What does it mean, to believe on Jesus Christ?  A study on John 6:40

Are claims of belief alone enough for salvation? Let’s think about this. Let’s start with an illustration.

First, a parable

There was a fellow, a tightrope artist. He was putting on a show between two buildings. A large crowd had gathered to watch. First, he walked across the two buildings. The wind was blowing, the rope was swaying, he walked slowly, but he made it! Hurray! Everyone cheered.

When the excitement died down, he said, “Now, for my next trick, I’m going to get across on a unicycle!” Everyone ooohed! And he asked them, “Do you think I can make it?” “Yeah!” They all cheered. So, he got on the unicycle and made it across. The Crowd went wild. They all had their arms up and were jumping up and down with joy.

When the Crowd died down again, he said, “Now, for my last trick. I mean for my NEXT trick. I don’t like to use the word, “last”. You understand, right?” Everyone laughed. When the laughter died down, he said, “Now, for my next trick, I’m going to go across, on the unicycle, with a man on my back! Do you think I can do it?” Yes, Yes, Yes!!! They all cheered. Then he said, “I need a volunteer.” You could hear a pin drop. “What? No volunteers? I thought you believed that I could do it?”

Did the Crowd, believe?

Sure. But not enough to act upon that belief. And that is where the Protestant understanding differs with the Catholic. Catholics believe and obey. We act upon our beliefs.

Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Protestants do not consider it necessary to obey. They claim they are saved by faith alone. Therefore, when they read John 6:40, they claim that all that is necessary is a profession of faith and men are Once Saved Always Saved.

Let’s go to John 6:40.

But this time, let’s take it in context of the whole chapter of John 6.

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Notice the conditions, here. Protestants normally focus on the believing aspect. They are probably not even aware that this verse says that one must see Jesus. We’re not going to remark on the “seeing” aspect. I just want to mention, in passing, that we, Catholics “see” (i.e. discern) the Body in the Bread and the Cup, in accordance with Scripture (Luke 24:35; John 14:21; 1 Cor 11:29).

So, what does it mean to believe on Him in John 6:40?

We’ll begin to consider this question by starting at the beginning of John 6. Jesus had healed many people and had crossed the Sea of Tiberius for some privacy. Without telling the Crowd. But the Crowd found Him. So, Jesus is concerned now, about finding enough food for this group of 5000 people. At this point, St. John is careful to include this bit of info:

4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

This is taking place exactly one year before Jesus Christ established the Mass and the Eucharist in the Last Supper.

From verse 5 - 13, Jesus feeds the 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish.

14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, …

The Crowd is impressed and want to make Jesus, King.

…he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

But Jesus slips away.

Between verse 15 and 21, the disciples went in search of Jesus on a boat. Jesus walked on the water and frightened them. Then He got in the boat and suddenly, the boat was across the water.

21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went….25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

So the people went in search of Jesus. And they found Him, on the other side. But they were confused. And they asked Him how He arrived there. But Jesus changed the subject. He said:

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

In other words, “you don’t really care about me, you just want your belly full.”

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

But your belly is not that important. You should be more concerned, now get this, pay close attention because this is something that Protestants call outrageous. Jesus said, “Don’t work for worldly food. WORK FOR the food which will give you eternal life.”

Did you get that? Don’t labour for food that perishes. Labour for food that will save you. OK? Ok.

What sort of food is that?

Have you ever heard of a creme filled donut? This is Sanctifying Grace filled Bread which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ!

Moving on.

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

The group sounds convicted. And they asked the obvious question. What should we do, then, if we want to do God’s will?

Notice again, how both Jesus and the Crowd are emphasizing works.

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Jesus response is, “you need to believe me. I’m the one that God, my Father, sent into this world to bring you this Supernatural food.”

30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

I want to hearken you back to verse 14 where the Crowd said, “This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.” “That prophet” is a reference to Moses’ prophecy. He said:

Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

So, what the Crowd is saying, is this, “If you are the Prophet that Moses was talking about, you should be able to feed us. Because Moses fed us mannah in the desert.

32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Jesus agreed and said, “That’s not the bread I’m talking about. My Father is now giving you the True Bread of Heaven.” Referring to Himself.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

And they said, “Master, we want this bread.” And Jesus said, “I am that Bread which gives eternal life. Anyone who comes to me will never again hunger. Anyone who believes in Me, will never thirst”.

The term “come to me” means as a child turns to their parents and asks for food. Jesus will feed all who ask for His Bread.

36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

And Jesus said, “if you really want this Bread, you need to believe me. So far, you haven’t believed me, even though you’ve seen all that I have done.”

Jesus was talking to a large group of His disciples. Some Jews were mixed in, but mostly, they were His disciples. But Jesus must have read their hearts and known that they were like the crowd that surrounded the Tightrope walker in the example. They claimed to believe, but they really didn’t. They believed for as long as they could be fed and entertained. But Jesus is no circus magician. Jesus is God.

