John 6:25-29 (WEL) When they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered and said to them, “Very truly, I say to you, ‘You are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate the loaves and were satisfied. 27 “‘Do not work for the food which spoils, but for the food that endures into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you because the Father, God, has affixed his seal on him.’” 28 Then they said to him, “What can we do, so that we can work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “The work of God is this: that you believe in the one he sent.”
V25 When they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
This is a natural question, but for Jesus this was an opportunity to witness and teach.
Principle: even every day conversations can be a springboard to a conversation about the Gospel, a belief, a Bible verse, etc.
V26 Jesus answered and said to them, “Very truly, I say to you, ‘You are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate the loaves and were satisfied.
Jesus is the light; light exposes; Jesus exposed their real motives, desires, and actions.
It is a type of warning that these people are seeking for the wrong things in life.
Principle: We can point out people’s sins in a general conversation rather than an angry accusation.
V27 “‘Do not work for the food which spoils, but for the food that endures into eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you because the Father, God, has affixed his seal on him.’”
Jesus begins to teach on what is really important.
Physical food spoils. Spiritual food from God never spoils, and it leads to spiritual life that lasts eternally.
The only source of the food Jesus recommends is God.
God the Holy Spirit gave the words of the Bible to us. It is the only source of 100% truth. Compare Isaiah 55:2 and John 6:51.
Jesus has God the Father’s Seal of Approval. Compare Mark 1:11, Mark 9:7, and 2 Peter 1:16-18.
V28 Then they said to him, “What can we do, so that we can work the works of God?”
Their question, “If we are not to work for physical food, how do we work for spiritual food?”
V29 Jesus answered and said to them, “The work of God is this: that you believe in the one he sent.”
Jesus replies, “The only work that saves is to believe in me. I have been sent from God as Messiah.”
“You want to do the works of God? Then, do this work: keep on believing the one whom He sent.”
Comments:
Warren W. Wiersbe:
“The people picked up the word labor and misinterpreted it to mean they had to work for salvation. They completely missed the word give. Steeped in legalistic religion, they thought they had to “do something” to merit eternal life. Jesus made it clear that only one “work” was necessary — to believe on the Savior. When a person believes on Christ, he is not performing a good work that earns him salvation. There is certainly no credit in believing, for it is what God does in response to our faith that is important.”
Pulpit Commentary: ‘Observe, not “works,” but “work”—the one work which is the germ and the consummation of all the partial workings which are often made substitutes for it. There is “one work” which God would have man do. Jesus admits that there is something to do (ποιεῖν)—there is a labour, an effort of the will needed to do what God requires; and this is evident enough as soon as this great work is described, viz. That ye believe on him whom he (the Father) sent; or, hath sent. Ἵνα πιστεύητε, here preferred by the R.T. to πιστεύσητε (see John 13:19), marks the simple fact and continuous act of believing with the effort tending to such result; while the aorist would have pointed to one definite act of faith (see Westcott). To “believe on him,” to habitually entrust one’s self to the power and grace of Christ, to make a full moral surrender of the soul to the Lord, includes in itself all other work, and is in itself the great work of God. “It is the Christian answer to the Jewish question” (Thoma). “Faith is the life of works, works the necessity of faith” (Westcott). “Faith is the highest kind of work, for by it man gives himself to God, and a free being can do nothing greater than give himself: St. James opposes work to a faith which would be nothing but intellectual belief. St. Paul opposes faith, active faith, to works of mere observance. The ’faith’ of St. Paul is really the ’work’ of St. James, according to this sovereign formula of Jesus, ’This is the work of God, that ye believe’” (Godet).”
This work is not God’s work but a work that God requires. Romans 4:1-5 (WEL) What will we say then that Abraham, our father according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified because of works, he has reason to boast but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness [Genesis 15:6].” 4 Now, for the one who works, wages are not considered to be a gift, but something owed. 5 But for the one who doesn’t work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.”
God initiates salvation and requires one “work,” which is to believe in Jesus Christ, who He is, His message, and everything about Him.
Robert Picirilli, in his book Grace, Faith, Free Will, states the following about saving faith:
- The capacity to believe is from God.
- The possibility of believing is from God.
- The content of belief – the gospel truth – is from God.
- The persuasion of truth which one believes is from God.
- The enabling of the individual to believe is from God.
- But the believing itself can only be done by no one other than the person who is called on to believe the gospel.
We learn:
- My works do not earn salvation.
- God does all the “work” of salvation but decrees salvation based on my faith.
Questions:
- Are you saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone?
- Do you read and study your Bible every day for your spiritual food?