And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (1 John 5: 11-12)
We often sing a hymn by William and Gloria Gaither, God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus ... and the chorus of this hymn, speaking of the resurrected Christ, confidently expresses the basis of our Christian hope:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
After the spiritual high of Easter Sunday when we joyfully proclaimed the living Christ, some people might ask, "Where do we go from here?" Because Christ lives, we can be sure of several truths that change our lives into a daily experience worth living. The key word in the first letter of John is know, and it's found thirty times in the 105 verses contained in the whole five chapters. John was certain of the gifts that came with Christ, one of which is life in the Son of God - God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son (1 John 5:11).
It's not God's will for anyone to perish - He wants everyone to have eternal life! But we can only find fulfilment in Jesus, who said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though be dies and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die." (John 11:25-26). (Christ's resurrection assures us of life. No resurrection spirit can give us victory over death. The apostle Paul asked, "Where, 0 death is your victory? Where, 0 death is your sting?" going on to joyfully proclaim, "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15: 55, 57).
For many people, even today, the mention of death is almost taboo if it's used in a personal sense. Many people treat it as though it's an obscene word, something vulgar which should not be mentioned in polite society! People put off writing their will for as long as possible for this reason, considering that the mere thought of doing so may bring their demise a little too close for comfort! Yet, to the Christian, the death and subsequent resurrection of Jesus changes the whole understanding of death. Suddenly, death can take on a different appearance. Instead of thoughts of the shadowy figure of the grim reaper, there is an image of the doorway to eternal life - life in the Son. This is not simply a matter of people living forever, but living a new quality of life altogether, imparted through Christ The words eternal life refer to the life of the new age, the very life of God at work within us now. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fulI (John 10:10). There is no comparison between our earthly existence and new life in Christ, for the latter makes available an extraordinary quality of life. Paul writes to the Ephesians that those without Christ are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Jesus promised, "Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24). Life in the Son is more than just living - it's life with the finest quality imaginable! This gift of life comes to those who have received Jesus into their hearts through faith, the essential element, gifted by God, to which Jesus has always responded. Faith is a common ingredient of our daily existence, yet there are many who claim that they cannot have faith in Christ.\ Aldous Huxley once wrote, ‘Theology claims the just shall live by faith. Science says the just shall live by verification.’ Yet the scientist believes in a logical universe, and in principles used to verify presumptions. What's a theory? It's something believed to be true even though it's unproven. We believe in education, in democracy, in ourselves. Belief is a common enough thing, which affects everyone to some extent, so why not believe the best and have life to the full in Jesus Christ?
John tells us that those who refuse to accept Jesus and the new life He promises are lost - he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12). So, to the question, ‘Can a good person really be lost?’ we have to answer, Yes. ‘Can a churchgoer be lost?’ Yes. ‘Can the lovable and generous neighbour who has simply delayed their commitment to Christ be lost?’ Yes. Why is the answer ‘Yes’ to all of these questions? - because faith in Jesus Christ is the crucial test. John writes that Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because be has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son (John 3:18). Realising that true life is found only in the Son of God should be the only motivation we need to prompt us to rescue the perishing and care for the dying, and snatch them in pity from sin and the unknown terrors of the grave.
The following lines were penned by George Atkins:
Brethren, see poor sinners round you
slumbering on the brink of woe,
Death is coming, hell is moving,
Can you bear to let them go? ...
Tell them all about the Saviour,
Tell them that He will be found.
Life in Jesus is for ever because God is the basis of the promise, and so we have the security of His word. This means that once you have accepted Christ then you can rejoice in the gift of eternal life! I often wonder why God has given us such a gift in the face of all that we are in comparison to what He intended us to be. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know I believe in Christ. life in the Son is real. Life is worth the living just because He lives!
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