“THE TESTIMONY”

11 “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

1 John 5:11

In a nutshell, what is the core message of Christianity?

In yesterday’s blog, we learned that when all is said and done, we all will have to either believe or not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In today’s release, we will focus on the eternal life that God offers through Christ.

John follows up on his previous comments by summarizing the central message of Christianity. He calls it “the testimony,” which comes from the Greek term “martyria.” It refers to what one testifies, i.e. before a judge. It denotes the act of testifying or the content of a certain testimony (Mounce). In the NT, it is often used within the context of a testimony of or to Jesus or the Gospel message.

John points out that Jesus is the Son of God, affirmed by the Father, and glorified by the Holy Spirit. This truth has been established in Scripture, specifically, God’s own witness as early as Jesus’ baptism up to His death in Calvary. This testimony is then communicated through the Gospel.

But this testimony does not only involve Jesus’ nature as God’s Son; part of it is offering eternal life to those who believe in Him. John clarifies that this life can only be found in the Son (see John 14:6).

The world we’re living in is quickly reverting to the falsehoods believed by people in ancient history. Some are convinced that there are multiple paths that lead to God; others assert that all will eventually be saved because God is too good to send anyone to hell. But the Bible cannot be any clearer. Jesus claimed that He was the only way to heaven and backed it up with miracles, of which His Resurrection was the most pivotal.

Jesus is the only reliable Person to have ever walked this earth. He made promises and fulfilled them. He said He would raise Himself back to life, and He did. No one dared to accuse Him of wrongdoing because they couldn’t find any evidence to prove it. And because Jesus is reliable, it makes sense to trust Him.

Have you put your trust in Jesus Christ?

Pursue the Savior today!