“And He said unto them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from Above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I said, therefore, unto you that you shall die in your sins—for, if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sins’.”
John 8:23-24
All eternity hinges on this one thing.
“Who are you?”
That’s the question the Pharisees in the Temple asked Jesus that day (v.25) after forgiving the woman caught in the very act of adultery. They knew He was Joseph and Mary’s son and had been raised in Nazareth; yet, they also knew the Messianic prophecies said the “Coming Anointed One” would come out of Bethlehem (vv.40-42) and evidently weren’t privy to that information, had forgotten it or conveniently chose to overlook it.
No wonder “there was a division among them because of Him” (v.43).
Even as there is to this day.
That’s why it’s important for us to “go into our own houses and search the Scriptures” concerning Who Jesus is and what He came to do (vv.52-53). And, if we come with a simple, sincere heart of faith, we’ll find Him to be everything He professed to be—and, like the Samaritan woman at the well, the One we’ve been looking for all of our lives (Jn. 4:25-26).
Yet, there were still those who searched the Scriptures in order to discredit Jesus and prove He was an imposter (vv.13, 22, 33, 39, 41, 52-53, 57), even as they will those who profess Him as Savior and Lord. We should never be surprised at this—for Jesus said such would happen (Jn. 15:18-25).
That’s why we should not “wrestle with flesh-and-blood” through a “wrangling of words and foolish debates—for these only add to the confusion and more ungodliness” (Eph. 6:12; II Tim. 2:16). Much better is our standing firm on the Word of God and saying, “This one thing I know: I was blind, but now I see; I was dead, but now I’m alive; I was lost, but now I’m found” (Jn. 9:25; Lk. 15:24). Hallelujah!!
And, in the midst of it all we must come back to the central truth in today’s Manna: That there is no other way to God the Father and how to be saved. It’s ONLY through Christ Jesus (Jn. 14:6).
Look at it this way:
Multicultural pluralism sounds good and is pleasant to our ears. It sounds reasonable and inviting: Living together in peace and harmony as one, big, happy family sitting around a campfire singing “Kumbayah, my Lord, kumbayah.”
But, dear Pilgrim, that will never happen in this world—for it’s only Christ’s Blood that can cleanse us from our sins and “break down the middle wall of partition between us, making us all one in Him” (Eph. 2:13-22). Only in Christ. That’s why Jesus said “If you believe not that I am He (the One sent from God), you shall die in your sins.” There’s still only ONE WAY—and woe to those who think otherwise. Help us, Lord, to woo and warn while there’s still time.
August 10, 2011
