I looked down this morning and saw this notation from the writer of John's Gospel:30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
Amazingly, that's not even the end of that gospel.
I stuck on that little out-of-place memo for a moment. Let's see, the book was not written to punish, to make people act a certain way, or that anyone might be different than they are. It was written that anyone -- heck, everyone -- might have life in his name (eternally) by simply believing that Jesus is the Messiah, is the Son of God, is the promised deliverer, is the savior of us all.
That's so important because it means all the miracles were purposeful. All the teaching was purposeful. All the love that was transmitted was with purpose.
So that you, and I, would have life with Jesus.
For all the people who claim those who believe that want others to be something they are not (in all that the phrase might mean), you're not getting it.
In the 10th chapter of Romans, Paul wrote that "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Nothing more, nothing less. John's Gospel points to that sentence in Paul's theological masterpiece. Anyone who has told you that you must do more than that is not reading correctly, in my opinion.
That's the purpose of the Gospel, the good news. Jesus came to save. You will be saved if your heart believes Jesus is the Messiah. Period.
Now, what a wonderful morning.
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