John
6:27-29 KJV
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for
him hath God the Father sealed.
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the
works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that
ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
We know that we are saved
"by grace through faith and that not of
ourselves, it is a gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast."[1]
There is no salvation that may be obtained through human effort. But Jesus
does say that there is a labor for us and a work we are to do in eternal life;
it is to believe.
In an abstract sense, there is
work, hard work in believing. It requires a complete release of our own deeds
and good works. It requires an utter abandonment of all that the flesh and the
world have taught us concerning our own destinies. We are not the instruments
of our own salvation. We are saved exclusively of any good deeds or work on our
part. We are saved through the gift of God in Christ or not at all.
This is a hard pill to swallow
and one that would like to come back up, leaving us again to work out our own
merits.
It is a difficult work to rest
in the work of another.
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