On March 5, 1770, shots fired by British soldiers in the streets of Boston sparked the American Revolution. It all began when a merchant angered by repressive legislation confronted a lone British sentry posted in front of the Customs House. Soon an angry crowd gathered and began hurling coal, stones and chunks of ice against a group of quickly assembled British reinforcements. Someone from the crowd threw a wooden club and one of the soldiers fell. At the same time someone else yelled, “Fire!” Assuming the order was given by their captain, the soldiers began to shoot, and five people were killed. John Adams, a respected attorney from nearby Braintree, agreed to lead the defense of the soldiers. During their trial Adams gave a brilliant closing argument that contained a universal truth: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
A Significant Question
To an incredulous and demanding crowd, not unlike the people of our day, the Lord Jesus authoritatively and factually declared: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead” (Joh 6:47-49 KJV).
The Lord Jesus reminded His listeners of their history. Every morning, day after day for 40 years, their ancestors gathered bread – manna – that graciously came down from heaven. “But when the sun grew hot, it melted” (Exo 16:21). While health, a career, our families and so many material needs in this life are important, they will all perish. Soon your life will come to an end, and the vital question is “Where will you spend eternity?” Are you prepared to meet God? (Amo 4:12).
A Singular Moment
Whatever our inclinations or the dictates of our passions, all of us must face the truth of God’s Word. All the sins you have committed in the past, and all that you will ever commit in the future, must be forgiven by God, in a singular moment of time. Ignoring these realities will result in eternal judgment (Heb 9:27). Feeling that these things are not true doesn’t alter the stubborn facts or prepare you to meet God.
By His death on the cross, the Lord Jesus paid the price for sin. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6). This is how our Lord became the bread “from heaven and gives life to the world” (Joh 6:33). Will you acknowledge your sin, and the divine wrath it deserves? Will you trust the Lord Jesus and the sacrifice He made on the cross for your sins?
A Singular Requirement
When the crowd asked what works were required to obtain life-giving bread, the Lord Jesus pointed to a singular requirement: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (Joh 6:29 ESV). The gospel message is not “believe and pray” or “believe and confess sin” or “believe and be baptized.” Believing is the opposite of doing anything; it is simply trusting another. Will you trust the risen Christ now and the work He did on the cross for the forgiveness of all your sins and rejoice in the fact that “he that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (Joh 6:47)?