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Protestants use this verse to support their false doctrine of Once Saved Always Saved. But they are wrong. Because it is the Father who judges who is worthy to come to Jesus. This is clearly evidenced in Matt 7:21:

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

So, not everyone who comes to Jesus is sent by the Father. Those who are not sent by the Father, may yet fall away.

Protestants claim to know that they are sent by the Father and therefore saved. But they are just compounding one sin with another. That is the sin of presumption of salvation, also known as spiritual pride.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

So, we come to the verse in question. What does Jesus mean by “believe on” Me? Those who see Him and believe Him, He will grant life everlasting and will raise them up on the Last Day.

Ok, let’s hearken back to verse 4. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

What happens during the Passover? A lamb is slaughtered and eaten.

Who is Jesus Christ? The Lamb of God (John 1:29).

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

First, the Jews didn’t believe that Jesus came from heaven.

42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

They thought they knew Him. They said, “Wait! Don’t we know His father and his mother? How is He from heaven?”

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

Jesus knew why they were grumbling and said, “Listen to me. Not to yourselves. I have the answers.”

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

I’m telling you again, only those men who are sent by my Father will remain with me and I will raise them on the last day.

Right at this very moment, there is only one man that fits that description. Simon Peter:

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

Jesus continues, “I’m not saying that anyone has seen the Father, I am the only One who has seen the Father.”

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Then He says, “I solemnly tell you, I’m not joking, the man that believes in me will have eternal life.”

Ok, we’re about to get the answer to our question. What does Jesus mean when He says, “believe on me”?

48 I am that bread of life.

That’s what He says. That’s what we need to believe if we want to be saved.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

Yeah, Moses gave them bread. But they ate that bread and died. But you need to believe that I am the Bread that if you eat this Bread, you will not die. This is what you need to believe.

This is what I’m telling you. Believe it or die. I can’t emphasize this enough.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

I am the Food from heaven. If you eat this Food, you will live forever. I will transubstantiate my flesh in order that it appears as bread. This is the Bread which is actually my Flesh that I am giving to those who believe what I am saying.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

But the Jews didn’t believe. They were outraged. “We’re not cannibals! How can He give us His own flesh human flesh to eat?! Yuck!”

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

But Jesus didn’t back off. He said, “Listen to me. I’m going to repeat this again. If you don’t eat my Flesh and you don’t drink my Blood, you die.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Let me say it again, differently so there’s no confusion. If you eat my Flesh and drink my Blood, I will raise you up on the Last Day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

Do you believe me yet? My Flesh is really food. My Blood is really drink.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Let me tell you again! Listen! Who ever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood, is united to me and I am united to Him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

God the Father has sent me and I live by Him. In the same way, all who eat of me will be born of me and shall live by me.

58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

One more time. I am the true Bread of Heaven. Not like the manna which your fathers ate and died. Who ever eats of My Bread will live for ever.

59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

This offended, even His disciples. And they said, “I can’t believe that! I’m out of here.”

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

And Jesus said, “You don’t believe Me because you don’t believe that I am God, who came down from Heaven.”

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Protestants don’t understand the meaning of this verse. Notice how Jesus says, “the flesh profiteth nothing”. So, they claim that He took it all back. After having repeated, over and over that one must eat HIS Flesh to eternal life. They say, “You see, He didn’t really mean it.”

But really, folks, is it that hard to see the difference between “THE flesh” and “MY Flesh”?

What are the three enemies of man? The world, THE flesh and the devil, right? The flesh is not Christ’s Flesh. Christ’s Flesh hung on the Cross for our salvation. Whoever believes that Christ’s flesh avails nothing is being fooled by Satan. And that’s all I have to say about that!

64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

And Jesus knew that some still didn’t believe all which He had just explained one year before His final Passover. One year before He established the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday in the upper room.

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

And Jesus explained. The reason that you don’t believe me, is because you are not sent by My Father. Those who are sent by My Father, will believe and eat of My Flesh and be saved.

Check this verse number out. John 666: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Scary, huh!

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

Then Jesus turned to the Twelve Apostles. And He didn’t change anything. He says, “Do you believe me? Or are you also going away?”

69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

And this response is so lovely. Simon Bar Jonah, the man who was Christened, Peter, by Jesus Christ Himself, speaking for the Twelve, says, again:

Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

But Jesus says, “I chose all of you. But one of you doesn’t believe unto Me.” He meant, Judas Iscariot, who would later, betray him.

Conclusion

That’s what it means to believe in Jesus. Believe what He says and do what He says. Claiming to have faith might make one feel good. But God is the Judge. It is He whom we must please. And claims of faith alone, don’t cut it.