John 4:1-15 - Have You Ever Tasted Living Water?

2/8/2021

When you are working or relaxing in the heat of the sun, what is your go-to or favourite ice cold drink?
What is the well that you find yourself returning to over and over for satisfaction, only to be left thirsty again?
R. C. Sproul in his commentary on this chapter writes,

“It’s very common to hear Christians say that their unbelieving friends are “seeking God” or “searching for God,” but the Scriptures tell us that in our fallen condition, none of us ever seeks God (Rom. 3:11). The quest for God doesn’t begin until conversion. Prior to our conversions, we run as fast and as relentlessly as we can away from God. So why do we hear it said that those who aren’t Christians are seeking?
The best answer, I think, came from Thomas Aquinas. When Aquinas was asked why people seem to be seeking after God despite the Bible’s affirmation that no one seeks for Him, Aquinas said such people are not actually seeking God. Instead, they are desperately seeking peace, seeking relief from their guilt, seeking something to fill the emptiness of their souls and their lives. We know that the only thing that will satisfy that hunger and thirst within their souls is the living Christ, so we conclude that since they’re seeking to have their thirst assuaged and their hunger satisfied, they must be seeking for God. Aquinas said that is not the case at all. People desperately search for the things that only God can give them while at the same time they are fleeing from Him.”

Do you agree with Sproul and Aquinas’ take on this, why or why not? Does this change the way you understand your life before Christ, and/or the lives of your non-christian friends, if so how?
What are the most common wells you see your non-christian friends drinking from?
How do you/can you daily drink from the living water living inside you aside from reading your bible and prayer?