John 8:48–59 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”   “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.   I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.   I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”   At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.   Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”   Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.   Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”   “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”   “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

When I read or hear passages like this, I am sometimes incredulous as to how the very ones through whom and for whom the Messiah came refused to see Him for who He was and is. He was right in front of them, but they could not and would not recognize Him as the Promised One. But then I remember that I have the advantage of hindsight. It can be very difficult to grasp things at first.

For example, consider this verse from the passage above: “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews here did not think Jesus was God so they had not intention of listening to Him. But even those who knew there was something special and different about this guy would often misunderstand what He was saying. That is because we have the attitude, “just tell me what I have to do” with the emphasis on our effort, our activity. The same thing happens with this verse:

Luke 11:28 “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

While obeying God’s Word does result in blessings in the lives of believers, that is not how many hear these words. They think the blessings, including forgiveness, come as a result of their obedience, which is the exact opposite of what Scripture tells us.

The one who came to save us, God Himself who took on human flesh, has done everything necessary for us to be forgiven. He accomplished our salvation. He did all the work. All we have to do is believe that His death paid for our sins and His resurrection guarantees us entry into life eternal. All of Scripture points to Jesus as the way to life everlasting. Jesus said that Himself.

John 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.

One of my favorite passages to share with people who misunderstand what Jesus meant when He said “keep my Word” or “obey” it is this:

John 6:28–29  Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

The “work” we must do is believe in the one the Father sent: Jesus. When your put your faith in Christ and Christ alone, you will be blessed. You will receive everything He earned for you. It is His doing, not your own. That is why you can have the confidence that you will “never see death.” Physical death will come to us all – unless our Lord returns first. But eternal death is averted, having been conquered by Christ.