Jesus was the source of eternal life

JESUS WAS THE SOURCE OF ETERNAL LIFE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
I JOHN 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given
us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever
has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of
God does not have life.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Fourfold Witness To The Divine Sonship Of Jesus
1 John 5:6-11
W. Jones
This is he that came by waterand blood, etc. We omit the interpolated clauses,
and take the text as it is given in the RevisedVersion. St. John here states the
basis of that faith by means of which the Christian overcomes the world. We
have the most convincing testimony that the confidence which is reposedin
Jesus Christ as the Sonof Godis wellfounded. That testimony is manifold.
We have -
I. THE TESTIMONYOF HIS BAPTISM. "This is he that came by water,...
even Jesus Christ." The coming here meant is not that of his incarnation, his
entrance into this world; but his coming forth from the retirement of

Nazarethto enter upon his greatredemptive mission. His coming "by water"
we regard as referring to his baptism by John. That baptism was:
1. The inauguration of his greatmission. When Jesus wentto John for
baptism he had finally left his private life, and was just about to enter upon
his public ministry, and his baptism was a fitting introduction to that
ministry.
2. An inauguration characterizedby supernatural and Divine attestation.
Probably it is for this reasonthat St. John here refers to our Lord's baptism:
"Jesus, whenhe was baptized, went up straightwayfrom the water:and lo,
the heavens were openedunto him," etc. (Matthew 3:16, 17). And John the
Baptist testified, "This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a Man which is
become before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not; but that he
should be made manifest to Israel," etc. (John1:30-34).
II. THE TESTIMONYOF HIS CRUCIFIXION. "This is he that came by
waterand blood, even Jesus Christ; not with the wateronly, but with the
waterand with the blood." The reference is to the blood which he shed upon
the cross forthe redemption of mankind. But how did his death witness to the
truth that he was the Sonof God?
1. By the extraordinary phenomena associatedwith his death. "Now from the
sixth hour there was darkness overall the land until the ninth hour.... And
Jesus yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in
twain from the top to the bottom," etc. (Matthew 27:45, 50-54;Luke 23:47,
48).
2. By the transcendentmoral grandeur expressed in his death. He voluntarily
submitted himself to death for the salvationof the lost world. Our Lord said,
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I may
take it again. No one taketh it awayfrom me," etc. (John 10:17, 18); "He gave
himself for our sins," etc. (Galatians 1:4); "He gave himself a Ransomfor us,"
etc. (1 Timothy 2:6); "He gave himself for us," etc. (Titus 2:14); "Christ also
suffered for sins once, the Righteous for the unrighteous," etc. (1 Peter3:18).
He freely surrendered himself to the most painful and shameful death, not for
himself, or for his friends, but for sinners and rebels againsthim and his

Father, and in order that they might have eternallife. Such self-sacrificewas
more than human, more than angelic, - it was strictly and properly Divine.
"This was compassionlike a God,
That when the Saviour knew
The price of pardon was his blood,
His pity ne'er withdrew."
(Watts.)
III. THE TESTIMONYOF HIS SPIRIT. "And it is the Spirit that beareth
witness, because the Spirit is the truth, Forthere are three who bear witness,
the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one." Notice:
1. The nature of the testimony of the Holy Spirit. At our Lord's baptism the
Spirit bore witness that he was the Sonof God (Matthew 3:16, 17). Our Lord
said, "The Spirit of truth, which proceedethfrom the Father, he shall bear
witness of me" (John 15:26). Again he said, "The Spirit of truth... he shall
glorify me; for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you." He bore
witness to the Messiahshipof Jesus by coming down, according to his promise,
upon the apostles, andby making the gospelof Christ which they preached a
saving powerto thousands of souls (Acts 2; Acts 4:31). And he bears witness
for Christ in the hearts of Christians (chapter 3:24; 1 Corinthians 12:3).
2. The value of the testimony of the Holy Spirit. "The Spirit, is the truth;"
"The Spirit of truth" (John 14:17;John 15:26); "When he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he shall guide you into all the truth." His testimony is of the utmost
value and importance, because it is perfectly free from error or fraud;
proceeding from the Spirit of truth, the Spirit who is the truth, it is light
without any darkness, truth without any error. And his testimony is that Jesus
is the Messiahand the Son of God.
IV. THE TESTIMONYOF HIS BELIEVING PEOPLE. "He that believeth
on the Son of God hath the witness in him.... And the witness is this, that God

gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." "The object of the Divine
testimony being," says Alford, "to produce faith in Christ, the apostle takes
him in whom it has wrought this its effect, one who habitually believes in the
Son of God, and says of such a one that he possessesthe testimony in himself."
All genuine believers in Jesus Christ have the witness of their own
consciousness"thatGod gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
They are consciousthat the life of love - love to God and. to man - is theirs.
"We know that we have passedout of death into life, because we love the
brethren." And we know that this life was quickenedwithin us through the
exercise offaith in Christ. To us individually this is the most convincing of all
witnesses."One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see."
V. THE TESTIMONYOF ALL THE BEFORE-MENTIONED COMBINED.
All the foregoing witnessesare united and concurrent in their evidence. "The
three agree in one." We may saythat the four agree in one. Their testimony is
unanimous. There is no contradiction, no discrepancyin their evidence. With
one voice they declare, "Rabbi, thou art the Sonof God, thou art the King of
Israel." "Thouart the Christ, the Son of the living God." Notice two points in
conclusion:
1. The claim which this testimony has upon, our acceptance."ifwe receive the
witness of men, the witness of God is greater," etc. We receive human
testimony, notwithstanding that
(1) The witness may unintentionally be untrue. Human observations and
impressions and recollectionsare not always accurate;hence the witness of
men is sometimes undesignedly incorrect. But in the manifold and Divine
testimony to the truth that Jesus is the Son of God there cannot be any
inaccuracyor imperfection.
(2) The human witness may intentionally be untrue. Man may endeavourto
deceive;he may willfully bear false witness. But "the witness of God is
greater." The Spirit of truth cannot lie. Therefore this testimony has the most
commanding claims upon our acceptance.
2. The issue involved in type non-acceptanceofthis testimony. "He that
believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the

witness that God hath borne concerning his Son." Is any one prepared to
discredit God? Will any one implicitly charge him with falsehood? Be it ours
to receive his testimony with larger, fuller confidence, and to restin his Son
with deeper, more loving, and more reverent trust. - W.J.
Biblical Illustrator
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in
His Son
1 John 5:11
The Divine record
John Natt, B. D.
It is obvious that the designs of God respecting the work of His hands entirely
depend on His own will, and that, unless He please to favour us with an
express declarationof those designs, we may, indeed, by debating about the
probabilities of the case, bewilderourselves in all the mazes of metaphysical

conjecture;but, as for anything like certainty respecting what so deeply
concerns us, that is a point which it is utterly beyond our abilities to attain.
Such a declaration, however, Godhas been pleasedto make. In the recordof
the Old and New Testaments we have an express revelationof His will.
I. THE UNMERITED GRANT OF OUR GOD.
1. The nature of the blessing here said to be granted to us.(1) It is life, life
worthy of the name, a life perfectly exempt from every kind and degree of
evil, and accompaniedby every conceivable and by every inconceivable
good.(2)This life is eternal, not like our presentlife, which is but as a vapour
that appearethfor a short time and then vanisheth away.(3)It is a life, too,
which includes everything that appertains to it, the pardon of our sins,
reconciliationwith God, adoption into His family, and all those sanctifying
influences of the Holy Spirit which constitute the foretaste of this eternal life
in the heart of the Christian.
2. The person to whom this grant is here also saidto be made. "To us," the
sinful children of sinful parents; "to us," miserable sinners, who thus were
lying in darkness and in the shadow of death, provided only we will acceptthe
boon in His appointed way; "to us" hath God given eternal life.
3. The gratuitous nature of the grant. For in what way but in that of a free gift
could eternal life be made over to those who have both forfeited the blessing
and incurred the curse?
II. THE CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH THIS GRANT IS CONVEYED TO
US.
1. The obstacles whichstoodin the way of this grant were of the most
formidable description. These were no other than the severerperfections of
the Divine nature, and the honour both of God's law and of His universal
government.
2. But by the determination that this free gift of life should be in the Sonof
God, to be sought for through Him alone, all the obstacles to the grant, which
presentedthemselves from the quarters just referred to, were at once
removed.

III. THE CHARACTER OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL OBTAIN
THE BENEFIT OF THIS GRANT AND OF THESE WHO WILL FAIL OF
IT. "He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life."
1. It is clear, then, on the one hand, that we are interestedin this grant of
eternal life if we have the Son.
2. And it is the undisputed testimony of the recordthat he that thus hath the
Son hath life, and that he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
(John Natt, B. D.)
Eternal life a gift
Homilist.
I. THE SUBJECT OF THE "RECORD" — "ETERNALLIFE." What is it?
It is not endless existence. The "record" refers not to this point. The Bible
assumes man's immortality. "Eternallife" consists in the soul's well-being —
its intrinsic, internal blessedness:"the kingdom of God is within you." This
life is "eternal." It is drawn from the Eternal One; His principles of rectitude
imbedded in the heart and "springing up into everlasting life."
II. THE DOCTRINE OF THE RECORD, "GODHATH GIVEN TO US
ETERNALLIFE, AND THIS IS IN HIS SON."
1. It is gift. Not something for which men need to toil, but something to be
simply received.
2. It is a gift alreadygiven. "God hath given," etc. The believer has its
foretaste.
3. It is a gift alreadygiven "in His Son." Notin systems, churches;"grace and
truth" come by Jesus Christ.
4. This is for "record." It is testifiedthat men may know it on God's authority
and live.

(Homilist.)
Eternal life
G. Wilson.
Before opening up the passage there are two preliminary questions that press
for answer. In the first place, what is meant by the Scriptural phrase, "eternal
life"? The term, eternallife, is hardly at all one of quantity, but of quality.
Just as there is wheat life in the wheat plant, bird life in the wingedcreatures,
lion life in the lion, so there is Christ life in the Christian. It is a condition of
existence in which the very life of God pulsates through every faculty of the
life of man, bringing him into affinity of love and purpose and aspirationwith
the EternalHimself. Eternal life is, therefore, the imparting of Christ's own
life to those who acceptHim as Saviourand Master. A secondpreliminary
question presses foranswer. When and where is this eternal life attained? It
seems clearfrom the Word of God that it is attained in this world and not in
the world to come. Men do not go to heavento get it, but they go to heaven
because they have it. If these things are true it surely becomes a pressing
interest to every thoughtful man as to how this priceless gift may become his
own personalpossession, as to how he may grow in eternal life and eternal life
grow in him, and as to how he may have the joy, the power, and the prospect
of it. These questions are all clearlyansweredin the text.
I. ETERNALLIFE IS PROVIDED IN CHRIST. "This life is in His Son." It is
of the very lastimportance to note well the fountain of this eternal life. It is
not in man as natural, for as natural he is fallen, and the fall implied the loss
of this life of God in the soul of man, the passing awayof all conscious affinity
with God, and the coming in of a spirit of alienationand hostility. And as it is
not in man naturally, neither does man find it in what is calledhis
environment. We think that the power of environment over human life is
greatly exaggeratedin our day, and is essentiallythe reversalof a central
principle in God's dealings with the world. It is never the new environment
that makes the new man, but it is the new man that creates the new
environment. Let us, therefore, face the fact that eternallife is provided only

in Jesus Christ our Lord. Those in quest of it have, therefore, not to wander
over a wilderness of abstractthought, and not to whip the energies ofmind
and heart to attain this greatend; but, as a person deeply convinced that this
gift is not now theirs, to come humbly and trustfully to the feet of the living
personality of the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has this gift to give, and who
is longing to bestow it.
II. ETERNALLIFE IS PUBLISHED IN CHRIST. "This is the record that
God hath given to us eternallife," and this life is in His Son essentially. The
whole Word of God is an apocalypse or unveiling of Christ. The testimony of
God Himself, of the Holy Spirit, of inspired historian, poet, prophet, and
evangelist, all convergesonthe Lord Jesus Christ.
III. ETERNALLIFE IS POSSESSED IN CHRIST. God hath given to us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son; "he that hath the Son hath life." The
gift has not only been provided and published, but it has in a very realsense
actually been given. God has given to us eternal life. We stand firm on the
ground that Christ's part, both in provision and offer, has already been
finished; but salvationby gift implies the part of the receiveras well as the
part of the giver, and while the gift has been offered there is no salvation, and
there can be no salvationtill the gift is accepted. This view of the possessionof
eternal life delivers man from all perplexity as to the ground of his acceptance
with God, and as to his humble assurance ofthe certainty of his salvation. It
causes feelings,for example, to fall into due perspective in spiritual
experiences. Whena man comes to see that he possessesChrist, and on that
possessioncancalleternal life his own, there will come, and must come, those
feelings of peace and rest and certainty and enjoyment, and until he is quite
sure that he possesses Christ, and with Him all things, the feelings will be
fitful and the whole life will be clouded.
IV. ETERNALLIFE IS PERPETUATED IN CHRIST. "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 entrance of eternal life into the soul of man is the entrance of
Christ Himself to dwell and reign and unfold the nature that He inhabits and
permeates. The whole Christ, and only Christ, is neededto save, and the

whole Christ in perpetual indwelling is needed to sanctify. There is no possible
life for the Christian apart from his abiding in Christ and Christ abiding in
him. Out of this flows all the sweetnessofsanctity, all the dignity of lowliness,
all the enlarging of love, all the practicalpower of obedience, and all the
finished graces ofa complete character.
(G. Wilson.)
Example and life
W. Gladden, D. D.
It will be admitted, of course, that Christ has given us a perfect example. He
has not only told us what to do, He has shownus how to live. He was Himself,
by the method which He followed, the greatobject teacher, and His life was
the greatobjectlesson. Example is more powerful than precept; its influence
goes deeperand takes hold of us with a strongergrasp; but after all it is of the
same nature as precept. You can give a child in words some idea of the rules
of polite behaviour; you can give him an example of politeness which will be
much more instructive and effective in forming his manner than any verbal
rules; but the rules and the example would both operate in the same way; they
would reach and influence him through his intellect and his will. In both cases
the effectproduced would be the result of a voluntary effort. It is easierfor
him to imitate your actions than it is to remember and obey your rules; but
both address the will through the intelligence. Now, while the imitation of an
actionis easierand pleasanterthan the obedience of a precept, there is still a
greatlack of beauty and of vigour in the conduct that is simply the result of
imitation. There is a perceptible hardness and stiffness and unreality about it;
it is artificial. So, then, if a perfectexample were put before us, and we should
setourselves resolutelyand carefully to the copying of that example, we
should be sure to fail; our lives, though they might seemoutwardly very like
the life we were trying to imitate, would resemble it only as the artificial
flowerresembles the realone. When God gave you being He gave you
characterand personality of your own. What He meant you to be is indicated
in the very constitution of your soul, And although by disobedience and

alienation from Him you may have badly injured your own character, though
the Divine perfection in which it ought to shine may but dimly appear in it, yet
the ground plan, so to speak, is there, and that is the plan on which your
characteris to be built; the thing for you to do is simply to become what God
meant you to be, and this you cannotdo by trying to imitate the characterand
conduct of some one else. What men most need is the healing, the quickening,
the replenishing of their spiritual life. It is not a model to live by, it is "new life
and fuller that we want." And this is the want that Christ supplies. "I am
come," He says, "thatthey might have life and that they might have it more
abundantly." How is it that He imparts to men this life? Ah, I do not know
that. How does the sun impart life to the seeds and roots and bulbs that
during all this long winter have been waiting for him under ground? I do not
know how he does it, but I know that he does it. Some of them have heard his
voice already and have come forth from their graves. The subtle might of his
regenerating rays is seeking them out; they begin to feel in every fibre the
influence of his power; life is quickened within them by his genialinfluence.
And as many as receive Jesus Christ, as many as will acceptHim as the Lord
of their life, and will let Him instruct them and lead them and inspire them,
sweetlyyielding to the influences of His grace, will find that He is doing for
them something like what the sun does for the germs beneath the soil; that He
is imparting spiritual life to them; that He is kindling in their souls the love of
all things right and true and good, and increasing in them the power to realise
such things in their lives. This is what He does for all who will receive Him.
But the text says that this life is eternal life. The witness is that God has given
to us eternallife and the life is in His Son. Yea, verily! The life whose
organising principles are righteousness andtruth and love is a life that takes
hold of the aeons to come with a sure grasp. God has so made the universe
that these principles are indestructible; in the nature of things virtue is
immortal; the life that is incorporate with it has the promise of an everlasting
day.
(W. Gladden, D. D.)
Life in Christ

T. Archer, D. D.
Mark the grammaticalform. The statementis not part of the record, but "the
record" itself, as if God had given none else. "This is the record," standing out
alone in its sublime grandeur. "This is the record" that transcends all others
by its brilliancy, upon which every conscience might rest. So in 1 John 2:25 he
uses exactly the same emphatic expression — "This is the promise that He
hath promised us, even eternal life," as if not a single star shone in the
firmament above except this; as if not one promise had been given except this,
standing out distinct, full, alone in hopes and comfort to all. And not only he,
but St. Paul, so different in the characteristicorderof intellect, uses the same
kind of expression— "The wages ofsin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christour Lord" (Romans 6:23); "the gift," as if no other
boon had been granted — the gift towering out above all, and standing in its
holy Alpine grandeur, the noblest blessing God had evergiven to His people.
Put these three passagestogether, and then we have brought before us this
glorious truth, that He is emphatically the gift, the record to us, the promise of
God of life eternalthrough His Son.
I. THE RELIGION WHICH WE PROFESS, TRUE PRACTICAL
CHRISTIANITY, IS LIFE. This truth lies at the foundation of this passage;
and what type canbe more glorious of goodconferred? The most despised
creature upon earth clings to life. I need not saythat the life here spokenof is
not physical life, not a life in common with an ungodly man, not a life in
common with the beasts that perish, but spiritual life, life in the soul, life in
the thinking elements of our nature, life in that part of our nature which links
us with God Himself, and which, if lost, consigns us to everlasting ruin. Such
then is the boon; the Christian lives. Religionis no dead thing; it is not
formalism, it is not mere professionalism, it is not the assentof the
understanding to certain dogmas, it is not the experience in the heart even of
certain sentimental emotions. Religion, if it be anything at all, is a living,
practicalreality. I have the conviction that I have spiritual life, because I
think with God, I feelthe presence ofGod, I move in the ways of God. The
Christian, then, lives; that life may be mysterious, but it is the distinguishing
characterof the Christian man that he has this spiritual life in him. I add that

it is, moreover, a progressive thing. Here religion harmonises with all the
phenomena and rules of life.
II. THIS LIFE IS DIVINE IN ITS ORIGIN — "Godhath given to us eternal
life." All life is of Divine production. Pierce as far as you may into eternity,
the deeperand closerour examination of its realities, the more fully and
simply are we thrown on our conviction of the Divine origin. All life is the
production of the eternalGod. The spiritual life of which I speak is, therefore,
certainly of His production. The old Greek fable, myth, to use the fashionable
expressionof modern times, brings out the truth in a simple shape — "You
may take a man and sethim up by the pillar of the temple, but unless the god
who inhabits it touches him he cannot move a step." Or, according to another
Greek fable, you may take clay and form and fashion it into the mould of a
man, but unless the celestialfire penetrates the frame and imparts life it has
no power of action. "Paul may plant, and Apollos may water, but God gives
the increase."All means and appliances are in vain until the powerof God
Himself shall visit the Church — all in vain until Jesus Christ, who, when His
messageis proclaimed, shall accompanythat messagewithHis own living
powerand wakenup dead spirits into eternallife.
III. THIS LIFE IS IN CHRIST. The source, I say, of that life which is the gift
of God, the source of all life, is Christ Himself. Again, for this purpose He is
describedas having life in Himself. Mark the emphatic expression. It
corresponds with that expressionof the living God, "I am that I am" —
Jehovah. Pray for this gift, but pray for it in union with Christ's sacrifice, for
without His death the Spirit never had come down.
IV. THIS LIFE IS NOT ONLY THROUGH THE SON, BUT IS IN THE
SON, AND WILL JUST BE IN US AS IT IS IN HIM. In other words, the
characterof the life of the Sonof Godis a model characterto all the
brotherhood of Christ; every Christian is a Christian just in the degree that
he is Christ-like.
V. THIS LIFE, THIS DIVINE GIFT, IS ETERNAL. Now the soul is eternal,
and as such, therefore, this life must endure forever. That man is a fool who
tries to procure something by greatlabour which will last only till tomorrow.

