1 John 5:11, 12 - Eternal Life Is A Relationship With Jesus.
1 John 5:11, 12: Eternal Life Is A Relationship With Jesus.
TEXT AND TRANSLATIONS
1 John 5:11, 12 (NIV) And this is the testimony: God has given
us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son
has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:11, 12 (AMP) And this is that testimony (that
evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who
possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God
does not have that life.
WORD STUDY
Hath life. That is, eternal life referred to in v. 11. This life
begins with the Christian's new birth, and is continued in the world to
come. Those who cultivate the friendship of Jesus come to share in His
character. In this way, having the Son guarantees having the life that
never ends. [SDA Commentary]
APPLICATION COMMENTARY
Living Selfishly or in Relationships of Harmony
To live for self is to perish. Covetousness, the desire of
benefit for self's sake, cuts the soul off from life. It is the spirit
of Satan to get, to draw to self. It is the spirit of Christ to
give, to sacrifice self for the good of others. COL259
John clearly states that our relationship with the Son
determines whether we possess eternal life. [Nelson SB]
Eternal life is available only through Jesus Christ because it
is only God's to give. If you do not know Jesus, you have no hope
for eternal life. [Disciple SB]
Eternal Life Is A Relationship From The Heart And Not Just Head
Knowledge
Missing Heaven by 18 Inches!
Does this title startle you?
How can anyone get so close and yet in the end hear the Lord
say, "I never knew you: depart from me''?
However, this will be the terrible result of many in our
churches today who are professing Christians, often with responsible
positions, but who have had only a head acceptance of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Tragically enough, even teachers, preachers and religious
workers are not exempt from the possibility of this chilling
indictment.
The distance between the head and the heart is 18 inches.
Unfortunately, a head--intellectual--knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, fully
knowing and giving mental assent to the plan of salvation, without also
a heart acceptance that brings the personal relationship that the
Bible demands, avails nothing to any man.
Listen to Paul's heart cry concerning Israel as he spoke under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, " For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." He was speaking
about misdirected efforts, energies expended in the strength of the
flesh but not under the direction of the Holy Spirit. The lack of
power today in many of our churches as well as the lack of power today
in the lives of many professing Christians can be laid directly to
this.
It is only as we see ourselves in the mirror of God's Word as
without excuse and without hope, utterly lost and undone, that the truth
of the Scriptures convicts us, for the Bible clearly reveals that
this is how God sees man.
Then, when the glorious truth of the gospel brings us to
recognition of our own sinfulness, and in true repentance we cry out to God
asking forgiveness and help, asking Him to come into our hearts, not
our heads, we experience the new birth.
Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
The Bible also tells us that "He that hath the Son hath
[eternal] life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.''
Furthermore, the Bible promises "That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation."
Christ wants your heart, not just your head because "The Lord
seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looketh on the heart."
It is vitally important that you make sure it is not just head
knowledge and mental assent you have given to Jesus Christ. He needs the
complete surrender of your heart and life so that you may be truly born
again.
Eighteen inches can mean an eternity with Christ or an eternity
without Christ. Are you sure of your personal relationship to Him? Why
not settle the question in your heart once and for all right now?
Paul W. Empet, American Tract Society, P. O. Box 462008, Garland.
Texas 75046
Eternal Life Is A Relationship That Must Be Personal
God Can Never Be A Grandfather! God will never have any
grandchildren. In other words, you are not a member of God's family simply
because your parents were. Your father may have been a respected
minister and your mother a devout Christian, but your relationship to God
must be firsthand and personal. Unfortunately many factors obscure
the necessity for that personal decision. Somehow we have come to
identify Christianity with our culture and assume that anyone born in
"Christian" country is a Christian automatically. Or we take down a dusty
family Bible and trace a rich religious heritage-Baptist, Catholic,
Presbyterian, or whatever-and assume our Christianity by virtue of a family
tree. But God has no grandchildren. Christianity cannot be inherited.
To be a member of God's family, you personally must become a child
of God: All who receive Christ and believe in his name (trust him
to save them) he gives the right to become children of God (from
John 1:12). The Bible emphasizes that to become a member of God's
family (a Christian), you must personally trust Jesus Christ as your
Savior. "For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus
Christ" (Galatians 3:26). Nothing erases the necessity of that personal
decision, for the Bible passes judgment on all of us-whatever our
parentage, culture, or religious background. "Every one has turned away;
all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is
right; not one" (Romans 3:12). "All have sinned; all fall short of
God's glorious ideal" (Romans 3:23). If you want to become a member of
God's family, you must personally be born into it: All those who
accept Christ as their Savior are reborn-not a physical rebirth
resulting from human passion or plan-but from the will of God (from John
1:13). A decisive step is necessary-admit your need of forgiveness and
then trust Jesus Christ who died for your sins. Only then are you a
child of God. He forgives your sins, actually declares you "not
guilty" of offending him (Romans 3:24), and welcomes you into the
family. We want to welcome you too! Today. [Have a Good Day; Sept.98]
Eternal Life is Truly a Relationship With God
Dear Child,
I watch you laboring and fretting and anxiously striving to
achieve things for me and my kingdom. Hear me. Your work is not my
primary concern. Your work is now, has always been, and always will be
secondary to your relationship with me.
What you do will flow out of your relationship with me as
irrigation streams flow out of a deep, clear, powerful river. The river
(the relationship) will set your motives and supply your strength.
Then your work will flow forth to honor me. Any time you allow your
work to come ahead of your relationship with me, you risk working
against me and my purposes.
