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Whoever confesses that
Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
THE STUDY:
The first two
words in this verse “Whoever confesses”
have to be looked at first due to the powerful implications they bring. John
implies by using the word (hos), the door
to salvation is open to any and all! Not just a select few but to the world. No
one is excluded from God’s invitation. Anyone may come by confessing Jesus as
God’s Son.[1]
The word “confesses” is the requirement. The translation “confesses” might seem to suggest consent
alone. But the verb conveys a more public and active sense of confessing (homologēsē) or making a public and
life-shaping claim (Matt 10:32). In the Gospel of John, confessions of faith in
Jesus could get one expelled from the synagogue (John 9:22; 12:42). In Rom
10:9–10 confessing Jesus as Lord is inseparably linked to God’s saving work.[2]
WHAT WE CAN WALK
AWAY WITH ….
- We walk away with this understanding that ANYONE who makes a public and life changing claim (confesses Christ as the Son of God) God remains in him and that person remains in God! Simple but yet so mis-understood!
CONCLUSION:
Let me conclude with this story from Wilbur E.
Nelson.
My father was the senior elder in our church for many years. When I was a
boy, eleven years of age, an evangelist held a series of meetings in our
church. One night he asked every Christian to come forward and also asked those
who desired to confess Christ to come with them. My father, of course, went up,
and, as I felt the call of God, I followed after him.
Just as he reached the front he turned
around, and seeing me, said, “Johnnie, you go back; you are too young.” I obeyed
him, as I had been taught to do, and at thirty-three I came again, but I did
not know what I was coming for as clearly at thirty-three as I did at eleven.
The church lost twenty-two years of service, while I lost twenty-two years of
growth because my own father, an officer in the church, had said, “Go back.”
Don’t let time be wasted and miss out on the blessings God
has for you today. Confess Christ and watch the power that dwells inside you
come forth and move in miraculous ways.
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3
John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary
(147). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
[2]
Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3
John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary
(147). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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