THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE by Adam Edelstein

April 11, 2010

THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE by Adam Edelstein

The promise: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The context of the promise. Jesus had been speaking with Nicodemus, a leading Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus had admitted that he and his associates knew that Jesus was “a teacher come from God” (John 3:2). But they remained confused.

Jesus told Nicodemus that He had come from heaven to become the focus of Israel’s faith.

Understanding the promise. John 3:16 has been called “the gospel in a nutshell.” It establishes God’s motive in sending His Son: love. It establishes the identity of Jesus: God’s Son. It establishes God’s goal in sending Jesus: to provide everlasting life to a perishing humankind. And it defines the promise implicit in Jesus’ coming: whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

Claiming the promise. The word believe can be confusing. We believe that Augustus Caesar was the Roman emperor when Jesus was born. But there is a vast difference between this kind of belief and believing in the Jesus who lived in Augustus’s time.
The difference is expressed in two prepositions. We believe what history tells us about Augustus. We agree that certain things in the historical record are probably accurate and true. But we believe in Jesus Christ. While we agree that certain things history tells us about Jesus are accurate and true, we go beyond this kind of belief. What believing in means is that we trust ourselves to the Jesus of history. We rely completely on Him and His sacrifice on Calvary. In doing so, we accept the gift of eternal life which He offers.

There’s another difference too. Our beliefs about Augustus Caesar make no real difference in our lives. But our belief in Jesus Christ will make a profound difference. When we trust ourselves to Jesus, God enters our hearts and begins to work a wonderful transformation. Our motives and desires change, and with them our behavior changes also. Belief in Jesus initiates an inner transformation which gradually reshapes believers toward Jesus’ likeness.

Responding to the promise. Too many people don’t know the difference between belief about the facts of Jesus’ life and death and belief in Jesus. To claim God’s promise of everlasting life, we are to come to a conscious decision to rely on Jesus for forgiveness of our sins and so accept God’s wonderful gift of eternal life.

Be Encouraged