The Bible records in John 6:41-68 the discussion between the Jewish leaders and Jesus concerning who Jesus is.
Because Jesus grew up among them, and they know His parents (Joseph and Mary), the Jews could not grasp that Jesus said He came down from heaven, sent from the Father to be the bread of life from heaven, to be the way to the Father. Jesus told the Jews that His words are spirit and life (Jesus’ words provide spiritual life – The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament Edition, page 298, Walvoord & Zuck), yet there we some among them who did not believe, and that no one could come to Him unless the Father enable them.
It was from this point that many of His disciples no longer followed Him. Jesus asked His twelve disciples if they were going to leave as well. Peter answered “to where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
What is the significance of this statement? Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s instruction to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, sin and death entered the world (God told Adam that the day they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would certainly die (Genesis 2:15-17); physical death now would eventually happen, however, death in the Bible relates to separation from God; mankind is now separated from God under the curse of sin.
The sin of Adam (the first created human, and the one God specifically gave the command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), has been passed down to us (Romans 5:12). As a result when we are born, we are born we are dead in our sins separated from God (Ephesians 2:1); in other words when we are born into this physical world we are born into the power or domain of Satan (the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) from which we need to be rescued from (Colossians 1:13).
The Bible taken as a whole is “the glorious light of the Good News…the message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4) (New Living Translation). Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1), and His Word tells us that while we were yet sinners and enemies of God, Jesus Christ died for us. Those who put their faith in Jesus for salvation, have their relationship with God restored, and are saved from the wrath of God (Romans 5:1-10). King David wrote that it is the LORD who shows us the way to life, that in the LORD’s presence is found fullness of joy and the pleasures of living with Him forever (Psalm 16:11).
The Bible records in the Old Testament words about the Messiah (the one who would save us from our sins) that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ and that forgiveness of sins would be given to those who repent (Luke 24:44-47).
Repentance is a change of mind, to change direction; to turn from sin walking away from God, to turn back to God through Jesus Christ. The New Testament book of Acts tells us that in repentance and returning to God sins are wiped away in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19).
God communicates to us in Psalm 1:1-3 that a person is on level ground, right, happy who delights in God’s Word and meditates on God’s Word day and night; this person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does he prospers. The picture is we can be like the tree that is given an eternal supply of water to keep it alive and vibrant forever.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) and it is through His words we read in the Bible that we can find the life He came to give us (John 10:10). It’s in turning from our sin to Jesus Christ that we live, that we find times of refreshing and fullness of Joy in the presence of the LORD.
Next we will look at how in the presence of the LORD, delighting in His Word, and meditating on His Word day and night, that His Word gives us life in our physical day to day lives.
To be continued…
