Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. … For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
In the Synoptic Gospels there is a record of Jesus being asked by a rich young man: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18.18; also, Matthew 19.16 and Mark 10.17). Indeed, it may well be the central question of the Gospels. The question is at the heart of Scripture’s record of redemption. It begins with creation, humanity’s fall, and the expulsion from God’s immediate presence in Eden, and culminates in the New Jerusalem when fellowship with God is fully restored. The question echoes throughout the Old and New Testaments (e.g. Job 25.4; Psalm 15; Acts 16.30; John 6.28). At its heart are the questions of whence and whither (where I came from and where am I going). If the future is only the grave and the only hope one has is in this present physical life, then wherein does a person find value and meaning in life? Is there anything that transcends the grave? The apostle Paul wrote: If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15.19).
Most people desire to live a purposeful and meaningful life; yet much of what we observe in Western culture reflects a philosophy of living for the moment. Sadly, little thought is given to what is true. It is the paradox of the “urbane” Western educational and political worldview. It breeds a generation of sinners who amuse themselves in life and die; while, ironically, Christians concern themselves with death and live. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9.27-28, cf. Matthew 10.26-33).
The apostle John poses the same question in a slightly different format. On the hillside overlooking the sea of Galilee Jesus had fed 5,000 men and their families with five loaves and two fish. Afterward, Jesus withdrew to the neighboring mountains to be alone and the disciples got into a boat to make their way back to Capernaum where they expected to meet up with Jesus. They were beset by a night storm and became frightened. At that point they saw Jesus walking across the water. As he entered the boat he said to them “It is I; do not be afraid.”
The following day, the people who had been the beneficiaries of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the multitude followed him to this lakeside village with the intent of pressing him into service as their king. Jesus responds by warning them not to work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which only the Son of Man can give them because God has placed his seal of approval on him. At this point they ask the question “What must we do to do the works that God requires?”
Jesus answers their query saying that the work of God is this, to believe in the one he has sent. This answer seems, at a cursory glance, to be very different from that recorded in the Synoptic Gospels which focused on specific acts of self-abnegation (cf. Matthew 19.21: Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?). Interestingly, in the Matthean passage this encounter is followed by the parable of the kingdom of heaven being like the landowner going out to hire men to work in the vineyard (Matthew 20.1-16). Afterward, Jesus, as in the other two Synoptic Gospels, relates Jesus’ foretelling his death for a third time. The significance of the Matthean juxtaposition of the pericopes is that, like John’s Gospel, it accentuates the necessity of God’s work of grace over any good work meriting salvation.
Look again at Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell all and to follow. There is no suggestion that if he does this he will merit salvation; to the contrary, Jesus asks him to do the very thing he knows he will not do. Thus, Jesus demonstrates that all men are unable to procure their own salvation. If that is the case then the logical question follows: who then can be saved? Jesus replies that with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible. This is reinforced by a parable about the kingdom of heaven in which workers are hired at various times throughout the day to work in the master’s vineyard. At the end of the day each man is paid the same amount. It is clear from this passage that God does not recompense men for their labor, but in keeping with the abundance of his grace.
In John’s Gospel, the question is plural and is being asked on behalf of the group. Jesus’ answer emphasizes the importance of believing in the one that God has sent. However, John has a very definitive idea of what it means to believe (Gk πιστεύω pisteuo) in the Lord Jesus Christ. Fundamentally, Johannine belief entails surrender, complete commitment, trust, and reliance on Christ alone. The word is used more than 70 times in John’s Gospel and is never divorced from the act of obedience (cf. Romans 16.26; John 14.23). Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and WWII martyr, wrote in his book The Cost of Discipleship that “… only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient, truly believes.”
Throughout the gospels Jesus calls individuals to follow him; he does not rally them around an ideal or a philosophy. Consequently, being a disciple of Christ is relational; it is contingent upon being in fellowship with Jesus. It is not enough to admire, respect, or esteem the things Jesus stands for, you must love him, and this you cannot do without the Holy Spirit who sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts (Romans 5.5). Oswald Chambers writes, in his devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest: “Whenever the Holy Ghost sees a chance of glorifying Jesus, he will take your heart, your nerves, your whole personality, and simply make you blaze and glow with devotion to Jesus Christ.” A Johannine understanding of belief is more than intellectual assent; it is a surrender to the Holy Spirit’s work, so that your love for Christ blots out every competing affection (cp. Matthew 10.34-39).
