Central to the writings of the Apostle John is the pivotal verse of John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” So much of Christian apologetics is built around this verse; indeed so much of the Gospel – the Good News – is built around this verse also. Let us look a closer about what John says about “the Life.”

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” John 1:4.

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” John 3:6.

“….. the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” John 4:14.

“For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the Son of Man makes alive whomever He wills” John 5:21.

“He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water’” John 7:38.

“I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” John 10:10.

“I am the Resurrection and the Life!” John 11:25.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” John 17:3.

“…..that believing you might have life in His name” John 20:31.

“…..God has given to us everlasting 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. I have written these things to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have everlasting life…” First John 5:11-13.

We can see clearly here that the promises and the reasonable expectations there from, for those in Christ, is a personal relationship with the Living God. But what John tells us there elsewhere is more, much more than that – as if that were not sufficient! John 5:24 tells us “Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My Word and believes on Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” It is clear: those who accept Jesus as their personal saviour shall not come into condemnation for their sin and even in this life, have passed from death to life; they already have a destiny in eternity. This gift has already been placed in our hands and lasts forever. All we need to do is accept the gift; the gift of the forgiveness of our sin and of eternal life paid for, by Jesus on the cross at Calvary. We just need to accept and receive His freely given gift.

In John 7:38-39, John closely links this free gift with the Holy Spirit as Jesus says “He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (But He spoke this about the Spirit, which they who believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

The presence of the Holy Spirit is confirmation in kind that we are the children of the living God, for in First John 4:13 we are told in clear simple language that “By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” Again, this is part of the free gift which Jesus wishes all of us to receive, for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit helps us to work out our Sanctification. This is confirmed in Second Thessalonians 2:13 “….because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” and again in First Peter 1:2 “….in sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…..” Yes, we have to work out our own sanctification, but we are not left alone and unguided in this. The culmination of this working out of our sanctification is found in Ephesians 1:13-14 where our future glorification is guaranteed: “the gospel of our salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

We have been given this all now as we live on earth. However, we can only experience this Life through a personal relationship with Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. There are no other means. God’s life incarnate is Jesus Christ and he longs for fellowship and relationship with us as His father did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Let us not be as Adam and Eve, hiding from God when He called them. Let us instead be filled with passion to run out and accept Jesus with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might, for His is standing there knocking to be let into our lives and to save us!

Amen and Amen.