John 20:30-31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
When a lawyer finishes his argument…when he has made all of his salient points and feels that there is nothing more that could be said or added in order to make his case…he closes by saying, “The defense/prosecution rests, your Honor.” This is exactly what the Apostle John was doing as he finished up his presentation declaring Jesus to be the promised and risen Messiah. He obviously could have gone on and on, but he didn’t need to. He had said enough. Case closed.
Often times, many of us feel as if the bible is not sufficient in and of itself to bring people into the faith. Maybe it’s too confusing or too ancient as to be easily understood by a 21st century person. Perhaps we need to add a few splashes of science and archeology to make it more appealing…more palatable. After all, this is a collection of sixty-six books that were written over the span of a few thousand years in three different languages by forty different authors spread across three continents. Yet, despite these remarkable characteristics, the Bible displays a flawless internal consistency. It never contradicts itself or its common theme.
“…these are written so that you may believe…”
I once met a pastor in Kenya who only had the Gospel of John from which to preach out of…and he had done so for over five years. His church had grown, and his people had matured in their faith. I had a hard time getting my mind around that, yet it was a fact. The 21st century pastor had taken the Apostle John up on his 1st century case for Christ and it had proven to be enough. It was enough for people to believe in Christ…and it was enough for them to then have life in His name.
There are innumerable tools out there across every media platform to help us share the gospel…and that’s a great blessing. But we also need to remember that the Scriptures are sufficient in and of themselves to present Jesus as Messiah. The real power lies in God’s Word itself rather than in the amazing materials we have created that help us talk about it and/or point to it. If we try to introduce people to Christ but leave the Bible out of the process, we are attempting to drive a car with no engine or shoot a gun with no powder. It’s nonsensical.
In this one Gospel alone, the author has given any man or woman enough evidence to believe that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” Conversion is not an act of the presenters will, nor is it hindered or helped by the eloquence of the herald. Conversion is a supernatural act brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit as He applies the Truth of God’s Word to the wandering hearts of God’s special creation “…because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it is enough.
Case closed.
