“And this is the testimony, that God gave 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.” (1 John 5:11,12)
The most important question any person must face rises from the truth given in the above verses from 1 John 5. Do you have the Son of God? If you can answer “Yes” you have eternal life. If your answer is “No” you don’t have eternal life.
- “God gave” (v11) It does not say “God rewarded”, or “God honored”, or “God paid what was earned”, but “God gave”. Eternal life (salvation) is a gift from God (“God gave”). Eternal life is an unearned, undeserved gift of grace by a loving God.
- “God gave” is something God has already done. “Gave” is in the past tense. At a point in time God gives eternal life. All who have eternal life can rightly say “God gave eternal life to me”. It is a present possession received in the past.
- “God gave us eternal life” The life God gave is eternal. It is life that exists outside of time. It has no beginning and no end. Eternal is in opposition to time. What God gave is not an extension of the life we were born with but rather a new spiritual life, a life from above. How long can you expect it to last if you have it? Eternally!
- “God gave us eternal life and this life is in His Son” The life God freely gives is “in His Son”. There is no spiritual life apart from Jesus for Jesus himself is “eternal life”. When “God gave us eternal life” what He gave was Jesus.
- “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” The important question is not “Have I been good enough?”, or “Have I been faithful?”, or “Did I join the right church?”, or dozens of other questions. The bottom line is those who have Christ have eternal life and those who do not have Christ do not have eternal life. There is no exception to this truth.
- If I can only have eternal life by having God give me His Son how then do I get Him? This is how Jesus explained it to Nicodemus in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus explained this to this Jewish leader as being “born again“. A better translation is “born from above“. Eternal life comes from God, it is His doing, it is His gift to those who trust Christ.
So what does all this mean? Christ is our life and there is no life outside of Him. When you have Him you have eternal life and you will never die because He can never die. Jesus went further and said to Nicodemus,
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3: 17,18)
This is not difficult to understand. Those who believe in Him (trust, depend on, rely on) have eternal life. Those who refuse to believe on Him do not have eternal life and are condemned. Those who have Him will be resurrected to life and heaven to be forever with Christ and all the saints. Those who do not have Him will be resurrected to death and finally will be seperated from God and His people and thrown into the lake of fire.
How could God make it more clear? Believe on Christ and you shall not come into condemnation. Trust anything other than Christ and you are already condemned right now. This would be a good time to consider Him.
Are you a believer or a make believer? Are you trusting in the fact that in your view you are living a good enough life, being a faithful church member, helping the poor, giving sacrificially,….? In Christ’s love I tell you unless you have Christ all of your good works do not matter one tiny bit.
Please put your whole trust in Jesus who is Himself eternal life.
Royce
Grace Digest 
“And this is the testimony, that God gave 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.” (1 John 5:11,12)
Yes eternal life is in his Son
Jn: 5:22: For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Royce said, ”It does not say “God rewarded”
You are right Royce, he said he would reward “then”
Mt: 16:27: For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
No we cannot get to heaven by bypassing Jesus Christ, or without having faith in him. But I believe there are many places in scripture where it says it is not enough to just say “I believe”
1 Jn :5:1: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
2: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
“ you can’t love God without keeping his commandments, you can’t love his Son without loving him. keep his commandments, works”
Jms :2:17: Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
I believe what James said needs on explanation.
Laymond you are impossible. I’ll say it again though. I have never taught that you only believe a set of facts. Bible faith always works. If there are no works following there is no faith. We work because of who we are. We are not who we are because of what we do.
You are a person who denies the deity of Jesus, denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and yet plans to be approved by God because of how well you have lived. You are quite interesting to say the very least. A living, breathing paradox.
Royce
Royce, I didn’t write Jn: 5:22:, Mt: 16:27: 1 Jn :5:1 Jms :2:17-18.
I don’t believe I have ever denied the “bodily” resurrection, I do believe his resurrection was different than ours will be. ( according to Paul)
And I don’t believe it will be held against me. if I believe God had something to do with the creation of his Son, One is said to have “begat” the other is said to have been “begotten”
1 Jn :5:1: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
As I have said I didn’t write 1 Jn :5:1
God bless
Laymond The Son was begotten in regard to his physical body. He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, he had no human father.
Sure, I agree Jesus’ resurrection body was a “glorified” body but it still had scars from the death he died. It was fit for heaven and earth but no less a body.
You also didn’t write this verse “And we know that the Son of God has come and(AH) has given us understanding, so that we may know(AI) him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life“.
“But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment,
12like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will have no end.” (Hebrews 1:8-12)
This He said of the man Christ Jesus who is God. ” 8See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” (Col 2:8,9)
Royce
Royce said; “The Son was begotten in regard to his physical body. He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, he had no human father.”
Royce does this, or does this not indicate that Jesus was God’s begotten Son before he was sent to earth.
1Jn:4:9: In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Royce, I believe we both know what I think, and believe. But getting back to your post, as I read it, (correct me if I am wrong) I think you are saying we are saved by what we think, and not what we do.
I believe that faith plays a great part in our salvation, because faith leads to action. What reasonable person would say I have no faith that this action will lead me to where I want to go, but I will do it anyway.
Do we believe the woman of faith would have been healed if she hadn’t touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, I doubt it.
for anyone who wants many examples of faith leading to actions , and actions leading to rewards read Hebrews chap. 11.
good discussion Royce thanks.
Laymond,
In your view I trust Jesus too much. I think less of my ability to perform well enough to impress God than you do your ability to impress God.
I believe Jesus is God you don’t. You believe Jesus is a created being just as some of the cults believe. I believe the Bible record when it says he (Jesus) has all power in heaven and on earth, that he created everything and by his power all things hold together, and that his name is above every name, and that salvation is only through him.
You believe in religion, I believe in a Redeemer.
I know that I am likely in the minority in this blogging community but I will die trusting Christ alone for my salvation. I don’t believe I’ll ever have to defend that position to my Holy Father in heaven. My only plea is now and will forever be the blood of Christ for my sins and His resurrection for my life.
Royce
No, we have to trust Jesus completely, to do what he said he would do, but he didn’t say he would bear the burden alone. What do you think he meant when he said “pick up your cross, and follow me” he didn’t say throw your cross on my back and I will drag you along.
He didn’t say (if you first love me, then I will love you) , he did say” if you confess me before men, I will confess you before my father” but confessing Jesus before men requires that you do more than say “I believe” that is my opinion, and you are certainly entitled to yours.
Well, I guess that settles it then doesn’t it?
Royce