What Do We Have to Do?

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:28-29, New International Version

Too often our religious mind tries to comprehend God's all-sufficient grace. It does this by trying to add to it. You see that we are all hard-wired by our sin-nature to want to "do something" to try to be right with God. We want to "make sure," through our own works, that we are right with God.

Grace does not allow this. When Jesus addresses the people in John 6, they have one simple question, "What must we do to do the works God requires." They had been taught all their lives about the 10 commandments and the 613 "laws" in the Old Testament that would need to be followed. They were checking if Jesus had some other "work" for them.

Jesus answered their simple question with a simple answer, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent." This was just too much for them to fathom. How was it that everything they had to "do" could be "done" by trusting in Jesus? Could grace really settle the issue of a right relationship with Father God?

The Christian faith rests upon this truth. There is nothing we can do to meet the requirements of God except trust in Jesus. This again is the essence of the Bread of Life. When we eat physically, we trust that the food will be sufficient to nourish us. When we "eat" of the Bread of Life, we trust that it will be sufficient to save us, bring us into a right relationship with Father God, and keep us for all eternity in His presence.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that you must do anything to be in a relationship with God beyond trusting/believing in Jesus. Every cult has grace and a plus sign. Only true faith is faith in Christ alone. Let's take a moment to celebrate His grace today.

Love, Pastor Stuart