Today’s reading: 1 John 5
I spent a good part of January finalizing the 2022 Business Plan for my department. I am a pretty direct person, so working with some not so direct business partners to develop a succinct plan was a bit challenging at times. My feedback often sounded something like this – in 2 sentences or less tell me what you are trying to achieve and how you are going to measure it. Get to the point, bottom line it, cut out the weasel words.
Our text for today is 1 John 5. Check out verse 12:
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12).
It doesn’t get anymore direct than this. If you’ve accepted Jesus you have eternal life, if you haven’t accepted Jesus you don’t. That’s it, any questions?
The Apostle John could have stopped there but he doesn’t, as a lot of people then (and now) needed to hear the message a little more gently. In the remainder of the chapter, John offered a few encouraging words to Christfollowers so they could have confidence in their relationship with God.
- God hears our prayers. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us (1 John 5:14).
- God protects us from Satan. We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them (1 John 5:18).
- God sent Jesus to provide a way for us to know him. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true (1 John 5:20).
Nonetheless, don’t let John’s encouraging words in verses 13-21 cloud the main point. To have eternal life, you need Jesus. If you haven’t placed your faith in him yet, it isn’t too late. There is no better time than now!
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).