Thought For The Week

THOUGHTS FROM JOHN’S LETTERS

THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD

Scattered through the Gospels we find acknowledgement that Jesus of Nazareth is ‘the Christ, the Son of God.’

Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16 – ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

In Mark 1:1, where Mark summarizes his Gospel with the words – ‘The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’

The testimony of the evil spirits in Luke 4:41 – ‘The demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.’

Martha’s confession in John 11:27 – ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’

John’s statement in John 20:31 of his purpose in writing his gospel – ‘these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.’

Even the high priest, who did not believe any of Jesus’ claims about himself, knew that two titles went together – ‘the Christ’ (that is, ‘the Messiah’), and ‘the Son of God’ – Matthew 26:63. The Jews knew that the one who is the Christ is also the Son of God. That the one who is the Son of God, is also ‘the Christ’. But they rejected Jesus’ right to these titles.

And this is the critical belief to which the New Testament calls us: that we believe in the name of Jesus Christ. It is a critical belief, because this is the belief, this is the faith, through which salvation comes to us. Without this belief, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, no one can be saved. No one can be redeemed, forgiven, reconciled, justified apart from the genuine acknowledgement of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

Consider these statements from John’s Gospel:

‘Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God’ – 1:12.

‘Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son’ – 3:18.

‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him’ – 3:36.

‘I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins’ – 8:24.

In John’s first letter he has stressed the importance of believing that the man, Jesus of Nazareth, is also the Word of life – the eternal God, the Creator.

‘Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also’ – 2:22, 23.

‘This is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ’ – 3:23.

‘Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God’ – 4:2,3.

‘If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God’ – 4:15.

Now in chapter 5 he tells us:

‘Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God’ – 5:1.

‘Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God’ – 5:5.

‘And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life’ – 5:11, 12.

In giving us his Son, God has given us eternal life. As John has said in 4:9, God sent his only Son into the world that we might live through him. If we received his Son we have, at the same time, received eternal life, because he is eternal life. This links right back to John’s description of Jesus in his first chapter: that Jesus is the Word of life, the life, and the eternal life.

In verse 12 John states the truth very simply and very clearly: ‘He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.’ This is similar to the statement in John’s gospel:

‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him’ (John 3:36).

There is no blurry ground here. There is no such thing as ‘sitting on the fence’ here. We have either received the Son of God, or we have not. We either have eternal life, or we do not.

And it all depends on whether or not we have received God’s witness, God’s testimony, about his Son.

© Rosemary Bardsley 2022