes in John 6. They will have eternal life, will be raised on the last day, and will not be cast out or lost. Continue reading →