Draw near to me and rest. Seek my will at every small turn.
Listen for my voice. Be filled with my Spirit. Then work with joy and
abandon! The Source of your power, God [PostCards from Heaven by Claire
Cloninger re Pro.3:5, 6]
Eternal Life Begins As A Belief Relationship
Whoever believes in God's Son has eternal life. He is all you
need. You don't need to wait for eternal life because it begins the
moment you believe. You don't need to work for it because it is already
yours. You don't need to worry about it because you have been given
eternal life by God himself--and it is guaranteed. [Life Application
SB]
Eternal Life Is A Faith Relationship
Faith is the central concept of Christianity. One may be called
a Christian only if one has faith. Faith is what we believe, it
is Christianity itself, but primarily it is the relationship we
have with God through what Jesus accomplished in His death and
resurrection. [Holman Bible Dictionary]
Eternal Life Is A Love Relationship
When you are born of God, you are born to love (vv. 1-3). You
will love the Father who gave you life and the Son who gave His life
for you. You will also love His children, for you all belong to the
same family. When you are born of God, you are born to win (vv. 4-5).
Your first birth made you a sinner and a loser, but your second birth
makes you a conqueror. The world wants to entice you (2:15-17) and the
devil wants to seduce you (Gen. 3:8), but Christ will give you the
victory you need if you trust Him..... As you abide in Christ, you
experience His love and care. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by
Warren Wiersbe]
Eternal Life Is A Relationship Of Assurance
There are very few things in this world that we can be sure
about.
Becky Schmidt, our friend and our pastor's wife went to the
doctor for a regular checkup--and discovered she had cancer. She's
responding well to treatment. But suddenly the whole world of Richard and
their three boys was shaken.
Karl Klammer left the north to take a job here in Florida. The
family sold their home, loaded their possessions in a U-Haul truck, and
headed south. The day after he got here, the company he was to work for
declared bankruptcy, and shut down operations.
Last Saturday night a junior in our local high school was on her
way to work. Another car went through a stop sign, struck her
vehicle, and killed her.
Assurance--that confident assurance about ourselves and our
future--is something that this world simply does not offer.
Yet, right now, you and I can be absolutely sure, if we believe
in Jesus, that we have eternal life. We can be completely confident
that God listens to our prayers, and that as we ask according to His
will, the answer is assured.
The circumstances of our life on earth will always remain
uncertain. We can be assured only of the reality, and the wonder, of our
relationship with God. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
EXAMPLES OF LIVES THAT REVEAL A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
All the kids called him "Grandpa." He was a plumber with an
eighth-grade education. But no one was more articulate about Jesus Christ
than Grandpa Craig.
Kids from all over spent a lot of time with Grandpa--eating
popcorn in his living room, having Bible studies, praying, just
"shooting the breeze." No matter where the conversation wandered, though,
Grandpa would always bring it around to Jesus.
Whenever we were talking about school or dating or the future,
Grandpa would say, "That reminds me of something Jesus said....." or,
"That's just like when Jesus......" and he would reveal new insights to us
about Jesus.
Grandpa's life was filled with the reality of Jesus' presence.
On Saturday afternoons, we would sometimes take long walks with
Grandpa. He would point to the countryside and say, "Now, that's Jesus'
way of showing us how much he loves us. He made all these things for
us to enjoy."
Grandpa saw Jesus in everything around him. "See how the sun
goes down so faithfully every evening?" he would ask. "That shows how
faithful Jesus is to us. Just like the sun, he never lets us down."
When anyone wondered how to act toward a new kid in school,
Grandpa would ask, "How would Jesus act if he were in school?" Problems
with parents? "What would Jesus do in your shoes?" His advice was
always simple: "Focus on Jesus. Figure it out from there."
In the same way that Grandpa experienced Jesus in everything,
John 1:1-18 reminds us that Jesus is central to everything. [Youth SB
re John 1:1-18]
I recall reading some years ago in a newspaper article about an
old man who carried a small can of "3-In-One Oil" with him wherever
he went. When he passed through a door that squeaked he squirted a
little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the
latch ... and thus he passed through life lubricating all the
squeaking places, making life more pleasant for those who came after him
... an unusual procedure, yet he derived a great deal of pleasure in
doing it.
We see others doing similar deeds like this by planting
flowers/shrubs along the roadway or picking up litter, planting trees in
unsightly places or like the good neighbor this Christmas who decorated a
tree along the railroad to enhance the area with a little beauty.
In our lives, there are many opportunities for us to perhaps
spread a little oil of kindness where it will make a big difference in
a small way. There's no telling how many lives we may keep from
rusting and squeaking, how many gates to happiness we may oil that will
make a life a little easier. Pastor Fate Thomas
His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes
in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his
entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kinda esoteric and
very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.
Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very
conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but
are not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there.
He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The
service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking
for a seat.
The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By
now people are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says
anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when
he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the
carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college
fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!)
By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air
is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back
of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now
the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, a three-piece
suit, and a pocket watch. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified,
very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward
this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, you can't blame him for
what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of
his background to understand some college kid on the floor?
It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church
is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All
eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The
people are thinking, the minister can't even preach the sermon until
the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly
man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers
himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be
alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion.
When the minister gains control he says, "What I'm about to
preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will
never forget." Author unknown
CLOSING THOUGHT
Oh, to think what Christ is, what He did, and whom He did it
for, and then not to believe Him, not to trust Him! There is no
wickedness like the wickedness of unbelief! [Dr. Heugh by Charles
Spurgeon; Time with God devotional SB]
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