Life—giver
"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31, NIV).
In these words John summarizes the reason he wrote his Gospel, and the entire purpose of his life—to lead people to believe in Jesus in order that they might gain eternal life. A key theme, all through the New Testament, is that eternal life exists only in Jesus.
Look up the following verses to see some of the things John says about this key theme, that of "life." Also, as you read them, where can you see how the idea of "life" does not apply only to eternal life but has immediate implications for life now?
What makes these promises of eternal life so important is that, although all creatures on earth die, human beings alone are capable of contemplating the idea of eternity. We alone can grasp the vast gap between our short existence and the prospect of eternity, and the cold reality of that gap hangs over us every instant of our lives—lives that are just a clogged artery, a drunken driver, or an AIDS virus away from ending.
What a wonderful hope we have, then, to know that death is not the end; on the contrary, it is just a sleep that to us will seem like a second, and the next thing we know we will be with Jesus, for eternity. How should the hope of eternal life impact how we live now? In what ways do you live this life differently, knowing that you have the promise of eternal life?
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