The prophetic “voice calling in the wilderness” ends his
testimony on behalf of the One whose entrance he is called to announce. His words affirming the ministry of the
Jesus, who will in essence make John’s unique ministry irrelevant, began in
verse 27 of this passage in chapter three.
What begins as a response to those who perceive the ministry of Jesus a
threat to the ministry of John leads him to clarify that Jesus’ ministry is the
culmination of his life’s work, not the end.
But then John, in this closing statement, makes a statement
so outrageously extravagant that it must either be a ridiculously over-the-top
demonstration of loyalty, or a statement on the non-negotiable cornerstone of Christianity. It is an unabashed confession of what
salvation is, and how it is received. In
short: faith in Jesus equals life; absence of faith in Jesus equals an absence
of life. There is no middle ground. There is no compromise. No loophole.
To mimic the popular bumper sticker: Know Jesus, know life. No Jesus, no life.
The way I see it—the whole thing boils down to how you
understand “everlasting life.” If
everlasting life is equated with living forever, then this verse is very narrow
in its scope. Only those who accept and
believe that Jesus is the Son of God will be saved and will, by consequence,
live forever. That leaves a lot of
people out, even if we only include those who have lived after the death of
Jesus Christ. Even by the more
permissive definition, more people are out than in. On the other hand, if “everlasting life” is
not defined merely by the length of time, but by the essence of the life being
lived, then the text is descriptive of a life that can only be experienced by
those who know God, as revealed through Jesus Christ. Those who never have a chance to know the God
revealed through the life of love, service, and sacrifice, lived by Jesus, will
only see God as vindictive, capricious, and arbitrary. That’s no way to live.
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