Gtcotr/ss110914
To
all the Veterans of the US Armed Forces … “Thank You!
The
Gospel of John was written by the younger son of Zebedee and Salome from the
town of Bethsaida in the Galilee. This fisherman turned Apostle outlived all of
the other disciples and is understood to be the only disciple who died a
peaceful life. It is thought that John relocated from Jerusalem to Ephesus in
about the year AD 69 or 70. Many believe that the Gospel of John was not penned
until near the end of his life in perhaps AD98.
We cannot know for certain the exact year but we do know the reason why
John wrote. He declared:
John 20:31 but these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing you may have life in His name.
Near
the turn of the First Century AD, secular views had infiltrated the Church and
were attempting to sway Christians away from the firsthand accounts of the
Apostles through their written testimonies. In other words, some Church leaders
simply were not teaching the Word of God but rather were watering it down to
make it less offensive and more acceptable.
The
Main Disputes
of these False Teachers centered around some of the basic tenants of the
Gospel:
·
The preexistence of Christ (For if Jesus was preexistent …)
·
The resurrection (For if Jesus was victorious over death …)
·
Salvation in Christ alone (For if Jesus was the only way …)
·
Jesus is the Son of God
The
elder John wrote in strong defense of these truths and laid strong claim as to
the Deity of Jesus as the only begotten Son of Almighty God and the fact that
this Jesus, though crucified, dead and buried for our sins, was alive and well
by the power God.
John
reasserted the non-negotiable absolutes of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
This message was under attack in the First Century Church from secular
humanists and is in the 21st Century under attack once more.
Let’s
look at this unchanging Gospel in the book of:
John 3: 7 "Do not marvel that I
said to you, ’You must be born again.’
Absolutes
are difficult for many young Americans to accept. Nonetheless absolutes
absolutely exist. Life is filled with immutable truths. The whole universe is
governed by laws which are unchangeable and non-negotiable.
As
long as you are on earth you will be subject to the laws of gravity and
governed by them whether you understand gravity or not. At sea level under
normal conditions with the barometer at 29.92 inches of mercury, water will
freeze at 32F and it will boil at 212F like it or not.
Perhaps
you have never actually boiled or frozen water before and therefore feel you
cannot attest to this as a personally held fact but that does not change the
truth. Simply because one person has never experienced the truth for themselves
does not mean truth does not exist. And by the way, truth does not change from
person to person or situation to situation nor does truth follow popular
opinion or majority rule. Truth stands on its own even when we do not respect
it.
The
timeless truth of God’s Word has been verified by every generation. This is the
reason why John records Jesus, the Son of God, saying with certainty, “you must
be born again”.
Five
Absolutes
·
John 3:36 "He who
believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall
not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
·
John 5:26 "For as the
Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
·
1 John 5:11 And this is the
testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
·
1 John 5:12 He who has the
Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
·
You must be born again.