But this eternal life never conies to a close. Moreoverit is a life which shall
expand. I can set no limits to it.
VI. WHO HAVE THAT LIFE? What man possessesit? Who has a distinct
credential that he does possess it? "He became the author of eternal salvation
unto all them that obey Him." Tell me not of spasmodic enjoyments of
spiritual elevation, of occasionalparoxysms of spiritual life. I ask, is Christ's
life in you? Is His law in your hearts, and is it exemplified in your lives? If so,
you have clearproof of the possessionof that gift which is everlasting.
(T. Archer, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
BensonCommentary
1 John 5:11-12. And this is the record — Η μαρτυρια, the testimony; the sum
of God’s testimony concerning his Son, and salvationthrough him:
this is the thing testified by the six witnesses — the three in heaven, and the
three on earth; that God hath given to us — Hath sincerelyand freely offered
to mankind in general, and hath actually conferredon true believers in
particular; eternallife — Namely, a title to it, in their justification and
adoption, Titus 3:7; Romans 8:17; a meetness for it, in their new creationor
sanctification, Colossians1:12;2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians
4:24; and a foretaste orearnestof it, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in
their hearts, Ephesians 1:14; giving them to enjoy communion with the Father
and the Son, 1 John 1:3; and through that, as it were, to sit in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus, andhave their conversationin heaven, Ephesians 2:6; Php
3:20. And this life is in his Son — Whose doctrine hath revealed it; whose
merits have procured it; whose Spirit hath imparted the beginning of it; and

whose example will conduct us to the complete possessionofit. In other
words, by whom it is purchased, and in whom it is treasured up; so that he
has all the springs, and the fulness of it, in himself, to communicate to his
body, the church, first in grace and then in glory. “Thoughthe apostle, in
what goes before, has spokenparticularly of the three in heaven, and of the
three on earth, who bear witness continually, he deferred mentioning, till now,
what it is they are witnessing;that by introducing it last of all, and after so
much preparation, it might make the strongerimpression on the minds of his
readers.” He that hath the Son — That hath the saving knowledge ofhim
communicated by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, Ephesians 1:17;
Matthew 11:27; that hath living faith in him, working by love, Galatians 2:20;
Galatians 5:6; and hereby hath a realinterest in him, as a wife hath in her
husband, Romans 7:4; and vital union with him, such as a branch hath with
the tree in which it grows, John15:4; or such as a member of the human body
has with the head thereof, 1 Corinthians 12:27;Romans 12:5; and who, in
consequence ofthat interest in him, and union with him, hath a conformity to
him; hath in him the mind that was in Christ, and walks as he walked, Php
2:5; or he, to whom Christ is made of God wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption; see on 1 Corinthians 1:30; such a one in these
respects having the Son, hath life — Hath spiritual life here, and is entitled to,
made in a degree meet for, and has an earnestof, eternallife hereafter. But he
that hath not the Son of God — Hath not that interest in his merits, that union
with him through the Spirit, that conformity, more or less, to his image: he,
whom Christ has not enlightened as his wisdom, justified as his righteousness,
renewedas his sanctification;whateverhe may profess, whateverorthodoxy
of sentiment, regularity of conduct, or form of godliness;hath not life — Hath
neither spiritual life here, being still alienatedfrom the life of God, Ephesians
4:18; nor is in the way to eternallife hereafter. He hath no part or lot therein.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
5:9-12 Nothing can be more absurd than the conduct of those who doubt as to
the truth of Christianity, while in the common affairs of life they do not
hesitate to proceedon human testimony, and would deem any one out of his
senses who declinedto do so. The real Christian has seenhis guilt and misery,
and his need of such a Saviour. He has seenthe suitableness ofsuch a Saviour

to all his spiritual wants and circumstances. He has found and felt the power
of the word and doctrine of Christ, humbling, healing, quickening, and
comforting his soul. He has a new disposition, and new delights, and is not the
man that he formerly was. Yet he finds still a conflictwith himself, with sin,
with the flesh, the world, and wickedpowers. Buthe finds such strength from
faith in Christ, that he canovercome the world, and travel on towards a
better. Such assurance has the gospelbeliever: he has a witness in himself,
which puts the matter out of doubt with him, except in hours of darkness or
conflict; but he cannot be argued out of his belief in the leading truths of the
gospel. Here is what makes the unbeliever's sin so awful; the sin of unbelief.
He gives Godthe lie; because he believes not the record that God gave of his
Son. It is in vain for a man to plead that he believes the testimony of God in
other things, while he rejects it in this. He that refuses to trust and honour
Christ as the Son of God, who disdains to submit to his teaching as Prophet, to
rely on his atonementand intercessionas High Priest, or to obey him as King,
is dead in sin, under condemnation; nor will any outward morality, learning,
forms, notions, or confidences availhim.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
And this is the record - This is the sum, or the amount, of the testimony
(μαρτυρία marturia) which God has given respecting him.
That God hath given to us eternallife - Has provided, through the Saviour,
the means of obtaining eternallife. See the notes at John 5:24; John 17:2-3.
And this life is in his Son - Is treasuredup in him, or is to be obtained through
him. See the John 1:4; John 11:25;John 14:6 notes; Colossians 3:3 note.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
11. hath given—Greek, aorist:"gave" once forall. Not only "promised" it.
life is in his Son—essentially(Joh 1:4; 11:25;14:6); bodily (Col 2:9);
operatively (2Ti 1:10) [Lange in Alford]. It is in the secondAdam, the Sonof
God, that this life is securedto us, which, if left to depend on us, we should
lose, like the first Adam.

Matthew Poole's Commentary
His testimony, that this is his Son and the Christ, imports so much, that
eternal life is in him, as the source and fountain of it; so that he gives it to us
in no other way than in and by him.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And this is the record,.... The sum and substance ofit, with respectto the
person of Christ, and the security of salvationin him, who is the true God,
and eternallife:
that God hath given to us eternallife; which is a life of glory and happiness
hereafter;in the present state is unseen, but will in the world to come be a life
of vision, free from all the sorrows and imperfections of this; and will be of the
utmost perfectionand pleasure, and for ever. This is a pure free grace gift of
God the Father, proceeding from his sovereigns goodwill and pleasure, and
which he gives to all his chosenones, for they are ordained unto eternal life; to
as many as he has given to his Son; to all that are redeemedby his blood, and
are brought to believe in him: to these he gave it in his Son before the world
began; and to the same in time he gives the right unto it, the meetness for it,
and the pledge and earnestof it; and will hereafter give them the thing itself,
the whole of it, to be possessedand enjoyed by them in person, to all eternity.
And this life is in his Son: not only the purpose and promise of it, but that
itself; Christ askedit of his Father in the covenant of peace, and he gave it to
him, that he might have it in himself for all his people;and here it is safe and
secure, it is hid with Christ in God, it is bound up in the bundle of life with
him; and because he lives, this life will never be lost, or they come short of it.
Geneva Study Bible
{12} And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life
is in his Son.
(12) Now at length he shows whatthis testimony is that is confirmed with so
many witnesses:that is, that life or everlasting happiness is the gift of God,

which is the Son, and proceeds from him to us, who by faith are joined with
him, so that without him, life is nowhere to be found.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
states in what waythat witness of God shows itself as internal to the believer;
to him who, by believing, has the objective witness of God in himself, it is no
longerpurely objective, but he experiences it in himself as a divine power, or
as the ζωὴ αἰώνιος which God has given him
1 John 5:11 states in what waythat witness of God shows itself as internal to
the believer; to him who, by believing, has the objective witness of God in
himself, it is no longer purely objective, but he experiences it in himself as a
divine power, or as the ζωὴ αἰώνιος which God has given him.[318] Hence the
apostle says:“And this is the record, ὅτι ζωὴν αἰώνιονἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεός.”
With ἩΜῖΝ, ΤΟῖς ΠΕΠΙΣΤΕΥΚΌΣΙΝ is to be mentally supplied.
ΖΩῊ ΑἸΏΝΙΟς is not “the hope of eternal life” (Bede: dedit nobis vitam
aeternam, sed adhuc in terra peregrinantibus in spe, quam daturus estin
coelis ad se pervenientibus in re), but it is this itself, the divine life, of which
the believeris even here a partaker;what the believer hopes for, that he has
already.
ζωὴν αἰώνιον, as the principal idea, is put first.
ἜΔΩΚΕΝ means: “he gave;” it is not = promisit (Socinus), nor does it express
merely the firmitatem et certitudinem promissionis divinae (a Lapide).

Myrberg incorrectly finds the import of the μαρτυρία of Godstated in ὍΤΙ
Κ.Τ.Λ., which is in opposition to the context. The secondpart of the verse:
ΚΑῚ ΑὝΤΗ Ἡ ΖΩῊ ἘΝ Τῷ ΥἹῷ ΑὐΤΟῦ ἘΣΤΙΝ, which is not dependent
on ὍΤΙ (Baumgarten-Crusius), but forms a co-ordinate principal clause,
gives a further explanation in regard to ΖΩῊ ΑἸΏΝΙΟς. Several
commentators find this thought expressedin these words, that we possess the
ΖΩῊ ΑἸΏΝ. in the Son, i.e. in fellowship with the Son; but this the words do
not say;they rather state where the ζωὴ αἰών., which God gave to believers,
had its original place, namely, in the Son; comp. John 1:4. Frommann (p.
405):“the eternal life of which the Christian is by faith a partaker, is one with
the life that dwells in Christ” (so also Düsterdieck, etc.). Braune incorrectly
separates ΑὝΤΗfrom Ἡ ΖΩΉ, as he puts ἘΣΤΊΝ betweenthem in the
thought, and refers ΑὝΤΗ to the idea ΑἸΏΝΙΟς:“and this … namely,
ΑἸΏΝΙΟς … is the life,” etc.
[318]According to Braune, by ὅτι the import of the record is meant to be
stated; but then John would be speaking of a different recordfrom that which
he mentioned before.
Expositor's Greek Testament
1 John 5:11. The Testimony of the Incarnation. cf. 1 John 1:2. ἔδωκεν, “gave,”
aoristreferring to a definite historic act, the Incarnation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
11. And this is the record] Better, as R.V., And the witness is this, as in 1 John
5:9 : this is what the external witness of God, when it is internally
appropriated by the believer, consists in; viz. the Divine gift of eternallife.
eternal life] See on 1 John 1:2 and on John 3:36; John 5:24. ‘Hath given’ is
more literally gave;but perhaps this is a case in which the English perfect
may representthe Greek aorist. But at any rate ‘gave’must not be weakened

into ‘offered’, still less into ‘promised’. The believer already possesses eternal
life.
this life is in his Son] This is a new independent statement, coordinate with the
first clause:it is not, like the secondclause, dependent upon the first. Eternal
life has its seatand source in the Son, who is the ‘Prince’ or ‘Author of life’
(Acts 3:15): see on John 1:4; John 5:26.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 11. - "And the substance of the internal testimony is this - we are
conscious ofthe Divine gift of eternallife, and this we have in the Son of
God." St. John's ζωὴ αἰώνιος is not "everlasting life:" the idea of endlessness
may be included in it, but it is not the main one. The distinction between
eternity and time is one which the human mind feels to be real and necessary.
But we are apt to lose ourselves whenwe try to think of eternity. We admit
that it is not time, that it is the very antithesis of time, and yet we attempt to
measure it while we declare it to be immeasurable. We make it simply a very
long time. The main idea of "eternallife" in St. John's writings has no direct
reference to time. Eternal life is possessedalreadyby believers; it is not a
thing of the future (John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:47, 54;John 17:3). It is that
life in God which includes all blessedness, andwhich is not broken by physical
death (John 11:25). Its opposite is exclusion from God.
Vincent's Word Studies
Hath given (ἔδωκεν)
The aoristtense, gave. So Rev. The reference is to the historic fact of the gift.
So 1 John 3:23 : "We should love one another as He gave (ἔδωκεν) us
commandment." 1 John 3:24 : "We know that He abideth in us by the Spirit
which He gave (ἔδωκεν) us." On the other hand, 1 John 3:1 : "Beholdwhat
manner of love the Fatherhath bestowed (δέδωκεν)upon us." The gift of love
abides in the fact that we are now children of God (1 John 3:2).
Eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον)

Compare the phrase τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον the life, the eternallife (1 John
1:2), and ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ the eternallife (John 17:3). For the distinction
betweenthe phrases see on1 John 1:2. The phrase here, without either article,
merely defines the characterof the life.
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
1 John 5:11 Commentary
1 John 5 Resources
Updated: Thu, 11/01/2018 - 18:54 By admin
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1 John 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son:
Greek - kai aute estin (3SPAI) e marturia hoti zoen aionion edoken(3SAAI)
hemin o theos kaiaute e zoe en to huio autou estin (3SPAI):
Wuest - which testimony is on record, with the result that he is in a settled
state of unbelief. And this is the testimony, that life eternalGod gave us.
NLT And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son.
this: 1Jn 5:7,10 Joh1:19,32-34 8:13,1419:35 3Jn1:12 Rev1:2
God: 1Jn 5:13 2:25 Mt 25:46 Joh 3:15,16,364:4,36 6:40,47,68 10:28 12:50 Joh
17:2,3 Ro 5:21 6:23 1Ti 1:16 Tit 1:2 Jude 1:21

this: 1Jn 5:12,20 1Jn1:1-3 1Jn 4:9 John 1:4 Jn 5:21,26 Jn 11:25,26 Jn14:6
Col 3:3-4 Rev 22:1
1 John 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
GOD'S GIFT:
LIFE IN HIS SON
As Jackmanrightly remarks 1Jn 5:11 and 1Jn 5:12 "must stand as among the
most magnificent in the whole of the New Testament. The consequencesof
believing God’s truth or denying it could hardly be more important or far-
reaching. John is not merely concernedabout academic disagreements over
theologicalniceties. Eternaldestinies are at stake. (The MessageofJohn's
Letters)
Kruse - Up to this point the author has emphasized God’s witness concerning
the person(came in the flesh) and work (came by water and blood) of the
historical Jesus, but here he emphasises God’s testimony concerning the
benefit made available to believers through him. (Pillar NT Commentary)
(Bolding added)
And (kai) - John, in the previous verse, just told us how serious the matter of
receiving the testimony of Godis. Now he will tell us what this testimony is.
The testimony is crucial because in the receiptor rejectionof it hangs the
receptionor failure to receive eternal life. The testimony of God to His Son
comes with a life-changing offer.
Hiebert - The opening “and” (kai) of 1Jn 5:11 points to a further matter
connectedwith the response made to God’s witness. Involved is the matter of
eternal life. In verse 11 John states whatthe witness of God involves whereas
1Jn 5:12 states the contrasting results of these opposite reactions to the Son of
God.
Testimony (3141)(marturia/martyria relatedto martureo = to witness <>
martus/martys = a witness)is that which furnishes evidence or proof.
"According to the Jewishlaw threefold testimony was valid." (Smith) "The

conditions for a legally valid witness are laid down in Dt. 19:15 (cf. Mt. 18:16;
Jn 8:17-18.;10:25; 2Co 13:1)." (Robertson)
A testimony is a solemndeclarationor affirmation made for the purpose of
establishing or proving some fact. As an aside the frequent costof such a
"witness" is pointed up by the fact that we derive our English word "martyr"
from this Greek word.
Kistemaker- John comes to the concluding thought of his discourse on the
Son of God. He specificallystates the content of God’s testimony and
eliminates any misunderstanding about God’s Son. What is the content of
God’s testimony? “Godhas given us eternallife.” Notice that John is
addressing believers when he uses the first personpronoun us. He does not
say that eternal life will be given (future tense)but that God has given it (past
tense)to us. We have this life now in principle (John 3:17), and when we enter
the presence ofGod in glory, we will have it fully. (BakerNT Commentary)
Steven Cole - Eternal life is God’s gift, not something we gain through our
goodworks or efforts. It does not require some specialsecretknowledge,as
the heretics taught. Like any gift, you must know about it (in this case, God
has testified about it) and you must receive it (cp Jn 1:11-13). If you have to
earn it, it’s not a gift (cp Ro 4:1-5-note). (1 John 5:5-13 Is Christianity Merely
Psychological?)
Guzik - This is God’s essentialmessageto man; that eternal life is a gift from
God, receivedin Jesus Christ.
Has given (1325)(didomi) means to give and in contextis based on decisionof
will of Giver and no merit of the recipients. Didomi is aorist tense which
marks the historic fact that God gave us the gift of eternal life in His Son and
we possess itnow in time but forever in eternity. In 1Jn 3:24 didomi is used by
John of the Holy Spirit "Whom He has given (didomi) us." The only thing
men have to do is to receive God's bountiful gift of Christ's payment for our
sins. And notice that John uses the plural pronoun "us" thus including
himself in those blessedwith God's gift.

