Farmer Brown was one day plowing in his field. He had trusted in Christ for salvation some ten years before this, but he had not assurance. Like many others, he had doubts and fears, because he was not simply resting on the Word of God. But this day, the first clause of the John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36) came very forcibly to his mind. The words are, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
He pondered over these words while he went on his rounds, and all at once he said to himself, “Why, I have everlasting life: I believe on the Son, and according to that verse I must have everlasting life.” Then the thought came to him, “That ‘verse can’t be in the Bible, for I have been a believer for years, and how foolish I have been to have had everlasting life all these years and not know it, when it is so plain, if that verse is in the Bible!”
So he left his plow and went to the house, got down the Bible; and after searching a while, he found it; and sure enough it read, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” So he went out to the field happy, rejoicing in so great salvation.
However, in the course of a couple of hours, the thought came back that he must have made a mistake in reading it, for if that verse read just that way, what a fool he had been! so he went back to the house a second time, took down the Bible, and opened it and read it over again. It was there all right. So he went back again to the plow rejoicing.
But in the course of a short time the old doubt came back again. He must have made some mistake. The verse could not read just that way, or how could he have overlooked it all these years. So he went to the house the third time, and taking the Bible, read over again, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” The doubts were all gone, never to come back. He was resting for salvation on the finished work of Christ, and for the assurance of that salvation on the living and abiding Word of God.
Dear reader, have you trusted in Christ for the salvation of your soul? Have you ever taken your place as a ruined sinner, unable to do or to pay anything, and then accepted a work already done, even the finished work of Christ? If so, this scripture tells you, you have everlasting life. You have the Word of God to rest on, not your feelings, nor experience.
On one occasion, a person turned to me and said, “Oh, yes, you have life as long as you believe.” I said to him, “Do you not notice it says ‘hath EVERLASTING life’? How long is everlasting? “Well, forever, of course,” he replied. “So you see,” I said, “the moment a man believes, he has a life that is ‘EVERLASTING,’ not CONDITIONAL, as you try to make it.” We will close by referring the reader to that wonderful verse, 1 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 everlasting life.”
J. J. S.
ML 02/19/1967