Life in Jesus

For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself.

--John 5:21-26

Of all the things Jesus has, “life in Himself” is truly one of the most amazing. Just as the Father can raise anyone from the dead, so Jesus can give life to one who is not alive.

Obviously, He's not just talking about earthly life and death. Jesus only raised a handful of dead people from the grave while He was on earth. The inhaling, exhaling, heart-beating kind of life is not by any means the most important kind. The kind of life you really want is the kind we see in verse 24:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.”

If Jesus had only said the part about hearing and believing, my heart would have sunk in disappointment. I am no stranger to hearing without belief. I see unbelievers who have been told the gospel (some who have heard the gospel passionately told multiple times) and who stubbornly refuse to believe. I see people continue to ignore the pressing urgency of commitment to Christ and live on in their dead ways day after day. People hear, and don't believe. How can such ones have eternal life? It would seem that they are destined for judgment and have no hope of passing from death to life.

But the progression of these verses gives me some hope about their salvation. You see, Jesus doesn't start with people and their hearing and their believing. He starts with Himself, and that makes all the difference. “The Son gives life to whom He will.”

I find incredible comfort in remembering that salvation comes from God alone. There are (more or less) thirty people whose salvation I pray for regularly. At least once a week, I ask for God to save these people. Most of them have been told the gospel. Some of them have been told by me. It just feels so good to remember: if it's not about them hearing perfectly, then it's not about how well I tell. I don't need to be persuasive enough, or diligent enough, or perfect enough. I couldn't be. And I could never, ever save these people. I certainly didn't save myself!

Only Jesus has life in Himself. The life I have is not innate; I was born dead and given life later. Jesus has been gloriously alive since forever before the first second of time passed. And He will be alive for the never-ending ages, long after every living thing has left the earth. He gives this life to others. I believe He will give life to some people on my list before long—and He will do it apart from any skill or wisdom or faithfulness of mine.

I trust in the one who has, and gives, life--all by Himself.