The Book of Life
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
—John 20:30-31
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
—John 21:24-25
John begins his gospel writing,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it…. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5 & 14
He begins his gospel by poetically introducing Jesus as God, the source of life, the light available to all people, and while He is God, He came to earth as a fully human man. After that amazing, tightly packed, poetic introduction, John fills 21 chapters with accounts of Jesus’ life on earth, His teaching, and His miraculous signs and wonders.
He concludes the 20th chapter with the first passage above explaining why he wrote the gospel and he concludes the book with the second passage above explaining that Jesus did so much more than He wrote in the gospel. He did not attempt to provide a moment-by-moment, detailed account of everything Jesus did during His time on earth because if one were to record the details of each life He touched and transformed, and the signs and wonders He revealed, and the bodies, minds and souls He healed, and the demons He sent away, the volume of information would be insurmountable. So John did not attempt to record everything. Inspired by God, He presented what was and continues to be necessary to accomplish the purpose of the writing. Inspired by God, he wrote so that you might believe Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world, God, and “that through believing you may have life in his name.”
God inspired John to write with a purpose, and that purpose was for you to have life in and through Christ Jesus. God inspired John to write for you to have, to experience, to possess life. I’m not suggesting that John knew you would be reading the words he penned 2,000 years later, but God knew and it is His holy word.
In many different ways, time and time again, Jesus explains that He is the source of life and He offers life to His listeners. He is speaking to people who are breathing and listening to Him and physically alive, yet Jesus offers them a sort of life that they do not possess. If they are physically alive, yet somehow not alive, Jesus must be discussing a different sort of life, spiritual life. He refers to this type of life, this spiritual life, in words translated as “eternal life,” “life, and have it abundantly,” and simply “life.” Quoting a few, He says,
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:14-16
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath. John 3:36
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. John 5:24
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10
Jesus describes the life that He offers in terms of life and death. While talking to people who are breathing and listening and experiencing physical life, Jesus describes them as dead, as not experiencing life. He describes people as passing from death to life by believing in Him, and He says that people who fail to obey Him “will not see life.” In contrast, those who drink Him in will be connected to the never-ending source of life, and will experience all the attributes of life, including light, wholeness, satisfaction and joy that they previously longed to have.
Jesus presents the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as a quality of life available to us here and now, and He comes offering that quality of life in abundance, but we must accept the gift, we must receive His holy gift of grace. John wrote his gospel “so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
Jesus’ statements about the life He offers force the conclusion that it is a matter of life and death – those who do not know Him are dead and will continue existing in that state of being forever. It’s a matter of life and death, but there are many forces trying to prevent each individual from receiving His holy gift of grace. While Jesus comes offering life, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” The thief kills primarily by blocking people from the gift of life, by keeping them away from God, by blinding them to truth of Christ Jesus.
May you see Christ Jesus for who He is. May you receive Him fully into your life, your being, your spirit and soul. May you know Him intimately and may you share your experience with Him with everyone within your sphere of influence. It’s a matter of life and death.