“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”—1 John 5:10-12.
How much is said in these inspired words, and how few believe them! Let us examine them, and ask, Do we believe them? For it is also written, “He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.” (1 John 5:13.)
It is said in another place, “the gift of God is eternal life.” This power has the Father given to the Son, “that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” (John 17:2.) It is important to consider this gift of God. Now if a man makes a gift he does not think of taking it back. How much rather then the gift of Him who saith, “Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Is it not a mistake to suppose that you have something to do to earn eternal life? How could it then be a gift? On what ground could you suppose that God would take from you this stupendous gift when once possessed? Do you say, If we should prove unworthy of it, will He not then take it away? Then it would not be eternal life, but temporal. But did not God give His Son, and in Him eternal life, for the most unworthy, for us, while we were yet sinners? When the word of God was first preached, we do read of those who rejected it, and judged themselves unworthy of eternal life. (Acts 13:46.)
How did these Jews prove themselves unworthy of eternal life? Was it not by rejecting it as a gift, and seeking to work out a righteousness of their own by which they might obtain life? Is not that exactly what you have been doing? Have you not been trying, or hoping to try, to keep the law, and so work out a righteousness of your own, so that at last you might obtain eternal life? Now what is this but refusing eternal life as the gift of God: yea, seeking to make Him a liar? Is not this terrible, but true? It may be you have not been even trying to do this by keeping the law of Moses, but by trying to keep the laws and ritualism of men. Are you trying by sacraments, and fastings, and penance, and prayers, and intercessions of saints, &c, at last to obtain eternal life? All this is plainly rejecting the record of God, “he that believeth not God hath made him a liar.” Most assuredly if eternal life is obtained by these things, then it is not the gift of God. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, the record of God, and this life is in his Son.” You may never have seen the meaning of these two words “hath given.”
But there is another thing, even in these two words, it is the present possession of eternal life One thing must follow the other. If eternal life is given to us, we must have it, for it is the gift of God. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” And God says to us by the Spirit, “he that hath the Son hath life.” Observe the record of God is the very opposite of the thoughts of men, it is not he that believeth may perhaps obtain eternal life at last, but hath it. The Lord Jesus presses the present possession of everlasting life repeatedly with a verily, verily; He says again, “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.” Oh, what joy it gives to believe Jesus, to believe the record of God—the record that He hath given of His Son.
Often do we hear the exclamation, “I never saw that before, and never could be sure how I should get eternal life. I thought I had to keep the law to get it, or some way to lead a holy life to get it: I never saw it was a free gift, and now believing God, I have it—I have eternal life!” Oh, how blessed! Is this your joy? Have you eternal life? Do you believe the words of Jesus?
“Stay,” says someone assuming authority, “you can never know in this world before you die that you have eternal life. It is most dangerous doctrine.” What, my friend, dangerous to believe Jesus, who says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life?” Is it dangerous to believe “the record that God gave of his Son? And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life.” Is it dangerous to believe the inspired words of the Holy Ghost? “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13.) Which is the most dangerous, to believe God, and thus know that we have eternal life, or believe that human teaching which makes God a liar?
Thus we have in these verses the three blessed facts. First, eternal life is the gift of God; secondly, that he that believeth God hath eternal life; and thirdly, that it is the will of God that we should know it. This is the truth and record of God. The false teaching of men is the opposite of each of these blessed facts: that eternal life is not a gift, but has to be earned by a religious life; that we have not got eternal life but may humbly hope to obtain it at last; that we are not to know by the word of God that we have eternal life, but must wait until the judgment day before we can know. This is the teaching which believeth not the record of God.