John uses didomi in the perfecttense in 1Jn3:1 = See how greata love the
Father has bestowedupon us, that we should be calledchildren of God; and
[such] we are. For this reasonthe world does not know us, because it did not
know Him." The perfect tense of the gift emphasizes the abiding presence of
God’s love! We will have His love forever and ever, amen!
Vincent on the aoristtense of have given - The reference is to the historic fact
of the gift. So 1 John 3:23: “We should love one another as He gave us
commandment.” 1Jn 3:24: “We know that He abideth in us by the Spirit
which He gave us.” On the other hand, 1John 3:1: “Beholdwhat manner of
love the Father hath bestowed(dedoken)upon us.” The gift of love abides in
the factthat we are now children of God (1Jn 3:2).
Brooke - The gift of life is a witness only where it has been received.
Westcottnotes that has given refers "to the historic facts by which this life
was communicated to humanity. That which before Christ’s coming was a
greathope, by His coming was realizedand given. The gift, as far as St John
here regards it, was made to Christians, who appropriate it."
ETERNAL
LIFE
God has give us eternallife - This greatphrase occurs 41xin the NAS, most
often (21x) in the writings of John - Matt 19:16, 29; 25:46;Mark 10:17, 30;
Luke 10:25; 18:18, 30;John 3:15-16, 36;4:14; 5:24, 39; 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68;
10:28;12:50; 17:2-3; Acts 13:46, 48;Ro 2:7; 5:21; 6:22f; Gal6:8; 1Ti 1:16;
6:12; Titus 1:2; 3:7; 1John1:2; 2:25; 3:15; 5:11, 13, 20; Jude 1:21
Note that the Greek order is emphatic: eternallife God has given to us.
Westcott- The Missionof His Son, which He attested, was the gift of life (John
10:10, 10:28;17:2), of life in His Son (John 20:31).
Steven Cole - God’s gift is eternallife. Nothing could be a greatergift!
Becauseofour sins, we were spiritually dead (Eph 2:1-3-note), alienatedfrom
the life of God (Col 1:21-note, Ro 5:10-note). God gives us as our present
possession, notonly unending life, but also His very life (Col 3:4-note). He is

the Author of life (cp Acts 3:15NIV, Heb 2:10-note, Heb 5:9-note, Heb 12:2-
note). Jesus promisedthat if we believe in Him, we shall live even if we die,
and that everyone who lives and believes in Him will never die (John 11:25-
26). In other words, physical death will not rob us of this eternal life with
God.. (1 John 5:5-13 Is Christianity Merely Psychological?)
Eternal life (zoen aionion) is "a person's new and redeemedexistence in Jesus
Christ that is granted by God as a gift to all believers. Eternal life refers to the
quality or characterof our new existence in Christ as well as the unending
characterof that life." (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary).
The only life that can be classifiedas the blessed life, the joyful life, the
meaningful life is eternallife. Dearreader, dare I asked"Do you possess this
life? It is found only in God's Son!"
Keathley - "Eternallife is a life with eternalramifications that are not only
future, but is to so encompass our daily existence that it becomes a controlling
and directing force… Our need is to take hold of our eternallife and live in
the light of its significance and meaning both for time and eternity."
Vincent - “Your new spiritual life is no longer in the sphere of the earthly and
sensual, but is with the life of the risen Christ, who is unseen with God.”
John Stott - Three important truths are taught in these verses about eternal
life. First, it is not a prize which we have earnedor could earn but an
undeserved gift. Secondly, it is found in Christ, so that, in order to give us life,
God both gave and gives us his Son. Thirdly, this gift of life in Christ is a
present possession. True, it is further describedas eternal, aiōnios, which
means literally ‘belonging to the age’, i.e. the age to come. But since the age to
come has broken into this present age, the life of the age to come, namely
‘eternal life’, can be receivedand enjoyed here and now.
Eternal (166)(aionios)is an adjective which means existing at all times,
perpetual, pertaining to an unlimited duration of time. Without end, never to
cease, everlasting. (Ro 1:20 - God's power, Mt 18:8 - God's place of judgment,
Ro 16:26 - God's attribute) Mounce observes that "This adjective typically
functions in three settings:the eternity of God and the divine realm; the

blessings ofsalvation; and everlasting conditions that have neither beginning
nor end."
Life (2222)(zoe)in Scripture is used (1) to refer to physical life (Ro 8:38-note,
1Co 3:22, Php 1:20-note, Jas 4:14, etc) but more often to (2) to supernatural
life in contrastto a life subjectto eternaldeath (Jn 3:36, see all 43 uses of
"eternallife" below). This quality of life speaks offullness of life which alone
belongs to God the Giver of life and is available to His children now (Ro 6:4-
note,, Ep 4:18-note)as wellas in eternity future (Mk 10:30, Titus 1:2-note on
Eternal Life).
Zoe in the presentcontext describes the absolute fullness of life, both essential
and ethical, which alone belongs to God the Giver of life. Truly meaningful
life, life on the "highestplane", life that really is worthwhile is found only in
"the promise of life in Christ Jesus". (2Ti1:1-note) Who came so that we
might have life and might have it abundantly (Jn 10:10). Eternal life then is
the life of the Lord Jesus Himself. It is a life that is capable of enjoying the
things of God down here, but especiallythe only life that will be suitable to
enter and enjoy the grace ofGod in heaven.
"Life" in 1John- 1 John 1:1, 1:2, 2:16, 2:25, 3:14, 15, 16, 5:11, 12, 13, 16, 20
Other ResourcesonEternal Life:
Eternal Life - Baker's EvangelicalDictionaryofBiblical Theology
Eternal Life - Holman Bible Dictionary
Eternal Life - Hastings'Dictionary of the New Testament
Eternal Life - Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theologicaland EcclesiasticalLiterature
Eternal Life - Easton's Bible Dictionary
Life - Nave's TopicalBible
Jackmanobserves thateternal life "means literally the life of eternity, the life
of the world to come. Yet this is something which God has already given to
those who believe in Jesus. It is the presentpossessionofevery Christian
believer… Supremely, the life of eternity is life that has overcome the grave,

and that life can be found in Christ alone who triumphed over death by his
glorious resurrection. This life is in his Son." (The Message ofJohn's Letters)
(Bolding added) One wonders if we more fully graspedthe profundity of the
truth that we even now possesseternallife, would that realization not
significantly impact how we live in time?
Vincent on eternal life - Compare the phrase ten zoen ten aionion - the life, the
eternal life (1Jn 1:2), and e aionios zoe = the eternallife (John 17:3). For the
distinction betweenthe phrases see note on 1Jn 1:2 (Note on 1Jn 1:2 = The
Word Himself who is the Life. Compare John 14:6; 5:26; 1Jn 5:11, 12. Life
expresses the nature of the Word John 1:4). The phrase, the Life, besides
being equivalent to the Word, also indicates, like the Truth and the Light, an
aspectof His being.). The phrase here, without either article, merely defines
the characterofthe life. (I would add it speaks not of the quantity but of the
quality of life. Some might refer to it as "Abundant Life" (Jn 10:10a), the
"Christ life" or the "ExchangedLife." In any event, it is life as God intended
it to be lived, for our goodand His glory. Amen.)
Smalley on eternal life - it is the highest kind of spiritual and moral life,
irrespective of time, which God enables the believerto share in relationship
with Jesus.
Robert W. Yarbrough on eternal life - The divinely bestowedgift of
blessednessin God's presence that endures without end. This relates especially
to the quality of life in this age, and to both the quality and duration of life in
the age to come. (See lengthy article on Eternal Life - Baker's Evangelical
Dictionary of Biblical Theology)
John MacArthur - The essenceofeternallife is the believer’s participation in
the blessedeverlasting life of Christ (cf. Jn 1:4) through his or her union with
Him (Ro 5:21; 6:4, 11, 23; 1Co 15:22;2Co 5:17; Gal 2:20; Col3:3-4; 2Ti1:1,
10; Jude 1:21). Jesus defined it in His High PriestlyPrayer to the Father:
“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent” (Jn 17:3). It is the life of the age to come (Eph
2:6-7), which believers will most fully experience in the perfect, unending
glory, holiness, and joy of heaven (Ro 8:19-23, 29;1Co 15:49; Phil 3:20–21;

1Jn 3:2). The eternal life promised by God in the Old Testament(e.g., 2Sa
12:23;Ps 16:8-10;133:3;Da 12:2) and soughtby the Jews of Jesus’day (Lk
10:25;Jn 5:39) comes only to those who believe God’s testimony and place
their faith in His Son. (1-3 John- MacArthur New TestamentCommentary)
This life is in His Son- compare this thought with Paul's phrase In Christ.
The only way to obtain this life is by believing in His Son.
Indeed Jesus is eternal life (1Jn 5:20); the eternal life that was with the Father
from the beginning (1Jn 1:2).
Boice explains why life in His Sonis so crucial - “It is as impossible to have life
without having Christ as it is impossible to have Christ without at the same
time possessing eternallife.”
Yes, in me, in me He dwelleth;
I in Him, and He in me!
And my empty soul He filleth,
Here and through eternity.
—Horatius Bonar
Wuest explains that "eternallife which is given to the believing sinner is not a
mere abstraction, not some spiritual energyor dynamic, but a Person, the
Lord Jesus. Paulspeaks of“Christ, our life” (Col 3:4-note). John speaks of
“the Word of the life” (1Jn 1:1). The life here is eternallife." (Wuest's Word
Studies from the Greek New Testament)
Since we as believers have eternal life by the work of the Holy Spirit in us, let
us live out the new life by the powerof the same Spirit not by trying to keepa
setof rules of do's and don'ts. The Law never could give life, and was never
intended to be the Christian’s rule of life.
Jackmanon life in His Son - this is a theme developed very extensivelyin
John’s Gospel(Ed: See verses below), which underlines that only in Jesus can
such life be known and experienced. So to the unbelieving Jews who were
trying to kill him because ‘he was evencalling God his own Father, making

himself equal with God’ (Jn. 5:18), Jesus unambiguously declared, ‘Justas the
Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Songives life to whom
he is pleasedto give it’ (Jn. 5:21). And again, ‘As the Fatherhas life in
himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself’ (Jn. 5:26). He
concludes, ‘Yet you refuse to come to me to have life’ (Jn. 5:40). Later, to the
crowds still marveling at the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus declares
himself to be the bread of life, for which they are craving, and continues, ‘For
my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him
shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day’ (Jn. 6:40).
Speaking of his sheep, as the goodshepherd, Jesus promises, ‘I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatchthem out of my
hand’ (Jn. 10:28). Then, in the very face of death itself, with Lazarus four
days in the tomb, he declares to Martha, ‘I am the resurrectionand the life.
He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoeverlives and
believes in me will never die’ (Jn. 11:25–26). With this dominant theme
running through John’s gospel, we are not surprised to find that it recurs in
the most intimate chapter of all, chapter 17. Here the Son is reviewing in
prayer all that has happened in his ministry before committing himself, his
disciples and the future church to the Father. The work he is now about to
complete is seenin terms of eternal life. ‘For you grantedhim authority over
all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now
this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent’ (Jn. 17:2–3). (The Message ofJohn's Letters)
This life is in His Son- a few cross referencesto ponder our life in Jesus…
1Jn 5:12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God
does not have the life.
1Jn 5:20-note And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us
understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in
Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternallife.
1Jn 4:9-note By this the love of Godwas manifested in us, that God has sent
His only begottenSoninto the world so that we might live through Him.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

John 5:21; 26 “Forjust as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even
so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 26 “Forjust as the Father has
life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
John 11:25-26 Jesus saidto her, “I am the resurrectionand the life; he who
believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in
Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 14:6 Jesus saidto him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father, but through Me.
Jn 20:31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His Name.
Colossians 3:3-4-note Foryou have died and your life is hidden with Christ in
God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed
with Him in glory (cp 1Jn 3:3-note).
BARCLAY
THE ESSENCEOF THE FAITH (1 John 5:11-13)
5:11-13 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life and that that
life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son has not
life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of
God that you may know that you have eternal life.
With this paragraph the letter proper comes to an end. What follows is in the
nature of a postscript. The end is a statementthat the essence ofthe Christian
life is eternallife.
The word for eternal is aionios (Greek #166). It means far more than simply
lasting for ever. A life which lastedfor ever might well be a curse and not a
blessing, an intolerable burden and not a shining gift. There is only one person

to whom aionios may properly be applied and that is God. In the real sense of
the term it is God alone who possessesand inhabits eternity. Eternal life is,
therefore, nothing other than the life of God himself. What we are promised is
that here and now there canbe given us a share in the very life of God.
In God there is peace and, therefore, eternal life means serenity. It means a
life liberated from the fears which haunt the human situation. In God there is
powerand, therefore, eternal life means the defeat of frustration. It means a
life filled with the power of God and, therefore, victorious over circumstance.
In God there is holiness and, therefore, eternal life means the defeat of sin. It
means a life clad with the purity of God and armed againstthe soiling
infections of the world. In God there is love and, therefore, eternal life means
the end of bitterness and hatred. It means a life which has the love of God in
its heart and the undefeatable love of man in all its feelings and in all its
action. In God there is life and, therefore eternal life means the defeat of
death. It means a life which is indestructible because it has in it the
indestructibility of Godhimself.
It is John's convictionthat such a life comes through Jesus Christ and in no
other way. Why should that be? If eternal life is the life of God, it means that
we can possessthat life only when we know God and are enabled to approach
him and restin him. We cando these two things only in Jesus Christ. The Son
alone fully knows the Father and, therefore, only he canfully reveal to us
what God is like. As John had it in his gospel:"No one has everseenGod; the
only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (John
1:18). And Jesus Christalone canbring us to God. It is in him that there is
open to us the new and living way into the presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-
23). We may take a simple analogy. If we wish to meet someone whomwe do
not know and who moves in a completely different circle from our own, we
can achieve that meeting only by finding someone who knows him and is
willing to introduce us to him. That is what Jesus does forus in regardto God.
Eternal life is the life of God and we can find that life only through Jesus
Christ.

ALAN CARR
THE BIRTHMARKS OF THE TRUE BELIEVER
Intro: In the church I attended as a boy, there was a setof twin girls who
attended there also. These two girls were absolutelyidentical, except for the
fact that one of them had a large birthmark on her cheek. Without that
birthmark, it would have been impossible, at leastfor me, to have told them
apart.
Did you know that all true believers also possesscertainmarks that setthem
apart from the rest of humanity? We could rightly call these things that set us
apart our birthmarks. They appearwhen we are savedand they mark us as
children of God. Every saved personhas every one of the birthmarks of
salvation.
Some people doubt whether it is possible to know for sure that one is saved.
Well, the Bible tells us of some who knew:Job, Job19:25; Paul, 2 Tim. 1:12.
Since God is no respecterofpersons, you may have that same assurance also.
In fact, one of the reasons for the writing of this book from which we have
read this morning, was to help people know for sure that they had been saved,
1:6; 5:13. As you readFirst John, it becomes clearthat he is trying to help
God's people gain absolute assurance oftheir salvation. He uses the word
"know" 39 times. John is trying to tell us that there are some things we can
know. One of them is whether or not we are saved.
If you have struggledin this area, I want to help you getthat matter settled
once and for all this morning. I want to share the birthmarks of the true
believer with you this morning. Identifying the presence, orthe lack, of these
traits within our lives can help us understand where we stand in relation to
God. If you have struggled in this area, there is no need to do so any longer.
God can give you assurance, onway or the other, right now. Let's look
togetherat The Birthmarks Of The True Believer.

I. 5:1 A SPIRITUAL CONVERSION
A. This verse tells us that the true believer is a person who "believes" that
Jesus is the Christ. What then is belief? Is it merely a mental acknowledgment
of the facts? No!Beliefis knowing something with the head, but it is also
accepting that truth into the heart. Genuine belief, or saving faith, is coming
to the place where one is trusting nothing else, or no one else, but Jesus Christ
for salvation. There is no room for works, religion, gooddeeds, or anything
else in the heart of the truly savedperson.
B. I cannottell you whether you are savedor not. Only you know what you
are trusting to getyou to heaven. Howeverwe do have the promises of God in
this matter: 1 John 5:12; John 5:24; John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9-13;
Rom. 8:1; Rev. 22:17;Acts 2:21, and hundreds more besides!We also have
this principle from Scripture: God is holy and cannot lie, Heb. 6:18. What He
promises to do, He will do! Therefore, if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your
Savior, according to the plan laid out in the Bible, then you are saved!You
have His word on it!
C. So, that brings us to the place where some questions must be askedand
answered.
1. Has there been a definite, clearmoment in your life when you trusted Jesus
Christ, and nothing else to save your soul?
2. When you had your "experience"was it according to the plan laid out in
the Word of God? Namely:
A. Did you come to the place where you recognizedand acknowledgedyour
sins to God? (Rom. 3:23; 3:10) That is, have you ever been lost? Until you can
see your sins and yourself as a sinner, you cannot be saved. This process is
calledconviction! It is the Holy Spirit drawing sinner unto Himself, John
6:44; John 16:7-11.
B. Did you recognize the horrible consequencesofyour sins? Namely, did you
know that because ofyour sins, you were separatedfrom God, Isa. 59:2; dead
in those sins, Eph. 2:1, and because of your sins headed to an eternity in Hell,
Rom. 6:23? This goes back to the knowledge ofbeing lost before God.

C. Did you come to the place where you understoodcompletely what Jesus did
for you when He died on the cross and when He rose from the dead? Did you
understand that when He died, He was dying in your place, shedding His
blood for your sins, 2 Cor. 5:21; Rev. 1:5? Did you understand that when He
arose from the dead, He did so to provide you with a new life? Did you go
beyond just knowing these things in your head to believing them with all your
being?
D. Did you cry out to God confessing yourselfa sinner, acknowledging Jesus
Christ and His shed blood as your only hope of forgiveness andsalvation? Did
you ask Him into your heart and life to be your personalSavior? Did you
trust Him and nothing but Him to save your soul, Rom. 10:13?
3. When this experience took place, was it crystal clear? I mean, when you
look back now, is there a clearlydefined moment in time when everything
changed? Or, is the whole thing kind of fuzzy and unclear? The fact of the
matter is this: when Jesus saves a soul, it isn't a thing done in a corner. It is
clearand dramatic. The circumstances surrounding the conversionmay
differ, but one thing remains the same, there will be a specific point in time
that the redeemed personcan point to and say. "Rightthere is when I trusted
Jesus Christ as my Saviorand my life was forevertransformed!" (Ill. The
Gadarene Demoniac, Mark 5;Ill. Saul of Tarsus, Acts 9; Ill. Me - May 23,
1983!)
D. Now, looking back, and in all honesty, how would you describe the event
you are trusting to take you to Heaven? Was it clearand dramatic? Can you
honestly say that you trusted Jesus and Him alone to save your soul? If so,
then that is the Bible way. Or, would you have to admit that you really can't
remember everbeing lost? You can't remember confessing your sins and
receiving Christ into your life. In fact, the whole event is unclear. Maybe you
need to come this morning and get that thing nailed down. There will be the
birthmark of a genuine spiritual conversion.
I. A Spiritual Conversion
II. 1:6-7 A SPIRITUAL CHANGE

(Ill. These verses tell us that those who are saved have a desire to "walk in the
light". Jesus is the Light, John 8:12. Therefore, those who are saved will want
to seek fellowshipwith Jesus. In other words, when they are converted, their
whole life will change. This is a theme that runs through the whole book of
First John. He tells us that the secondbirthmark of the true believer is a
spiritual change in their lives. Let's follow this thread through First John and
see if we possessthis mark of the new birth.)
A. 1:6-7 - There will be a desire for fellowship with the things of light. The
person who is truly savedby grace will gravitate towardthose things that
have to do with the Lord. Things like the Bible, prayer, the church, the
fellowship of the saints, etc, will all be precious and specialto the person who
has been saved. If you find that you are drawn toward things pertaining to
darkness, you might need to check up on where you stand with Jesus.
B. 2:3-6 - There will be a desire within the true believer to do the things God
commands us to do, and to avoid the things God commands us not to do.
Genuine salvationis proven by a desire to obey God! According to verse 6, the
genuinely saved personwill want to walk just like Jesus!
C. 2:29 - There will be such a change in the believers life that they will
naturally begin to do the things that mark them as righteous. They will live
out the new life that was placed within them when they were saved by the
grace ofGod.
D. 3:6-10; 5:18 - The true believer cannot continue to live a life of sin.
According to these verses, the genuinely converted personwill be unable to
live a lifestyle of unrepentant sin. When John tells us that those who are saved
do not sin, he is not teaching sinless perfection. As we know, all people, even
Christians sin, 1 John 1:8-10. However, when we come to faith in Jesus, there
is a new dynamic that takes place within our lives. When the genuinely
convertedperson sins, there is an immediate sense ofwrong. The believer will
understand that they have damagedtheir fellowship with God and will not
have peace in their life until they make it right with God. The only way for a
believer to handle sin is for them to confess it and getit out into the light.

