Title: Eternal Life
(Lecture 52) 1 John 5:13 Sure Eternal Life
<text>
I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).
<sermon>
Now, let me ask you one question. What is the difference between believing in the Son of God and believing in the name of the Son? Did the apostle write these words without much thought? Of course, that doesn't mean that the phrase 'I believe in my son' itself is wrong. But it should be remembered that the apostle further emphasized what it means to believe in the Son by saying that he believes in the name of the Son.
When people say that believing in the Son is faith, people mistakenly think that simply believing in the Son of God, that is, Jesus, is believing in the Son. They don't even think about what faith is. Because they think they know the faith well. Then I try not to even think that the things I thought I knew well were actually things I didn't know at all.
To us, the apostle is telling us what faith is by saying, “I believe in the name of the Son of God.” The name contains everything that has a name. When we think of someone's name, we think of everything about that person, as far as I know. His personality, what he does, what he is like, etc. are all contained in his name. Therefore, to believe in the name of the Son means to believe in what the Son has done. That is, it is the righteousness of His death on the cross. It is through faith in the work of the Son's righteousness that we will dwell in eternal life.
To believe in the righteousness of the Son means to deny one's own righteousness. Therefore, if we say we believe in the Son and teach men to do righteousness, it cannot be said to be faith.
Eternal life has already been given to those who believe in the name of the Son. By faith he has already dwelt in eternal life. But the reason the apostle writes the epistle is so that those who believe in the name of the Son may know that they have eternal life. It is not so that we can receive eternal life, but that we may know that eternal life has already been given.
If we follow this content, it means that there are believers who do not know whether they are living in eternal life even though they have been given eternal life through faith. I am writing this letter to make them know and confirm that they have eternal life.
However, this does not mean that we do not know the central point of the Bible that we gain eternal life through faith. If you are a believer in the Son, don't you know well that you have eternal life through faith?
Why? It is because we know that we have eternal life through faith, and even though we say we believe in Jesus, we are not actually living as those who have eternal life.
Knowing that I have eternal life is a great thing. The saying ‘I have eternal life’ is not something that the church can easily say and stop. Those who know that there is eternal life should be fearless and courageous about life. Knowing that there is eternal life, what in the world to regret, what to envy, and fear of the dead?
However, our lives that speak of faith and eternal life are not like that. It is not that there are people who have eternal life, but that there are a lot of people in the world who do not know anything about eternal life. In the end, everything that I said and confessed that there is eternal life was just a simple confession because I was a believer.
Eternal life is his everything to the man of faith. If he tries to add other blessings to the wonderful blessing of eternal life, it is difficult to see him as a person who has interest and gratitude for eternal life. Because if he knows that he has eternal life, he becomes a person who can't live with anything in the world and has what he can't get. If you are a believer who enjoys this blessing of faith, you have nothing to envy any more, and if you have this kind of faith, you will not be shaken by the words of any false prophet.
Eternal life is given through faith, regardless of how I have lived. It is a grace given regardless of my unrighteousness. What we see in the believer who has been given eternal life like this is looking at the works of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who gave us eternal life, and giving thanks. Therefore, if you look at your deeds and have doubts and anxiety, saying, 'I can only do this much, am I a believer with eternal life?
So John speaks of God's love so that believers who believe in the name of the Son may know that they have eternal life. It is the love of God that made us, who deserve death, dwell in eternal life.
Again, eternal life was not earned through my toil and effort, but was given to me by grace through the toil and sacrifice of the Son of God. When I am in sin and living as an unrighteous person. In other words, it was given to me who did not have the right to receive and enjoy eternal life. This is God's love, and it is only natural for those who have this love to love their neighbor.
Eternal life has already been given as a sure gift through Jesus Christ. Believing it is a believer. It means not looking at yourself, but only looking at Jesus Christ.
Climbing up high and looking down creates fear. You are gripped by the fear of falling off a distant cliff. So it is said that people who work at high places do not look down.
It is because your believer's doubts and anxieties focus their eyes on themselves and not on Jesus. Because you judge yourself by looking at what others have done. It is questioning your beliefs when you see yourself not doing as much as others do. This is the state of not knowing that they have eternal life.
God's love is the love that forgives and covers all our unrighteousness. That love has given us eternal life. I am an evil being, but God's love saved me. Isn't that proof the blood of Jesus?
There is no doubt about eternal life because Jesus still sheds His blood before us. We cannot doubt eternal life because God's love is still with us.
Do you believe in your son's name? Then you are a believer with eternal life. There is nothing to fear. Although we encounter sin and temptation in the world, we are not left alone. This is because God intervenes and guides us who have eternal life.
Everyone, with what kind of faith do you come to the Lord? Do you come to the Lord by faith that you have eternal life through His righteousness? Believers who know that they have eternal life have no fear. And I live by grace