“Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
I am sure that you are interested in the words of many great men and women of our time. Presidents, statesmen, executives, kings, have all had interesting and compelling things to say to us, messages for us that may affect our thinking or even change our lives.
Consider the person who spoke the above words and said “Verily, Verily” (Truly, Truly). He was not a politician, CEO, or professor. He was not a president, admiral, or general, but the most powerful person that this world has ever seen – the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifested in flesh, God’s Son from Heaven. He says, “I say unto YOU.” Can it be more direct, more pointed? This is a message that will affect not only your life here on earth but also your destiny in eternity. So stop and listen to what this great Person has to say. Here is something that can be relied upon because of whom this Person is.
What then does He say? “He that heareth . . . and believeth Him that sent Me.” In other words, ” He that hears and believes upon Me and My Word hath everlasting life.”
- Hear
- Believe
- Hath
What could be simpler? You have heard His Word, possibly in Sunday School, or reading the Bible or in other ways. What has your response been to Him and His Word? Unbelief? Procrastination (putting it off, disregarding)?
Are you willing today to rest upon Him for eternity? Are you willing to rest just upon His Word? That is all that He asks of you.
The verse above uses the word “condemnation.” We are told that we are condemned already because of unbelief. Our sins (we are born sinners) have meant eternal condemnation, a distance between God and us.
Come a moment with me and we will stand at the foot of a hill just outside Jerusalem. It is a dark and awful sight. Three men are hanging there upon crosses. The middle One is abused more than the others and wearing a crown of thorns, barely recognizable as a human. God’s Son is being punished. He is bearing condemnation, being punished by God for others’ sins (not His own for He had no sin), bearing the condemnation for my sins that I should have borne for all eternity. God is making to meet upon Him my iniquity, my sin. When I was seeking salvation, all God asked me to do was rest there. His Son was punished for my sins.
I saw by the eye of faith that the Lord Jesus, on the cross, bore my condemnation. He bore the sentence that was mine. He stood in my stead. He took my place. This is the truth that sets sinners free. His word to you is “believe on Me.” Trust your soul to Him. You will be condemned no more! You will have passed from eternal death unto everlasting life.
What a simple act of faith that has such a dramatic impact on your eternal destiny! You will pass from death (hell) unto life (everlasting life in Heaven with the One who bore your sins on the cross).
Right now, allow your thoughts to go to Calvary, see that He has died for you and His word is “hath.” Do you believe it? He says those who believe God’s Word have everlasting life.
Read Isa 53:5 “with His stripes we are healed.” In the original language “we are” becomes “we were.” Can you see that? It is by faith in Him that you can be healed by His stripes. Hear, believe…hath.
