6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus
Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it
is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Today, we come to 1 John 5:9-13. I have included v.6-8 above for the sake of context. In v.9-10, the Apostle John is saying God's testimony is more dependable than man's. When we exercise our faith on the objective testimony of God, He gives the confirmation of His Spirit. And if we refuse to do that, then we are treating God as though he were a liar.
Now, according to v.11, the testimony of God about His Son is that there is life in the Son. Through His Son, God has given to man the thing man lacks, eternal life. The word that John uses here for "eternal life" is the Greek word "Zoe". Zoe is not a life in quantity. It is life in quality. It is life that is adventurous, full, meaningful, relevant, purposeful. Eternal life is not some kind of irrevocable life insurance policy issued when we enter into a relationship with God. It is an ongoing living relationship with God, and it can not be separated from the
Son.
I've a theory and it is this: if I do not know what "IT" is about, then I will make it about the lesser things involved. The question is "what is IT?" IT is a personal relationship with God. It is the daily choice to believe that He is there and that He is involved in my life. So much so, that I practice His presence like I would any earthly friend. All too often, we Christians, minor on the majors of the Christian life and major on the minors. As Christians, we want to be recognized for our growth in our righteousness. This mentality places the emphasis on the wrong thing. The Lord Jesus is our righteousness, even in our sanctification. You will remember that there is a clear difference between our Justification and our Sanctification. Our Justification was earned by the Lord Jesus through His perfectly lived life and His death on the cross where He absorbed all the penalty for the sin of the whole world. And, our sanctification is that process whereby our minds, wills, and emotions are being changed through His involvement in our lives. In this process we are being trained to think and make choices through His way of thinking and choosing.
Now, the center of our relationship with God is discovery. What gives our faith new life and energy is the experience of finding something new about God today that we didn’t know yesterday. In order for discovery to take place, there must be mystery. When my sons were younger, we played Hide and Go Seek. They loved playing that game of mystery. There were times when I had to clear my throat in order for them to find me. This is quite illustrative of God. He wants us to find Him. And, there are times when He makes it really hard to do so. In making it hard, He is strengthening our inquiry skills. Or should I say, faith skills.
Now, in v.12-13, the Apostle is not trying to make us agonize over
whether or not we "have" the Son, but to give assurance. The infinite quality of God does not deny the reality of my finiteness. God is not only a life giver but He gives all life meaning. Meaning suggests that what I do matters. However, if I do not seek, I will not find. It seems to me that testing describes the result of circumstances, not the reason for circumstance. There are no isolated periods of testing. All of life is a test, and how we react expresses the context of our faith. Herein, we experience His Zoe.
