GOD'S PROMISES #8

'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.'

This is an amazing three-part promise from the mouth of Jesus Christ.

1. It repeats the promise of present eternal life that we have already seen in previous promises.
2. It tells us clearly that those who hear the words of Jesus Christ and believe the one who sent him, will not be condemned. Our human idea, reflected in a great variety of religions and cults around the world, is that our escape from sin's consequences in life and death is dependent on our merit and performance, leaving us with no real assurance that we have sufficient good to offset our bad. Here in the gospel of Jesus Christ the prerequisite is simple: hear and believe.
3. To further clarify his meaning Jesus adds: 'he has crossed over from death to life'. By this phrase he shows us that being 'condemned' is the equivalent of 'death', and not being 'condemned' is the equivalent of 'has eternal life'. In the original Greek the significance of the language is 'he has crossed over, and remains crossed over, out of death and into life'.

What does this promise mean? It means that those who truly hear and genuinely believe the message of Jesus Christ have already crossed over from the place where the death penalty (condemnation, judgement) for sin must inevitably fall on them, and are now, and always will be, in the place where sin's condemnation (penalty, judgement) will not, and can not, ever again fall on them.

This is a promise we can depend on. For this life, and beyond death. The eternal Son of God, who said only the things that God says, said it. It is guaranteed. This is the amazing assurance of those who believe in Jesus Christ: that, because of him, there is no condemnation, no judgement, no punishment for sin. Not now. Not ever.

Scriptures: John 5:24; 3:16,17,36; 1 John 5:11,12; Romans 5:12-21; Colossians 1:13; John 7:16; 8:28; Romans 4:16; 8:1-4, 31-39.

For further information: go to the studies on 'Justification/Righteousness' and 'Peace' in the Words of Salvation studies on this website.