Judges 10, Judges 11, John 6:25-59, Psalm 78:1-8
John 6: 28-29 (ESV)
“Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the
works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you
believe in him whom he has sent.”
In verses 28 and 29 from John 6 Jesus answer the question from
the crowd, who followed him after the feeding
of the 5,000, when they asked him what they must do to do the works of God. Jesus
tells them that they need to believe in him whom God sent, which is Jesus
Christ. In other words, Jesus told them if they want to do the work of God, they
need to do anything but first trust him. The Jewish people were used to
following the laws of Moses, which were based on performing good works and
adhering the laws in the Torah or the first five books Old Testament. Adhering
to the laws and doing good works was a pathway to righteousness. The authors of
my Bible study wrote that in verse 29, Jesus redefined “work” not as a series
of actions but as a single act of faith. Jesus was in essence telling the crowd
that salvation is by faith and not be works.
This belief or faith means a personal trust and reliance on
Jesus. Jesus shifted the focus of belief from human work and adherence to the
law to divine grace and faith to achieve righteousness. Jesus wants us to have a personal relationship
with him, where we trust and believe in his identity and his mission. In shift
to divine grace and faith, Jesus made righteousness accessible to all regardless
of works, background, and status. Belief in Jesus will transform every area of
our life by influencing our decision, our actions, and interactions with other
people.
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