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I John 5:13, "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 maybelieve on the name of the Son of God."
This morning, we many times can get lost and
immersed into concepts and passages that, as the old
saying goes, we "can't see the forest for the trees."
A very wise thing to do in such cases is to go back to
what we know. When men go on safaris and expeditions,
they set different guideposts, landmarks, or fixtures
that can be traced back to in an event of going beyond
where they intended. Should they lose their way,
these serve to re-align and re-adjust their mindset as
to their current position. So, likewise, there are
guideposts in the Holy Scriptures that help us chart
where exactly we are and perhaps some of where we have
been. Paul was fond of summation points or summation
statements in his writings. John is fond of purpose
points in his writings. While Paul would sum up what
he just said, John would tell you specifically why he
said it. Both methods prove very effective at
bringing our minds back into the focus we need to
understand what we are reading.
John gives us the "why" for writing these things at
the end of this epistle. The reason for writing these
things was two-fold. By looking at this two-fold
reason for writing, I believe we can see a major point
of why the Scriptures themselves were written, and for
what reason the gospel is sounded. Since the source
material for the preaching of the gospel is the Holy
Bible (not experiences, jokes, or the like), it stands
to reason that the motivation for the writing passes
into the motivation for the preaching. If John felt
impressed to write these things for a particular
reason, we, today, should feel likewise about
proclaiming them in a gospel way.
The first fold of the reason for writing these words
is that those that believe on the name of the Son of
God would know that they have eternal life. While we
can get too far off on this point without trying very
hard, it needs to be said that preaching to those that
have no testimony of Christ in their heart is vain and
fruitless. These people were not about to receive the
testimony of Christ (law written in their heart by the
stamping of the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit).
They were already in possession of that testimony.
While not much was understood about the Son of God,
His law was already there in the inner man.
Therefore, the inner man was already in them to be
able to receive John's words. The fact that these
people believed on His name shows forth that He has
worked and moved in their life.
These people are being written to for the first
purpose that they may know that they have eternal
life. Notice that John's message was not one of the
offering of eternal life (as we hear so often today).
His message was about the knowledge of the prior
possession of eternal life. The language here cannot
be twisted to make it say anything other than what it
does. I am reminded of stories of veterans that went
off to war and received letters from their wives that
declared to them that a child had been born to them.
These letters did not serve to effect the birth, but
rather, these fathers were enlightened about the birth
that already transpired and their new functions in
life. So it is with these words of life. They do not
tell us how to get the life, but they inform us about
the life already in our possession.
The functions of the gospel are the same in this
regard. The gospel is not given to those to offer
life, but rather, it is given to those that have life
to declare and expound unto them the beauties and
intricacies of that life. Many say, "Well, if the
words of this life are for those that have life, what
happens when one hears them or reads them that does
not have life?" This is a fair and honest question,
and I believe that Scripture bears out that one of two
things will happen. Should one read these words that
has no eternal life, it will be foolishness unto him.
(I Corinthians 2:14) If he hears these words preached
(and has no power to do anything about it), he will
most likely scoff at them and dismiss them as "idle
tales or old fables." Should this one have power to
do something about it, his anger can lead him to try
to annihilate it. (Acts 7) Ministers have been killed
in the past by those that had the power to try to
thwart their purpose. Bibles have been burned by
those that sought to remove their existence.
On the other hand, we need not press the issue too
far on this for two reasons. The first reason this
cannot be pressed too far is that we have not the
ability to discern the thoughts and intents of the
heart when we see these actions take place. We can
judge the actions themselves as being sinful, but we
cannot stand in the place of judge, jury, and
executioner to say what the state of the heart is.
Our eyes should never be held up as the standard in
that regard. The other reason we cannot press this
issue to far is because some might say, "These words
are not understood by them, because they are not
written to them." The verse above that John gives is
sometimes used for that very purpose. But, John's
purpose of the writing of the promises, mercies, and
love of God was for those that had eternal life. But,
the commandments, precepts, and laws that are written
therein are for all men to keep as they will be judged
for failing to keep them when time shall be no more.
The second fold for John's writing is for those that
believe and now know would believe on the name of the
Son of God. While the language seems redundant, we
should never conceive of wasted or unnecessary space
in God's word. He never says too much or too little
about the things contained in His Book. What John is,
in essence, saying has this meaning. Those that have
life and know about their life will have the knowledge
and order for how they should walk and conduct
themselves in an outward way. The reading of
Scriptures and listening to the heralding of the
gospel is not just to gain knowledge, but it is to
learn about how we should do in this life. How should
we bring glory to God? How should we treat one
another? Even more importantly, why do we do these
things? The words of this life provide those answers
for our use and ultimately God's glory.
Consider the first time the message of God's grace
moved you. Whether you were reading the words or
listening to the preaching, what welled up within you?
The moving of the Spirit at that time gave you the
sweet assurance that God loves you with an everlasting
love, and that Christ died for you. Then, consider
when you were instructed on how to live your life in
His service. Oh the joy of the soul in its earliest
love that found the sweet comfort and earnest zeal for
the Lord! Now, one says, "I am well past that. For
me, that was years ago." John's words continue to be
presently relevant to us no matter where we are in
life or in the chronology of our walk. Whether we
have heard of God's grace one time or a hundred times,
we can hear it again as it is food for the soul.
Sometimes people say, "I have heard that story before
or read that passage before." Every time that we read
or hear something preached, I am always amazed at the
"new/old nuggets." They are new nuggets as I never
saw them before, but they are old nuggets as they have
always been there.
The reading and preaching of these words affirms and
confirms these things to us. As all could attest, I
need these things confirmed to me over and over.
These words should never get old to our eyes and ears.
May we continually keep them attuned to hear and
receive them as we should. Paul concluded the Roman
letter by saying that these things written and
preached were things that Paul ultimately hoped they
were stablished and strengthened in. (Romans 16:25-27)
This is confirming in them that Paul desired, and may
our desire for ourselves and each other be that we are
confirmed, stablished, strengthened, and built up in
the most holy faith. We cannot be rooted in these
things without the testimony of Him in us, but we can
certainly be lacking in the manifestation of it. May
we earnestly press toward the mark by continual
heeding and confirmation to these words of life that
tell us of the majesty of the Lord that we will one
day experience by basking in His heavenly sunlight.
In Hope,
Bro Philip
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