05 - 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.’ --John 5:24. The Greek word here rendered ’’condemnation" is rendered "judgment" in John 5:22, John 5:27, and John 5:30, and "damnation" in John 5:29. The word has the force of "a condemnatory sentence" either against persons or their moral acts and opinions. In John 5:29 it is opposed, as here, to life. In the original these classes are both in the present tense: "hath life" and "cometh not into condemnation." Do you believe that Christ is the Sent of God? that his words are the message of God? that his sayings are truth? The only alternative is to believe him a liar. Conscience compels you to start back with affright from such a position. If ever there was a truth teller on this earth, Christ was he. Then observe what things are sealed and made for ever sure by this "verily, verily." Christ is the Life giver of humanity. Men are without life; they are under condemnation; they are dead; they remain so until the word of God spoken by Jesus reaches their heart, is apprehended and embraced by faith; they whose faith thus appropriates the life giving word have already everlasting life, and are no more exposed to wrath; they who continue in unbelief, excluding the word from their heart, are under condemnation, and shall continue so to be. For my word, says Christ elsewhere, shall judge them at the last day; the very word rejected by them, the everlasting Gospel; no higher truth than this shall give them hope in the judgment day; for there is no higher truth.

If the word of Christ, received by faith, is alone life giving, then verily, verily, it is a great and terrible delusion to believe that the baptism of an unconscious infant regenerates. To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believe on his name. "Born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth for ever." Is thy baptism the foundation of thy hope? Christ bids thee make haste to abandon it, and seek with all thy heart the word of life. Is thy hope sustained by the work of "a priest" transforming bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ? Not the very body and blood of Christ, much less the forgery of it, can give life. "0f his own will begat he us with the word of truth." Do you profess to believe on Him that sent Christ into the world? Do you say. This sufficeth us; it matters little about the word of Christ? God sending his Son to you puts you to the proof; if you have faith, if you know God, you will joyfully recognise his testimony and submit yourself to it fully. The Jews professed to know the Father; yet turned away from the Father incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, and showed that there was no being for whom they had a greater hatred. "Not this man, but Barabbas." "He that hateth me hateth my Father also." "Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son shall reveal him."

It is natural for men to look forward to the judgment day, for the word that shall give them everlasting life. They hope then to hear with rapture the words. Thy sins are forgiven thee, enter into life, be numbered among the redeemed. Alas for those who wait till then to hear the words of absolution from the lips of God. God giveth us everlasting life in the Gospel. We must find there or nowhere, we must now find there or never, the words. Thy sins are forgiven thee; eternal life is thine. We are saved by faith, the faith that now appropriates the Gospel offered life; he that heareth and believeth hath everlasting life.

He is not a believing hearer of the word who chooses among Christ’s words the more palatable and neglects the rest. This is faith in ourself; in our own judgment; it places Christ at our own bar, and reduces him from the position of infallibility to the level of fallible men. Will the great enemy of hypocrisy thank thee for kindly accepting some of his words, and professing to be his disciple while discarding as faulty many of the words which he brought from the Father? He will spue thy offering out of his mouth. Wherein dost thou differ from Judas, but in the persistency of thy lie?

I turn to thee, humble and diffident believer. Thou wouldst not for the world reject any word of Christ, but staggerest at the thought that the evidence of God’s acceptance of thee is to be found in thy acceptance of Christ’s word. It seems to thee that there must be something beside the word, to authorise thy assurance that thou hast life. But if there is anything beside the word, then it is not by faith thou art saved. The Physician says, This very drug shall be health to thee; the patient answers, Surely not this alone, give me somewhat else. Yes, this alone: "he that believeth on me hath everlasting life; him that cometh to me I shall in no wise cast out; thy sins are forgiven thee." Take this word into thy heart, and know that thou hast life; no matter though thy feelings withhold their testimony, no matter though Satan clamour wildly; only believe; Christ’s word in thee is life. Believe in the dark, and Christ shall give thee life. The word that has found entrance will keep the door of thy heart opened for the other words of the Gospel to come in; and God in heaven will hear the prayers vitalised by this faith. There is evidence that goes before faith, and there is evidence that follows after. The evidence that goes before is out of thee, is in the Gospel and in its achievements in the world; sequent evidence shall appear, when the Spirit willeth, in thy changed nature.