Believe And Have Eternal life
by: Faiana P. FunakiScripture: John 3: 16, 17 (NIV) – 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Devotional: These verses lay out the perfect example of how love is to be measured. John states that we know the love of God because of His demonstration of that love at the cross.
The situation here is not only the Incarnation of God in Jesus but also to God giving up His Son on the Cross. Two important truths emerge in verse 17: we have the identification of Jesus as “Son” in relation to “the Father.” Also, the word of grace is that God’s purpose is not to judge but to SAVE. Paul puts this very beautifully in his second letter to the Corinthians: God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, (2 Corinthians 5:19). That is why in every story we have of Jesus in the gospels, where He is dealing with acknowledged, open, sinners; we never hear a word of condemnation. Witness the woman at the well of Samaria. She had five husbands and was now living with a man outside of marriage. Jesus was courteous to her. He did not attack her, blame her, or judge her.
Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life because their lives are miserable. But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s miserable, mortal life; eternal life is God’s life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin. When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective.
To “believe” is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means to put our trust and confidence in Him that he alone can save us. It is to put Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting His words as reliable, and relying on Him for the power to change. If you have never trusted Christ, let this promise of everlasting life be yours and believe.
Prayer: God, You loved this world so much that you sent Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to live and die among us, in order that we might have life. May we continue to believe in You and by believing we may have everlasting life. Amen.
- See more at: http://www.martinmethodist.org/connect/devotions-for-the-season-of-lent/#sthash.QAugENzR.dpuf
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