If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:9-12, ESV)
I write these things 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 ESV)
Recently my wife and I had a 3 weeks holiday trip to Europe. We had planned this trip almost a year ago. This is my first time to go to europe. We had confirmed all the bookings, hotels and tours, and other reservations. The agency told us and gave us the printed letter of our itinerary and things we should do: and one of them is where to meet a stranger which will be our guide after we spend 3 days in London. Cut the story short, we meet this guy and he took us to the eurostar train where we depart from London to Brussels, he told us that someone (again a stranger - which will be our tour guide in europe) will meet us and pick us as a group for the rest of our europe tour. He as a tour guide will help us to get through all the "intricacies" of these foreign countries in europe, so that we could have a safe and enjoyable holiday. On the base of such well known agencies (cosmos) we and some other 36 people committed ourselves to trust what this agency had planned. We trust the advised word from the guy that guided us to transfer from London to Brussels to meet another guy, and all proven to be true: we had a wonderful trip.
Why I'm telling you this? One of the most common experience of life is to act upon the word or testimony of other person. I'm sure many of you who read this may had the same experience, or if not I'm sure that this story can relate to each of us, because we live in a society. Many things we do is an act of believing someone else's simple word or testimony. We commit to work in a company on the basis of such promise the company has to offered, we take transport believing such system that has been established, etc.
Now, the verse above from 1 John 5:9-12 is saying to us that isn't it God more dependable compare to man's testimony? If you could take the word of a stranger and act on it, can you not believe the Word of God? God's testimony is greater, John said; and God never lies. John does not want us to believe with blind faith. Instead, our faith is to be based on reliable testimony. And we have the most reliable testimony possible, the witness of God. To trust God's word is enough because of who He is: God. But in spite of that, John has started the argument with 3 witnessess to testify this truth, and it is in verse 7 (The Spirit, Water and Blood). It was a custom at that time, that to acknowledge something to be true, it requires two or three witness, and here John said that we have 3 witness:
1. The Spirit - which is the Father's testimony with regards to His Son, when Jesus was baptized: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
2. Water - John the Baptist testify that Jesus is God, when he see Him coming toward him by
saying “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
3. Blood
a) (Death) - at the crucifixion, the Roman centurion had witness and testify: “Surely this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39); and also during
b) (Life / Resurrection) - The Resurrection is God’s clear seal of authenticity that Jesus is the Son of God; and there are people who had witness this.
What is then God's testimony? God has a testimony concerning His Son: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and there is eternal life in His Son. So whoever has the Son has this eternal life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life. So believe in the Son: Jesus Christ. Trust Him. Have faith in Him. When we believe in Jesus, we also receives the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit confirms that in us about our standing with God, just like what Romans 8:15-16 puts it: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” - and this makes what we trust to be wholly believable.
There is no neutral ground here as God says: “whoever has the Son..., and whoever does not have the Son…” If you refuse to do that, then you are treating God as though He is a liar - We reject what God has testify in His Son. It is a sin of unbelief! People may not intend to call God a liar, but they do it nonetheless. Spurgeon says that “The great sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is often spoken of very lightly and in a very trifling spirit, as though it were scarcely any sin at all; yet, according to my text, and, indeed, according to the whole tenor of the Scriptures, unbelief is the giving of God the lie, and what can be worse?” Here is also another quote from David Guzik commentary which he quote from Spurgeon as well:
“ii. What if one says, “Well, I want to believe, but I can’t.” Spurgeon answers such a one: “Hearken, O unbeliever, you have said, ‘I cannot believe,’ but it would be more honest if you had said, ‘I will not believe.’ The mischief lies there. Your unbelief is your fault, not your misfortune. It is a disease, but it is also a crime: it is a terrible source of misery to you, but it is justly so, for it is an atrocious offense against the God of truth.”
