How does John 6:28 challenge our understanding of faith and action? Setting the Scene John 6 records a crowd chasing Jesus after the miracle of the loaves. Their stomachs are full, their curiosity is high, and they come with a practical, works-oriented mindset. “Then they inquired, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’” (John 6:28) They assume God expects a list of tasks they can accomplish, and they are ready to sign up. The Crowd’s Works-Centered Assumptions • Salvation can be earned by human effort • God is primarily interested in rule-keeping • Spiritual life is measured by visible performance This mindset still surfaces today whenever people try to secure God’s favor through religious checklists, moral achievements, or humanitarian accomplishments. Jesus Redefines the Real “Work” “Jesus replied, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.’” (John 6:29) • Jesus replaces many works with one decisive act: believing Him • Faith itself is called a “work,” yet it is a work produced by God’s initiative, not by human ingenuity • The emphasis shifts from doing for God to receiving from God Faith Is an Action—But of a Different Kind • Faith is not passive agreement; it actively trusts, rests, leans, and relies on Christ • Hebrews 11:6 echoes this: “Without faith it is impossible to please God…” • Romans 3:28 underlines the same truth: “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” Faith First, Works Follow Ephesians 2:8-10 keeps the order clear: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” • Grace initiates • Faith receives • Good works flow afterward as God-prepared fruit James 2:17 adds balance: “Faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.” Authentic faith inevitably produces obedience, service, and love, yet those actions never earn salvation—they express it. God at Work in the Believer Philippians 2:12-13 shows both sides in harmony: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good pleasure.” • Believers actively “work out” what God has “worked in” • Divine power fuels human obedience, ensuring that faith and action are inseparable yet correctly ordered Key Takeaways for Today • John 6:28 challenges any performance-based approach to God • The singular “work” God requires is believing in Jesus, a response made possible by His own grace • True faith manifests itself in grateful, Spirit-empowered action—never to earn favor, always to display it • Rest in Christ’s finished work, then walk in the good works He prepared, confident that “He saved us, not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy” (Titus 3:5). |
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