Eternal Life Now
(Morning Service)
Text: 1 John 5:13-21
The gift of eternal life often sits untouched on a dusty shelf in our mind, while we wait for the day when we will “cash in” and enter into the glory of heaven. The end of John’s letter will challenge our misconceptions, as he helps us to unwrap the gift of eternal life for today. Until we take a somber look at the power of sin in the world, we’ll never truly appreciate the power and magnitude of eternal life for today.
“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. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
(1 John 5:13–21 ESV)”