How to Be Saved

What Is Transactional Salvation? (Part 3)

Humans do not have the ability to transact Salvation by their own human efforts. (See the book, The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther, the monk) That has been the purpose of these three posts the showing of that truth.

However, there is One, Who can transact Salvation by the His Own Power, and through His Free Will. That Person is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Who took all of the sins of all the saved souls throughout HIStory, and paid for these on the cross of Calvary.

This is Substitutionary Atonement. He took my sins and gave me His Righteousness in exchange. This is Salvation Transacted. (1st Aspect)

Substitutionary Perfection means that He took my imperfection and gave me His Perfection in exchange. This is Salvation Transacted. (2nd Aspect)

I am, again, including a lengthy passage of Scripture in this post because the best way to speak the Truth accurately is to speak the Truth in context. I pray that by the end of this post we may all be able to see The Only One, Who can honorably transact Salvation, is The Sovereign God, Who is Lord of All.

John 6 gives us some lasting insights about Salvation and the way God transacts His Great Salvation. Who would have guessed that Salvation is by Invitation-Only? Pay close attention to verse #44.

John 6:1-14 is John's account of Jesus Feeding the 5000 Men (plus Women and Children.)

John 6:15-23 is John's account of the events surrounding Jesus walking on the stormy sea to be received by His Disciples into the boat.

"24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

John 6:24-27 focuses on Jesus' pointed conversation with fair-weather followers about their motivation for following Him. In verses 24-25, the people go chasing after Jesus, and when they find Him, they ask, "How long have you been here?" In verse 26, The Lord Jesus calls them out, regarding their motivation, ignoring their question altogether. Then, He underscores the fact that eternal needs have greater value than temporal needs.

"28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:28-40 is Part 1 of the broader conversation about how to be saved (i.e. made right with God.) "We've got to do something to be saved, right? What do you want to do?" Jesus responded in verse 29 by referring to Himself, focusing on the word "Believe." The people ask for a sign in Verses 30-31 by referencing the manna given to their fathers in the desert. Jesus takes their mention of manna in the desert, and gives it the higher eternal meaning of Himself, "the true bread from heaven" in verses 32 & 33. In verse 34 the people show that they are still clueless, asking Him to "give us this bread." In verses 35-40 Jesus tells the people plainly, "I am the bread of life:" then points out that the meeting of eternal needs has greater value than physical temporal needs. In verse 36 Jesus refers to Himself as the Answer they need, but they still don't get it.

Verse #37 is one of my all-time favorite verses. Herein, He points out that all Christians are gifts from His Father, further emphasizing "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.". Jesus makes the bold claim in verse #38-#39, that He came from Heaven to do The Father's Will to "lose nothing,...and I will raise it up at the last day."

41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

In verses 41 through 47, Jesus makes additional bold statements that the people have difficulty believing. In verses 41-42 the people are incredulous because Jesus is boldly saying, that He is a different kind of human than they are, but their brains nearly "strip a gear" causing them to say, "What? We know your daddy and your momma." In verse 43, Jesus tells them, "Murmur not."

Jesus is once again very plain in verse 44 with the Invitation-Only aspect of Salvation. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" Resurrection is at the hands of Jesus. (John 6:44b) In verses 45-47 Jesus repeats that He is the only way of Salvation, which He will later state emphatically in John 14:6.

"48 I am that bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?"

In verses 48-61, Jesus presented a requirement that, at face value, has baffled Christians throughout the centuries and still baffles Christians today, myself included. Verse 48, "I am that bread of life." Bread must be eaten to satisfy the nourishment needs. Jesus further requires this in verses 51, "the bread that I will give is my flesh", 53, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you", 54, "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life", 55, "For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed", 56, "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him", 57, "so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me", and 58, "he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever."

Eight times in this passage Jesus states that "eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood" is required for Salvation. May we consider for a moment, that the Lord Jesus is committed to the Ten Commandments. In various places in The Bible, Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of The Law, The Decalogue, which is The Ten Commandments. The sixth commandment in Exodus 20:13 states, "Thou shalt not kill." Jesus would not command the people to cannibalize Him, since that would cause His death on the spot, and His death on the cross of Calvary was required for the payment of the sins of those He would save throughout the entirety of HIStory. Ergo, for these two reasons "eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood" is not to be taken literally in the physical realm.

That's why context is so important. The principle is documented in verses #26 & #33, "26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." "33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." The principle is "Eternal, lasting, spiritual nourishment is higher and more durable than temporal, momentary, physical nourishment."

Jesus reminds the people that they came to Him, and He gave them temporary, physical nourishment with the loaves and fishes as well as the manna in the desert, many years prior. How did the people receive the nourishment of the bread and fish on the mount? They put it in their mouths, chewed it up, and swallowed it. Hunger was abated. How did the guests at the Wedding of Cana receive the nourishment of "that which was good"? They put cup to lips, took in the wine, and then drank it down. Thirst was abated.

How do we receive spiritual nourishment of the everlasting kind? We contemplate everything Jesus says, all that the Scriptures show He is, everything He did, and still is doing, and we chew it thoroughly, receiving it into the depths of our being, never to let it go from our very being, Now or Forever. Jesus satisfies the everlasting needs of the longing heart, saving us "heart and soul."

"62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

These verses, 62-65 emphasize the repeating theme, "Spiritual, eternal life has the higher, more lasting priority over temporary, physical life." Verse #65 reminds us that Salvation is by Invitation Only, "no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father."

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

Verses 66-71 show us once again that God is in charge of Salvation. Some rejected Jesus and His Truth because "no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." (v.65) See verses 66, 70-71. Some clung to Jesus and His Truth. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (v.37) See verses 67-69.

(John 6:24-71, KJV)

By Jay O'Toole
On June 19th, 2025