Based on John 8:21-47 (New King James Version)
“Then Jesus said to them again, ‘I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.’ So the Jews said, ‘Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?’ And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’ Then they said to Him, ‘Who are You?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.’ They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.’ As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. ‘I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.’ They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.’ Then they said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
In order to have a true relationship with the Lord, our faith must go beyond just believing if a person truly wants to obtain God's forgiveness and salvation. It is a mistake to think that one should just believe in the Lord, and that based on that, one can obtain eternal life. As we could see in this passage, there were many of the Jews who came to believe in Him, as the Scripture says: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him…” But they had serious problems, because the Scriptures say that they even wanted to kill Him. How can it be that they believed in Him, and yet, that they wanted to kill Him at the same time?
The issue with just believing in the Lord is that it does not mean that they accept Him as such. They came to believe in Him because His miracles were undeniable. They could not deny certain realities because they were palpable and obvious. So, it was impossible not to believe in Him. Could these Jews deny all the miracles He had done, such things that they saw with their own eyes, even raising Lazarus before all the people after he had been dead for four days? No. So, yes, they could very easily come to believe in Him. But, because a person believed in the ability that the Lord had, it did not mean that they accepted or received Him, and that is the problem. For example, the Word says this: “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:18-20. So, just because demons believe in God, does that mean that belief saves them from their eternal sentence? Impossible. Why? For the same prior reason, because the power of God is undeniable, but not being able to deny the greatness of God does not save anyone.
So, what should be the difference? How does one go above and beyond in order to obtain much-needed forgiveness and salvation? A person must not only believe in Christ, but should have such faith in Him that that faith compels them to complete obedience and subjection to the Lord. They must receive the Lord, as it is written: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12. And what does God command each person to do, without exception? There are three fundamental things that must happen: 1) complete repentance and conversion from all sin, without reservations, without exceptions, 2) accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your literal Lord, as the supreme authority in your life, and 3) follow that Lord as He is, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. The Word also says this: “…and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” John 13:20b. And what does receiving Him consist of? The Word also tells us this: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.’ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” John 6:53-66. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood means to become one with the Lord, and in such a way that a person lets the fulness of His Word enter and do whatever It needs to do, no matter what, at whatever cost, without reservations or impediments. This is the great difference between believing in Him and receiving Him. So then, have you not only come to believe in Christ, but also become one with Him? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.