“‘Come to Me . . .’” ( Matthew 11:28 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ).

Although infinitely beyond human comprehension, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are inseparable in salvation. God sovereignly provides the grace that draws sinners, but they must humbly come in faith and commit to obey the Lord Jesus before salvation becomes complete. Christ makes this clear when He says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” ( John 6:37 37 All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. ).

Redemption comes not through human creed, denominational preferences, favorite rituals, certain pastors, priests, or theological gurus—but only through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. When He says “Come to Me,” it means we must come to Him having trusted in His substitutionary death and having reached the point of willingness to submit to His lordship. The Lord teaches, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” ( John 6:35 35 Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. ). Coming to Jesus means believing in Him, and that results in no longer hungering or thirsting from a lack of salvation’s blessings.

Jesus gave this summary of salvation, which includes the most well-known verse in Scripture: “Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” ( John 3:14 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; –16).

Ask Yourself

There are so many internal squabbles over the actual transaction of salvation. But can’t we all agree that no one is saved unless Jesus does it—and that no one is given salvation unless the person receives it? May we be more concerned about men than we are about talks and meetings.

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

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