Eternal life is not a do, it's a Who.
1 John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
If we have the Son, we have eternal life. If we don't have the Son, we don't have eternal life.
Now the big question is this, how do we have the Son?
We have the Son when we have His words.
John 15:6-8 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
When we have the words of Jesus living within our hearts and minds we have Jesus. When we abide in His word, in other words, obey His word, we have eternal life abiding in us.
Hebrews 5:8-9 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
In the process of our abiding in the words of Jesus we have our ups and downs. Don't focus on the ups or the downs, just focus on abiding.
Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.
Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. Why is this?
Grace much more abounds because God is more concerned with our abiding than with our day to day short falls. God has dealt with His imposed punishment for sin at the cross but sin still has a wage of it's own that will harden our hearts and turn us away from the abiding.
Hebrews 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Remember, it gives our Father great pleasure and joy to give us the kingdom so He is doing everything within His power and our freedom to make it happen.
Luke 12:32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
1 John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
If we have the Son, we have eternal life. If we don't have the Son, we don't have eternal life.
Now the big question is this, how do we have the Son?
We have the Son when we have His words.
John 15:6-8 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
When we have the words of Jesus living within our hearts and minds we have Jesus. When we abide in His word, in other words, obey His word, we have eternal life abiding in us.
Hebrews 5:8-9 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
In the process of our abiding in the words of Jesus we have our ups and downs. Don't focus on the ups or the downs, just focus on abiding.
Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.
Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. Why is this?
Grace much more abounds because God is more concerned with our abiding than with our day to day short falls. God has dealt with His imposed punishment for sin at the cross but sin still has a wage of it's own that will harden our hearts and turn us away from the abiding.
Hebrews 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Remember, it gives our Father great pleasure and joy to give us the kingdom so He is doing everything within His power and our freedom to make it happen.
Luke 12:32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
