God's Amazing Gifts

Some Jews confronted Jesus and asked him:  “Are you the Christ or not?”  But their question was more like “Are you the promised political king who will free us from Roman rule?”  Jesus said he had already told them he was the spiritual Messiah who would bring eternal life (not political freedom); and that his miracles were proof that he was the son of God.  Jesus said the reason they didn’t believe in him was because they were not in Jesus’ flock; they were not chosen (elected) by God, the doctrine of divine election.  He then affirmed the doctrine of Preservation of the saints:  that true Christians cannot lose their salvation:  both Jesus the Son and God the Father would protect it forever.  Then Jesus said “I and the Father are one”, clearly stating that he is the second person of the Trinity: the Son of God.  The Jews moved to stone Jesus for blasphemy because they believed he was a mere man, claiming to be God.  Jesus validated his claim by referring to Psalm 82, where God called the unjust Israelite judges “gods”; and said that since He (Jesus ) was superior to the judges, he was justified in calling himself Son of God.  He urged the Jews to believe the miracles; but they would not believe either his words or his miracles.  Jesus walked away unharmed (His time had not yet come).  He left Jerusalem, and crossed to the east side of the Jordan River, where many believed in him. | John 10:22-42