iii. What if one says, “Well, I’m trying to believe, and I’ll keep on trying.” Spurgeon speaks to this heart: “Did I not hear someone say, ‘Ah, sir, I have been trying to believe for years.’ Terrible words! They make the case still worse. Imagine that after I had made a statement, a man should declare that he did not believe me, in fact, he could not believe me though he would like to do so. I should feel aggrieved certainly; but it would make matters worse if he added, ‘In fact I have been for years trying to believe you, and I cannot do it.’ What does he mean by that? What can he mean but that I am so incorrigibly false, and such a confirmed liar, that though he would like to give me some credit, he really cannot do it? With all the effort he can make in my favour, he finds it quite beyond his power to believe me? Now, a man who says, ‘I have been trying to believe in God,’ in reality says just that with regard to the Most High . . . The talk about trying to believe is a mere pretence. But whether pretence or no, let me remind you that there is no text in the Bible which says, ‘Try and believe,’ but it says ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.’ He is the Son of God, he has proved it by his miracles, he died to save sinners, therefore trust him; he deserves implicit trust and childlike confidence. Will you refuse him these? Then you have maligned His character and given Him the lie.”“
So, what hope can there be for one who rejects this testimony from God? and calling Him a liar?
Eternal life is not a prize to be earned, but an undeserved gift (verse 11 says that God gave eternal life); and this eternal life is found in Christ. Whoever has the Son (Christ) has eternal life. The word “has” here means to enjoy living, personal fellowship with Christ (ie. to be able to reach him in prayer, to be able to share His blessings, to receive his forgiveness, etc).
Lastly, in verse 13 John writes this letter not only to clarify and refute the opponents who have spread false teaching. It is also to encourage the believers who may have been shaken by the turmoil in their congregation, so that they might "know" assuredly that they have eternal life. And so to us today, believer, this statement in verse 13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” - is such an assurance for us. Often, people when asked about whether they are saved or not, the answer is: “only God knows”, but this verse clearly states that believer can have a confidence that we have eternal life. Even if we have believed, John wrote this letter to persuade us to continue to believe. The need of hearing the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ is crucial. It does not end when one embraces the gospel. “We benefit by it, are assured by it, and are helped to continue in it as we hear it and embrace it over and over again.” (David Guzik).
“He wants us to know that we have eternal life. We can only know this if our salvation rests in Jesus and not in our own performance. If it depends on me, then on a good day I’m saved and on a bad day, I don't really know. But if it depends on what Jesus has done for me, then I can know.” (David Guzik)
In Christ,
~ Paul Hartono
I write these things 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 ESV)
Recently my wife and I had a 3 weeks holiday trip to Europe. We had planned this trip almost a year ago. This is my first time to go to europe. We had confirmed all the bookings, hotels and tours, and other reservations. The agency told us and gave us the printed letter of our itinerary and things we should do: and one of them is where to meet a stranger which will be our guide after we spend 3 days in London. Cut the story short, we meet this guy and he took us to the eurostar train where we depart from London to Brussels, he told us that someone (again a stranger - which will be our tour guide in europe) will meet us and pick us as a group for the rest of our europe tour. He as a tour guide will help us to get through all the "intricacies" of these foreign countries in europe, so that we could have a safe and enjoyable holiday. On the base of such well known agencies (cosmos) we and some other 36 people committed ourselves to trust what this agency had planned. We trust the advised word from the guy that guided us to transfer from London to Brussels to meet another guy, and all proven to be true: we had a wonderful trip.
Why I'm telling you this? One of the most common experience of life is to act upon the word or testimony of other person. I'm sure many of you who read this may had the same experience, or if not I'm sure that this story can relate to each of us, because we live in a society. Many things we do is an act of believing someone else's simple word or testimony. We commit to work in a company on the basis of such promise the company has to offered, we take transport believing such system that has been established, etc.
Now, the verse above from 1 John 5:9-12 is saying to us that isn't it God more dependable compare to man's testimony? If you could take the word of a stranger and act on it, can you not believe the Word of God? God's testimony is greater, John said; and God never lies. John does not want us to believe with blind faith. Instead, our faith is to be based on reliable testimony. And we have the most reliable testimony possible, the witness of God. To trust God's word is enough because of who He is: God. But in spite of that, John has started the argument with 3 witnessess to testify this truth, and it is in verse 7 (The Spirit, Water and Blood). It was a custom at that time, that to acknowledge something to be true, it requires two or three witness, and here John said that we have 3 witness:
1. The Spirit - which is the Father's testimony with regards to His Son, when Jesus was baptized: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)
2. Water - John the Baptist testify that Jesus is God, when he see Him coming toward him by
saying “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
3. Blood
a) (Death) - at the crucifixion, the Roman centurion had witness and testify: “Surely this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39); and also during
b) (Life / Resurrection) - The Resurrection is God’s clear seal of authenticity that Jesus is the Son of God; and there are people who had witness this.
