"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).
In this verse we have five precious things Please to take particular notice of them Heareth, believeth, hath, shall not, is. And mark, the five go together-you cannot have two and leave three, or three and leave two. They all go together. God says: "Here poor anxious soul, here is a bundle of blessings for you.”
Now, just read the verse again, and be sure you don't miss anything out of the bundle.
But I think I hear some poor, dear anxious soul saying: "O, yes, sir, I know all that; I've read that verse over and over again; but still I'm no better—its no use going over it any more, I don't feel that I'm saved!”
"I'm very thankful, indeed, for that.”
"Thankful, sir, because I can't say 'I'm saved?'”
"No! but thankful you can't feel saved. You see, you are trying to put into the bundle what God leaves out, and leaving out what God puts in. Feeling saved is not in the whole verse.
"Faith cometh by hearing" (Rom. 10:1717So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)), and, in this verse; Jesus puts hearing first; then, believing; then, hath; then, shall not; then, is. You want to leave out the believing and substitute feeling. So I am thankful, as I said before, that you don't feel saved; for if you were to get some nice feelings you would run away with the idea that you were saved, and if asked: "Are you saved?" you would reply: "Yes.”
"How do you know?”
"Well, I've felt a change, and I'm very happy.”
Then the first time the dark clouds sailed across your sky, your feelings would go, and then you would have lost your Savior. Thus you would make a savior of your feelings, instead of Christ. Now, please don't put in what God leaves out, and don't say you know all about it, for I'm sure you don't know these five precious things that go together. Let us look at the verse closely.
"Well, look here, have you 'heard' the word!”
"Yes, sir.”
"And believe on Him that sent Him?" "Yes, sir, I do believe.”
"Well now, please, tell me what you believe?”
"I believe that God sent Jesus to take my place, and He died for me.”
"Do you?”
"Yes I do.”
"Now, you are sure you do?”
"Quite sure.”
"Then you have heard?”
"Yes, sir.”
"And you believe?”
"Yes, I do.”
"Then, what is the third thing?”
"`Hath everlasting life.'”
"Then, have you everlasting life?”
"Ah! well, sir, but you see that's just what I cannot say, if I could only feel sure about that point, I should be all right.”
"Well, what do you think would make you feel sure?”
"I scarcely know, sir.”
"Look here, supposing you owed the rent of a house and couldn't pay it, and I go and pay every cent of it, and bring you the receipt. What would make you sure as to the rent being paid?”
"O! the receipt of course.”
"Quite so, and you would feel happy because you knew your rent was paid, and should the landlord again demand the rent, you would not speak to him of your feelings, but produce the receipt. And God is holding out His receipt to you, and you are shutting your eyes to it, and wanting to feel it, instead of reading and believing it.”
"You have heard?”
"You believe?" "Yes, sir.”
"Then God says, you have, not, you hope to get. `Hath everlasting life' is His word, and that is not all, you 'shall not come into condemnation' or judgment. That has all fallen on Jesus, and the believer is in Him, and 'there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,'" Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1).
"You will never stand before the great white throne to be judged for your sins; all your judgment was borne by Jesus on the cross, and He has so settled that question, that God has raised Him from the dead. 'The Man in the glory' is the proof that the debt is paid, and thus you can never come into judgment, for your sins are all gone.
"But that is not all, even, for we get another thing, 'is passed from death unto life.' You were in a state of death, 'dead in trespasses and sins' (Eph. 2:11And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1)). But now you are passed from death unto life; not will do so by and by, but, 'is passed.' How glorious! Quickened together, raised up together, made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:5,65Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:5‑6)). What a bundle of blessings, and any poor sinner, that has heard and believed, gets the other three also, for they all go together.”
"Now, anxious one, would you like the five?”
"Yes sir, I would.”
"Will you take them?”
"Yes, I will.”
"Then, here they are for you.”
"`Heareth My word.' Have you heard?”
"Yes, I have.”
"`Believeth on Him that sent Me.' Do you believe.”
"Yes, I do.”
"`Hath everlasting life.' Have you it?" "Yes, I see I have.”
"'Shall not come into condemnation.' Will you be condemned?”
"No, I am sure I shall not, I see it now.”
"'Is passed from death unto life.' Are you thus passed?”
"Yes, I see I am.”
"Then you take the five in altogether?”
"I do.”
"And you are saved?”
"Yes sir.”
"When?”
"Now.”
"How do you know?”
"God says so in that verse, sir.”
"And you are now perfectly satisfied with His word?”
"Yes, indeed I am.”