Unless You Believe

Day 135: John 21-30

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” - John 8:24 ESV

The more days we accumulate on planet earth, the easier it can get to write people off that are currently making bad decisions. We think (as Jesus said) they are doomed to die in their sins, and so we move on to the next individual who may seem more open to the idea of faith in Jesus.

Can you remember a time in your life when you weren't open to the way of Jesus? Perhaps it was a tragedy or hypocrisy among Christians that drove you away. Aren't you glad you had people who didn't consider you a lost cause?

Even with the stubbornly bent-on-evil Pharisees, Jesus knew there was still an opportunity for them to repent (return to God). If anyone could have been given up on, it would have been these men. Yet, Jesus still holds out an invitation to them.

Beating hearts in our chests and breath in our lungs prove that there is still hope for us not to die in our sins.

What do you know, at the end of our reading, John records that "many believed in Him." (verse 30)

Jesus died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3) to prevent us from dying in them."Jesus teaches that his time with the Jews is brief, and that he will go back to where he came from, to God (13:3). They are prevented from following him because of their sin. ‘Sin’ is singular here (v. 21), because Jesus is speaking of the primary sin that disqualifies them, the sin of unbelief (v. 24)." - Bryant, B. H., & Krause, M. S. (1998). John (Jn 8:21–24)