God gives LIFE. Period. One of the things I love about reading the Bible is that, time after time, God pulls back the curtain on everyday things to give us a new perspective. For instance, in this chapter, John talks about what life is, and it doesn’t sound anything like Our definition of lLfe. Here’s what John said: “Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts God’s testimony. But whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (vs 10-12) When We want to determine if a person is alive or not, we check for vital signs: Is he breathing? Is her heart beating? If not, We say the person is dead. But John’s definition of true life—as given through the testimony of Jesus—is something altogether different. (Although, understandably, it would be difficult for a doctor to diagnose whether a person “has the Son” or not.) And that leads me to a couple of very interesting things to observe about this passage: 1. We have eternal life. Right now. Did you catch that part of John’s statement? He said, “God has given us eternal life.” He didn’t say, “God has promised to give us eternal life” or “God will give us eternal life.” No, he says we already have it. We don’t have to wait for it. Today is simply one of an eternity of days for anyone who chooses to hold onto the life God has already given him. 2. God doesn’t take eternal life away. Not everyone who has been given eternal life from God will actually live forever. But notice how this loss of eternal life is not a punishment inflicted by God. Rather, it’s simply a statement of fact based on the choice we make. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life. The eternal life that God gives is in His Son, and the most famous Bible verse in the world reminds us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” God loved us so much that He gave us His Son, and part of the gift of the Son is the gift of eternal life. We don’t have to work for it. We don’t have to earn it. We have it right now, simply because God chose to give it to us. Whether we hold onto that gift is our choice. We can choose to let it go—although that would be tragic! But whatever decision we make regarding our ultimate fate is in our hands, not God’s. He gives life. Period. He gives it freely to everyone, no matter what. It is a gift that knows no pre-conditions, no probationary period, and no expiration date. The only way we can lose it is if we willingly decide to throw it away. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter if we’re breathing or not or if Our heart is beating or not. If We have the Son, We are alive. Period..
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 09:25:38 +0000
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