8.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• Only those people who believe in Jesus Christ have peace with God.
• The Spirit and the Word of God must work together to create faith in a person’s heart.
• We can be sure about the good news of Jesus Christ, because:
  - There were witnesses who were with Jesus Christ and who could tell everyone what they saw and heard. Their message was written down in the books of the New Testament.
  - The Old Testament and the New Testament tell one story: the story of Jesus Christ, who came to save sinners like you and me.
• When the Holy Spirit gives you faith, he also gives you new life.
• A believer’s life is not easy, but it is full of comfort.

8.2 John 6:63-70a←⤒🔗

^6:63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

^6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

^6:65 So Jesus added, “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.”

^6:66 After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer.

^6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?”

^6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

^6:69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!”

^6:70a Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve…?”

© NET Bible

8.3 Faith is needed←⤒🔗

Jesus Christ has come to bring peace between God and sinners. But is this peace for everyone? Does God forgive the sins of all people on earth?

The answer that the Bible gives, is “No.” Only those people who believe in Jesus Christ have peace with God. If you do not believe in Jesus, then your sins are not forgiven. Then you will have to pay for your sins yourself.

Our passage (John 6:63-70) tells us a sad truth. That is: Most people who heard the words of Jesus walked away from him. They did not have faith in him. They did not believe that he was really the Son of God.

These people did not have the Holy Spirit in them (verse 63). The Spirit and the Word of God must work together to create faith in a person’s heart.

This is what happened with Peter and the other disciples. After most people went away, Jesus asked his twelve disciples if they also wanted to leave (verse 67). Peter answered, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!” (verses 68–69).

8.4 How can I be sure?←⤒🔗

Today someone may ask, “How can I be sure that the good news about Jesus Christ is really true? I have never seen Jesus with my own eyes. How can I trust him with my whole life?” Maybe you yourself have wondered about this.

It is true that we cannot see Jesus with our own eyes. We will only see him on the day when he comes again. But we can be sure about him, because we can listen to his witnesses. A witness is someone who was there when something happened. He can tell others about it, because he saw and heard it himself.

The witnesses of Jesus Christ were his twelve disciples. The Bible also calls them “apostles.” These men were specifically chosen by Jesus (verse 70). He chose them to work and stay with him all the time. They had to see the things that he did. They had to hear the things that he said.

After Jesus had returned to his Father in heaven, the apostles told everyone about what they saw and heard. They told people about the miracles of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, the death of Jesus, and how Jesus was raised from the dead. They told people these things, so that the people could believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God who had come to save them.

The apostles’ message was also written down in books and in letters. We still have those books and letters today. They are the twenty-seven books of the New Testament.

For example, the passage of this lesson comes from a New Testament book: the Gospel of John. John was one of Jesus’ apostles. The Holy Spirit helped him to remember what he had seen and heard from Jesus, and to write it down for us (John 14:26). Now we can also know Jesus Christ, as John knew him! We can hear the words of Jesus, as John heard them.

The words and deeds of Jesus Christ are not found only in the New Testament. The Old Testament already spoke about Christ who was coming to the world. The people of the Old Testament also believed in Jesus Christ. They knew many things about him, even if they did not know his name yet. For example, they knew that:

• He would come to crush Satan (Genesis 3:15).
• He would come from the family of king David (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
• He is the Anointed King and the Son of God (Psalm 2:110).
• He would be killed for their sins (Isaiah 53:4–6).
• He would come from the small town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

So, how can you be sure of the good news of Jesus Christ? Listen to the Bible–the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible was written by many people over many years. But the whole Bible tells one story! The story is all about Jesus Christ, who came to save sinners like you and me.

8.5 Living with comfort←⤒🔗

You will remember that the story of the Bible has three main parts: sin, salvation, and new life. In this Bible Study we have focused on sin and salvation. But before we end, let us briefly look at the last part of the story: new life.

In our passage Jesus says, “no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come” (John 6:65).

To believe in Jesus Christ, you must listen to the Bible, the Word of God. But you must also have the Spirit of God. That is how the Father allows people to come to Jesus. He gives his Holy Spirit to them, to draw them to Jesus.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you trust that he died to save you from your sin? If your answer is “Yes,” it means that the Holy Spirit has already worked in you. He is the one who has given you faith.

That is not where the work of the Holy Spirit stops. When the Spirit gives you faith, he also gives you new life. Yes, you will still struggle with sin. But you will feel sad about your sins. You will want to obey God’s law. You will start to love God. You will also start to love God’s people. You will even start to love your enemies. These things are signs of the new life that is in you.

If you are a believer, your life will not be easy. But your life will be full of comfort. Because you will know: Jesus Christ has paid for all my sins: even the sins that I have done today and the sins that I will do tomorrow. I have peace with God. Nothing can separate me from his love. He is always with me through his Spirit. I am free to live.