What a life indeed!
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 1 John 5:12-13 NLT
Everything in this world will pass away. The darkness, though it seemed to be prevailing, there will come a point in time that too will pass away. “For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8). Even the things of this world and the lustful desires will all vanish. “This world is fading away, along with everything that people crave” (1 John 2:17a). The Son of God was revealed for the purpose of destroying the things of this world and those who do the will of God will prevail and remain forever. “Anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (1 John 2:17b). Christians could be tempted to think that evil seemed to be winning and that they are alone in their struggles against persecutions and spiritual battles. But John insists that authentic faith in the Son of God not only provides life but also victory over the world. We are in the midst of major cultural shifts. The country is moving away from its roots, the Judeo-Christian belief. But in the midst of this, Christians are called upon to live a faith that conquers, a faith that will not give in to hopelessness. Christians should not settle for status quo or business as usual and conform to worldly standards. Instead, we have to remain faithful, standing firm in our belief in the name of the Son of God. We have to continue to seek God’s leading in our lives knowing that we belong to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We have to manifest in this fading world that the life we have in Christ is life indeed. As Paul said, the life we have in Christ is characterized by service by doing good deeds, “They should be rich in good works…storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19). John, in his epistle, wants his readers to be reminded that if they belong to Christ by virtue of their faith in Him, they have eternal life. “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). God wants us to have assurance that because we have trusted our lives to Him, we have life. This is why we could join with Paul and say with confidence, “I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Timothy 1:12).
Blessings,
