” He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” – 1John 5:12
LIGHT FOR NOW: Eternal life is not merely something Christ gives us in the future; it is the life we possess now because we have received Christ Himself. To have the Son is to have life.
One of the greatest truths of the Gospel is that eternal life is found in a Person. Christianity is not merely about receiving principles, blessings, or promises from Christ. It is about receiving Christ Himself. John says, “He that hath the Son hath life”. Notice the simplicity and certainty of the statement. He does not say, He that hath the Son may someday receive life. He says, “He that hath the Son hath life”. This means eternal life is a present possession of the believer. What then is eternal life? Many people think of eternal life only as living forever in heaven after death. While eternal life certainly includes the reality of life beyond death, it is much greater than endless existence. Eternal life is the very life that comes from God.
Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent”. Eternal life is therefore a life of knowing and participating in the reality of God through Christ. The believer has received a new source of life. Before salvation, humanity existed physically, but was spiritually separated from the life and fellowship of God. But through Christ, we have been brought into union with divine life. This is why John does not separate Christ from life. To have Christ is to have life. Jesus Himself declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”. He does not merely possess life as something external to Himself. Life is found in His very Person. This is why the Gospel is more than moral improvement.
God did not simply come to make bad people behave better. He came to give dead humanity life. The Christian life is therefore not merely the improvement of the old life. It is the reception of a new one. Paul calls this reality being made “alive together with Christ”. Something happened when you believed; you received the Son. And because you received the Son, you received His life. This changes the way we see ourselves. The believer is not merely someone trying to survive from one spiritual experience to another. There is a permanent source of divine life within. This life does not depend upon your emotions. There will be days when you feel spiritually strong and days when you feel weak. But your feelings do not create or destroy the life you received in Christ. He that hath the Son hath life. This is also why the believer should never seek life apart from Christ.
The world searches for life in possessions, achievements, relationships, pleasure, and success. But these things can never become the source of eternal life. Only Christ can give what Christ Himself is. And because Christ lives in you, you are no longer spiritually empty. The life of God has entered you. You may still face challenges. You may still experience difficult seasons. But beneath every changing circumstance is an unchanging reality: You have the Son; and because you have the Son, you have life. So today, do not merely thank God for the things He has given you. Thank Him for Christ Himself. For in receiving Christ, you received the greatest gift of all; the life of God within you. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Throughout today, consciously remember that eternal life is your present possession in Christ. Refuse to seek your deepest satisfaction and identity in things that cannot give life. Let Christ remain your source.
CONFESSION/PRAYER: Father, thank You for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. I declare that I have the Son, and therefore I have life. The life of God is at work within me. I refuse to define my life by changing emotions or circumstances. Christ is my life, my source, and my eternal inheritance. Help me to live conscious of this divine life within me every day, in Jesus Name. Amen.
For More Light; get the message, “Understanding Salvation” by Dr. John Linus
QUOTE: Eternal life is not merely a destination we hope to reach; it is the divine life we have received because we have received the Son.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: 1JOHN CHAPTER 5:1-13; EVENING: JOHN CHAPTER 17:1-8
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 