February 20 Belief is Life

John 8:21-27 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” 22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” 23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 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.” 25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been claiming all along,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” 27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”  
 
JESUS continues to preach to the Jews, “I am going away.” But they are confused about why and where he is going. They even wonder, “Will he kill himself?” This demonstrates the great divide between heaven and the world. This gap between sin and faith is deadly, “You will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
   Notice the Teacher said, “sin” here and not “sins” as in verse 24. What is the difference? The “sin” is unbelief. Not knowing, “Who are you?” people will live in their sins and die in their sins. Not knowing Jesus, one can never know that Jesus has gone to heaven. Unbelief keeps us eternally away from Jesus.   
   John was urgent to repeat Jesus’ words (also recorded in John 13 & 14). As his life drew to a close, he wrote to convince unbelieving Jews, “Jesus is Lord.” Jesus, too, had a limited time to teach. Both knew that some would come to believe in Jesus crucified, died, buried, raised and ascended. Many Jews would come to faith to know, “Who is he?”
   The Light of the World spoke to illuminate his identity to the world. The world does not naturally know Jesus. That is why the church – you and me – today is to be as John. Individually and corporately, we must urgently repeat and proclaim Jesus’ identity. Yes, we must even teach, “You will die in the sin of unbelief.” because that is the truth. If the church is not willing to do this, we, too, will be counted among the unbelievers.
   Think of it. If Jesus had not said these things, how would we know true faith? How could we know now where Jesus has gone? The truth is hard to speak because our ministry is to those who are, like we once were, from below. Look up, though, to the One from above. Be saved in faithful belief that Jesus is Lord. Be loving to tell the world.
 
Prayer: Remove from my mind, Lord, anything that keeps me from fully believing in you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.