August 28, 2019
READING TIME: 5-8 MINUTES
David, what’s the “work of God” in John 6:28-29?
SUMMARY: Believing in Jesus Christ for salvation requires simple faith.
The question reflects a typical Jewish mindset of that time which assumed something had to be done to earn salvation.
Jesus answers simply, “This is the work of God…” Jesus does not concede to their request for a list of works, but in a play on their request for “works,” He uses only the singular word “work” as something that must be done. In other words, He answers, “If you want to know what you have to do to become acceptable to God, simply believe in the Me whom He sent.” Jesus gives nothing else to “do” but believe; that is all that God commands and all that God requires (cf. 1 John 3:23).
In a world full of religions that all have a different list of things to do to know God, get to heaven, or find salvation, how refreshing it is that Jesus teaches we must only and simply believe that He was sent by God to be our Savior from sin. If biblical Christianity loses this clear teaching, we become like all the other religions of the world that teach we must work to earn our eternal salvation.
What the Gospel is NOT
Here are some invitations and practices that will confuse people who need only to believe.
Give your heart (or life) to God.
The issue in salvation is not what we give to God, but what He gives to us – eternal life (John 4:10). He doesn’t want your “dead-in-trespasses and sins” life. This invitation better reflects the issue of sanctification. It is a good exhortation to the Christian on how to live for and serve God. But it will confuse the unbeliever.
Make Jesus the Lord of your life.
…or Put Jesus on the throne of your life. Surrender (or commit) your life to Jesus as Lord.
In other words, give Him control of all areas of your life. While these invitations recommend something commendable for the Christian, they do not speak to the non-Christian. They assume that an unbeliever understands enough about God’s will to decide to give Christ control of all areas of his life.
Second, they do not speak to the issue in salvation, which is believing in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior from sin and Giver of eternal life. To believe is not to surrender, yield, or commit one’s life to Christ; it is to be convinced that Christ’s promise to give eternal life is true for the one who trusts Him for it.
Third, spare the effort. No person can do this. The Bible says God the Father “has made this Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Of course, Jesus is Lord! But He is Lord whether we accept Him as such or not.
This language misleads unbelievers when used as a condition for salvation. Lordship decisions are decisions for Christian obedience made by believers in the light of transforming grace (Titus 2:11-12), not something done to merit that grace (Titus 3:4-7). Sometimes we hear “If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” Would somebody please tell me what this saying means
Fourth, has anyone accomplished this? It is a commendable admonition for a believer, but again is misleading to use with an unbeliever as a condition for salvation. It is better to deal with this issue after a person understands the issue of faith in Christ for salvation.
Ask Jesus into your heart.
…or Open the door of your heart. Invite Christ into your heart (or life).
These three invitations reflect a misunderstanding of Revelation 3:20, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.” A couple of observations about this verse: 1) Jesus doesn’t say he is knocking at the door of one’s heart. More appropriately, Jesus is knocking at the door of the Laodicean church to whom this letter is addressed. 2) Because they are a church, the issue is not eternal salvation, but a restoration of fellowship between Christ and the church, or individuals in the church. Eating together is a common biblical picture of fellowship (Acts 2:42, 46).
The issue in salvation is not us inviting Jesus Christ to do anything. Rather, it is He who invites us to believe in Him.
Indeed, the heart is universally understood as the very essence of our being and person. But in this phrase, the issue of trust in Jesus as one who died in our place is hardly communicated. And wouldn’t this be confusing to a child who thinks concretely instead of abstractly? James Dobson related this story on a radio broadcast: As a mother drove her young daughter in the car, Mom was explaining what it meant to have Jesus in her heart. The little girl leaned over and put her ear to her mother’s chest. “I’m listening to Jesus in your heart,” said the daughter. “What did you hear?” asked the Mom. The little girl replied, “Sounds to me like He’s making coffee!”
Repent of your sins or forsake your old ways
While it could be argued that when one believes in Christ he repents (changes his mind) about several things (e.g., his sinful condition, who Jesus is, what Jesus offers, that the offer is true for him), repentance in the sense of turning from all sins is not a condition for eternal salvation. Not only does this confuse the root (change of mind) with the fruit (change of conduct), but it makes one’s conduct a condition for salvation. We are not saved by what we do or no longer do, but by believing. A person could turn from their sins and yet not be saved because they have not believed in Christ.
Plus, if by this it is meant that we must turn from every individual sin in our lives, then salvation and assurance would be impossible.
Confess your sins or make a public profession.
To a priest? How many sins? What about ones that are overlooked, forgotten, unintentional, or by omission? This is confusing. We must all acknowledge, of course, that we are sinners before God, and we confess this to Him when we agree with Him that we are, indeed, sinners. We are saved from something, and that is our sin. But the above statement implies our problem is specific individual acts rather than our sinful position or nature. God wants to cure the cause, not the symptoms.
One can confess or agree with God that he has sinned, but that is not enough to save him. The sinner must agree with God that He has provided for his sin’s penalty through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ and that He will then give him eternal life. And that is exactly what it means to believe in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior.
Receive (accept) Jesus Christ as your Savior.
There is some biblical support for this language (John 1:12; Col 2:6), but receiving Christ in these passages describes the result of believing in Him, as the contexts show. “Accept Christ” is not used in the Bible for believing in Christ. Further, the context of both passages also refers to faith as the condition for salvation.
Pray this prayer.
This can give the impression that a certain prayer is necessary for salvation. But prayer is not the condition for receiving eternal life. It’s fine if somebody wants to express their faith through prayer, but it’s vital to make it clear to the unbeliever that it’s the faith alone that saves not the prayer. No prayer or any other practice or ritual can save. This is found nowhere in the Bible. Where do you find anyone in Scripture leading someone else in prayer to be saved? Nowhere!
Come forward.
The issue is not getting out of your seat, but coming to Christ by faith in Him alone (John 6:35-40).
Believing and keeping the Ten Commandments
God never designed the Ten Commandments to be a way of salvation, but to show us our sin and need of the Savior (Romans 3:20, 3:28; Gal. 2:16, 21, 3:10, 3:24-26).
Making a commitment to Christ
Salvation is not assured by your promise/pledge to Christ but on God’s promise/pledge to you (1 John 2:25, 5:13).
Sources Used
Anderson, David R. Free Grace Soteriology: 3rd Edition. Grace Theology Press, 178-180, 189-190.
Bing, Charles C. Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages. Grace Theology Press, 122-123.
________. GraceNotes #30, #38, #40, #42, #46, #48, #73.
________. Simply by Grace: An Introduction to God’s Life-Changing Gift. Kregel Publications. Kindle Edition, pages 149-152.
________. “Why Lordship Faith Misses the Mark for Salvation.” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 12 (Spring 1999): 29.
Brookes, James H. How to Be Saved or the Sinner Directed to the Saviour (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1967), 53-54.
Hixson, Whitmire, Zuck. Freely by His Grace: Classical Grace Theology. Grace Gospel Press.
Duluth Bible Church. “Wrong Gospel Responses.”
Hixson, J.B., Whitmire, Rick, Zuck, Roy B. editors. Freely by His Grace: Classical Grace Theology. Grace Gospel Press. Chapters 3 & 7.
Hixson, J.B. “What the Gospel is NOT.”