An addendum: Sampling of John’s Emphasis on Believing.
Most people desire to live a purposeful and meaningful life; yet much of what we observe in Western culture reflects a philosophy of living for the moment. Sadly, little thought is given to what is true. It is the paradox of the “urbane” Western educational and political worldview. It breeds a generation of sinners who amuse themselves in life and die; while, ironically, Christians concern themselves with death and live. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9.27-28, cf. Matthew 10.26-33).
The apostle John poses the same question in a slightly different format. On the hillside overlooking the sea of Galilee Jesus had fed 5,000 men and their families with five loaves and two fish. Afterward, Jesus withdrew to the neighboring mountains to be alone and the disciples got into a boat to make their way back to Capernaum where they expected to meet up with Jesus. They were beset by a night storm and became frightened. At that point they saw Jesus walking across the water. As he entered the boat he said to them “It is I; do not be afraid.”
The following day, the people who had been the beneficiaries of Jesus’ miracle of feeding the multitude followed him to this lakeside village with the intent of pressing him into service as their king. Jesus responds by warning them not to work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which only the Son of Man can give them because God has placed his seal of approval on him. At this point they ask the question “What must we do to do the works that God requires?”
Jesus answers their query saying that the work of God is this, to believe in the one he has sent. This answer seems, at a cursory glance, to be very different from that recorded in the Synoptic Gospels which focused on specific acts of self-abnegation (cf. Matthew 19.21: Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?). Interestingly, in the Matthean passage this encounter is followed by the parable of the kingdom of heaven being like the landowner going out to hire men to work in the vineyard (Matthew 20.1-16). Afterward, Jesus, as in the other two Synoptic Gospels, relates Jesus’ foretelling his death for a third time. The significance of the Matthean juxtaposition of the pericopes is that, like John’s Gospel, it accentuates the necessity of God’s work of grace over any good work meriting salvation.
Look again at Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell all and to follow. There is no suggestion that if he does this he will merit salvation; to the contrary, Jesus asks him to do the very thing he knows he will not do. Thus, Jesus demonstrates that all men are unable to procure their own salvation. If that is the case then the logical question follows: who then can be saved? Jesus replies that with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible. This is reinforced by a parable about the kingdom of heaven in which workers are hired at various times throughout the day to work in the master’s vineyard. At the end of the day each man is paid the same amount. It is clear from this passage that God does not recompense men for their labor, but in keeping with the abundance of his grace.
In John’s Gospel, the question is plural and is being asked on behalf of the group. Jesus’ answer emphasizes the importance of believing in the one that God has sent. However, John has a very definitive idea of what it means to believe (Gk πιστεύω pisteuo) in the Lord Jesus Christ. Fundamentally, Johannine belief entails surrender, complete commitment, trust, and reliance on Christ alone. The word is used more than 70 times in John’s Gospel and is never divorced from the act of obedience (cf. Romans 16.26; John 14.23). Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and WWII martyr, wrote in his book The Cost of Discipleship that “… only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient, truly believes.”
Throughout the gospels Jesus calls individuals to follow him; he does not rally them around an ideal or a philosophy. Consequently, being a disciple of Christ is relational; it is contingent upon being in fellowship with Jesus. It is not enough to admire, respect, or esteem the things Jesus stands for, you must love him, and this you cannot do without the Holy Spirit who sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts (Romans 5.5). Oswald Chambers writes, in his devotional classic, My Utmost for His Highest: “Whenever the Holy Ghost sees a chance of glorifying Jesus, he will take your heart, your nerves, your whole personality, and simply make you blaze and glow with devotion to Jesus Christ.” A Johannine understanding of belief is more than intellectual assent; it is a surrender to the Holy Spirit’s work, so that your love for Christ blots out every competing affection (cp. Matthew 10.34-39).
An addendum: Sampling of John’s Emphasis on Believing.
- to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–1.12
- Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name–2.23
- that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life–3.15-17
- “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life”–5.24
- “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?”–5.44
- The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent–6.29
- Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”–6.34
- “For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life”–6.40
- “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life;”–6.47
- “Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him–6.64
- We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God–6.69
- I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins–8.24
- you do not believe because you are not my sheep–10.26
- “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does”–10.37
- “Whoever believes in me, does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me–12.44
- these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name–20.31
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