One of the most important facts about Jesus of Nazareth’s identity and eternal life is, eternal life is a person—namely the Lord Jesus Christ! What is the Scriptural evidence for such a bold statement?
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)
Some people like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Muslims who adamantly, but erroneously, oppose the deity of Christ would object and say 1 John 5:20 applies to the Father, because the same person is both the true God, as well as eternal life. So is there a connecting Scripture passage which will clarify this once and for all? Yes, and it is 1 John 1:1,2:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
Hence, John has clearly identified Jesus as eternal life in that passage, since he has to be the one their hands have touched, etc., but that same eternal life is also the true God, according to 1 John 5:20! What an important, but devastating revelation for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians and all others who wrongly reject the deity of Christ. (There are also many other Scriptures, which teach the deity of Christ, besides that one.)
Getting back to salvation, once we know eternal life hinges upon us having Jesus, we can then better understand why we need to trust him 100% for our salvation, love him first and follow him faithfully till the end, so that we can enter God’s paradise kingdom after physical death and escape hell, where most will go (Matt. 7:13,14). Don’t forget, sin is still the issue with God!
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