The Truth Leads to Salvation

John 9:35-41

1. You Must Be Confronted By the Truth to Receive Salvation.

He had been born blind, and throughout his lifetime, he had heard many times that it was because of his parents that he was blind. If they had only not sinned then he would have his eyesight. Others told him, it was because he sinned that he was born blind. He constantly received criticism and ridicule because of his blindness. Then one day, nothing out of the ordinary up to this point, he hears a group of men coming his way. “Teacher, who sinned that this man was born blind? His parents or himself?” Thinking to himself, not again, I wish they would have put me somewhere else to beg today. “Neither.” Wait what did he say? “It was for the glory of God that he was born blind.” Wait what did you just put over my eyes? “Go and wash in the pool and you will see.”

The man did as he was told and could see! He began telling others about his healing. Even the religious leaders wanted to hear about it and questioned him thoroughly and began to ridicule him for what he was saying. He was then removed from the synagogue and could not return to receive the teaching of God’s Law.

As he wandered in the streets some began to speak to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He immediately recognized this as the man who healed him. “Please tell me who he is so that I may have faith in him.” “you’ve seen him, and he is now talking with you.” “Then yes, Lord, I believe in the Son of Man, for I have seen your work from God above.”

This was a man lost and without faith, and yet, God himself came to Him and healed him miraculously. Not only did he heal him, but he poured out his grace upon the man. Sometimes we need the physical evidence to bring us to faith but other times, faith causes us to appreciate the physical evidence. Either way, this man was confronted with the truth that Jesus is the Son of Man who came to give sight to the blind. I wonder if this man made the connection that the suffering servant from Isaiah was also the one who would heal the lame, give sight to the blind and raise the dead. I wonder if this man had yet made the connection that the Suffering Servant from Isaiah was also the Son of Man. The Jews were waiting for a political, military leader who would free them from the bondage of Rome, but what they really needed was a Messiah that would free them from the curse of sin. Here Jesus the Son of Man who will return one day to take us all home is freeing this man from the curse of sin called blindness. Yet his physical blindness was used to cure his spiritual blindness. This man went from being blind physically, in the flesh, and now sees the world and sees God.

What ultimately brought him spiritual sight? The truth. Jesus not only performed a miracle to demonstrate to this man, and those who would witness the miracle, that he was from God, but he also confronted this man with the ultimate truth of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and by Christ alone. It was the grace of God that it was offered. It was through faith that it was received. And the salvation came through Christ and not the works of any man. The truth was laid before him.

John 8:32 says that the truth shall make you free. Since when has a prisoner been freed from jail when the truth has been hidden from the jury? Never. The truth must be presented to the jury or the judge and that truth must be accepted in order for the prisoner to go free. For us spiritually, the truth must be presented to the one who is imprisoned in sin in order for them to accept that Jesus alone can give us salvation that will free us for eternity. Then freedom is found. A freedom that causes a love of Jesus that we desire to worship not only on Sunday mornings but every day of the week in everything that we do.

Notice when Jesus asked the man, Do you believe in the Son of Man, that his response was, Who is He, that I may believe in Him? The man born blind recognized that there is a need for truth. He could have said, Oh, well, the truth that I have discovered comes through the sayings and wisdom of Confucius. Or well, I have no need of religion; science has disproved all aspects of God. Or, we are just here there is nothing beyond this life, so I will live my life as I please.

Truth exists whether we accept it or not. My question is, have you been confronted with the truth that Jesus alone is the Savior, the truth sent from God. He bled and died to redeem us from our sin. Through the offering of Jesus upon the cross we receive the forgiveness of sin and guilt that required our death. But Jesus freed us by dying for us.

2. You Must Embrace the Truth to Receive Salvation.

Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Well, John 3:17 says that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world.” What is going on here? I thought the Bible did not contradict itself? What did Jesus come to do? He came to receive our judgment. John 3:17 is saying you are already condemned, and so Jesus did not come to condemn you but to free you! Our passage here, “For judgment I came into this world.” For your judgment I came into this world to take that judgment upon myself on the cross. Your judgment is death, and I will bear that judgment upon myself willingly.

We see in these next few verses that there are two responses to the truth. The religious tend to overlook the truth and say, “I’m good. No thanks. I am just fine, I have God.” Us good Christians who go to church, and live good moral lives, sometimes we look at the sinfulness of others and say I am not like that person. We see their faults and think I have no more need of God I am perfected. Don’t look at me like that, you know exactly what I am talking about. We need the truth just as much 50 years from our salvation as we did the day God gave us his grace. We are never perfected in this world. Everyday we must embrace the truth that salvation comes through the shed blood of Jesus, the Righteous alone and not through our righteousness. If you are forgiven, then your righteousness is really Jesus’ righteousness.

Notice that the Pharisees in v 40 say “We are not blind too, are we?” Hold on a minute, Now Jesus, we are the great teachers of God’s Law, we aren’t blind or do you need a stoning? That’s pretty much what they are saying. The Pharisees are claiming to have sight when in fact by their own arrogance they have blinded themselves. It is their fleshly desires that have caused them to not see God’s grace.

The second response is to recognize our spiritual blindness and to accept that only Christ can give us the sight that we need.

Notice the contrast that John has placed before us. The man is bound by physical blindness but sees spiritually. The Pharisees are bound by spiritual blindness but see physically. Which would you rather have? Would you rather be spiritually blind or physically blind? The Pharisees are progressing from sight to blindness because of their pride and arrogance. The man is progressing from blindness to sight because of his faith.

Response

1. Search for the truth.

· We may come up with quick and easy answers but are those answers the truth that we need or are they cute sayings that make us feel good?

· Do you desire to be transformed or made comfortable? What is it that you seek?

· The truth will transform you.

2. Allow the truth to determine how you live.

· You may discover the truth but until you submit to the truth the discovery is meaningless.

· You must allow God to transform you from wretchedness to righteousness. Allow His Truth to transform your innermost being.