What is then God's testimony? God has a testimony concerning His Son: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and there is eternal life in His Son. So whoever has the Son has this eternal life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life. So believe in the Son: Jesus Christ. Trust Him. Have faith in Him. When we believe in Jesus, we also receives the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit confirms that in us about our standing with God, just like what Romans 8:15-16 puts it: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” - and this makes what we trust to be wholly believable.
There is no neutral ground here as God says: “whoever has the Son..., and whoever does not have the Son…” If you refuse to do that, then you are treating God as though He is a liar - We reject what God has testify in His Son. It is a sin of unbelief! People may not intend to call God a liar, but they do it nonetheless. Spurgeon says that “The great sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is often spoken of very lightly and in a very trifling spirit, as though it were scarcely any sin at all; yet, according to my text, and, indeed, according to the whole tenor of the Scriptures, unbelief is the giving of God the lie, and what can be worse?” Here is also another quote from David Guzik commentary which he quote from Spurgeon as well:
“ii. What if one says, “Well, I want to believe, but I can’t.” Spurgeon answers such a one: “Hearken, O unbeliever, you have said, ‘I cannot believe,’ but it would be more honest if you had said, ‘I will not believe.’ The mischief lies there. Your unbelief is your fault, not your misfortune. It is a disease, but it is also a crime: it is a terrible source of misery to you, but it is justly so, for it is an atrocious offense against the God of truth.”
iii. What if one says, “Well, I’m trying to believe, and I’ll keep on trying.” Spurgeon speaks to this heart: “Did I not hear someone say, ‘Ah, sir, I have been trying to believe for years.’ Terrible words! They make the case still worse. Imagine that after I had made a statement, a man should declare that he did not believe me, in fact, he could not believe me though he would like to do so. I should feel aggrieved certainly; but it would make matters worse if he added, ‘In fact I have been for years trying to believe you, and I cannot do it.’ What does he mean by that? What can he mean but that I am so incorrigibly false, and such a confirmed liar, that though he would like to give me some credit, he really cannot do it? With all the effort he can make in my favour, he finds it quite beyond his power to believe me? Now, a man who says, ‘I have been trying to believe in God,’ in reality says just that with regard to the Most High . . . The talk about trying to believe is a mere pretence. But whether pretence or no, let me remind you that there is no text in the Bible which says, ‘Try and believe,’ but it says ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.’ He is the Son of God, he has proved it by his miracles, he died to save sinners, therefore trust him; he deserves implicit trust and childlike confidence. Will you refuse him these? Then you have maligned His character and given Him the lie.”“
So, what hope can there be for one who rejects this testimony from God? and calling Him a liar?
Eternal life is not a prize to be earned, but an undeserved gift (verse 11 says that God gave eternal life); and this eternal life is found in Christ. Whoever has the Son (Christ) has eternal life. The word “has” here means to enjoy living, personal fellowship with Christ (ie. to be able to reach him in prayer, to be able to share His blessings, to receive his forgiveness, etc).
Lastly, in verse 13 John writes this letter not only to clarify and refute the opponents who have spread false teaching. It is also to encourage the believers who may have been shaken by the turmoil in their congregation, so that they might "know" assuredly that they have eternal life. And so to us today, believer, this statement in verse 13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” - is such an assurance for us. Often, people when asked about whether they are saved or not, the answer is: “only God knows”, but this verse clearly states that believer can have a confidence that we have eternal life. Even if we have believed, John wrote this letter to persuade us to continue to believe. The need of hearing the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ is crucial. It does not end when one embraces the gospel. “We benefit by it, are assured by it, and are helped to continue in it as we hear it and embrace it over and over again.” (David Guzik).
“He wants us to know that we have eternal life. We can only know this if our salvation rests in Jesus and not in our own performance. If it depends on me, then on a good day I’m saved and on a bad day, I don't really know. But if it depends on what Jesus has done for me, then I can know.” (David Guzik)
In Christ,
~ Paul Hartono
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