Those believers who do sin are miserable until they repent, and they are
brought under the chastisementof God, Heb. 12:6-11. The whole point is this:
if you cansin and never be bothered by it, then you probably aren't saved. If
you cansin and not suffer chastisement, then you probably aren't saved. If
you cansin and enjoy it, then you probably aren't saved. If you are able to life
with sin in your life everyday, and not feelan ache in your heart for restored
fellowship with God,the I would suggestto you that you should come to Jesus
today and be born again.
Now, don't misunderstand me, savedpeople do sin! However, they will not
enjoy it like they did before they were saved!And, when they sin, they will
never get awaywith it! God will deal with them in love, Rev. 3:19, but if they
will not repent, then He will deal with them in judgment, 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 John
5:16.
E. 4:6 - Another clearmark of genuine conversionis that the savedperson will
receive the Word of God when it is preachedand when it is read. It will not be
something to doubt, debate or getangry over. The savedperson will hear the
voice of the Lord through His Word and will respond to it accordingly. Jesus
said that this would be a characteristic ofHis sheep, John 10:27. The desire to
hear the Word of God; the ability to understand the Word of God; and the
desire to do what God says in His Word are all indicators of spiritual life, 1
Cor. 2:14.
F. When Jesus saves a life, He literally changes that person from the inside
out. They are a brand new creature, 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 3:1-17. They can never
be the same, neither will they want to be anymore.
G. Has there been a definite change in your life?
H. Now, some people who hear this were savedat a young age. Theywere
savedbefore they ever had the chance to go off into vile sin. They may feel
that their testimony is lacking something. Let me just say, you have the best
testimony of all! However, you can gage your life by the same measuring stick.
While you might not be able to saythat God brought you out of gross, black
sin, you can saythat He has workedin you life so that there is no desire within
you for the things of the world or the works of darkness. If the natural, fleshly

desires manifestedby a lost world are absent in your life, that is a good thing,
and that is a cause foryou to have assurance before the Lord.
So, has there been a definite, spiritual conversionand a definite, spiritual
change in your life?
II. A Spiritual Change
III. 2:9-11 A SPIRITUAL CHARITY
(Ill. A third birthmark in the true believer's life is that there will be a genuine
love for other believers. It will be a love that is unexplainable. It will be a love
that is, at times, strongerthan love felt for those of one's natural family. This
is a conceptmentioned numerous times within this little book and is worthy of
mentioning today.)
A. Let's notice all the times John refers to this truth in his book:2:9-11; 3:14-
15; 4:7-8; 4:11-12;4:20-21. If you are saved, this special, spiritual
manifestation of the love of God through your life for other believers will be a
reality!
B. How will this love manifest itself? There are severalways in which true,
Christlike love will be seenin the life of the genuine believer.
1. In a desire to fellowshipand worship with other believers - Heb. 10:25.
2. In a concernover the welfare of others in the family of God - 1 Cor. 12:26;
Phil. 2:3-4; Gal. 6:2; Rom. 12:15.
3. There will be concernwhen we have offended a brother in Christ - Rom.
14:19-22;1 Cor. 8:9-13.
4. There will be a desire for reconciliationwhen there is a breech in the body
of Christ - Eph. 4:26-32;Matt. 5:23-24;Matt. 18:21-35;Luke 17:3-5.
C. There is more that could be said about this matter, but I think the
implications are clear. If we are genuinely saved, there will an unexplainable
desire to be with and to love our fellow believers.

II. A Spiritual Change
III. A Spiritual Charity
IV. 4:13 A SPIRITUAL COMPANION
(Ill. Where do you stand thus far? Do you have the birthmarks of genuine
conversion? All of the above are easyto understand and can be clearly seenby
everyone here today as we look at our own lives. The final one I want to share,
however, is not so easilydiscerned. It is this matter that we are more prone to
satanic and fleshly deception. I am referring to the matter of inner peace. I am
referring to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.)
A. When a person has been genuinely saved, there will be the inner witness of
the Holy Spirit, Rom. 8:16. The Holy Spirit moved into our hearts at the
instant of conversion, Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13. His job in us is to sealus, Eph.
4:30; lead us, John 16:13; and to give us assurance ofour salvation; Eph.
1:13-14;2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Cor. 5:5. The presence ofthe Spirit of God in our lives
is proof positive that we belong to the Lord!
B. This is a mysterious thing, but it is absolutely essentialfor the assurance of
one's salvation. When the Spirit of God is presentin your life, He will speak to
your heart. He will tell you things. He will guide you. He will warn you. He
will lead you. He will feed you. He will comfort you. He will teachyou the
truth. He will rise up within your heart and confirm the reality of your
adoption into the family of God, ***Rom. 5:5***.Like a mother who wraps
her arms around that insecure child everyday and expressesher undying love,
the Spirit of God does the same things for the redeemed child of the Lord.
(Ill. To put it simply, when you getsaved, there is a spiritual instinct placed
within you. You immediately begin to desire those things that pertain to God,
His Word, His work and His worship. This will not be a passing thing, but it
will endure throughout life because ofthe presence ofthe Spirit in your
heart.)

C. If there is no peace;if there is no assurance;if there is not communion of
the Spirit of God with your spirit, then it may be that He is not there. It may
be that you need to be saved. If the Spirit of God never speaks to your heart,
then you need to examine yourself. It may be that you have never really been
saved! This can also be causedby unconfessedsin in the life of the believer.
When we are walking in the light, the Spirit of the Lord will bear witness
within us that we are in the family!
D. Someone may say, "Preacher, Idon't know if the Spirit os there or not."
Let me say to you, if He is there, you will know it! How? There will be no
question when He is in your life! There will be times when He will get so big
that His presence is crystal. At other times, His presence will be indicated by
subtle things like an inner desire for prayer, for the Word of God, to tell a lost
person about Jesus, etc. He will make His presence knownand He will give
you assurance ofyour salvation! The presence ofthe Holy Ghostin your life is
proof that you belong to God!
Conc:I know I have covereda lot of territory this morning. But, I felt lead of
the Lord to preach this message.Why? Because there are people in this room
who are not sure where they stand with God. There are others who know they
are not saved. My friends, if you lack even one of the birthmarks of the true
believer this morning, then this message wassentthis wayfor your benefit.
It's all or nothing! You need to leave the seatwhere you are sitting and you
need to come to Jesus and getthis thing settled right now and forever. If the
Lord is speaking to your heat you need to come!If you are in doubt you need
to come. If you are convincedthat you are lost, you need to come. Will you
listen to the call of God and come to Him for salvation today? Or, will you
continue to live in doubt and fear? God canhelp you if you will come to Him
right now.
You can know!God wants you to know! And, the first step in your coming to
know for sure is for your to make our way to Him right now!

RICH CATHERS
1 John 5:10-13
WednesdayEvening Bible Study
May 20, 1998
Introduction
If you were to die tonight, do you know if you’d go to heaven?
Are you sure? Do you ever question your salvation?
This is one of those basic issues of Christian maturity that we all need to come
to grips with. That is, if we want to keepgrowing in the Lord.
:10-13 Assurance in Salvation
:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself
John is talking about the Holy Spirit, whom he was just referring to in verse 8
–
(1 John 5:8 KJV) And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit,
and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Paul also talkedabout how the Holy Spirit was a witness inside of us:
Rom 8:9-17 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none
of his. {10} And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because ofsin; but the
Spirit is life because ofrighteousness. {11}But if the Spirit of him that raised
up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. {12}
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
{13} For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. {14} For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. {15} For ye have not receivedthe

spirit of bondage againto fear; but ye have receivedthe Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. {16} The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God: {17} And if children, then heirs; heirs
of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we
may be also glorified together.
There ought to be a time in our lives when we recognize that the Holy Spirit is
in us, giving us confirmation that we are indeed God’s children.
The difficulty with this is that this can be a very subjective, feeling kind of a
thing. And sometimes we aren’t always too good at understanding our
feelings. I might be depressedbecause I haven’t gotten a goodsleepin a week,
and then conclude that because I’m depressed, that the Holy Spirit isn’t in my
life. We’ll talk more about feelings later …
:10 he that believeth not God hath made him a liar
the recordthat God gave – literally, "the witness that God witnessed"
The Greek wordfor "witness" (martureo, and it’s various forms) appears
three times in this verse, as well as again in verse 11 ("record").
The picture is that of a courtroom, with God up on the witness stand.
God begins to tell the courtroom that Jesus was His Son, and that Jesus was
sent to be the Savior of the world. You stand up and object, "Your honor, the
witness is not telling the truth!"
How absurd.
When a person looks atall the evidences and witnessesofwho Jesus is, and
then rejects them as false, they are in turn calling God a liar.
:10 because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son
What is the witness God has made concerning His Son? I can think of four of
them.
1) The Holy Spirit
As He lives in us. (Rom. 8:16)

2) Prophetic fulfillment.
Jesus was not fluke. Long before He showedup on planet earth, Godhad
whispered into the ears of the prophets, and they had recordedmuch about
the coming Messiah.
There were over 300 specific prophecies fulfilled by Jesus’first coming to
earth. Details such as His genealogy, His place of birth, what His ministry
would be about, descriptions of His death, burial, and resurrection.
Science Speaks(Peter Stoner, Moody Press, 1963)references the fulfilling of
8 prophecies.
"We find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present
time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017." Thatis 1 in
100,000,000,000,000,000. Mr. Stoner then illustrated the probability by
supposing that "we take 1017 silverdollars and lay them on the face of Texas.
They will coverall of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver
dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man
and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one
silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of
getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had
of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one
man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their
own wisdom."
Mr. Stoner considered48 prophecies ... " 1 in 10157"."This is a really large
number and it represents an extremely small chance. Letus try to visualize it.
The silver dollar, which we have been using, is entirely too large. We must
selecta smaller object. The electronis about as small an object as we know of.
It is so small that it will take 2.5 times 1015 ofthem laid side by side to make a
line, single file, one inch long. If we were going to count electrons in this line
one inch long, and we counted 250 eachminute, and if we counted day and
night, it would take us 19,000,000 years to count just the one inch of electrons.
If we had a cubic inch of these electrons and we tried to count them it would
take us, counting steadily 250 eachminute, 19,000,000times 19,000,000times
19,000,000years or6.9 times 1021 years." "Withthis introduction, let us go

back to our chance of 1 in 10157.Let us suppose that we are talking this
number of electrons, marking one, and thoroughly stir whole mass, then
blindfolding a man and letting him try to find the right one. What chance has
he of finding the right one? What kind of a pile will this number of electrons
make? They make an inconceivably large volume."
3) God’s witness during Jesus’earthly ministry
Severaltimes during Jesus’ministry, God the Father gave an audible witness
to who Jesus was.
(Mat 3:16-17 KJV) And Jesus, whenhe was baptized, went up straightwayout
of the water:and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: {17} And lo a voice
from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
(Mat 17:5 KJV) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed
them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased;hear ye him.
(John 12:27-28 KJV) Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father,
save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. {28} Father,
glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both
glorified it, and will glorify it again.
4) The resurrection
This was what Peter’s sermonwas all about on the Day of Pentecost, as he was
preaching Jesus to be the Messiah:
Ac 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israelknow assuredly, that God hath
made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
4) The messageofthe apostles
This is the messagethat John is giving right now. God is speaking through the
apostles to the people.
The personwho does not want to believe these "witnesses"aboutJesus from
the Father, are calling God a liar.

:11 And this is the record
or, "this is the witness" (marturia)
:11 that God hath given to us eternal life
eternal – aionios – without beginning and end, that which always has been and
always will be; gives prominence to the immeasurableness ofeternity
Someone was telling me the other day that they came across a web site that
was talking about what this word "eternal" meant. They claimed that the
original Greek word meant a setperiod of time, all leading up to the point of
saying that the Lake of Fire was only for a thousand years, and then everyone
in there just disappears.
The word means eternal.
The Lake of Fire is eternal. But so is our Eternal Life.
life – zoe – life; the state of one who is possessedofvitality or is animate; the
focus isn’t on how we live (which is bios, "biology"), but on the fact of
existence. It’s opposite is death.
:11 this life is in his Son.
The kind of life we’re talking about is found on in Jesus.
It is not found in Mohammed, Buddha or Krishna.
It is not found in drugs, pleasure, or intellectualpursuits.
It is not found in meditation, easternmysticism, or contacting the dead.
It is found in Jesus.
This sounds kind of narrow-minded to some. It may be, but it’s the truth.
Sometimes it’s goodto be narrow-minded. After last week’s pastors’
conference, my friend Steve Santos flew home to Hawaii. Suppose the captain
of the plane gets on the intercom and announces, "Wellfolks, I don’t want to
be such a narrow minded person, so we’re just going to head the plane out
that-a-ways, and fly off into the sunset. I’m sure we’ll getto Hawaii." Just

being off one degree on your course to Hawaii will take you hundreds of miles
off course, and you’ll never find the tiny islands in the middle of the Pacific.
There’s a reasonwhy God is so narrow minded.
This is not simply a matter of "because Isaid so", but there’s a real reasonto
this.
Lesson:
Only Jesus pays for sins.
There is no other path that even claims to take care of your sins.
And yet the truth is, this is what is keeping us from God.
Even in the Old Testament, we clearlysee the sign posts –
(Isa 59:1-2 KJV) Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot
save;neither his ear heavy, that it cannothear: {2} But your iniquities have
separatedbetweenyou and your God, and your sins have hid his face from
you, that he will not hear.
(Ezek 18:20 KJV) The soulthat sinneth, it shall die…
The price involved in paying for our sins involves death, substituting one
death for another.
But when Jesus came to pay for our sins, He didn’t simply lay down a single
human life to pay for another’s sins. He was God in the flesh, and when He
laid down His life, He laid down an eternallife, paying for an infinite amount
of sins.
This is why the life is in the Son.
There is no other way.
:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life.
This is what salvationis all about. Do you have Jesus?

Eternal life is simply a matter of "having the Son".
Now John is going to remind us how to "have the Son".
:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son
of God
believe on –
This is to me an interesting phrase and has always kind of stuck out to me in
the Greek.
This "believe on" isn’t just a matter of acknowledging the existence of
someone.
(James 2:19 KJV) Thou believestthat there is one God; thou doestwell: the
devils also believe, and tremble.
And I can tell you now, that devils aren’t saved!
The phrase in Greek appears 32 times in the New Testament, 29 of those times
being used by John in either his gospelor 1John. (verses are listed at end of
notes)
The thing that has always stuck out is that the word "on" (Greek eis), usually
carries the idea of "into". This little preposition is found 1774 times in the NT,
and in the King James is usually translated "into", "to", or "unto" overa
1,000 ofthose times, and only 58 times as "on" (of which 32 times are these
"believe on" verses).
It’s the idea of "trusting in" someone, counting on them.
When we encourage someone to do a particularly hard task, we often sayto
them, "Go ahead, you can do it, I believe in you". When someone lets us
down, we might say, "I’m so hurt, I was counting on you, I believed in you".
In fact, this phrase in the Greek was in the verse we started with (1John 5:10),
and could be translated this way –

"The that is counting on the Son of God has the witness in himself: He that
does not believe God has made Him a liar; because he has not counted on the
record that God gave of His Son."
Lesson:
Are you counting on Jesus?
Are you counting on Him to pay for your sins?
Are you counting on Him to give you eternallife?
:13 that ye may know that ye have eternal life
know – eido – to see;to know; knowledge notfocusedon experience, but
knowledge focusedonunderstanding
God desires that you understand, that you know that you have eternal life.
It’s not a matter of wishful thinking, it’s a matter of knowing.
Lesson:
The importance of Assurance / Acceptance
Knowing once and for all whether or now you’re going to heaven is one of
those milestones that every Christian needs to pass if they are going to grow
and be effective in their Christian life.
I think this is a problem that many people have, in that they struggle for a
feeling of acceptance.
For some of you, you feel like you were never totally acceptedby your
parents, and you’re still working very hard to be loved, accepted, and
approved by them.
For some of you, you’ve somehow gottenthe idea that you need to earn
people’s respectand love. So much of what you do in life is aimed at getting
people to like you. Whenever you’re in a group of people, you feel like you’re
on stage, and have to perform just right, or somebody might rejectyou.
Illustration

In "The Whisper Test," Mary Ann Bird writes:I grew up knowing I was
different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started
school, my classmates made it clearto me how I lookedto others: a little girl
with a misshapen lip, crookednose, lopsidedteeth, and garbled speech.
When schoolmates asked, "Whathappened to your lip?" I'd tell them I'd
fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemedmore acceptable to
have suffered an accidentthan to have been born different. I was convinced
that no one outside my family could love me.
There was, however, a teacherin the secondgrade whom we all adored--Mrs.
Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy--a sparkling lady.
Annually we had a hearing test. ... Mrs. Leonard gave the testto everyone in
the class, andfinally it was my turn. I knew from past years that as we stood
againstthe door and coveredone ear, the teachersitting at her desk would
whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back--things like "The sky
is blue" or "Do you have new shoes?"I waited there for those words that God
must have put into her mouth, those sevenwords that changedmy life. Mrs.
Leonard said, in her whisper, "I wish you were my little girl."
God says to every person deformed by sin, "I wish you were my son" or "I
wish you were my daughter."
Lesson:
Get your acceptancefrom God.
We have a need for acceptance. Butthere’s only one true source that can give
us the acceptancewe need. That’s the Lord.
This is what the issue of assurance is all about. Does Godacceptme? Will He
continue to acceptme?
God considers it finished business. It’s not even in question as far as He’s
concerned.
(Eph 1:3-7 KJV) Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessedus with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

{4} According as he hath chosenus in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: {5} Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the goodpleasure of his will, {6} To the praise of the glory of his
grace, whereinhe hath made us acceptedin the beloved. {7} In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness ofsins, according to the riches
of his grace;
God has made us "accepted"in Jesus Christ. It’s in Jesus that we find God’s
acceptanceand God’s love.
How much of our lives would be changedif we really, really knew deep down
inside that we no longer had to "perform" for people in order to be
"accepted"?
When we realize we are acceptedcompletelyby the Lord, we cantake our
eyes off of ourselves, andlearn to give to others, being more concernedabout
their needs than our own.
Personalexample:I can work hard to prepare and deliver a really neat Bible
Study so you will all like me. Or I can work hard to prepare and deliver a
goodBible Study because youneed one to grow in the Lord.
Lesson:
Trusting His Word - The Basis for Assurance.
This is what it all boils down to, do I really believe that I can trust God, and
what He promises in His word?
My assuranceshould depend on what God says.
He says that if you have the Son, you have the Life.
He says that if you are counting on the Son, then you have the Son.
My assuranceshould not rest upon feelings.
They can be as fickle as what you ate last night for dinner.
(2 Cor 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

We need to learn to not live our lives based upon what our senses tellus (like
feelings, circumstances,etc.), but basedupon what we believe, what we are
counting on.
:13 and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
This last phrase does not seemto appear in the bestmanuscripts. But that
doesn’t bother us, because Godhas already told us this!
(John 20:31 KJV) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his
name.
Extra:
"Believe on" verses
John 1:12 But as many as receivedhim, to them gave he powerto become the
sons of God, even to them that believe <4100>on<1519> his name:
John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and
manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed <4100> on<1519> him.
John 3:18 He that believeth <4100>on<1519> him is not condemned: but he
that believeth <4100> notis condemned already, because he hath <4100>not
believed <4100> in the name of the only begottenSon of God.
John 3:36 He that believeth <4100>on<1519> the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him.
John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed <4100>on<1519>
him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I
did.
John 6:29 Jesus answeredandsaid unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe <4100>on<1519> him whom he hath sent.

John 6:35 And Jesus saidunto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to
me shall never hunger; and he that believeth <4100> on<1519>me shall
never thirst.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth <4100> on<1519> him, may have everlasting life: and I
will raise him up at the lastday.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth <4100>on<1519>
me hath everlasting life.
John 7:31 And many of the people believed <4100>on<1519> him, and said,
When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath
done?
John 7:38 He that believeth <4100>on<1519> me, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe <4100> on
<1519> him should receive:for the Holy Ghostwas not yet given; because that
Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 7:48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed<4100>on
<1519> him?
John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed <4100>on<1519> him.
John 9:35 ¶ Jesus heardthat they had casthim out; and when he had found
him, he said unto him, Dost<4100> thoubelieve <4100> on<1519>the Sonof
God?
John 9:36 He answeredand said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe <4100>
on <1519> him?
John 10:42 And many believed <4100>on<1519> him there.
John 11:45 ¶ Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seenthe
things which Jesus did, believed <4100> on<1519> him.

