John 6:69

"And we have believed and have come to know that you are the Christ, the Son of God." He made a similar confession in Matthew 16: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," "who have come into this world." He says "we …

Then, from Peter's answer, we see the devotion of those who did not leave. For Peter — who loved the brethren, who guarded his friendships, and had a special affection for Christ — answered for the whole group, and said, Lord, to whom shall we …

For they had already accepted the truth of the resurrection and all the teaching. Therefore, the cause of the offense was not the words of Christ, but the inattentiveness, negligence, and ingratitude of the listeners. For these twelve also heard the same things, and yet …

The place and time where and when this miracle was wrought, which are noted for the greater evidence of the truth of the story; it is not said that it was done once upon a time, nobody knows where, but the circumstances are specified, that the fact might be enquired into. The country that Christ was in (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

And we believe and are sure,....

We are sure ... - See a similar confession of Peter in Mat 16:16, and the notes at that place. Peter says we are sure, in the name of the whole of the apostles. Jesus immediately cautions him, as he did on other occasions, not to be too confident, for one of them actually had no such feelings, but was a traitor.

These verses form a sorrowful conclusion to the famous discourse of Christ which occupies the greater part of the sixth chapter. They supply a melancholy proof of the hardness and corruption of man's heart. Even when the Son of God was the preacher, many seem to have heard in vain. Let us mark in this passage what an old sin apostasy is. We read that when our Lord had explained what He meant by "eating and drinking his flesh and blood,"—"After this, many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer."

BROTHERS AND SISTERS, we believe that the righteous shall hold on his way and he that has clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger. We also believe that he that believes in Christ "has everlasting life" and, consequently, must live forever. The living water which Christ gives a man shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. Our Lord has said of His sheep that they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of His hands.

At such seasons, a clear perception that to abandon the faith of Christ is to face black desolation, ruin and death; and on recoiling from this, to be able to fall back, not merely on first principles and immovable foundations, but on personal experience of a Living Lord in whom all truth is wrapt up and made flesh for our very benefit--this is a relief unspeakable.

These verses form a sorrowful conclusion to the famous discourse of Christ which occupies the greater part of the sixth chapter. They supply a melancholy proof of the hardness and corruption of man's heart. Even when the Son of God was the preacher, many seem to have heard in vain. Let us mark in this passage what an old sin apostasy is. We read that when our Lord had explained what He meant by "eating and drinking his flesh and blood,"—"After this, many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer." The true grace of God no doubt is an everlasting possession. From this men never fall away entirely, when they have once received it. "The foundation of God stands sure." "My sheep shall never perish." (2 Tim. 2:19; John 10:28.) But there is counterfeit grace and unreal religion in the Church, wherever there is true; and from counterfeit grace thousands may, and do, fall away. Like the stony ground hearers, in the parable of the sower, many "have no root in themselves, and so in time of trial fall away." All is not gold that glitters. All blossoms do not come to fruit. All are not Israel which are called Israel. Men may have feelings, desires, convictions, resolutions, hopes, joys, sorrows in religion, and yet never have the grace of God. They may run well for a season, and bid fair to reach heaven, and yet break down entirely after a time, go back to the world, and end like Demas, Judas Iscariot, and Lot's wife. It must never surprise us to see and hear of such cases in our own days. If it happened in our Lord's time and under our Lord's teaching, much more may we expect it to happen now. Above all, it must never shake our faith and discourage us in our course. On the contrary, we must make up our minds that there will be apostasy in the Church as long as the world stands.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS, we believe that the righteous shall hold on his way and he that has clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger. We also believe that he that believes in Christ "has everlasting life" and, consequently, must live forever. The living water which Christ gives a man shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. Our Lord has said of His sheep that they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of His hands. Yet we know that if any man draws back, the Lord will have no pleasure in him, and we are sure that, "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Therefore we very heartily sing the verse in one of our hymns— "We ha ve no fear that You should lose One whom eternal love could choose; But we would never this Grace abuse, Let us not fall! Let us not fall! We consider that it would be an abusing of this Grace if we were to grow careless, presumptuous, high-minded and imagine that for ourselves, personally, it would not be possible to become apostates, or even to turn aside a little from the right way. We believe the Truth of God of the Final Perseverance of the Saints concerning the true people of God, but the question comes to our heart, Are we such? Is there in us the incorruptible Seed which lives and abides forever? And how are we to know that we are such but by this very perseverance which, while it is an effect of Grace, is also one of the most certain tokens of it, for there is not the true Grace of God in the heart where there is no perseverance in Grace even unto the end.

We believe - On the authority of thy word; and are sure - have known, εγνωκαμεν, by the evidence of thy miracles, that thou art the Christ, the promised Messiah. And we belyfath and witen that thu eart Crist Godes Son. Anglo-Saxon. How near is the mother to the daughter tongue! Instead of Christ the Son of the living God, some excellent MSS., BCDL, and others, read ὁ αγιος του Θεου, the holy one of God; and this reading Griesbach has received into the text, leaving out του ζωντος, the living. Χριστος, and ἁγιος convey nearly the same meaning; but the Ethiopic, as usual, retains both. Του ζωντες is omitted by BCDL, H, the Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, later Persic, Vulgate, all the Itala but one, and by the Anglo-Saxon; which last Griesbach has not noticed.