John 6:28 Then they said to Him, What shall we do that we may work the works of God? (29) Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe into Him whom He has sent. 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name,
[Part 1 of 2]In John 6:28 a group of people asked the Lord Jesus what they should do that they might work the works of God. They were zealous for God and wanted to do God's work. But they did not know what it was to work the works of God. They thought that once they knew what to do, they could do it. Once the question of "what to do" was settled, they thought that they could engage themselves in God's work. The question of whether or not they could actually do the work was not part of their consideration at all; they only needed to know what to do. Here we see man's desire to participate in God's work. He feels that he can work God's work; he thinks that his ability is great enough to take up God's work. But the Lord's answer was entirely different from man's question. The Lord said, "This is the work of God, that you believe into Him whom He has sent" (v. 29). While man boasted of what he could do, the Lord replied that man ought to believe. Man's trying to do something means that he wants to prove his ability; man's believing means that he acknowledges his inability to do anything. Believing is receiving (John 1:12), and believing into the One whom God sent means believing into the Lord Jesus. There is no question of human merit or human ability. Man cannot do anything; God has done it all. All that man needs to do is receive, stretch out his hand, and take in the Son of God. Faith signifies that God has done all the work; He has given us His only begotten Son. There is no need for man to do anything; all he has to do is accept what God has done.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, General Messages, Vol. 38, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, pp. 263-264. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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