John 11:48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe <4100>on<1519>
him: and the Romans shall come and take awayboth our place and nation.
John 12:11 Because thatby reasonofhim many of the Jews wentaway, and
believed <4100> on<1519>Jesus.
John 12:37 ¶ But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they
believed <4100> noton <1519> him:
John 12:42 ¶ Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed <4100>
on <1519> him; but because of the Pharisees theydid not confess him, lest
they should be put out of the synagogue:
John 12:44 ¶ Jesus criedand said, He that believeth <4100> on<1519> me,
believeth <4100> noton <1519>me, but on <1519> him that sent me.
John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoeverbelieveth<4100>
on <1519> me should not abide in darkness.
John 14:12 ¶ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth <4100>on
<1519> me, the works that I do shall he do also;and greaterworks than these
shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 16:9 Of sin, because theybelieve <4100> noton <1519> me;
John 17:20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe <4100>on<1519> me through their word;
Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had
prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on <1519> whomthey
believed <4100>.
Acts 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of
repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe <4100>on<1519>
him which should come after him, that is, on <1519> ChristJesus.
Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to
believe <4100>on<1519> him, but also to suffer for his sake;

1 John 5:10 ¶ He that believeth <4100> on<1519> the Son of God hath the
witness in himself: he that believeth <4100> notGod hath made him a liar;
because he believeth <4100> notthe record that God gave of his Son.
1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe <4100>on
<1519> the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe <4100>on<1519> the name of the Son of God.
Life In His Son
Series:1 John
Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on Mar 21, 2004
1 John 5:6-12
Print
If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 John chapter5.
We’re continuing in our study of 1 John today, and we're coming close to the
end of the book. Now much of the book of 1 John has been about tests, three
tests in particular that the Lord gives us whereby we may measure the
genuineness ofour profession. These three tests are doctrinal, moral, and
relationalor social. They’re doctrinal in the sense that one test of the
genuineness ofour professionis what we believe about Jesus Christ. They are
moral in the sense that another test of the genuineness ofour professionis
whether we obey God's word and love and delight in obedience to the word of
God. Yet another test is relationalor social:that is, How do we love one
another in the bonds of Christian friendship in the localChristian church?
Eachof these three tests are repeatedon numerous occasions in this little book
of 1 John to provide a gauge of the genuineness ofour discipleship, the
genuineness ofour claim to be a Christian, the genuineness ofour profession
of faith in Christ.

But the passage we're aboutto study is a little bit different. Ratherthan
focusing on the test of our faith, this passagegives testimonyto the object of
our faith. In fact, this passageis about a three-part testimony to the
genuineness the personof Christ. This passagecanbe bestunderstood in light
of two phrases in the sectionthat we studied last week. If you’d allow your
eyes to turn back to 1 John 5:1, you’ll see this phrase, “Whoeverbelieves that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” So in that passagewe see something
assertedaboutthose who are Christians: They believe that Jesus is the Christ,
or they believe that Jesus is the Messiah. And then if you look at verse 5 you’ll
see anotherphrase, “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Sonof God?” And so there we see an assertionthat
those who are believers in Christ believe something else about Jesus. He's not
only the Messiah;He is the Son of God.
And so what John is doing in 1 John 5:1 and 5 is he is making clearthat the
Christian…And notice how he describes the Christian: the Christian is born
of God; the Christian overcomes the world. John is saying that the Christian
is one who makes a specific doctrinal confessionaboutJesus. He makes a
specific confessionabout the real Jesus. He believes in the Jesus not of his own
personalopinions, not of our imaginations, but in the Jesus ofScripture, the
Jesus who is presented in the gospel. Johnis telling us that being a Christian
means truly believing certain things about Jesus. One of the important things
about this is we note that in John's idea of what it means to believe in
Christ…It means not only trusting in Christ but believing certain things about
His person. So faith in Christ for John is not only trust in a personbut belief
in biblical teaching about that person. ForJohn doctrine and faith go hand-in-
hand and cannot ultimately be separated. Now this sets the stage for1 John
5:6-12 and John's discussionof the testimony that Godhas given to the person
of Jesus Christ. Before we hear God's word read and proclaimed, let's look to
God in prayer and ask His help. Let's pray.
Our Lord and our God, You have given Your word to us as truth. In Your
word You have revealedYourself and You have shownus the way of
salvation. We pray that as we study this greatpassage whichspeaks ofJesus
Christ and the divine testimony that You give to Him, that we would

understand and that we would confess Jesus Christas Lord, Son of God, and
Savior of sinners. We ask this, O God, in Jesus'name. Amen.
Hear God's word. 1 John 5:6-12:
“6This is the One who came by waterand blood, Jesus Christ; not with the
wateronly, but with the waterand with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies,
because the Spirit is the truth. 7Forthere are three that testify: 8the Spirit
and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9If we receive
the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater;for the testimony of
God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10The one who believes
in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe
God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that
God has given concerning His Son. 11And the testimony is this, that God has
given us eternallife, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the
life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”
Amen. And thus ends this reading of God's holy, inspired, and inerrant word.
May He write its eternal truth upon our hearts.
How do we come to have faith in what the Bible says about the person of
Christ? How do we come to have an assuredconfidence in our confessionthat
Jesus is the Son of God and Saviorof Sinners? How do we come to have an
assuredconfidence in the person of Christ, in who He is? Well, John tells us
that God does not require of us blind faith, but in His kindness He has given
testimony as to who Jesus is. And in this passageJohnwants to point to a
three-part testimony to the personof Christ which God has given to all
believers that we might have a confident assurance in the personwho is the
objectof our faith. So much of this book has been asking us to gauge the
reality of our faith. This passagepoints us though to the person who is the
objectof our faith and gives us testimony to bolster our faith in that person,
Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.
There are two parts to the passagebefore us. You’ll see it very clearly. In
verses 6-9, we see this three-part testimony to the person of Christ described
and explained by John. Then in verses 10-12 Johnspeaks to us about what our

response needs to be to Jesus and to this testimony about Jesus. Let's look
then at this passagein those two parts.
I. Jesus’baptism, Jesus’deathand the Holy Spirit all testify to the unity of
Jesus’divine human person(verses 6-9). [The Triple Testimony]
First, beginning in verses 6 through 9 where we see the Triple Testimony. Now
John's words in verse 6 are very challenging, and even some of the best
Christian commentators on Scripture have struggledto understand the
precise significance ofhis argument, although the generalsense of his
argument is very clear. Look at that verse then and let's hear it, “This is the
One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but
with the waterand with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the
Spirit is the truth.”
Now I want to suggestto you that in that very complex sentence, Johnis
saying something basicallysimple. He is saying that the Holy Spirit testifies
that Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Messiah, was and is Jesus the Messiah, the Son
of God, and the Spirit testifies that He is Jesus the Messiahby pointing us to
Jesus’baptism and Jesus’death as testimonies to His person. In other words,
John is saying that if you will considerwhat was revealedabout Jesus Christ
in both His baptism and His death objectively, you will realize that the Holy
Spirit is testifying to you personallyabout who Jesus is in the historicalevents
about what was revealedabout Jesus Christat His baptism and at His death.
Now as I said this passageis very difficult and commentators have disagreed
as to what the waterand the blood refer to in verse 6. Some commentators,
like Luther and Calvin, see in the reference to water and blood a mention of
Christian baptism and the Lord's Supper, and we could certainly see how
Christian baptism and the Lord's Supper might testify to the personof Jesus
Christ. But John seems to be speaking ofsomething that is directly in Jesus’
own experience and time and history which points to His person. Other
theologians like the greatAugustine in 4th Century North Africa suggested
that the water and the blood here refer to that passage in John 19, when the
spearwas thrust into Jesus’side, and “From His side flowed forth water
mingled with blood.” And so since John is writing this letter it is suggestedby

Augustine that John is pointing back to the mingled waterand blood as a
testimony to the person of Christ in His death. But most commentators (and I
believe that this is the correctinterpretation) have understood, and this has
been explained by Christian theologians since the 2nd Century in the times of
Tertullian, see the water and the blood as a reference to Jesus’ownbaptism
and to Jesus’death. The water–Jesus’baptism; the blood–His shedding of
blood in His own death.
Now why would John be saying this? Why would John say that Jesus’baptism
and Jesus’shedding of blood in His death testify to His person? Well, there's a
very simple reason. In this Christian church to whom John is writing there
were false teachers who were either teaching that Jesus was only the Christ in
betweenHis baptism and His death, or that though He had been the Christ
prior to His baptism, He ceasedto be the Son of God before His death. You
see, there were Gnostic teachers, among them a man named Cerinthius, who
taught that Jesus became the Christ, the Son of God at His baptism and
ceasedto be Christ, the Son of God, before His death. So that the man, Jesus
of Nazareth, became Jesus the Christ by His baptism but He ceasedto be
Jesus the Christ before He died. So that only Jesus the man, Jesus of
Nazareth, died on the cross, but Jesus in the wholeness ofHis person, Jesus
who is the Christ, the Son of God did not die. In other words, Christ
descendedon Jesus atthe time of His baptism, and departed from Him before
the crucifixion. And this kind of teaching was apparently confusing this
congregation.
And so John in verse 6 is saying this: ‘Understand this: that Jesus who is the
Messiah, Jesuswho is the Son of God did not become the Son of God at His
baptism, but through the baptism it was revealedwho He was. It was declared
who He was. And at His death He did not ceaseto be the Messiah, the Son of
God, but His being the Messiahand the Son of God was absolutelynecessary
for His death to have benefit for us all. And therefore this false teaching is to
be refuted.’ In other words, John is saying that this waterrefers to Jesus’
baptism at which He was declaredto be the Son of God, and the blood refers
to Jesus’sacrificialdeath. The efficacyof His death depends on His being the
Son of God.

In all of this, whatever interpretation you take of this fairly challenging
phrase “the waterand the blood,” it is clearthat John is pressing home one
important truth: If Jesus, Messiah, the Son of God did not take on Himself
our nature in His birth and bear our sins in His death in the fullness of His
person, then He cannotreconcile us to God. John is simply saying that the
false teachers in teaching what they are teaching about Jesus are robbing
Christians of salvation, because the person of Jesus Christ is essentialto our
salvation, and confessing whatthe Bible teaches aboutthe personof Christ is
essentialto an authentic Christian confessionoffaith. The objective testimony
of Jesus’baptism and death concurs and coheres, Johnsays in this passage,
with the testimony of the Holy Spirit.
That is the three-fold testimony which is referred to in verses 7 and 8. Look at
those verses, “Forthere are three that testify: the Spirit and the waterand the
blood; and the three are in agreement.” Noticehere John testifying or saying
that Jesus’personis testified to by these three things: the water, the blood,
and the Spirit. The water and the blood referring to two historical events
which characterizedJesus’public ministry, and the Spirit referring to the
inward testimony of the Holy Spirit to us as to the significance ofthese events
in Jesus’life.
Now some of you may have a King James Bible in front of you or a New King
James Versionor perhaps another modern translationwhich has a different
version of 1 John 5:7 and the first part of verse 8, and you may be scratching
your head at the difference betweenthe two versions. Let me just say that the
King James Bible is basedupon a Greek text which had been in part edited by
a man named Erasmus, and Erasmus included a versionof 1 John 5:7 which
doesn't exist in any Greek manuscripts earlier than about the 12th Century,
but is found in some Latin manuscripts that go back to about the 4th Century.
And most modern Scriptures don't follow that particular text because they
want to get the oldest, most reliable, most accurate versions ofthe Greek
manuscripts in order to reflectthe original.
John's point is not that there is a testimony from God the Father, God the
Word, and God the Spirit to God the Son. That might lend credibility to the
Gnostic dichotomy that there is a distinction betweenthe secondpersonof the

Trinity and Jesus the Christ. No, John's consistenttestimony is that the
Father bears witness to the Son through the Spirit. And that's what is being
spokenabout in 1 John 5:7 and 8. Two kinds of corroborative testimony:
historicaland experiential, objective and subjective–the baptism of Christ, the
death of Christ, the Holy Spirit's witness to us about the meaning of the
baptism and death of Christ.
John's point in verse 9 is simply this: The testimony that the Holy Spirit gives
to us that Jesus is the divine Messiah, the Son of God, is God's testimony
about Jesus. When the Spirit testifies to the person of Christ as Jesus the
divine Messiah, the Sonof God, that is God's testimony. And if we are
convinced by human testimony in a court of law, John says in verse 9, how
much more should we be convincedby the divine testimony?
And what is the purpose of this testimony? To evoke faith in Jesus as the
divine Messiah, the Sonof the living God. What do we confess whenwe
become members of this congregationor of any Presbyterianchurch in
America congregation? Whatdo we confess aboutJesus Christ? Well, the
secondquestion of membership we ask and then answeris this: “Do you
believe in the Lord Jesus Christas the Son of God and Saviorof sinners?”
John is pressing home that truth in this passage andevoking faith in Jesus
Christ who is the Son of God, the divine Messiah, the Saviorof sinners;
because Jesus, the divine Messiah, came in the flesh…the secondpersonof the
Trinity come in the flesh for our salvation. And that is absolutelyessentialfor
our redemption. And so John is pressing home that truth because it's being
denied.
Now of course that same truth is being denied in our own day and age. There
are many people who call themselves “Christians” who deny that particular
truth, and John has one particular word to say to those who deny that truth
and claim the name Christian–you’re a hypocrite. You cannot say “yes” to
Jesus and rejectthe Bible's claims about who Jesus is. Jesus defines Himself
for us in the Scriptures. The Scriptures give us God's testimony as to who
Jesus is. Jesus is not ours to invent as we go along. We may either believe in
the Jesus who is offeredin the gospel, the Jesus ofthe Scriptures, the Jesus of
biblical and apostolic testimony, or we may reject Him. But we cannotsay, “I

acceptYou, Jesus, and I’ll define You like I want.” John is making it clear
that the Jesus who is the object of faith, the only Jesus who saves, is the Jesus
Christ presentedto us by revelationof God in Scripture, testified to in His life
and by the Holy Spirit working in our hearts. So John is making it clearto us
that to be a Christian we must believe in the Christ of the Bible.
II. Faith is a necessaryinstrument in our receiving the life of the Son(verses
10-12)[Our Responseto the Testimony]
And he presses that point home in the secondhalf of this passage.Look at
verses 10 through 12. Here he's talking about our response to this testimony.
John's point is to make it clearthat faith is a necessaryinstrument in our
receiving the life of the Son. “The one who believes in the Son of God,” he says
in verse 10, “has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God
has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God
has given concerning His Son.” John very boldly here says that to rejectthis
testimony about who Jesus is, the testimony that we receive from the Spirit,
the testimony that is corroboratedby Jesus’baptism and death–to reject that
testimony is to callGod a liar.
We live in a very polite and tolerantworld, and when someone wants to
disagree with you about your Christianity and what you believe about Jesus
Christ, they normally don't say, “Well, you’re wrong and I'm right.” What
they say is, “Well, that's fine for you to believe that about Jesus. Ijust believe
something different.” They think thereby that they are being neutral about
Christianity. Notice whatJohn is saying, however. John is saying that if you
say, “Oh, that's fine that you think that about Jesus. I just think something
different.” John says if you do that you’re calling God a liar because Godhas
already said what He thinks about Jesus Christ. And you can't be neutral
about that. You either acceptit or you rejectit. And trying to be neutral about
it is not actually being neutral; it's rejecting God's own testimony, which,
John said, is calling God a liar. Notsomething you want to do if you’re going
to stand before God on the last day. And so John is pressing home againthis
very important factthat we cannotbe neutral about the gospel. We can't be
neutral about the claims of Christ. We must either embrace Him and bow the
knee and worship Him and believe in Him as He is offered in the gospelfor

salvation, or we must rejectHim and forego Him and be judged by Him in the
last day.
John goes onto sayin verse 11 that the testimony is this; this is God's
testimony: “ThatGod has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son.”
John is telling us that the life, the eternal life, the life of the age to come, the
life of the new heavens and the new earth is in Jesus Christ. It is in faith-union
with Him. It comes only when a person has been united to Christ by the Holy
Spirit because that life is in the Son. That's why you cannot rejectthe claims
of Christ and have life, because in Him is life. And if we are going to
participate, if we are going to share in that life, we must be in Him. We must
be trusting in Him, believing on Him, believing what the Scriptures say about
Him. And so, consequently, John says in verse 12, ‘To believe in and on the
Son, to believe in and on Jesus the Messiah, the Son of the living God, is to
possesseternallife. But without that belief there is no life.’
You notice we learn three things here about eternallife. First of all, we learn
in this passagethat eternallife is not something we earn or deserve. Eternal
life is a gift given not a prize earned. Notice the words, “Godhas given us
eternal life.” It's not that God looks out at the world and He says, “Well, I
think she's worthy of eternal life and he's worthy of eternal life. She's done a
lot of goodthings. She’ll be worthy of eternal–” No! Goddoesn't give us
something that we have earned; He gives us something out of His grace and
mercy. Eternal life: it is a gift received, not a prize earned.
Notice also that eternal life is found in Christ, and so in order to give it God
sends His Son. It's emphasized that “Godhas given us eternal life and this life
is in His Son.” Becauseeternallife is found in Christ, God gives His Sonthat
we might experience eternallife. John speaksaboutthis elsewhere. Do you
remember what he says in John 3:16? “ForGod so loved the world, that He
gave His only begottenSon, that whoeverbelieves in Him shall not perish, but
have eternal life.” Because eternallife is in the Son, God gives His Sonthat we
might have eternal life.
And then, thirdly, notice in this passage that this eternallife is not just
something reservedfor the future, but eternallife is something experienced

now in the presentby believers. “He who has the Son,” John says in verse 12,
“has the life.” Eternal life is the present possessionofbelievers. What is this
eternal life? To fellowship with the Triune God and with all those who are in
fellowship with the Triune God. And so the Church is the outpost of heaven,
the suburbs of glory, the foretaste of the fullness of that eternal life. We are
even now receiving a taste of what that eternal life is like in the worship of
God with the company of His people. We will have more of it and we will have
it without end in the new heavens and in the new earth, but we are already
now experiencing that eternal life.
But John's point in this passage is that trusting and believing in the Christ of
Scripture is absolutelyessentialto salvation. You cannot be a Christian and
rejectJesus’person. You cannot be a Christian and rejectwhat the Bible
teaches aboutHis person.
We live in a day and age where people like to have an experience of
Christianity while rejecting the teaching of Christianity, and John is saying
you cannotexperience eternal life apart from belief in the truth about Jesus
Christ. You must believe in Jesus Christ, and you must trust Him, but you
must also believe in the Jesus Christ who is set forth in the Scriptures. And so
you must believe Him and you must believe what He said about Himself and
what is revealedabout Him in the word of God. In this passage Johnis telling
us again that all those who receive the Christ of Scripture, the Christ who is
the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of sinners–theyhave life because life
is in Him. But all those who rejectthat Christ or who are neutral about that
Christ or who want to redefine that Christ, they are not trusting in the Christ
in whom life resides and therefore there is no life in them.
My friends, do not trust in a Jesus of your own making. Do not trust in a Jesus
of your own imagination. Trust in the Jesus ofyour Bible. My friends, do not
be neutral about Jesus. You can't be. You cannot have life and be neutral
about Jesus. Believe onJesus Christ. He's the Messiah, the Anointed of God.
He's the Sonof God. He's very God, begottennot created, and He is the only
Savior of the world. Let's pray.

Our Lord and our God, we've sung about the fairest Lord Jesus who is Son of
God and Sonof man. Help that to be a true song of confession. We’re about to
sing that “We come, O Christ, to You, true Son of God and man.” Help us to
believe that as we sing, and as we believe, O God, to experience eternallife
even now. We ask this in Jesus’name. Amen.
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and the love of God our
Father, and the fellowshipof the Holy Spirit be with you and abide with you
both now and forevermore. Amen.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A Guide to the Morning Service
The Worship of God
Our WestminsterConfessionofFaith (the written expressionof what we
believe the Bible to teachregarding basic Christian doctrine) says:“The
reading of the Scriptures with godly fear, the sound preaching and
conscionable hearing ofthe Word, in obedience unto God, with
understanding, faith, and reverence, singing of psalms with grace in the heart;
as also, the due administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments
instituted by Christ, are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God:
beside religious oaths, vows, solemnfastings, and thanksgivings upon special
occasions,whichare, in their severaltimes and seasons,to be used in an holy
and religious manner.” These, in addition to prayer and offerings constitute
the ordinary elements of public worship at First PresbyterianChurch.
A Meditation before Corporate Worship
“Our Father, we worship and love Thee;and it is one point of our worship
that Thou art holy. Time was when we loved Thee for thy mercy; we knew no
more; but now Thou hast changedour hearts and made us in love with
goodness,purity, justice, true holiness;and we understand now why ‘the
cherubim and seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of
hosts’….

