The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in John 3:36,
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them."
This statement of John the Baptist to his disciples packs a lot of theology into one sentence. From it I learn:
1. Eternal life for any one of us comes by embracing Jesus Christ in faith, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life". It doesn't come by being a do-gooder - it is only offered us on the basis of faith.
2. I note that those of us who have done so own eternal life right now - not later. The one who believes in the Son "has" eternal life, not "will have". Yes, we will die physically, but we will join the Lord in heaven upon our deaths and then be raised up with our resurrected bodies on Resurrection Day. We enjoy our eternal life right now!
3. Our eternal destination is entirely up to us - our choice, "whoever rejects the Son will not see life." God has given us cognitive abilities to understand his invitation to us, and he has given us a free will to decide for ourselves whether we want to cling to our sin or turn from our sin to embrace Jesus in faith. "Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." John 3:19-20.
4. All mankind stands before God as his judge, "God's wrath remains on him". He finds each and every one of us guilty. "All have sinned..." Romans 3:23. All we have to do to go to hell after this life is nothing. We all stand condemned before him because we have all sinned. This is the default spiritual reality and eternal destination we enter into this life with.
5. Judgment day will be a day of tremendous remorse for those who turn their backs on God's offer of eternal life. Those who reject Jesus Christ "will not see life for God's wrath remains on them." God has a keen sense of justice. All sins will have to be paid for. Jesus Christ has already paid for them all, but that payment is only available to the accounts of those who have embrace Jesus Christ in faith. Jesus hung on that miserable cross to pay for all the sins of everyone who has ever lived. Those who reject Jesus Christ will have to pay for their own sins themselves.
In the original Greek, the gospel of John reads like a child's primer. It is the book many Biblical Greek intro classes begin with due to the simple vocabulary and sentences employed. However, nothing contains such deep theological insight as the writings of John! And, what we do find in John's gospel is simply breath-taking!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them."
This statement of John the Baptist to his disciples packs a lot of theology into one sentence. From it I learn:
1. Eternal life for any one of us comes by embracing Jesus Christ in faith, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life". It doesn't come by being a do-gooder - it is only offered us on the basis of faith.
2. I note that those of us who have done so own eternal life right now - not later. The one who believes in the Son "has" eternal life, not "will have". Yes, we will die physically, but we will join the Lord in heaven upon our deaths and then be raised up with our resurrected bodies on Resurrection Day. We enjoy our eternal life right now!
3. Our eternal destination is entirely up to us - our choice, "whoever rejects the Son will not see life." God has given us cognitive abilities to understand his invitation to us, and he has given us a free will to decide for ourselves whether we want to cling to our sin or turn from our sin to embrace Jesus in faith. "Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." John 3:19-20.
4. All mankind stands before God as his judge, "God's wrath remains on him". He finds each and every one of us guilty. "All have sinned..." Romans 3:23. All we have to do to go to hell after this life is nothing. We all stand condemned before him because we have all sinned. This is the default spiritual reality and eternal destination we enter into this life with.
5. Judgment day will be a day of tremendous remorse for those who turn their backs on God's offer of eternal life. Those who reject Jesus Christ "will not see life for God's wrath remains on them." God has a keen sense of justice. All sins will have to be paid for. Jesus Christ has already paid for them all, but that payment is only available to the accounts of those who have embrace Jesus Christ in faith. Jesus hung on that miserable cross to pay for all the sins of everyone who has ever lived. Those who reject Jesus Christ will have to pay for their own sins themselves.
In the original Greek, the gospel of John reads like a child's primer. It is the book many Biblical Greek intro classes begin with due to the simple vocabulary and sentences employed. However, nothing contains such deep theological insight as the writings of John! And, what we do find in John's gospel is simply breath-taking!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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