I John 2:24-25 (Part 2)

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²⁴Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

²⁵And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

THE STUDY:

           In 1 John eternal life is identified with, or said to be found in, Jesus Christ, God’s Son (5:11). He, in fact, is eternal life (5:20), the eternal life that was with the Father from the beginning (1:2). Those who believe in the Son have eternal life (5:13). Those who acknowledge Jesus Christ have the Son (and the Father) (2:23), and those who have the Son have eternal life (5:12). To have the Son, to believe in his name, is to have eternal life in the here and now. But, in line with primitive Christian belief, the author can also speak of eternal life as something ‘promised’ to believers, something they will experience in the future (2:25).^[1]

          John may have encountered, in this day and time, the delusional understanding and teachings of Jesus Christ. The adding too or the taking away from this teaching may have prompted this statement, “And this is the promise ..”! Rest assured, what God promises; in the past, in the present, or in the future, will always be.

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that this promise from God is made possible through Christ; one who believes, acknowledges and accepts Christ. But, what many may have forgotten or have never been told is that this promise is not only for the here and now but for the future. Eternity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the PROMISE!

CONCLUSION:

           As a human, we have a hard time comprehending “eternity.” As a believer, spending eternity with God is the final, and ultimate, reward. So how long is eternity?

          High up in the North, in the land called Svithjod, there stands a rock. It is 100 miles high and 100 miles wide. Once every 1000 years a little bird comes to this rock to sharpen its break. When the rock has thus been worn away, then a single day of eternity will have gone by.

—Hendrick Willen Van Loon^[2]

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Kruse, C. G. (2000). The letters of John. The Pillar New Testament commentary (107). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.

^[2] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.