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@gbopp | |
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The great themes of the Fourth Gospel is that of ''LIFE, THE DIVINE LIFE made available for humanity. And everywhere that life is associated with Christ. John knows nothing of any life worthy of the name which is not a life in Christ- and with Christ- and from Christ. As early as the fourth verse of the first chapter we read. ''In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.'' The theme thus prominently set forth in the Prologue is developed throughout the Gospel. First let us notice the way this life is persistently associated with Christ and the Father. Indeed, there is something of a defination of this life in Christ's great high priestly prayers, John17:3. ''And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.'' |
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@gbopp | 23 June 08 |
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Life is the gift of Christ. John6:33. ''For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'' John10:28 ''And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone sna*ch them out of My hand.'' This is probably the meaning also of the expression in which humanity is enjoined. John6:27. ''Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, God the Father has set His seal on Him.'' They who hear Him, even the dead will live. John5:25. ''Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.'' |
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@gbopp | 23 June 08 |
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Humanity receives life by coming to Jesus Christ. John6:35. And Jesus said to them, ''I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.'' and they will not get life when they will not come to Him. John5:40 ''But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.'' Seeing Christ and hearing Him are likewise linked with life. John6:40; and John5:24. ''And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone whom sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise Him us at the last day.'' and ''Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My words and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.'' |
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@gbopp | 23 June 08 |
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But that which above all is said to be the cause of life is believing in Jesus Christ. Believing is linked with seeing and hearing mentioned in the last two passages cited. God gave His Son so that ''whoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life,'' while in the discourse on the Bread of Life, Jesus simply said, ''He that believeth hath eternal life.'' Again, He could assure Martha in John11:25. ''he that believeth on me, though he may die, yet shall live.'' |
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@gbopp | 23 June 08 |
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John brings this matter of believing into his statement of his purpose in writing his Gospel at all John20:31. ''But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name.'' John wrote in order that men might have believe that Jesus is the Christ, and believing have eternal life. It is central to his understanding of things and not on the periphery. Negatively, humanity will not get life, but will die in their sins if they do not believe. see John8:24? |
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@gbopp | 23 June 08 |
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Other expressions may be used which amount to much the same. For example, Jesus speaks of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, Communion, if they are to obtain life. So also following Him is to have the Light of Life (see John6:54, 57; 8:12). Some passages mean essentially that humanity must be in right relation to Christ if they are to be recipients of the life of which He speaks. And the right relationship is that of faith, Faith linked with the Word of Christ. Thus when many went back and ceased to be Christ's followers and the Lord challenged the little band with, ''Would ye also go away?'' Peter's magnificant response was, John6:68. ''Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words to eternal life. |
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@gbopp | 23 June 08 |
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On the surface of it 'words' is a curious term to use, but Jesus had just said to them in John6:63. ''It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life. and earlier He said the dead would hear His voice and live. Later He said to the Jews, John8:51 ''Most assuredly I say to you, if anyone keeps My WORD he shall never see death.'' And again that the Father's commandment, ''is eternal life.'' John12:50. All this appears to be a way of emphasizing the newness and the complete reliability of the teaching of Jesus about life. Christ was not merely enunciating what all humanity took for granted, so His words had to be noted. But those words were entirely reliable, so heeding them will lead to eternal life. |
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@gbopp | 24 June 08 |
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Sometimes Jesus uses imagery which brings out the fact and meaning of life. We have already noticed in another connection His discussion with Nicodemus, the Pharisee leader, on Divine Rebirth. There we were concerned with the priority of the Divine in Salvation, here with the similar truth that life comes as Christ's gift. The way into the Kingdom is the way of rebirth from above. Those who have been born into the Heavenly Family have life that those outside no nothing of. Or Jesus, might speak of living water. As He spoke to the woman of Samaria He said in John4:18. ''If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.'' |
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@gbopp | 24 June 08 |
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John4:14. ''but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will *never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.'' The imagery is unusual. ''Living Water'' among the Jews of the time usually denoted water in motion. (For example, water in a stream), over, against stagnant water (which we see in a pond). Moreover, where they employed the symbolism of water, it was generally to point men to the law. Jesus' statement was quite new. We get a little further light a little later, when, after Christ refers to Living Water once more, John adds an explanation. |
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