John
5:17–24 & 1 John 3:11-18
The phrase ‘from
death to life’ is found three times in the New Testament. We encounter it the first time when Jesus
says “Very truly I tell you,
whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will
not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”(John 5:24)
In John
5:17-24 Jesus makes startling claims- He is equal to God in works, power,
judgment and honor and by breaking the Sabbath He makes himself equal to God in
His person. Jesus also tells us that He has the authority to confer eternal
life to anyone. And using the words amen,
amen (truly, truly) Jesus professes and promises that if we believe in God
through Jesus’ words, we will pass ‘from death to life’, i.e., we will
be with God forever.
In
Romans 6:13 we encounter the phrase the second time “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as
an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who
have been brought from death to life; and offer every
part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Paul gives
us no choice - we are commanded that we should not sin. The key word is ‘offer’ – as believers committed to
Jesus we should not yield to sin but offer ourselves to God and serve as His
instruments. Now why do we offer ourselves? Because we “have been brought
from death to life”.
In 1 John
3:11-18, John teaches us the difference between the children of the devil and
the children of God. Cain as a child of the devil hated and killed Abel. On the
other hand, the distinguishing mark of the Children of God is they ‘love one another’ (the new
commandment that Jesus gives us in John 13:34-35). We should love one another “because
God’s love has been poured out
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit”(Romans 5:5). John teaches that anyone who does not love has not received spiritual life but abides in the condition of spiritual death. He stresses this by writing “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.
Anyone who does not love remains in death.” (1 John 3:14) And it is here that we see the phrase ‘from death to life’ the
third time.
So I ask you - are you not sure of your salvation? Are you not sure you
have passed from death to life? Examine yourself, your actions and your love
towards others. Your salvation is evident in your fruit(Matthew 7:16) and in your
love for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
So let us in faith believe the Good News of Jesus, offer ourselves as His instruments
of righteousness and love one another.
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