# 71 Oh We Don't Believe That Way

Joh 4:16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' 18 "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." 19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

The woman rightly perceives that Jesus is a prophet for he has exposed her sins. When the Word of God is rightly proclaimed, that’s what happens….sins are exposed. (Law) And when sins are exposed, they must be dealt with. (Gospel)

Notice how the Samaritan woman initially deals with her exposed sin. She immediately points out the differences between the Samaritan religion and the religion of the Jews. She is in effect saying, “Oh, we don’t believe that way.”

Don’t be shocked by such a response to the proclamation of the Word of God, especially in this day and age where so many options and belief systems are available, even under the umbrella of “Christianity.” “My church doesn’t make a big deal about people living together outside the bounds of marriage.” “We don’t think homosexuality is a sin.” These doctrines are the fairly obvious ones, but churches also fail to reign in things like gossip and covetousness.

Sin is sin and it needs to be called out! 2Ti 4:3,4 warns us: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Jesus didn’t beat around the bush, when the woman used the “we don’t believe like that” ploy. He said, “You don’t know what you are worshiping, salvation is of the Jews.”

Wow! That seems rather intolerant! But the Word on which we base our salvation (The Bible) came to us from God through the Jews! “to them were committed the oracles of God”(Rom 3:2)  They were charged with preserving the written Word. This written word that exposes all sin. This written word with zero loopholes! You may say you don’t believe this way or that way. You may pick and choose what you believe in the Bible, but it doesn’t change the truth of God’s Word!

Jesus bluntly stated in Joh 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Salvation is of the Jews, for in the Word God gave them, people are convicted of their sins, and in the Word God has given them, all we need to know about God’s redemptive plan through Jesus is revealed.

If the only words we had concerning salvation were found in the Old Testament, it would be enough. Jesus proved this with His discourse with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27)

Thankfully, we have the God-breathed New Testament as well, which simply enhances or backs up the veracity of the Old!

Stop arguing with God about what to believe. Believe His Word! Stop picking and choosing what to believe. Believe in His Son! Trust Him and His promises! Receive Him as your Savior and bow your knee to Him as your Lord!