May we love God; may we love Thee, O Saviour; may we love the people of
God as being members of one body in connectionwith Thee. Maywe love the
guilty world with that love which desires its salvationand conversion;and
may we help the helpless, comfortthe mourner, sympathize with the widow
and fatherless, and may we be always ready to put up with wrong, to be long
suffering, to be very patient, full of forgiveness, counting it a small thing that
we should forgive our fellow men since we have been forgiven of God. Lord,
tune our hearts to love, and then give us an inward peace, a restfulness about
everything.
May we have no burden to carry, because, thoughwe have a burden, we have
rolled it upon the Lord. May we take up our cross become a comfort to us.
May we count it all joy when we fall into divers trials, knowing that in all this
God will be glorified, His image will be stamped upon us, and the eternal
purpose will be fulfilled, wherein He has predestined us to be conformed unto
the image of His Son.
Lord, look upon Thy people. We might pray about our troubles. We will not;
we will only pray againstour sins. We might come to thee about our
weariness,aboutour sickness,aboutour disappointment, about our poverty;
but we will leave all that, we will only come about our sin. Lord, make us holy,
and then do what Thou wilt with us.” (C. H. Spurgeon)
The Sermon
Today, we come to the penultimate messagein our study of 1 John. Tapes of
all sermons are available for checkoutorpurchase in the Church Library or
Bookstore. Seealso <www.fpcjackson.org>. Here's something to think about
relating to 1 John 5:11-12, two important verses in today's text. “Having now
set, forth the benefit, he invites us to believe. It is, indeed, a reverence due to
God, immediately to receive, as beyond controversy, whateverHe declares to
us. But since He freely offers life to us, our ingratitude will be intolerable,
exceptwith prompt faith we receive a doctrine so sweetand so lovely. And,
doubtless, the words of the Apostle are intended to show that we ought not
only reverently to obey the gospel, lestwe should affront God; but, that we
ought to love it, because it brings to us eternal life.

We hence also learn what is especiallyto be sought in the gospel, eventhe free
gift of salvation;for that God there exhorts us to repentance and fear, ought
not to be separatedfrom the grace of Christ. But the Apostle, that he might
keepus togetherin Christ, againrepeats that life is found in Him; as though
he had said, that no other way of obtaining life has been appointed for us by
God the Father.
And the Apostle, indeed, briefly includes here three things: that we are all
given up to death until God in His gratuitous favor restores us to life; for he
plainly declares that life is a gift from God: and hence also it follows that we
are destitute of it, and theft it. cannot be acquired by merits; secondly, he
teaches us that this life is conferred on us by the gospel, because there the
goodness andthe paternal love of God is made known to us; lastly, he says
that we cannot otherwise become partakers ofthis life than by believing in
Christ. Verse 12 is a confirmation of the last sentence. It ought, indeed, to
have been sufficient, that God made life to be in none but in Christ, that it
might be soughtin Him; but lest any one should turn awayto another, he
excludes all from the hope of life who seek it not in Christ. We know what it is
to have Christ, for he is possessedby faith. He then shews that all who are
separatedfrom the body of Christ are without life.” (Calvin)
This guide to worship is written by the minister and provided to the
congregationand our visitors in order (1) to assistthem in their worship by
explaining why we do what we do in worship and (2) to provide them
backgroundon the various elements of the service.
Question:"How can I have assuranceofmy salvation?"
Answer: Many followers of Jesus Christ look for the assurance ofsalvationin
the wrong places. We tend to seek assurance ofsalvationin the things God is
doing in our lives, in our spiritual growth, in the goodworks and obedience to
God’s Word that is evident in our Christian walk. While these things canbe

evidence of salvation, they are not what we should base the assurance ofour
salvationon. Rather, we should find the assurance ofour salvationin the
objective truth of God’s Word. We should have confident trust that we are
savedbased on the promises God has declared, not because ofour subjective
experiences.
How can you have assurance ofsalvation? Consider1 John 5:11–13:“And
this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He who has the Sonhas life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God
so that you may know that you have eternallife.” Who is it that has the Son?
It is those who have believed in Him (John 1:12). If you have Jesus, youhave
life. Not temporary life, but eternal.
God wants us to have assurance ofour salvation. We should not live our
Christian lives wondering and worrying eachday whether or not we are truly
saved. That is why the Bible makes the plan of salvationso clear. Believe in
Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus
is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raisedhim from the dead, you
will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Have you repented? Do you believe that Jesus
died to pay the penalty for your sins and rose againfrom the dead (Romans
5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21)? Do you trust Him alone for salvation? If your
answerto these questions is “yes,” youare saved!Assurance means freedom
from doubt. By taking God’s Word to heart, you canhave no doubt about the
reality of your eternalsalvation.
Jesus Himself assures those who believe in Him: “I give them eternal life, and
they shall never perish; no one can snatchthem out of my hand. My Father,
who has given them to me, is greaterthan all; no one cansnatch them out of
my Father’s hand” (John 10:28–29). Eternallife is just that—eternal. There is

no one, not even yourself, who can take Christ’s God-given gift of salvation
awayfrom you.
Take joy in what God’s Word is saying to you: insteadof doubting, we can
live with confidence!We can have the assurance from Christ’s own Word that
our salvationwill never be in question. Our assurance ofsalvationis based on
the perfectand complete salvationGod has provided for us through Jesus
Christ.
https://www.gotquestions.org/assurance-salvation.html
Life Is In His Son By Henry Mahan
Bible Text: 1 John 5:11-12
Henry T. Mahan Tape Library Zebulon Baptist Church 6088 Zebulon
Highway Pikeville, KY 41501
Website: http://www.sovereign-grace.com/13thstbap.htm Online Sermons:
http://mahan.sermonaudio.com
I am going to read a passageofScripture which is very familiar to most of
you. It is found in 1 John chapter five verse 11 and 12. Now I have preached
from these verses many times before and I hope to preachfrom them, God
willing, many more times, 1 John chapter five verse 11 and 12. Now here is
the subject, “Life is in His Son.” I am talking about eternal life. “Life is in His
Son.”

Now here is the Scripture, 1 John 5:11. “And this is the record.” Whatdoes
that word “record” mean? This is the record. This is the testimony. This is
the truth of God. This is the record of God. “ThatGod hath given to us
eternal life.” Now listen. “And this life is in his Son.”
This is the truth. This is the testimony of God. This is the recordthat God
hath given to us, he didn’t sell it. He didn’t lend it. He gave it to us, eternal
life. And this life is in his Son and, listen, “He that hath the Sonof God hath
eternal life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” He doesn’t
have eternal life.
Now I begin this messagewith three most important statements, plainly
stated, clearly setforth, three important statements. I am going to begin the
messagewith these three statements. I am going to close the message with
these three statements. Now listen to them. Here is the first one. Eternal life,
eternal life, the life of God, eternalglory, heaven, eternallife which God gives
is not even a possibility. It is not even a possibility apart from the Lord Jesus
Christ because the Scripture says, “This life is in his Son.” That’s right. So it
is not even...withoutChrist it is not even a possibility. This life is in his Son.
That is clear. That is plain. Eternallife is in Christ.
Colossians 1:19 says, “It pleasedGodthat in him, in Christ, should all fulness,
all life, all grace, allmercy dwell.” It dwells in him. That is the habitation of
mercy and grace and life. It is Christ. That is the source of life. That is the
fountain of blessings. It is all in him.
Listen to Colossians two verse nine. “In him dwelleth all the fulness of the
godheadbodily.” In Christ, that is where it dwells. He said this. He said, “I
am the way. I am the truth. I am life. I am life.”

of 9
Now here is a passageofScripture with which everybody is familiar. This is a
verse of Scripture that children learn. I suppose the first one that they learn,
John 3:14-16. Now listento it. And what I am saying is eternallife is not even
a possibility outside of Christ, apart from Christ because the life is in his Son.
Now listen to John 3:14 very slowly. “As Moses lifted up the serpentin the
wilderness, evenso must the Son of man, the Lord Jesus Christbe lifted up,
that whosoeverbelievethin him might not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begottenSon that whosoever
believeth in him might not perish, but have eternal life.” That is clear, isn’t
it? Eternal life is not in the church.
But I am a church member in goodstanding.
But life is not in the church. Life is not in the altar.
“I have been to the altar, preacher, and had a wonderful experience.”
But eternallife is not in the altar. You wont find it there. Eternallife is not in
the sacraments,not in the communion. It is not in the baptism. Eternal life is
not in the law. This life is in his Son.
You say, “Well, that is just what the Bible says.”

Well, where else do you getany information about eternallife? The Bible is
the only source of any kind of material regarding salvationor life or heaven
or God or Christ or any thing else spiritual. There is no other source except
our imagination. There is no possibility, none whatsoeverof eternallife apart
from Jesus Christ because this is the record. God hath given us eternallife
and this life, my friends, is in his Son. And he that hath the Son of God hath
life and he that hath not the Sonof God hath not eternal life. He doesn’t
possessit. It is not in his power or in him at all.
Listen to this Scripture. “When Christ who is our light shall appear, then shall
we appear with him in glory.”
He is life.
All right. Here is the secondstatement. Resurrectionfrom the dead.
Everybody talks about resurrection, the life beyond the grave. When we are
going to be raisedand when we are going to live in heaventogetherand meet
mother and all these wonderful things, you know, in heaven. We die and we
are buried. Well, we have got to be raised.
Well, let me tell you something. Resurrectionfrom the dead to eternal glory,
that is fantasy. That is nothing but an empty wish apart from our resurrected
Lord. He is the first born from the dead and he said because I live you live.
He is the first born of every creature. He is the first begottenfrom the dead.
He is the resurrection.
Page 3 of 9

If Christ be not raisedthere is no resurrection.
Lazarus had died. You remember this story. In the little town of Bethany
there were three people Mary, Martha and Lazarus, two sisters and a brother.
And our Lord frequently came to that home and visited with them and
Lazarus died. And the Lord Jesus finally came. He stayedaway on purpose
and he finally came and they had already buried Lazarus and he had been in
the grave severaldays. And Martha ran out to meet him and she said,
“Master, master, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Well, he said, “Martha, your brother will rise again.”
“Oh,” she said, “I know that. I know that he will rise againon the
resurrectionday.”
Now that is what most people believe. There is going to be a resurrection.
Martha believed that. She believed there is going to be a resurrection, her
brother would rise on that resurrectionday. And Christ said, “Martha, I am
the resurrectionand the life. He that liveth and believeth on me shall never
die. Do you believe this?”
There is no resurrectionapart from Christ. It is fantasy. It is an empty dream.
It is hogwashapart from Jesus Christ. That’s right. There is no resurrection
from the dead apart from him who is the first begottenfrom the dead. He
said, “BecauseI live, you will live.” He said, “I am come that they might have
life.”

He that hath the Son hath life. There is no eternal life apart from Christ and
there is no resurrectionapart from Christ. It is an impossibility and it is
nothing but fantasy.
All right. Here is the third statement. Now listen carefully. You have to...if
you have a Bible and have any understanding of it at all you have to agree
with these first two statements. This life is in his Son. He that hath the Son of
God hath life. Apart from Christ there is no life. Resurrection, Paulclearly
statedthat in 1 Corinthians 15. “If Christ be not risen we are of all men most
miserable. There is no resurrection. He is the resurrection. He is the proof of
the resurrection. He is the truth of the resurrection. He is the heart of the
resurrection.
All right. Here is the third statement. Peace with God. Oh, we hear a lot
about that, peace with God. Peacewith God. But I am telling you this. Peace
with God is an impossibility without the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. There
is no peace without the blood of Christ.
No listen to Colossians one. “Having made peace with God through the blood
of his cross by the death of Christ God reconciledall things to himself.”
2 Corinthians 5:19 says, “Godwas in Christ reconciling.”
You talk about reconciliationand that means there is a difference, there is a
problem. You don’t reconcile friends. But Godwas in Christ reconciling this
world to himself because there is angerand wrath and enmity betweenGod
and men.
Page 4 of 9

I know that folks talk about people making their peace with God. I have heard
that ever since I was a child. “He made his peace with God.”
How did he do that? How did he do it? Did he just erase the wrath of God?
Did he just blot out the wrath of God? How did he make peace with God?
You hear people say, “Well, I am at peace with my maker.”
But I will tell you. The Lord described that kind of peace. He said, “Theycry,
‘peace, peace,’when there is no peace.”
Peace comesfrom the Prince of Peace.“Mypeace I give unto you,” Christ
said.
Having made peace with God through the blood of his cross.
You see, we are not the ones who decide whether there will be peace with God.
He is the one that determines the terms of peace. Goddetermines the terms of
peace.
Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by Christ we have peace with God.
Therefore being justified by faith, by Christ, by his blood we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That is where peace, that is where it

comes from. It is through Christ. “Bywhom we have accessinto this grace
wherein we stand.”
I wonder. Have you read these verses in Isaiah 59? Have you read them
before, Isaiah 59:1-2. Listen to them. Isaiah59 verses one and two. Listen.
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not short that he cannot save. He is able to save.
Neither is his ear heavy that he can’t hear. He can hear. He cansave and he
can hear. But, now here is the problem. But there is a problem. Your
iniquities have separatedbetweenyou and your God.” There is a problem
betweenus and God. It is our iniquities.
Listen, “Your sins have hid his face from you and he will not hear you.” That
is the problem. So no matter what men think, what they say or what they do,
there is trouble betweenmen and God. And that trouble is iniquity, sin. Your
iniquities have separatedbetweenyou and your God. Your sins have come
betweenyou and Godand hid his face from you and he will not hear.
We need someone to go to God for us. Do you know what we need?
I wonder if these words are familiar. We need a Mediator. Now a Mediator is
not of one. A Mediator is of two. And if there is a Mediatorpresent it is telling
us that something is wrong. When you call in a Mediator, you call in a
Mediatorbecause two sides can’t get together. And that is what we need is a
Mediator. We need also an Advocate. What is an Advocate? It is one who
pleads for us. It is a lawyer. It is one who takes up our cause and our case,
who has some pull, some authority. We need an Intercessor.
Page 5 of 9

Are you familiar with those words? I know you are. Do you recognize them?
All right. Here. There is one God and one MediatorbetweenGod and men,
Christ Jesus. Thatis what I am telling you. There is no peace with God apart
from that Mediator. You are not going to make peace with him without him.
You are not going to settle things with an almighty, holy, eternal, God without
the one who settles it, the Mediator. There is one Mediator.
Advocate? Lawyer? If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father. We
had better have. Who is Jesus Christthe righteous. He can’t have any sins of
his own. If he has sins of his own he can’t help us. But he has no sin.
And I tell you this. He has something to plead. My lawyer has something
plead with God. Do you know what it is? He took my sins and paid for them.
He took my place. He was wounded for my transgressions.He was bruised for
my iniquities. The chastisementof my peace was upon him. By his stripes I
am healed. And he tells the judge you have got nothing againsthim. I have
took his sins and paid for them. You have gotno charge.
Who can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Casedismissed. I have got
a lawyer. He is the Son of the Judge and he took my sins and my place.
Do you see that? So I have peace with God because I am not guilty. He is
guilty. My advocate.
I need an intercessor. Whatis an intercessor? Someoneto plead, someone to
pray, someone to representus to God. We need a substitute, someone who can

fulfill what God requires, someone who can meet what God demands,
someone who can enable God to be just and justifier. That personis Christ.
Do you see those three statements? There is no peace with God apart from
Christ for he made peace through the blood of his cross.
Now I am going to give you seventhings for you to remember. And if you
want to you can write them down. This is the reasonthat I need Jesus, I need
the Savior, I need the Mediator. This is the reason.
Number one, there is a holy God whom I cannot please, immaculately,
infinitely, eternally, unspeakablyholy is the Lord God of heaven and I cannot
in any shape, form or fashion please that God. In my flesh dwelleth no good
thing. In the flesh no man can please God, but Christ my Saviordid please
him.
The Fathersaid of my Lord, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” So
he pleasedhim for me and for you in our place.
Secondly, There is a holy law I cannot keep. Oh, we cankept he outward law.
Page 6 of 9
People say, “Well, I have never killed anybody.”
Not with a gun you haven’t. But in your heart you have.

“I have never done this. I have never stolen anything.”
Did you ever covetanything? Did you ever want something you didn’t have?
Well, certainly. Then you stole it in your heart.
Do you see what I am saying?
There is a holy law, a spiritual law, a law that reaches notjust to the act, but
to the attitude, not just to the deed, but to the thoughts, to the spirit. And I
can’t keepit. Paul said, “When the law came, when the law came to me in its
spiritual demands, I died.”
He was one of the most moral men whoeverlived and yet when he facedGod’s
holy immaculate, impeccable law he said, “I died.”
Well, but Christ kept it. My Savior kept that law perfectly. He said, “I didn’t
come to destroy it. I came to fulfill it.” And that he did for you and me.
Thirdly, there is a righteousness Icannot produce. And God must have it. In
fact, the Lord Jesus saidthis to his disciples. He said, “If your holiness and
your righteousness does notexceedthat of the Scribes and Pharisees you
won’t enter the kingdom of God. You have to be perfect.”
I told a congregationrecentlyI can jump over a barn if you let me build the
barn. I can be perfectly holy if you let me determine what holiness is. I can
be perfectly righteous if you will let me make the standard. But when God

builds the barn it is too high. And when God determines what holiness is, his
holiness, I am a total failure. And when Godsets the standard of righteousness
we are all failures.
But Christ kept it. He is the Son of God. He is the Lord our righteousness,
perfect in every jot and tittle, perfect.
And then, fourthly, there is a sin that I can’t put away. Your sins have hid his
face from you. Your sins have separatedbetweenyou and your God. There is
a sin problem.
I say with David, “My sins are ever before me.”
Aren’t yours? Don’t you mourn overyour sins and grieve over your sins? I
can’t put them away, but he can. He did. It said once in the end of the world
hath he appeared to put awaysin by the sacrifice ofhimself. And he said,
“Your sins and iniquities I will remember no more, no more.” He bore our
sins in his body on the tree and paid for them.” And he said, “I separated
them from us as far as the Eastis from the West.”
Page 7 of 9
In Christ you have no sin.
You can’t do anything about it, but he can. And then there is a death, there is
a death for sin that I cannot escape. The Scripture says, “The soulthat

sinneth shall surely die.” No question about it, no way to beat the wrap, no
loop holes.
The soul that sinneth... Have you ever sinned?
Yes, I have, many times.
Then you are going to die. That is what it says.
But wait a minute. But Christ took that death.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. He was made sin for us. He who knew no sin
was made sin for us. He suffered for sin, the just for the unjust that we might
not die, that the curse of the broken law, the curse of sin that the judgment for
sin shall not fall on us. It fell on him. That is what he did on that cross. He
died under our sins. And therefore he that believeth on me shall never die.
I tell you.
And then sixth, listen. In the sixth place there is a judgment I don’t want to
face. And you don’t either. Everybody talks about going to the judgment. You
don’t want to go to the judgment. Listen. It says, “I saw the dead. I saw
them,” John said, a multitude. “I saw the dead. The sea gave up the dead.
Deathand hell gave up the dead. I saw the dead small and greatstand before
God and they were...books were openedand they were judged according to
the things written in the books.”

Now, my friend, I don’t want any part of that gathering. I don’t want to be
there. I don’t want to be judged out of those books. And I will tell you.
Believers are going to miss that judgment. It says, “There is therefore now no
judgment to them who are in Christ Jesus.”
Christ’s people will never be brought to judgment because oursins have
already been judged and they have been punished and they have been paid for
and they have been put away. And there is nothing in the books, no charge.
Who can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth?
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died.
No judgment because Christ. That is the peace we have.
And then in the lastplace there is an eternal life and an eternalglory that I
covet, I desire. I want to live eternally, don’t you? I want to live in glory. I
want...the apostle Paul says, “I want to attain unto the resurrectionof the
dead. I want to so badly, so desperately, but it is beyond my ability, beyond
my ability.
Page 8 of 9
Now it is not beyond his. Now listen. Philippians 3:20, listen. Philippians 3:20,
listen. “Forour citizenship is in heaven from which we look for our Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ” I am looking for him, “Who shall change our vile
bodies that our bodies may be fashionedlike unto his glorious body according
to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.”
Are you in darkness? He is the light.

