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1 John 5:11-12

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I am sitting in my church office. Bookshelves—from floor to ceiling—line one entire wall. Another large floor-to-ceiling case takes up space on an adjacent wall.  Many more books are in my office at home, not to mention all the theological information stored digitally on my Bible study software. More information is only one Google search away. In short, I am sitting in a virtual ocean of information about God. But all the content in the volumes that surround me and stored on my computer can be summed up in today’s passage!

Dr. Karl Barth was a brilliant, if not sometimes controversial, theologian. Among his writings is a twelve-volume work on the Christian life and doctrine. A reporter once asked Dr. Barth if he could summarize the message of the Bible. Dr. Barth thought for a moment and then said, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

We are sinners and our sin separates us from God. The penalty of our sin is death. But driven by perfect love, “God gave us eternal life.” Being fully God, Jesus was the only one who could provide a sinless sacrifice. Being fully man, Jesus was the only one who could die on our behalf. Life—now and forever—is found in Jesus alone. There is really only one question: Do you have the Son?

Talking to God

Father, thank you for keeping the questions of life and eternity simple. Help us not  make them confusing. Confirm in our hearts that we have Jesus. Give us the courage to tell others and help us keep the message clear with our lips and lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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