That You May Have Life
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but 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.”
As a pastor, I mention these two verses on a regular basis from the pulpit and interpersonally. Why?
First, Jesus said and did a whole lot more in his years of ministry than Bible writers could ever recorded. That’s important. The teachings and stories we do have show us his pattern of living and provide the framework for our doctrine.
Next, Jesus’ life is recorded in the Bible for one over-arching purpose as seen here, "that you may believe." God’s purpose in writing the Bible in entirety and sharing stories of Jesus in part is that we—created in His image—might believe Jesus is the absolute Savior of humanity from our own sinfulness. We can not save ourselves. The Bible has a lot to say about that. Our own failures, even according to our own, biased view of morality further emphasize our fallenness. We need a Savior. He is Jesus.
Finally, the result of our belief in Jesus as our Savior is "life in his name." Not just any, old life, but life in Jesus name. Life alone sounds exciting. But life in Jesus' name takes on a whole new depth. In the Bible that phrase, "in his name," means "according to his will or purpose," and by extension, "through his power." That is both the where and the how of the life of the Christ follower.
Yet, what happens to us? We get saved, trusting Jesus to save us for eternity, and we seek to follow him in a daily relationship. Then somewhere along the way we take back control, we stop spending time with him through the Bible, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines, and what happens? Our life doesn’t seem so lifelike anymore. When we are not living IN Jesus it won't. It can’t. Our life is “in his name” not on our own.
We get that true life back through regular, if not daily, time spent with Jesus as we would a loved one here. When we do, we are connected to the only source of genuine life.
Make time. Find a place. Read your Bible. Write. Think. Pray. About everything. Then, and only then, will you find the life your soul longs for.
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