Are you a sinner? He is the friend of sinners.
Are you hungry? He is the bread.
Are you thirsty? He is the water.
Are you poor? He is the riches of God’s grace.
Are you weary? “Come unto me,” he said, “I will give you rest.”
Are you weak? He is our strength. He is our strong tower.
Are you guilty? He is our refuge.
Are you dying? He is the resurrection. He is the life.
It is all in him.
Now, my three statements. Let’s go back over them and refresh your mind. I
tell you a lot of the problem with preaching today is not what men are saying.
It is what they are not saying. And I am trying to saywhat most are not
saying. And I am trying to say it plainly, clearly and truthfully so as not to be
understood from the Word of God. And I will repeat these three statements.

Eternal life is not even a possibility. You needn’t talk about it, think about it
or plan on it. It is not a possibility apart from the Lord Jesus Christ for God
hath given us eternallife and this life is in his Son. And he that hat the Son of
God hath life and he that hath not the Sonof God hath not life.
And then resurrection. And I have gone many a time and stood
between...beforemany an open grave and watchedthat casketgo down and
the dirt being put in and we stand there and talk about a resurrection. We
talk about oh, one day, there will be a resurrection. One day we are going to...
the circle...willthe circle be unbroken. We are going to be in heaven with all
our friends and loved ones, fantasy, utter, absolute fantasy apart from the
Lord Jesus Christ. That’s right.
Page 9 of 9
But in him resurrectionis a certainty because he said, “Because Ilive, you will
live.” He said, “I am the resurrectionand I am the life.” And if Paul said in 1
Corinthians 15...andyou get that chapter and read all those reasons he gives.
If Christ be not risen we are false witnesses. Our faith is vain. Everybody who
died is perished. We are of all men most miserable. There is no resurrection if
Christ be not risen.
But I will tell you. Our graves will open because his opened. And we are in
him. That is a promise and that is the only thing.
All right, the third statement. Peace withGod. Peacewith God. Peace with
God is an impossibility without the blood of Christ because he made peace
through the blood of his cross and reconciledus to God. And without the

shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Without the shedding of blood there
is no forgiveness.There is no reconciliationand there is no remission. But
Christ hath once sufferedfor sin, the just for the unjust that he might bring us
to God. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins
and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
This life is in his Son.
ROB MORGAN
1 John 5:11-12 Sermon
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternallife, and this life is in His
Son. He who has the Sonhas life; he who does not have the Son of God does
not have life. 1 John 5:11-12
I’m constantlyamazed at the kinds of studies being conducted by major
universities around the world and at how much money they spend to arrive at
conclusions that seemperfectly logicalto me. Last week there was an
announcement by psychologyprofessors and scholars atthe University of
Toronto with assistanceby researchersatYork University, which is also in
Toronto. These scholarshad decided to conduct an elaborate study to
determine whether belief in God has an impact on a person’s level of anxiety,
and their results were published in papers all across Canada andaround the
world.

The scholars saidthey were shockedto find that the brains of religious people
are calmerin the face of error and uncertainty than the brains of doubters.
The psychologists discoveredthat those who believed in God had thirty-three
percent less activity in the part of our brain that regulates anxiety. Those
certain of God’s existence had forty-five percentless activity in this region
compared to those convincedthat there is no God. According to these
researchers, religious people were calmerin life and also more accurate in
their decisions and perspectives.
Well, that seems to me that it would be an obvious conclusion, but the
researcherssaidthey were takenaback by the results, so they testedtheir
results againand again. To their amazement, they found that faith in God is
goodpsychologyand a perfectly goodstrategywith dealing with life’s
anxieties. (Basedon numerous online media reports, including “This is Your
Brain on Religion” in the Toronto Globe and Mail, March5, 2009,
athttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090305.wbrains0
5 /BNStory/Science/home.)
Well, if we ever needed help in the face of fear, it’s nowadays. Ourplanet
seems to be teetering on the brink of a globaleconomic tsunami that could
send us all into a GreatDepressionunlike anything the world has ever seen.
People everywhere are frightened; and truth be told, I’m uneasy myself. In
economic and political terms—and humanly speaking—there’s verylittle
certainty in the world right now.
But a clearand presentfaith in God counters many a clearand present
danger. And what I want to say today is that if you can’t have certainty in the
economic world or certainty in the political world, we canvery definitively
have certainty when it comes to our relationship with God, with His care over
us, and with the confidence and assurance we can have in Him.

There’s a greatold hymn that says:
Jesus!What a Friend for sinners!
Jesus!Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assailme,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
I learned that hymn in college and I’ve loved it eversince. It’s one of my
favorites, and the author knows whathe was talking about. It was written by
Dr. J. Wilber Chapman, who was a great evangelista hundred years ago.
Chapman grew up in a Christian family and never knew when, where, or how
he became a Christian. There was a time in his childhood, however, when his
Methodist Sunday Schoolteacherencouragedhim to stand up one day and
make a public declarationof faith in Christ. As a college student, Chapman
attended Lake ForestCollege, andwhile he was there he attended a series of
meetings in Chicago conductedby evangelistD. L. Moody. As he listened to
Moody preach, Chapman began doubting whether or not he was really saved.
He had no certainty of his salvation. At the end of the service he went into the
inquiry room with others seeking spiritual counsel. To his surprise, Mr.
Moody himself came in, walkedover, and satdown right beside him.
Chapman confessedto him that he wasn’t sure whether or not he was really
saved. Moodyopened his Bible to John 5:24 and askedthe young man to read
the verse aloud.

With trembling voice, Chapman read, “Verily, verily, I say to you, He that
heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation; but is passedfrom death unto life.”
Moody said, “Do you believe this?”
“Certainly,” said Chapman.
Moody said, “Are you a Christian?”
Chapman said, “Sometimes I think I am and againI am fearful.”
“Readit again!” said Moody.
Chapman read it again, and Moody repeatedhis two questions—Do you
believe this? Are you a Christian? Chapman replied in the same way.
The greatevangelistseemeda little irritated and said sharply, “Whom are you
doubting?” And then he said, “Readit again.”
Chapman read it again: “Verily, verily, I say to you, He that heareth My
word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passedfrom death unto life.”

For the third time, Moody asked, “Do youbelieve this?”
Chapman said, “Yes, indeed I do.”
“Well, are you a Christian?”
This time Chapman said, “Yes, Mr. Moody, I am.”
“And from that day to this,” Chapman said later as a world-famed evangelist,
“I have never questionedmy acceptancewith God. (Ford C. Ottman, J.
Wilbur Chapman: A Biography (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page &
Company, 1920), 29-30.)
That’s what I’m talking about. We should never go to bed at night worrying
about our eternal condition or our eternal salvation;and yet many Christians
do. I preachedabout this a few years ago, and my sermons were published in
a book we calledSIMPLE. One pastor later told me that he preached through
the chapters of that book and as he was preaching on the topic of assurance of
salvation, he was surprised at how many people in his congregationseemed
unsure as to whether or not they were really saved. I wonder if that’s true in
many other churches.
Well, years ago the man who mentored me told me that 1 John 5:11-12 were
the bestverses in the Bible on the subjectof assurance andhe assignedthem
to me as memory verses. I’ve gone over them againand again, and I want to
recommend them to you as memory verses today.

not have life.
There are five simple statements here.
1. This Is The Testimony
The first phrase says, “This is the Testimony.” These are the facts. This is the
truth. This is the record. Now, the apostle John is simply bringing to a
conclusionhere the thought that he has been expounding in chapter 5. He is
talking about the certainty of the things we believe. He is telling us that we
don’t have to “think so” or “hope so.” We can “know so.”
Look at verse 6: This is the one who came by waterand blood—Jesus Christ.
Now we aren’t sure exactlywhat John meant by that verse, but most of the
commentators I consultedbelieve this has to do with the baptism and the
death of Jesus. OurLord Jesus beganHis ministry with water. He was
baptized by John the Baptist, and at that very moment the Holy Spirit
descendedupon Him and Godthe Father spoke from heaven, saying, “This is
My BelovedSon, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Itwas a
remarkable convergence ofthe Trinity into human history as God the Son
initiated His ministry, God the Father commended Him, and God the Holy
Spirit anointed Him. That is evidently what John has in mind here by the
word “water.” And the word “blood” has to do with the death of Jesus
Christ. It’s quite remarkable when you think of how many ways Jesus bled
during His death.

I know this is a rather strange and macabre subject if you don’t realize its
significance, but just think about it for a moment. The first blood was
extractedby the slaps of the Roman soldiers and their crownof thorns as they
ridiculed Him in the early morning hours of His crucifixion. Then came the
scourging. Thencame the nails to His hands and feet. And then the lance in
His side. Jesus literally bled from the crownof His head to the soles ofHis
feet, and His body was virtually drained of its blood.
The Bible says this was the price of our redemption. Without the shedding of
blood there is no redemption of sin. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleansesus from all sin. Petersays that we are redeemedby the precious
blood of the Lamb of God. Hebrews calls it the blood of the eternal covenant.
Now, let’s go back to verse 6. John wrote: This is the one who came by water
and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and
blood.
Waterand blood book-endedour Lord’s ministry. It openedwith water and
it closedwith blood.
And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are
three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood.
Now, let me put this in a simple alliteratedform. How does the Spirit testify?
He inspired the Holy Scriptures. All Scripture is God-breathed, for holy men
of God spoke as they were borne along by the Holy Spirit. Jesus saidthat
after He returned to Heaven, He would send the Holy Spirit who would bring
all things to the remembrance of the apostles so they could record it.

So we have three testimonies as to our Lord Jesus:
His Baptism
His Blood
And His Book!
His Baptism openedHis ministry. His Blood consummatedHis ministry. His
Book recordedHis ministry. And these three things constitute the testimony
of God concerning His Son. Look at verse 6ff again:
This is the one who came by waterand blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come
by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies,
because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood; and these three are in agreement. We acceptman’s
testimony, but God’s testimony is greaterbecause it is the testimony of God,
which He has given about His Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God
has this testimony in His heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made
Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given
about His Son. And this is the testimony.
2. GodHas Given Us Eternal Life
And now we come to the secondphrase in the verse: God has given us eternal
life. I suppose we can say that this is the favorite theme of the apostle John.
He uses the phrase “eternallife” twenty-two times in his writing: sixteen
times in his Gospeland six times in 1 John. The most famous occurrence is in
John 3:16, that those who believe in God’s Only BegottenSonhave everlasting
life. But notice how often he brings this up here in this chapter, 1 John 5:

Verse 11: This is the testimony: Godhas given us eternallife.
Verse 13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of
God so that you may know that you have eternallife.
Verse 20: Jesus Christ… is the true god and eternal life.
He is eternallife; He gives eternallife; and eternal life is in Him.
My wife, Katrina, recently read a book about a man who had a near-death
experience and when he returned to conscious life he was able to remember
the images he saw as he approachedheaven. She told me that it was a great
comfort and encouragementto her. This man saw lots of people and they
were all on the move. They were active, coming and going and busy. There
was happiness everywhere and greatjoy. There was singing and the most
beautiful music you’ve ever heard. There was wonderful sceneryand the
most vivid colors you’ve ever seen.
I came to the same conclusionseveralyears ago whenI preached a series of
sermons basedon Revelation21 and 22 on the New Heavens and the New
Earth and the New Jerusalem.
And it’s all a gift! The Bible says, “The wages ofsin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Bible says, “ForGod
so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon.” The Bible says,
“Praise be to God for His unspeakable gift.” And this verse says: This is the
record: God has given us eternallife.

3. This Life Is In His Son
The third phrase says: This life is in His Son. It is not just from Jesus;it is in
Jesus. This is the waythat John began his Gospelof John: In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him
nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the
light of men.
In John 11, Jesus told Mary and Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
In John 14, He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
4. He Who Has the Son Has Life
The fourth phrase in our text says: He who has the Son has life, referring to
eternal life. In other words, we don’t have to worry about having heaven. We
don’t have to worry about having eternal life. We don’t have to worry about
what’s going to happen when we die. We just have to be concernedabout
having Jesus in our heart. If we have Jesus, we have eternal life.
Let me use an iPod as an example. Let’s say that I want to give you all my
favorite songs. Now,you might not be interested in my favorite songs, but just
suppose that you were. If you want to know what’s loaded on my iPod, it’s a
lot of hymns and Christian music, and a gooddeal of classicalmusic, and a lot
of piano jazz and big band music. I also have an eclectic assortmentofother
albums, but it’s all equally boring and you can roll your eyes if you want to.
But just suppose you wanted a whole bunch of my music. Well, I could give
you a song here and a song there—or I could just give you my iPod. If you
had my iPod, you’d have all my songs included.

When God gave us Jesus Christ, He came with all the music of heaven already
included, with all the songs ofthe soul, with all the blessings of eternity, with
everything we’d ever want or need. When we have Jesus, we have everything
else, and that includes eternal life! He who has the Son has life!
5. He Who Does NotHave the Son Of God Does NotHave Life
The lastphrase, however, is a warning: He who does not have the Son of God
does not have life. The greatestgift God could ever give us was Himself, and
Jesus Christ is ours to receive or reject. And the Bible says, “How shall we
escape if we neglectso greata salvation?
Last weekendI had the opportunity to speak in a church in Florida. Forthe
most part, the members of this church were retired people who were living in
retirement communities on Florida’s westcoast. Manyof them had been
Christians for many years, and quite of few of them had been very fruitful
and successfulChristian leaders. But there was one middle-aged man who
was a more recentconvert. He’d been savedwithin the last couple of years,
and his baptism had been a cause of greatjoy in the church. I askedhim
about it and he told me his story.
For many years he had spurned the Gospel. His wife was a dedicated
believer, and she prayed for him faithfully. In fact, she had prayed for him
for 30 years. Well, this man specializedin walls—he painted and he hung wall
paper and did very intricate work. But at midlife he became deeply depressed
and nothing seemedto help him. One day, he told me, he was in a very
affluent home doing some very detailedand exacting work. He was at the top
of a thirty-foot ladder, because the ceilings were very high. On the top of that
ladder, he came under deep conviction of sin and he startedto weep, and he
just kept crying. He calledout to God and askedfor salvation. He started
down the ladder, and, as he told me, by the time his foot hit the floor he was a
new man. It’s as though he had been born again, which he had. He raced

home to tell his wife, but he didn’t have to tell her. When he walkedin the
door his face was glowing and he said, “I have something to tell you.” She
said, “You don’t have to. I already know it. You’ve been saved.” He said,
“How did you know.” She answered, “I’ve been praying for you for 30
years.”
And then he said something very interesting to me. He said, “I later thought
that the whole thing reminded me of the moment when Neil Armstrong took
that last stepfrom the ladder and his foot steppedonto the moon and all
history was changed. I took that laststep from the ladder, my footstepped
onto the floor, and it was one small step for me, but a giant leap in my life.”
From that moment, he has never gone to bed worried about the certainty of
his salvation, and neither should we. Do you have the Son? Have you
receivedHim as your Savior? Have you confessedHim as your Lord?
not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the same of the Son of
God so that you may know that you have eternallife
He Who Has the Son Has Life
Resource by John Piper
Scripture: 1 John 5:6–13 Topic:The Gospel

This is he who came by waterand blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only
but with the waterand the blood. And the Spirit is the witness, because the
Spirit is the truth. There are three witnesses,the Spirit, the water, and the
blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony men, the testimony of
God is greater;for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to
his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He
who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in
the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that
God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life;
he who has not the Son of God has not life.
I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life.
I wanted to be with John Melin when he died. I went to see him about 5:00
PM on Friday. He couldn't live more than a few more hours, I thought. So I
went back about 7:15.
Augustana Home was quiet on the fourth floor. John's roommate was
evidently sleeping. I satdown beside John's bed and took his ninety-year-old
hand. His glazed eyes were half open and his breaths seemedlike mechanical
responses to an electric respiratory pacemakerthatsomeone forgotto turn off
when everything else had shut down.
But you never know. Had he already been freed from the body to be at home
with the Lord? Perhaps. But even if he had, I think the Lord let him in on
what I said.
I wanted to be with him when he died. So I prayed. "Lord, take him now. Lift
him right out of my hands. Let me hand him overto you—like a faithful
private carrying one of his slain sergeants back to the commander." But he
kept on breathing.
Being with Saints When They Die

I love to be with the saints when they die. It's as though I get to walk up to a
door that for most people is very far away, and for some very frightening. I
have two motives. I want to keepvigil againstthe devil who loves to terrorize
the saints at the hour of death. I want to stand by the wounded and fight for
them with the swordof the Spirit, the Word of God. I want to see them safely
through the door.
But I have another motive for wanting to be with the saints as they die. I have
the hope that someday I may get a glimpse through the door. I think that if I
stand guard often enough, I might see something of what Paul saw when he
said, "To depart and be with Christ is far better." I can't help but think that
when a soul departs from the life of a saint, Christ himself draws very near.
You sit there waiting for eachbreath to be the last. And your mind turns to
the sermonyou must preach on Sunday. You recallthat it ends with the verse,
"I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life."
And you pray, "O Lord, what can I say to the people on Sunday that will
make them feel the immensity of the value of eternal life?" If only I could
bring every one of them with me to this moment. If only they could all stand
here and listen and watchwhile I recite the glorious gospelinto the wrinkled
ear of John Melin:
Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his greatmercy
we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrectionof Jesus
Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled,
and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded
through faith for a salvationready to be revealedin the lasttime. In this you
rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so
that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though
perishable is testedby fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seenhim you love him; though you
do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and
exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvationof your
souls. (1 Peter1:3–10)

None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to
the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or
whether we die, we are the Lord's. Forto this end Christ died and lived again,
that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (Romans 14:7–9)
And then to get close to his ear and sing—andpray that he might be singing
along whether dying here or living in heaven:
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.
John Melin died yesterday at 8:00 AM.
Nothing Is More Important Than Having Eternal Life
Dearpeople, I pray that God helps you feel this morning that nothing is more
important than having eternal life. Summertime is filled with subtle
deceptions. We begin to think more about our bodies, for example, because in
the summertime people see more of them. So we think about whether we have
a tan. We think about whether we look pudgy. We canactually begin to think
these things matter!
When you look in the mirror today to see how your tan is doing and whether
your skin is sleek, rememberJohn Melin. It didn't make any difference to him
yesterdaymorning that he had no tan. It didn't make any difference to him
that his flesh hung on his bones like wet paper. One thing mattered: He had
eternal life, because he had the Son. And he who has the Son has life!
How Can I Have Eternal Life?
The text for this morning has many puzzling things in it. Perhaps in the future
we can come back to them. But it seemedto me that one message onthis text

should focus on the one utterly crucial thing that is very clear, namely, the
question: How can I have eternal life? According to John, God himself has
testified in answerto this question.
Verses 11–12tellus the content of God's testimony. We don't often think of
God witnessing to us. We think of ourselves as witnessing for him. But verses
11–12 describe the content of God's witness. If there ever was any testimony
in the courtroom of life that we ought to listen to, it would be God's testimony.
And according to John the testimony of God is this:
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternallife and this life is in his
Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.
So according to God's testimony, the way to have life is to have the Son. Verse
12: "He who has the Sonhas life." And the reasonwe know it is eternallife is
that verse 11 says, "Godgave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." So the
way to have eternal life is to have the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
What Does It Mean to Have the Son of God?
So what does it mean to HAVE the Son of God? The word "have" can
communicate a lot of different nuances. For example, it doesn't mean quite
the same thing eachtime when you say, "I have a dollar," or, "I have a cold,"
or, "I have a lawyer."
But there is something common to all those meanings:when you HAVE
something, it does its thing for you. If you have a dollar, it buys a dollar's
worth for you. If you have a cold, it makes your nose run. If you have a
lawyer, he stands in for you. Having something means that it does its thing for
you.
Having All That Jesus Came to Do
Now the testimony of God (in verse 12)says, "He who HAS the Son has life."
And now we can say that having the Sonmeans: if you have the Son, then the
Son does his thing for you. If you want to spend one of the most encouraging
hours of your life, take an hour and make a list under the heading: What is

