Will You Go Away Also?

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. - John 6:68

    Our Lord’s assertion in the previous verses that he is indeed the bread of life was found to be offensive to many of those who followed him. As a matter of fact, they were so offended that they refused to be identified with him any longer and went their own way. However, those whom he had chosen and revealed himself to refused to follow any other than the Lord Jesus Christ. They were completely happy and satisfied to be identified with him and follow him who is life.

    The child of God has no options. Neither does he desire to follow any other than the one who loves us and gave his life for us. Without exception, those to whom Christ is precious, desire communion and fellowship with him in his Gospel and with others that have obtained like precious faith. Eventually those who are offended by Christ and his doctrine will go away also.

    I fear that some are gone away that are still with us, even as Judas. When they do completely go away, it will be revealed that they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us (1 Jn 2:19). The absence of love and desire will always be revealed by an offensive self-justifying, prideful attitude and the lack of an humble, sweet, submissive spirit toward the Gospel and toward others. This always leads to a lack of commitment and interest in the things of God. I am convinced that if our heart is not in what we profess to believe, we too will go away also, if we have not already gone away.

    If we find our interest slowly dying, and are more and more committed to ourselves and the enjoyment of the things of this world than to Christ and his kingdom, and are not concerned about it, there is reason for alarm. The true child of God will endure whatever he must to sit at the Lord’s table and eat the Bread of life. And certainly he will not be offended by the truth.