”And this is the witness, that eternal life gave us God, and this life in His Son is.”
-This is the testimony, the witness. This is what God has said, this is John is stating (and restating) for us, this is what a believer believes, and this the reassurance that God’s Spirit puts inside the innermost being of every believer.
-Two things, these two great overarching truths which form the core confession of the Christian faith: 1) God gave us eternal life, and 2) this life is in His Son (Jesus). Eternal life - this is the very same eternal life which John has been proclaiming to us this entire letter. The very same life which was with the Father, which He alone possesses, but which He manifested in His Son Jesus and has now promised to those who believe (1John 1.1-2, 2.25). God gave us - fallen, finite, broken, selfish creatures, His mortal/dying enemies (Romans 5.10, Ephesians 2.3) - He gave us eternal life, and this life is IN His Son (Who IS eternal life). He first gave us His Son - sent Him to planet earth, born into the humblest of circumstances and Who grew up one day to be the (only ever) Perfect Sacrifice for our sins. Jesus paid the penatly we deserved so that we could have this eternal life, the life we always dreamed of but which we in no way deserve.
-Yes, God gave us His Son, Who IS the Life, and through His Son gave us eternal life. It is found in His Son - if/when you find Jesus, you find His life. Eternal. Abundant. Overflowing. Forever. This life, while fully paid for, we only see in part in this life. It’s sort of on layaway, laid up for us in heaven. And yet in this here life we have this divine seed of life planted in our hearts from the moment we believe, the holy spark of this life eternal which begins as a tiny grain and which will sprout and gradually grow into something truly glorious. Made in heaven, by almighty God, the Author of life, this One Who brought dust itself to life, life out of nothing. That’s part of the emphasis here. None other than God, the God of the universe - THAT is Who gave it. He is the Source. You know, if you want something, it makes sense to get it from the one who invented it and is the exclusive distributor of it. Go to the source. Copycats and knockoffs usually abound, but in this instance, when it comes to the gift of life, life eternal, there is only one Source. No need to look anywhere else. And the only place to find this life - is God’s Son...
No comments:
Post a Comment