Jesus'thing? What can Jesus do? What did he come to do? What does he
promise to do? It will be a very long list. And then just go down the list and
beside every one write: He does his thing for ME! What he can do he does for
me. What he promises to do he will do for me. That is what it means to HAVE
the Son.
Having Eternal Life
And John sums it all up in the word LIFE. He who has the Sonhas life!
Eternal life is not just the extension of all the frustrations and half-joys of this
life. When Jesus finishes doing his thing, every frustration will be gone and
every half-joy will be full. As he said in John 10:10, "I came that they might
have life and have it abundantly."
If you HAVE the Son, it means that anything that infinite love and infinite
powerand infinite wisdom can do for your good will in factbe done for you.
Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, yes, who is at the right hand
of God , who indeed intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors.
(Romans 8:34ff.)
He who has the Sonhas One who cantake all tribulation and distress and
persecutionand peril and turn it so that out of it comes not just a wounded
soldier—no we are not just conquerors. Those who have the Son are "more
than conquerors." Which means that the Son of God takes the tribulations of
your life and actually turns them for your good. You don't just escape from
your enemy. He serves you.
So if you want to be more than a survivor and, indeed, more than a conqueror
in the battles of life, then you must HAVE the Son. For he who has the Son
has life—all the life that an omnipotent God can give.
We Have the Son by Believing in His Name
But we still haven't answeredthe question, "How do we come to have the
Son?" This is very important because the lastpart of verse 12 says that "he

who has not the Sonof God has not life." In other words not every one has the
Son and so not every one has eternal life. It is infinitely important to know
how to have the Son.
The answeris not complicatedor hard to find. It is implied clearlyin verse 13:
"I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life." Notice that verse 13 says that those who
believe in the name of the Son of God have eternal life and that verse 12 says,
"He who has the Son has life." The simple implication is that the way to
HAVE the Son is to BELIEVE the Son.
Or another way to put it is that the Sonof God does his thing for those who
trust him. You can have the Sonof God if you trust the Son of God.
Passageto India
In the film, Passage to India, there was a young Indian doctor who had been
arrestedfor allegedlyassaulting a young English womanin India. The case
became an explosive point of tension betweenthe Indian people who longed
for independence and the colonialEnglish government. The whole colonialist
powerstructure seemedto make the doctor's case hopelesseventhough
everybody knew his integrity was above question. He was too poor to afford a
lawyer.
But the most famous and able lawyerin all India got word of the case. He had
a reputation of liking to take on the British and standing up for the Indian
underdogs. For me one of the most powerful scenes in the film was when two
of the doctor's friends bring him word in the jail that the famous lawyer is
willing to defend the doctor—andthen, as if it were too goodto be true, they
say, "And he's not even going to charge a fee!"
Now the doctorhas a lawyer. He HAS a lawyer. The lawyeris going to do his
thing for the doctor. All his reputation, all his eloquence, allhis skill are now
going to be used to save the doctor.
How did the doctor come to HAVE this great lawyer? He never had met him
before. He had no money to pay him. He was far awayfrom him in a different

city. And yet now he could say to all his enemies, "I HAVE a lawyer!" How
did he come to have the best lawyerin India?
It starts with the motivation of the lawyer. He has two goals:the liberation of
India from the British, and the glorificationof his own legalskills. When the
camera picks him up in a tumultuous courtroom scene, he is sitting at his
table utterly calm, as though in sovereigncontrolof the situation. And to show
that what he really loves is the liberation of India and the display of his skills
for the helpless patriot, his services are not for sale. He will not be paid. That
would call into question what he really loves.
And so how does the doctorcome to have this lawyer? The lawyer makes a
free offer, and the doctorhears the offer and accepts it. He trusts that the
lawyer means it, and he believes he can do it. He HAS the lawyer because he
TRUSTS the lawyer.
Two Goals of the Son of God
And so it is with the Son of God. He has two goals:the liberation of his people
from sin and death, and the glorificationof his ownpowers. That is the origin
of salvation. That is the source of eternallife. And to show that what he loves
is the liberation of his people and the magnificationof his power, his services
are not for sale. He will not be paid.
So how do you come to HAVE the Son of God? He makes you a free offer, and
you accepthis offer, you trust him. He does his thing for those who trust in
him. He who has the Son has life.
Three Ways You CanRejectthe Son of God
Of course there are at leastthree ways that the doctorcould have rejectedthe
lawyer and that you can rejectthe Son of God. You can say, "I can handle this
case by myself." Or you can say, "No point in answering the telegram. He'll
never come. Why would he come all this way for me? I'm a nobody. And he is
world famous." Or you can say, "Sure tell him to come. But he better not tell

me to do anything stupid in the courtroom, because I'm not going to do it if he
does."
Some of you here this morning need to have the Son of God. Don't rejecthis
offer of life by any of these three responses.
None of us canhandle our case by ourselves. We are far worse offthan the
doctor: we are guilty! If John Melin hadn't had the Son, he wouldn't have had
anything yesterday. But he had the Son, and now he has life forever and ever.
You can't handle that case by yourself!
And don't say that the Son of God won't come to work for a nobody like you.
That's the only kind of people he will work for. The Son of God says, "I'm
coming to help you not because you're somebody, but because I'm somebody;
and I like to show I'm somebody by saving nobodies." Godloves to glorify the
fullness of his grace by saving the leastlikely candidates for eternal life.
And don't say, "Well, yes, I will accepthis offer to be my lawyer, but he better
not tell me to do anything foolish." Thatis not trust. You can't keepa lawyer
that way. He will do his thing for you if you trust him.
David said it 1,000 years earlierlike this: "Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your vindication as the light
and your right as the noonday."
Trust in him and he will act for you!
Trust in the Son of God and you will HAVE the Son of God.
And God himself is witness:he who has the Son has life!
CHARLES SIMEON
THE GOSPELRECORD

1 John 5:11-12. This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and
this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the
Son of God hath not life.
IN matters that are establishedby human testimony, we necessarily
proportion our assentto the number and credibility of the witnesses.And if
we will act in the same manner towards the Holy Scriptures, we shall not
entertain a doubt, either of their Divine authority in general, or of the wayof
salvationcontained in them. Moses andall the prophets concur with the
Apostles in directing our eyes to Christ as the only Saviour of the world: but
in the words before us we have the testimony of One whose information
cannot be doubted, and whose veracity cannot be impeached; of One who is
too goodto deceive, and too wise to be deceived. This witness is no other than
Jehovahhimself.
Let us then consider,
I. His testimony concerning his Son, and concerning the way of salvation
through him—
This record embraces two points; and asserts,
1. That “Godhath given to us eternallife”—
[Since the fall of Adam, man has lostall right to life. In him we died, and
through him condemnation is come upon us all. Moreover, we have all
increasedour guilt and condemnation by our own personaltransgressions.
But God willed not that we should perish, and therefore sent his only dear Son
to deliver us: and, having openeda way for our return to him through the
blood and righteousness ofhis Son, he has published the glad tidings, and
offered freely to give eternal life to as many as would receive it in his
appointed way. He has not tendered it to us as a blessing to be earnedor
merited, but as a free unmerited gift to be received[Note: See Romans 6:23.
Ephesians 2:8-9. Titus 2:5.].]
2. That “this life is in his Son”—

[This life, comprehending all the blessings ofgrace and glory, is in Christ as
the Proprietor, the Dispenser, andthe Guardian of it [Note:For this just and
elegantmode of expressing this idea, the Author is indebted to that very
judicious author, Mr. Robert Walker, ofEdinburgh; whose four volumes of
Sermons are well worthy of every man’s perusal.]. He is the Proprietorof it.
As the light is primarily in the sun, so is all goodoriginally and essentiallyin
Christ. “In him was life,” says St. John; “and the life was the light of men
[Note:John 1:4.].” The same writer says of him again at the conclusionof the
chapter from whence the text is taken, “This is the true God, and eternal life
[Note:ver. 20.].” He also is the Dispenserof it. As life was in him essentiallyas
well as in the Father, so was it committed to him officially, in order that he
might impart it to whomsoeverhe would [Note: Colossians 1:19. John5:21;
John 5:26; John 17:2.]. He himself arrogates to himself this honour [Note:
John 10:28.];and all his Apostles acknowledgethemselves indebted to him for
all that they possessed[Note:John 1:16.]. He is moreover the Guardian of it.
When life was entrusted to Adam, he, though perfect, and in Paradise, was
soonrobbed of it through the devices of Satan. And if it were now committed
to us, we in our presentfallen state should not be able to preserve it one single
hour. God has therefore graciouslycommitted it to his dear Son, that, by
being “hid with Christ in God [Note:Colossians3:3.],” it might be
inaccessible to our subtle enemy. By this mysterious, this merciful
dispensation, “our souls are bound up, as it were, in the bundle of life with the
Lord our God [Note:1 Samuel 25:29.].” Christ “lives in us [Note: Galatians
2:21.],” and “is our very life [Note: Colossians 3:4.]:” and hence, “because he
liveth,” and as long as he liveth, “we shall live also [Note: John 14:19.].”]
Thus has God testified, that eternal life is to be sought as a free gift from him,
and to be only in, and through, and for the sake of, the Lord Jesus Christ. But
to see the full importance of this record, we must consider,
II. The declarationgrounded upon it—
A more solemn declarationis not to be found in all the inspired volume. But
let us consider,
1. What is meant by “having the Son of God?”

[The more simply this is explained, the more intelligible it will appear. Christ
is representedas God’s gift to man [Note:John 3:16; John 4:10.]: and we then
receive that gift when we believe in Christ; or, in other words, when we
receive him for all the ends and purposes for which he is given. This is the
explanation which St. John himself gives us [Note:John 1:12.]: and
consequentlywe may then be said to “have” Christ, when we have received
him, and are making use of him, as the source and substance of our spiritual
life.]
2. What depends on our “having” the Son of God—
[Behold! nothing less than everlasting happiness or misery depends on this
point.
He that has felt a desire after eternal life; and has soughtit earnestlythrough
Christ; and has receivedit from God as a free unmerited gift; and is looking
to Christ to impart it to him yet “more abundantly [Note:John 10:10.],” and
to preserve it in his soul; he who thus “lives by faith in the Son of God,” has
both a title to life, and the very beginning and earnestof eternallife in his
soul. He can claim eternal life upon the footing of God’s word. He canplead
the promises of God [Note:John 6:40.]; and may be fully assuredthat he shall
not be disappointed of his hope [Note: Isaiah45:17.]. Indeed he has eternallife
already begun in his soul [Note:John 6:47.]. He was once dead like others; but
now he “is passedfrom death unto life [Note: John 5:24.].” The very act of
living by faith in the Sonof Godproves to a demonstration, that he is alive,
and that Christ liveth in him [Note: See Galatians 2:21. before cited.]. He may
not indeed have a comfortable sense and assurance ofhis happy state;but he
really liveth, and shall live for ever.
On the other hand, he that hath not so receivedand lived upon the Lord Jesus
Christ, has no life in his soul: he is yet “deadin trespassesand sins:” and, so
far from having any title to life, he is under a sentence ofcondemnation, and
“the wrath of Godabideth on him [Note: John 3:18; John 3:36.].” “Nothaving
the Sonof God, he hath not life.” Whateverhe may have, he hath not life. He
may have learning, riches, honour, and even morarily itself, according to the
generalacceptationofthe term, but he has not life: and if he die in his present

state, he must perish for ever: yea, if he were the first monarch upon earth, he
would in this respectbe on a level with the meanestof his subjects;he would
descendfrom his pinnacle of honour to the lowestabyss of shame and misery.]
Infer—
1. How plain is the wayof salvation!
[Supposing the wayof salvationto be such as has been already stated, how can
words express it more clearly than it is expressedin the text? There is no
learning requisite to explain it: it is level with the comprehensionof the most
unlettered man in the universe. Nothing is requisite for the understanding of it
but humility of mind, and a willingness to be indebted for every thing to the
free grace ofGod in Christ Jesus. If there be any difficulty, it arises only from
the pride of our hearts that would mix something of our own with the finished
work of Christ. The fact is, that salvationby faith alone is so plain and simple,
that we are offended at it on accountof its plainness and simplicity [Note:2
Kings 5:10-14.]. But let the weak rejoice, that what is hid from the wise, is
revealedto them [Note: Matthew 11:25.].]
2. How suitable is the way of salvation!
[If salvation had been to be merited and earnedby our goodworks, who
amongstus could have entertained a hope? If our works, imperfectas they
are, were only to have ekedout the merits of Christ, who could tell us the
precise quantity and quality of the works that would have sufficed? In what
doubt and suspense must we have been held all our days! And how would this
way of salvationhave suited persons in the situation of the dying thief, who
are calledawaywithout having sufficient time to “make up their tale of
bricks?” But a gift is suitable to all: a free salvationcommends itself to all:
and the more humbled we are under a sense of our own guilt and weakness,
the more suitable will it appear, that we should receive all from Christ, and
give all the glory of our salvationto him.]
3. What infatuation is it to substitute any other plan of salvationin the place
of that which God has offered us!

[Suppose for one moment (though it is a horrid and blasphemous supposition)
that we were wiserthan God, and that we knew better than he did what was
fit for him to do; still are we also “strongerthan he?” and can we oblige him
to alter his decrees?Vain hope! We may entertain as strong prejudices as we
will, and load the Gospelwith opprobious names; still that will be true and
irreversible, “He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of
God, hath not life.” Let all of us then cease to weave a spider’s web, and
acceptwith gratitude “the salvationthat is in Christ Jesus.”]
Chuck Smith
Sermon Notes for 1 John 5:11
LIFE UNDER THE SUN VS. LIFE IN THE SON.
1 John 5:11,12
ECC 1:14 I have seenall the works that are done under the sun; and, behold,
all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
1JO 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son.
1JO 5:12 He that hath the Sonhath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God
hath not life.
I. SOLOMON DESCRIBED LIFE UNDER THE SUN, WHICH IS LIFE IN
THE FLESH AND AFTER THE THINGS OF THE FLESH.
A. Solomonlived the flesh life to its fullest.
1. He said, "I have come into a greatestate, I have more wisdom than all who
have ever lived in Jerusalembefore me, but in much wisdom is much sorrow."
2. He gave himself to partying but found it was madness.

3. He built greatmonuments, planted vineyards and orchards, and made
irrigation systems to waterthem.
4. He had an abundance of servants. The provisions for his householdfor one
day were:"And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine
flour, and threescoremeasures ofmeal, ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of
the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and
fallowdeer, and fatted fowl." He had choirs and orchestras to entertain him.
5. He had everything that he desired. He indulged himself in every joy, he held
back nothing from himself.
B. These are the things that he discovered:
1. Nothing of eternal or true value comes from all your labor under the sun.
2. That which is crookedcannotbe made straight.
3. There is nothing new under the sun thus life becomes dull and monotonous.
4. In the text, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
5. At the end you have nothing to show for all your labor and vexation that
you went through in your labors.
6. In the courts of justice there is wickedness.
7. In the place of righteousness there is iniquity.
8. People weepoverthe oppressionand there is no comforter.
9. The oppressors have the power.
10. Materialthings are empty and vain.
11. You might as wellseek to enjoy what you have gainedunder the sun for
that is all you are going to get from it.
12. The race is not won by the swift, nor the battle by the strong, bread is not
always on the wise man's table, nor riches to the man of understanding. Time
and chance are the determiners of all things.

13. That God will make all things beautiful in His time.
14. That which God does is forever.
15. That one day God will judge the righteous and the wicked.
16. That the man who lives under the sun, lives like the beasts, for one thing
happens to them all, death.
17. Riches cannever satisfy.
C. The end result of life under the sun, the life of the flesh was.
1. 2:17 "Therefore Ihated life, because allthe work has become grievous to
me."
2. I hated all my labor for I have to leave it to the man that comes afterme.
3. He despaired of all his labor under the sun.
4. It eventually leads to cynicism and despair.
II. LIFE IN THE SON. THIS IS THE RECORD, GOD HAS GIVEN TO US
ETERNALLIFE, AND THIS LIFE IS IN THE SON, HE THAT HATH THE
SON HATH LIFE.
A. This eternallife is age-abiding life, it is more than just quantity, it is a
quality of life.
B. It is life after the Spirit, vs. the life after the flesh.
C. It is a life that can only be described with superlatives.
1. Peterspeaks ofindescribable joy that is full of glory.
2. Paul speaks ofa peace that passeshuman understanding.
3. He speaks oflove that is beyond human knowledge.
D. It is a life that is rich and fulfilling, for it pays eternaldividends.

1. Paul said that we do not look at the things that are seen, (that is the
material world) but at the things that are not seen, for that which is seen is
temporal, but that which is not seenis eternal.
2. John said for all that is of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye,
the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world. And the world will pass
awaywith the lusts thereof, but he that doeth the will of God will abide
forever.
ISA 40:6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh [is]
grass, and all the goodliness thereof[is]as the flower of the field:
ISA 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the
LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people [is] grass.
ISA 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God
shall stand for ever.
SPROUL
WhoeverHas the Son
“Whoeverhas the Son has life; whoeverdoes not have the Son of God does not
have life” (1 John 5:12).
- 1 John 5:11–12
It is clearfrom any cursory reading of the Gospels thatJesus said and did
many things that seemedscandalous to those in His culture. His willingness to
dine with known sinners offended many who did not have a right view of their
own depravity (Matt. 9:10–13). EvenHis disciples found it hard to receive His
teaching that He must die and rise again(Mark 8:31–33).
Perhaps His most scandalous statementofall is recordedin the gospel
according to John. Jesus’statementthat He is “the way, the truth, and the

life” and that “no one comes to the Father” except through Him (14:6)
instantly offends any who will not submit to His lordship. To those who think
their own goodness andrighteousness is the way to salvation, this statement
instantly demands total allegiance — not to one’s own effort but to the life and
teaching of the Christ. In today’s pluralistic and relativistic culture, these
words of our Savior are the leastlikely to be embracedout of any that came
from His mouth.
In today’s passage, Johnbrings his sectionon the testimony concerning the
real incarnation of Jesus to a close with a reminder of what comes to us when
we believe in the biblical Christ. To those who have the Son, to those who
believe in His name, God has given eternal life, and all those who do not have
the Sonof Goddo not have life (vv. 11–12).
Today there are many who think they have life, but in denying the biblical
testimony about Jesus they revealthey do not have it at all. All those who will
receive the testimony of God recordedin sacredScripture, all those who will
trust in Jesus alone, all those who will place their destiny in the hands of the
Son, will never perish but have eternallife (John 3:16).
Being eternal, the life God offers to us in His Son cannot be lost. All those who
believe will never be separatedfrom the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom.
8:38–39). We will not have a full experience of this life until the age to come.
Yet even now it is ours, enabling us to live with hope in this present darkness.
Coram Deo
Our sovereignGodhas chosento grant eternal life only to those who will
receive His Son. As Reformed evangelicalswe are likely to have no problem
affirming this teaching, but how many of us neglectsharing the Gospelwith
lost family, friends, and neighbors and thereby in practice deny that life
comes only in His name? If you do not know any non-Christians, meet one
and endeavorto share the Gospelwith him.
Passages forFurther Study

Pss. 16:10;18:46
Dan. 12:2
Matt. 19:16–30
1 Tim. 6:12

Jesus was the source of eternal life

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