John 5:24 How the words of Jesus bring eternal life
“I tell you the truth; whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
It was the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders were angry…again. Jesus had everyone’s attention. He had just healed a man who had been crippled for thirty eight years. Instead of being amazed at the miracle, the Jews were upset that he performed on the Sabbath. He further enraged them by calling God his father and claiming to be able to do things that only God could do. This was blasphemy and they wanted his blood. While he had their attention, Jesus went on to make even more shocking statements. He offered eternal life and no punishment for sins to those who believe. These outrageous promises are still available to us today; but what do they mean?
Jesus said “I tell you the truth”. Everything that Jesus ever said was the truth. He was the Word of God. (John 1:1). Everything that comes out of his mouth is from God and God can not lie. In a world where the truth is so subjective, it is comforting to know that Jesus only spoke absolute truth.
John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me”
So when Jesus claims that if we hear his words and believe the one who sent him (God the Father) we will have eternal life and not be condemned, we can trust it to be true. However, hearing the words of Jesus is not always as easy as it would seem. It requires a heart and attitude that is open to him. Many people read or hear the words of Christ, but they do not understand them. His words just don’t make sense to everyone. Still others understand the words of Jesus but they aren’t interested in following him.
Matthew 13: 13 – 16 “This is why I speak to them in parables….though hearing, they do not hear or understand…for this people’s heart has become calloused.”
Romans 10:17 – “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the words of Christ.”
The problem with hearing and understanding the words of Christ is the responsibility that comes with it. A decision must be made, will you believe his words or will you ignore them. If you do believe them, are you willing to accept them and if you accept; will you obey? It’s hard to give up the control of our lives and that is why many will allow their hearts to become hardened to his words.
But if we do listen to the words of Jesus and if we believe the Father, the reward is eternal life without condemnation. This is crossing from death to life. More than living forever, although that is indeed a part of it, our current existence here on earth is also infused with new life. We no longer have to live under the chains of our sin. We can be free from all the things that keep us from the life God intends for us such as guilt, fear and low self-esteem, just to name a few. We can now have a life of joy, purpose and peace, no matter what our circumstances are.
We are all sinners and the cost of our sin is eternal separation from God (death). By accepting Christ’s death in place of our own and making him the boss of our lives we are saved from the cost of our sin and given eternal life.
It’s simple and it’s astounding. Jesus is God; he loved us so much that he came to earth as a man. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross to pay the cost of our sin so that we could have a relationship with God. We are saved from the condemnation and the cost of our rebellion towards God.
Romans 10:8b-10 –“the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Are you willing to listen and obey; or will you continue to live your life for yourself and allow your heart to become hardened and your ears to become deaf to his words? The beauty of it is that God gave you the freedom to choose. He will not force you to give your life to him; he loves you that much.
Thank you for reading my hub. You can continue by reading #44 And the dead shall live, a poem inspired by John 5: 25-26
http://aprilreynolds.hubpages.com/_xlrvaljpe5td/hub/John-5-25-26-And-the-dead-will-live
Or skip the poem and read about John 5: 27. Jesus is our Judge and ask, Why would a loving God allow us to be judged?
