The Gospel of John 13:21 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.” (John 13:21 KJV).

This announcement by the Lord Jesus Christ of a betrayal, by one of His chosen apostles, brought in a very poignant moment of complex emotions during the last meal that He celebrated and shared with His young disciples. We can feel the stirring impact of the confusing reality of convergence between human choice and divine foreknowledge. The colliding paradox of joy and sorrow, the magnitude of which was beyond to grasp as it transpired, reminds us of the friction between divine sovereignty and human frailty. By this, the Lord Jesus illustrates that God's plan of salvation encompasses man's every decision. Though Judas's free will to choose was essential to the fulfillment of the prophesied climax of the Lord's mission to rescue us, He was saddened by the fall of one of His beloved disciples. The sins of His followers, including Judas - as well as you and I who believe in Him, affect Him deeply, as He carried them to the cross.

Hence, as His redeemed by grace, when we fall and we will - being still in the world, we must therefore honor His finished work on the cross by resting in His grace, rise and draw unto Him for our restoration, as Peter did (John 21:15-17) after denying Him (Matthew 26:59-75). The Lord's death was the ransom for the sins of many (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). This, the risen Lord Jesus Christ affirmed through Apostle Paul's epistle, as it is written: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
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