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Much More from John 5:24

One could spend months on this beautiful portion of Scripture and never scratch the surface of the beauty and truth spoken here.

(King James Version)

John 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

(Amplified Bible)

John 5:24  I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.

This is a little mini-study on John 5:24 that I wanted to share with you. Many people, especially the lost, have problems with some of the terms and thoughts here. One of the most obvious questions by the lost is, "How can anyone have eternal life when we all die." One type of life is a physical life, and men do die physically, saved or not. The eternal life spoken of is spiritual, and it does not depend on the old body that housed us during this short life on earth. This is a little bit deeper than I intended for this post, but the children of God will be given glorified bodies at GOD's appointed time. If you really think about it, why would a child of GOD want his or her old body of clay. We did live in it during our short existence on earth, but GOD has promised a glorified body for eternity. So, just think of the old human body as a temporary vessel.

"He that heareth my word" is a key portion of this beautiful Scripture. "Word" is a very interesting term in the Holy Bible, and it is applied in many ways throughout the Bible.

THE WORD is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

HIS WORD is the inspired and God breathed Scriptures of the Holy Bible.

HIS WORD is also HIS TESTIMONY that works in and through the physical lives of HIS CHILDREN. HIS WORD is in our heart and should be shown in what we do, what we say, and how we behave as a TESTIMONY that we belong to Jesus Christ. As we mature in Christ, we are equipped to share HIS WORD with our families, friends, and others who are desperate to hear the GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD'S GRACE. God lets us know that HIS WORD is never wasted or given in vain. HEARING THE WORD is one of the most precious events of this short life. Some of God's children become discouraged when they see defiance and ridicule of many when they HEAR THE WORD. However, that negative encounter might just be the first spark that ignited a lamp of belief and faith. Just remember that faith does come from hearing, and hearing by the WORD OF GOD. The perfection and beauty of the Holy Bible can only be explained by the reality that the words are God breathed and inspired. No other work by so many authors and over such a long period of time can be compared to the HOLY BIBLE. The Holy Bible stands completely alone in whatever way scholars have examined it.

I've tried to compare God's children to an old fashioned lamp. Yes, it is quite possible that spark will ignite a flame. At first, the flame is small, and it doesn't produce much light. It is just possible that the wick will be turned up and the flame will become larger. It is also possible that a globe will be placed over the fire to protect and magnify the light. That first spark just might turn out to be brilliant light for a large area. That wick will need to be trimmed and turned up over and over again as the old is burned up and the new is prepared to give out maximum light. The new portion of the wick is soaking in fuel, and it will be the most brilliant light when it first burns. There will come a time when more fuel must be poured into the lamp. The globe must be cleaned, and a new wick will be needed.

Christians should easily be able to see the comparison between the lamp and people. Some lamps don't have the necessary ingredients to produce a light, and some lamps are dormant and unlit. Other lamps have lights of varying intensity, all depending on the fuel, the length and quality of the wick, and the clarity of the globe that is used to magnify the light. Someone must care for the lamp and maintain it if the light remains bright. In our case, the fuel and wick are a continuous supply of HIS WORD. The brightness of the light does involve the burning of the old man and replacing it with the new man. The clarity and distribution of the light depends on the prominence of Jesus Christ in our lives and yielding to HIS work in and through us. If you were wondering, Jesus is the ETERNAL AND PERFECT LIGHT. He wants to put HIS LIGHT in us and care for us for eternity.

There are many beautiful aspects of our Saviour's love and care for us. It is really impossible to describe with human words and thoughts. Many precious portions of Scripture instruct us in the ways that our JOY IN HIM might be more full. HIS Hands are stretched toward us, and HE wants to give us HIS riches. Our joy will definitely be more full if we simply yield and accept HIS Gifts that are beyond human description.

"hath everlasting life"  "Hath" means NOW and IMMEDIATELY. A new man is born, and that temporary body of clay will be discarded one day. Our life is now IN HIM forever, RIGHT NOW. Worldly possessions and identity mean nothing, because our citizenship is in Heaven, IN HIM forever.

"shall not come into condemnation"  God's children will be judged for rewards, not punishment. Jesus Christ has already suffered our punishment on the CROSS for all who will accept HIM as Lord and Saviour.

"is passed from death unto life"  RIGHT NOW, IT'S DONE. "Passed" is an interesting word. The use here is literally "translated". Death speaks of eternal punishment, not just the physical death of a person's human body. Life does not refer to the physical life of a human body, rather the part of us that lives in HIM and the glorified body that each one of God's children will be given at HIS appointed time.

Brothers and sisters, it's all about HEARING HIS WORD, believing in God, and believing that Jesus Christ took our place on the CROSS. HE felt agonizing pain, as HIS death was very slow and cruel. HE did die and was buried, but HE arose from the dead as a LIVING SAVIOUR for all who would believe and accept HIM as their Lord and Saviour. The man, Christ Jesus, was and is Almighty God. HE was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. HE humbled HIMSELF greatly to take the form of a man, but that was HIS Purpose. It was also HIS Purpose to give HIMSELF for us on the Cross. God is always true to HIS Purpose, keeps HIS Promises, and finishes HIS Work.

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.  John 4:14

Love In Christ,
Tom