Daily devotion – Believing is the path to salvation.
John 12:37–40
“But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: ‘Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?’ Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’” — John 12:37–40
The key word in this passage is “believe.” It appears eight times between verses 37 and 49, underscoring its weight. Here we see a sobering truth: although Jesus had performed so many signs before them—undeniable, public miracles that pointed clearly to His identity—they still would not believe.
John points us to Isaiah’s prophecy, which foretold this rejection. The “arm of the Lord,” a symbol of God’s power and intervention, had been revealed through Christ’s miracles and message, yet the people turned a blind eye. They had both heard the report and seen the power, and still refused to believe.
Verse 39 adds an even more tragic layer: “Therefore they could not believe.” Repeated resistance to the truth doesn’t leave a person neutral—it leads to spiritual blindness and hardness of heart. There comes a moment, known only to God, when persistent rejection crosses into inability.
This is a fearful truth: when a person resists the light, a change begins to take place within them. The longer they push against the truth, the harder their heart becomes—until, eventually, they cannot believe. Not because God delights in their rejection, but because they have shut their eyes to the only Light that can save them.
And so, when the unbeliever stands before God in judgment, every bit of Scripture they ever heard or read will confront them. The very Word they dismissed will become their judge (John 12:48)—because the written Word always points to the Living Word, Jesus Christ (John 1:14).
Why do so many reject the truth? Often it is because of fear of man. But Revelation 21:8 lists “the fearful” among those who will face eternal separation from God. Far better it is to fear God and enter Heaven than to fear man and go to hell.
Let us not harden our hearts. Let us walk in the Light while we have it—and urge others to do the same, while there is still tim