Have You Heard?

John 5:24  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.

            Due to my paradigm, [the limits of my mind], I sometimes have a problem visualizing the concept of “everlasting life.”  I know by faith it is a true concept, but with the finiteness of my mind, it is a hard thought.  As a retired Pastor, I know it is a “concept problem” for others also.  The answer to this problem is contained within the above verse.  The answer is the word “believeth,”  but “believeth” can be another conceptual problem.  If we look at the Biblical definition, we find that to “Believe” is a word with a compound definition.  To Believe is to have “The Knowledge plus Faith.”

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We, (at least most of us), believe the chair we “plop down” on will support us.  We have the familiarity with the chair, (knowledge to believe it will support us.)  It is belief because of “the evidence of things not seen,” not knowing “How” it works.  (We “Hope” without knowing or even seeing.  We “Believe with Faith.”)

            Consequently, those of us who have heard God’s Word have a choice to make.  (It is to take the information that has been received, and by Faith accept Jesus the Christ as our Saviour.)  Paul relates to us in Romans:

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

God tells us if we will confess our belief (that God has raised His Son from the grave) to others, God will save us eternally.  Our second choice is to disregard God’s Word and just walk down our worldly path without any concern of our eternity.

John 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

            Those who refuse Jesus as their Personal Saviour are facing an eternal condemnation.  But there is time.  Accept Him now “in full assurance of faith” knowing you will now live eternally in the presence of God Almighty and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ.

Hebrews 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

            Accept Jesus now.  Place yourself within God’s Wings, within His Strength, and with all His Love.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

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