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God's Will for Jesus


We talk a lot about the will of God. As a pastor people say things to me like, “Pray for me as I try to discern God’s will.” We tell our students they need to find out God’s will for their lives. We have turned God’s will into some deep mystery, but the truth is, we can easily know God’s will. 

 

Jesus knew the will of God for His own life and ministry on earth. In John 6:39-40 the Son of God said these words:

 

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

 

God’s will is that people are saved. He wants all who look on Jesus to receive the eternal life He came to make available. The language here reminds me of what Jesus told Nicodemus just three chapters earlier, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (v.14).”

 

Moses was told to craft a serpent on a pole, and all of the Israelites that looked on it were healed of their snake bites. Looking upon the raised snake was enough to bring them salvation from their fate. They had to trust that it alone was the cure. Jesus connected that to His impending crucifixion, where He would be lifted up. Anyone who now looks to Him in faith will receive the cure—salvation from our sin.

 

But according to Jesus here, God’s will for Jesus’ ministry is not just that people will be saved, but stay saved. It is not up to us, but to Jesus; He is the one who will raise us up on the last day, losing none that have come to Him. So often we fall into the trap that says we must perform well enough to be saved, but Jesus is the one keeping us saved. 

 

Think about it: if we cannot perform well enough to save ourselves, how can we perform well enough to keep ourselves saved? Salvation is by grace, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9), and staying saved is a work of the Son, according to the will of the Father. 

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