About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Coming to Christ

(Article for publication week of 5-8- AD 2014)
 
"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" (John 6:35).
We have been considering the doctrine of saving faith in its principle acts. We spent several columns on receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour. Next to be considered is the act of coming to Christ. Our text this week in John 6:35 shows us that coming to Christ is one of the principle acts of faith, if not synonymous with faith.
First of all, I will point out that everything we have said about receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour is applicable to coming to Christ. That is, we come to Christ by faith as a Lord to rule over us, and as a Saviour to save us from our sins. We come to Christ in all his offices as Prophet, Priest and King. And we come to Him as the God Man Who is the only Mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:5).
But there are some things that are peculiar to the act of coming to Christ that are especially precious. First of all, I want you to understand that coming to Christ is a spiritual activity. It has nothing to with man's natural abilities. A lame man can come to Christ as a poor sinner and be saved, for coming to Christ is an act of the soul, not an action of the human body. Coming to Christ has nothing to do with coming to the front of the church, or coming to the baptismal pool or font. Many people have done these things who have never come to Christ by faith. Coming to Christ is just that; it is coming to Him as the only Mediator between  God and man, for He is indeed the only Mediator. Saving faith is coming to Christ. It is not coming to a preacher or a so-called "priest". There are in reality no human priests, and every man who claims to be one is a fraud.
Coming to Christ is coming to Him by faith in our souls as a poor sinner who needs to be saved. We come to Christ in our affections as we see in Him the only hope of sinners such as ourselves. The sinner who truly comes to Christ, repents of his sins and believes in Christ for his whole and sole righteousness. As the hymn says, " just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me; and that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, Oh Lamb of God I come."
Our text says something most wonderful about coming to Christ. Christ says that He is the bread of life and those who  come to Him will never hunger. It is obvious that our Lord is using a metaphor here. Christ is not saying that He is literally a piece of bread. No, He is saying as bread satisfies our hungry bodies, so He satisfies our hungry souls. The poor sinner who believes in Christ for salvation finds in Him that which satisfies the deep longings in His soul. And only Christ can satisfy a hungry soul. You see dear readers, believing in Christ satisfies the desires of a heaven born soul. The child of God who is born from above has longings and desires that he never had as natural man. Faith in Christ, which is likened to coming to Christ satisfies the regenerate soul as nothing else can. Poor sinner, come to Christ and feed upon Him. Coming to Him you shall never hunger, and believing on Him you shall never thirst.
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