I John 5:9-13 (NIV) 9If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. 11And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
If you died tomorrow do you know you would go to Heaven? Most of us have heard that question. Some of us have been irritated by the question. That question may be irritating to some, but the question raised by John’s statement is downright unnerving. He says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Eternal life is a quality of life that begins now and lasts forever. So John’s statement raises the question “Do you know that the kind of life you have today will last forever?”
And this is the testimony … he who has the Son has life and he who has not the Son has not life. We have the objective proof of eternal life in the life of Jesus. We also have subjective proof of being kissed with that life in our own experience. I may be able to tell you that the word “kiss” means to touch lightly with the lips, but if I have never been kissed, I don’t know what I am talking about. This is the testimony, the testimony of our own experience.
In the life of Jesus, we see the testimony of God. We see the proof in the quality of His life, in the purpose of His death, and especially in the reality of His Resurrection. The Resurrection is a visible, living pledge that the chapter we are now living is not the end of the story.
In the religious world, testimony usually has something to do with someone telling about his or her faith. In the courtroom, testimony has to do with telling your side of the story. Neither of those uses of the word is what John is talking about. John is talking about proof. Testimony was the way you proved something in John’s day. Today, the testimony of Jesus’ life is being put to the test. Question it, doubt it, object to it, study it, but don’t ignore it. The testimony of Jesus can withstand the test.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope May 11, 1997
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
No comments:
Post a Comment