The Great Pretenders
1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Eternal Life
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
This is the record. The whole purpose of the gospel record is this, that we might know that we have eternal life.
Ro 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The gospel is the power of God. The power of God brings eternal salvation - eternal life.
1Co 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
The power of the gospel is Christ alone. Salvation - eternal life - is through Him alone.
This is the record, that God has given us eternal life. Life here is flawed - it is temporary. The life He offers us is forever. It is spiritual in nature. In order to fully enjoy spiritual life, we have to give up our love affair with this temporal life. It all comes down to this, you just have to choose which life it is you want.
This is an age old struggle. Saints through the ages have struggled with the flesh and its pull. We read of that struggle in Romans 7.
Ro 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Ro 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (NIV)
Ro 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (NIV)
Ro 7:19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. (NIV)
Choose life! Eternal life has been given to us.
The condition
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
There are naturally certain rules or conditions that are inherent with life.
The Bible says if you have the Son (Jesus) then you have life. That is because Jesus is life. Life is defined by Him. It is not that a certain kind of life is defined by him. Or that a quality or amount of life is defined by him. Life itself is defined by him. Whatever you have without him, it is not life.
Life is more than moving, breathing, thinking, existing. That may be being alive, but it is not life.
Just life, He that has oxygen has breathing - he that has Jesus has life. Without oxygen you can't breathe. Without Jesus you cannot really live.
How do we define life? Does a wedding ring define marriage? I think not. Do you call life the process of working, eating, watching TV, and all that? That's not life. That is things you do while you are living. But that does not define life.
What is life? Life is relationship. God created us for relationship - relationship with each other and relationship with Him.
Notice He first made man for relationship with Himself. Then he made a companion for man - one like himself. Our first relationship should be with God. That is the purpose of life - to relate to and fellowship with God. Anything else falls short of life.
This relationship can only exist through the Son.
Joh 14:6 … no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
He that has Jesus has the real thing. Everything else falls short. Now the average person is satisfied with everything else. But those who really want to life to the fullest seek, and find, Jesus.
Let me illustrate: You want to book a vacation to Hawaii. The travel agent says, "Listen, you don't have to go to Hawaii. I can send you down to Beaufort, SC. You can go out to Hunting Island Beach, and you'll never know the difference. Hey, a beach is a beach."
No! Hunting Island is not Waikiki. It's not the same. It's a cheap imitation.
"But," he says, "you'll still be on vacation." Well, in a sense, but it's not the same."
You wanted a beach front room. He says, "For a smaller price, I can give you a room 1 block from the beach." Great! I get a picture window view of traffic instead of the ocean. I get to go to sleep to the sound speeding cars instead of crashing waves. No thanks!
A friend of mine got some bargain airline tickets. When he saw the Saran Wrap covering the airplane windows, he decided to spend the full price for the regular airline tickets.
Don't settle for a bargain basement life. Get the real thing. He that hath the Son, hath life. Anything else is a cheap imitation.
The real, real thing.
Let me make another point here. You can have religion, or you can have Jesus. You can have church, or you can have Jesus. You can have Christian activities, or you can have Jesus.
Life is relationship with Him. True life is not a religious version of what the world has. True life is relationship with Him. Are you going through the motions of religious exercises, or are you living in relationship with Him? Do you talk with Him? Do you enjoy it, or is it a duty? Do you spend time in His presence? Do you find yourself looking for opportunities to sneak away to be with Jesus?
A bumper sticker said, The best thing you can spend on your family is time. That about says it all. What God wants is you! He wants your time. He wants your relationship - your fellowship.
Do you know for sure?
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
The gospel was written - the message was given - in order that you might know for sure. "…that you may know that you have eternal life…"
Do you know that for sure? There are very few things I know for sure in this world. Every time I think I've got it figured out, it changes. But one thing will never change. God will never change the requirements of salvation. The path to heaven will never change. There will never be a detour or a back road.
Do you know that if you died right now, that you would go directly to be with Jesus? You can! You can know for sure. That's why the Bible was written. That's why the gospel was given. That's why we must proclaim the message all over the world and to every creature.
How wonderful it is that God has given us a way to know for sure. Maybe you come form a different religious faith. Does your faith guarantee salvation? Can you know that you have eternal life? You can through Christ, but nowhere else.