The Good Life. It seems that people everywhere are looking for “The Good Life.” How is that defined, and how do we know when we have found it? Is there some certain path or many paths? Is the good life long or short, rich or poor, healthy or sick? Most of us have an idea in our heads as to what “the good life” means, however, most of us spend our lives “in quiet desperation” as one person puts it. However, our teacher John the apostle shares with us today what it means to have life and what it means to not have life. He wrote in First John in chapter five and verse twelve:
He that has the Son hath life; [and] he that has not the Son of God has not life.
Throughout this chapter John has been declaring to us how God is a witness about His Son Jesus. He has repeatedly told us that God bears witness of His Son. Now John says that if we have God's Son, Jesus, we have life. Remember, eternal life is more than just living forever which is a huge benefit, but it is rather a “life style” or “manner of living.” The Bible gives us a great example of how Jesus Himself lived this “eternal life.” In the book of Matthew in chapter nineteen and verses sixteen through twenty-two it says:
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why do you call me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto him, Which? Jesus said, You shalt do no murder, You shalt not commit adultery, You shalt not steal, You shalt not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother: and, you shalt love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
The man who came to Jesus was known as the “rich, young, ruler” in other passages that tell this story. (See Mark chapter ten and Luke eighteen for the other passages.) Notice, this man was “rich” - which is the goal of many, “young” - he had all the vitality to live in any manner he chose, was a “ruler” - had power in his life and yet, he saw something in the manner in which Jesus lived that made him know that something was missing from his own life. He was missing the “eternal life”, and he somehow knew Jesus had the answer for obtaining it.
Notice though, it would cost the rich, young, ruler everything to obtain this life, and although this man desired eternal life, he could not let go of the things that are temporary to obtain it. His riches had him rather than him having the riches.
So it is with most people in the world. They desire a satisfying, eternal way of living, but they cling so tightly to the material life that they cannot let go. John the apostle our loving spiritual father and teacher makes it clear, if we have Jesus, we have eternal life. If we do not have Jesus, eternal life is still distant for us. The answer is simple – receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and receive “eternal life” both in this life and the life to come.
Next time we will look at another reason that John the apostle wrote this book, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
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