“That Ye Might Be Saved”

John 5: 30-36

30. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

31. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.

32. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.

33. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.

34. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.

35. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.

36. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

T

he Lord is telling us that all that He presents to us is for the purpose of us having salvation. Even the suffering that He endured was not for anything that He needed, but rather, that “(we) might be saved.”

We know the severity of the punishment that Jesus suffered, but do we know from this Who He was? We will answer, in most cases, “yes,” but if pressed, would come to understand that we have very limited knowledge.

Why would we say this? Because His suffering was part of the plan for Mankind, both in the sense that our salvation could not be completed without it and because in all things, He is our example. Therefore, if He “suffered” (i.e. denied Himself), so must we.

Though we can know and acknowledge that our lives are guided and controlled by the Lord, we have a tendency (as “human” beings) to look at and for the “worst-case scenarios” in our situations. In other words, whatever we feel our “problem” is, we will look at the worst possible outcome and begin to accept that.

Those with an undeveloped understanding of (or, an unwillingness to accept the truth of Who God is) come to believe that when something unpleasant happens, Jesus is “out-of-control.” I will assure you that Jesus has never been “out- of-control.” No matter how a situation may present itself, the God Who has allowed it is “in control” at all times and is very much aware of every occurrence. Just because we may not “have a clue” is no indication of what God knows.

We already know that that which the Lord allows to come to us comes solely for the purpose of showing us who we are and giving us the opportunity to change. Our “problem” is that we want “things” to change, but not at the expense of us changing.

We have reached a period and entered an era in the history of the Church in which we must be willing to deal with truth in order to be saved. This will take all forms, from truth about “us” to truth about God and His operation in the Church.

It was, John, himself, who wrote that his witness was His work. What he meant by this was that not only did he talk the “walk,” but also he actually walked it! You see, we will “talk,” but frequently, not want to sacrifice in order to back it up.

Do you know why the Lord rarely works out things according to our “timetable?” So that (we) might be saved. You see, the time in which we think things should be “worked out” is not always the time. But, one thing is certain: we never have to wait on God. In His infinite wisdom, He knows each of us from the beginning and orchestrates everything in our lives to bring us to the realization and understanding of our great need of Him. So, “looking back over our lives” and wondering what “it” all “meant” should make sense to us now. Because we know Him, we can take comfort in the fact that no experience has ever been “wasted” or without cause, but all was allowed to occur “that (we) might be saved.”