January 31
Bible Reading: John 5:18-29
John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
In my job as a hospice chaplain, I’ve witnessed a lot of dying in recent years. But dying is nothing new. Adam and Eve sinned and brought death into this world. Plants die. Animals die. People die. We all “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4). As we get older, the reality and finality of that prospect looms over us. I well remember the words of a former patient, “I’m dying, Jerry!” Physically speaking, that’s true of all of us.
Death is separation. A physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death, which is of greater significance, is the separation of the soul from God (Ephesians 2:1). Eternal death equates to the separation of a person from God for eternity (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Physical life is a gift from God to be cherished, from the moment of conception to one’s final breath. Therefore, we want to avoid physical death. But our verse speaks to another kind of death which is to be averted at all costs, the eternal death that will result if we refuse to trust in Jesus. The promise of our verse is to those who believe.
At the moment of saving faith, a wonderful exchange takes place, in which a person crosses over from death to life. He leaves behind one country, where the power of the devil and death and sorrow loom, and enters another country where life, eternal and abundant, is provisioned through a personal relationship with Jesus. The verb is in the past tense, showing that the promise stands from the moment when a person believes.
What a promise! It is as Charles Spurgeon has said: “If we truly believe the word of Christ, and trust in Him Who sent His Son into the world, we have at this moment everlasting life. What a grand verse this is! It is worthy to be written in letters of gold at every street corner; would that we all knew the fullness of its meaning by heartfelt experience!”
Charles Spurgeon
“The vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.”
TO GOD BE THE GLORY
To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life our redemption to win,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.
Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. [Refrain]
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see. [Refrain]
LookingtoJesus 