PRIORITY AND PERSON OF SALVATION

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:27 NKJV).

Many of the people were following the Lord Jesus simply because He had fed them bread for their stomachs. The Lord rebuked them, explaining to them where they need to place the emphasis. In His rebuke, He spoke of the priority in life and the person for life.

Priority in life – “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life.” The word “labor” carries the idea of putting forth great effort. It is used here to illustrate the need to put great emphasis on our soul’s salvation. It does not mean that we are not to work for our daily bread. Rather, it means we are to put the greatest emphasis in life on our soul’s needs. Spiritual food is more important than physical food. Yet the focus of so many folks is mainly on this life and not the next life. However, in this life, the main emphasis should be on the hereafter not the here-and-now.

Person for life – “Everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” The source of spiritual food is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of eternal life. This speaks of two things about the Lord Jesus. First, the grace in Christ: “Will give you.” Everlasting life is a gift. Our verse does not teach salvation by works. The word “labor” is only used figuratively to show the earnestness we need to put into our soul’s eternal welfare. Salvation comes as a gift of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). Second, the genuineness of Christ: “God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Bakers in the time of the Lord Jesus put a mark (seal) on their bread to insure it was genuine and of high quality. Similarly, God has put His seal on the Lord Jesus to inform us that He is genuine, attested, approved. The proof of the Lord Jesus’ claims is abundant (cf. Acts 1:3).

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The certainty of our salvation rests on the character of God!”

Frederick Brotherton (F.B.) Meyer (1847 – 1929)

English Baptist Pastor, Author and Evangelist

Word Study

False circumcision

In Phil 3:2 we read, “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision” (NASB).

“False circumcision” is the Greek word katatomḗ (κατατομή = kat-at-om-ay'). It is made up of two words: “kata” which is an intensifier, and “temno” which means to cut. Thus, the word literally means a cutting down or a mutilation. In classical Greek, katatomḗ meant an incision in one’s skin, a groove or notch in a stone. It was also used for the cutting up of a piece of meat. In the Septuagint, the verb form katatemno was used to describe the mutilation that pagans performed as part of their religious rituals. In the New Testament, katatomḗ also carried the idea of mutilation. Here in Phil. 3:2, the apostle Paul is warning the Philippian believers to beware of the Judaizers who were trying to “mutilate” the gospel or cut away its power by preaching Christ plus works, Jewish ritual, law, tradition. These false teachers had so distorted the meaning of circumcision that it had become nothing more than a useless cutting of the body.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV).

Did You Know…

According to Prov. 22:1, having a good name or finding loving favor is better than having great riches and silver and gold.

Bible Quiz

Where was Jonah when he prayed to God with the voice of thanksgiving?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: In the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, what did the Pharisee thank God for? That he was not sinful like other men (Luke 18:11).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“WITNESS”

"Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people” (Isa. 55:4 NJKV).

Meaning – WITNESS refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who speaks truthfully, and testifies of the will of God to the world

Insights – The Lord Jesus came from God to reveal the truth to us: the truth about God and man. He provided the ultimate witness of the Father (John 3:11) and stood faithful in His witness when on trial before Pilate (cf. 1 Tim. 6:13). The Person God gives as a witness to the peoples of the world is the Messiah who fulfills God’s promise to David. And because the Lord Jesus is the “Faithful and True Witness” (cf. Prov. 14:5, 25; Rev. 3:14), believers can depend on His promises. But more importantly, the Lord Jesus provides the perfect model for Christians who will suffer and bear witness for Him (Rev. 19:10).

Did You Know – Christian History

Philip Paul Bliss was born July 9, 1838 in Hollywood, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. He was an American composer, conductor, hymn writer, and Gospel singer.

Bliss had little formal education. He was taught from the Bible by his mother. At age 11, Bliss left home to make his own living. He worked on farms, in timber camps and sawmills. While working, he irregularly went to school to further his education. Bliss was converted at a revival meeting at age twelve. He became an itinerant music teacher, making house calls on horseback during the winter, and during the summer attending the Normal Academy of Music in Genesco, New York.

Bliss had a superb voice. One day he attended one of Dwight L. Moody’s revival services. The song leader was absent and the music was weak. Bliss’s voice stood out in the congregational singing. As the crowd was leaving, Moody shook hands, including the hand of Bliss who promised to help in the singing at the theater meetings. Moody encouraged Bliss to become a singing evangelist. By this time also, Bliss had already written many Christian hymns. Among the familiar hymns he authored were “Hold the Fort,” “Almost Persuaded,” “Hallelujah! What a Savior!” and “Jesus Loves Even Me.” He also wrote the music to “It Is Well with My Soul.”

On December 29, 1876, a train pulled out of the station at Ashtabula, Ohio and was puffing its way across a trestle. Suddenly the passengers heard a terrible cracking sound. The trestle snapped and eleven rail cars plunged seventy feet down into a watery ravine. Of the 159 passengers in those cars, 92 were killed and most of the rest suffered serious injuries. Among the dead was a young couple, Philip and Lucy Bliss, on their way to one of Moody’s meetings. Ironically, the night before his death, Bliss had sung “I’m going home tomorrow” while he spent “the happiest Christmas he had ever known” with family. Moody was among those who mourned the loss of Bliss.

After Bliss’s death, those who opened his surviving luggage found words of a new song he had written. James McGranahan set this to music and it remains another favorite of the remarkable songwriter: “I will sing of my redeemer, and His wondrous love to me.” Other well-known hymns by Bliss include: “Let the Lower Lights Be burning,” and “Wonderful Words of Life.”

A Little Humor

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’ Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“It’s tragic to know Psalm 23 but not know the Shepherd!”