WHAT IS THE KEY TO LIFE?
"What Is The Key To Life?" is based on the
three letters John (Jesus' cousin) wrote about
A.D. 90.
(Bible references are in brackets and quotes
are from the N.I.V. Bible.)
Jesus was from the beginning with the Father,
He reveals life and He is life now and
eternally. Those who heard, saw, touched and
truly believed in Him enjoyed spiritual union
with Him and the Father.
If you believe in Jesus Christ you too enjoy
spiritual union (fellowship) with Him, the
Father and all other believers.
(Here's how to get spiritual union with Him.
God made you in His own image, so you could
enjoy real life, sharing His love, friendship
and creation. He is totally interested in you,
having specially prepared plans for your life.
God loves you too much to force His plans upon
you. He leaves you free to choose His way or
your own. In fact, everybody begins by choosing
to go their own way -"do their own thing." This
breaks His law of love and separates us from
Him, a spiritual and physical death penalty.
Even so, He continues to care for us. He shares
our resulting pain and sorrows. The good news
is that He showed the depth of His love for you
by paying your penalty and eliminating the
causes of your separation. He did this by dying
in your place at Calvary and opening the way
for you to be re-united with him.
The Cross shows how valuable you are to Him.
All He asks in response to His love is belief
in what Jesus Christ has done for you and a
genuine desire to go His way rather than your
own. If you want to do this, then tell Him in
your own words like these:
Dear God, I have been going my
own way but now I want to turn
and go your way. I believe you
will forgive all my past sins
and give me a new life as a
member of your family. I believe
the way to do this is through
trust in your Son Jesus Christ.
Thanks for accepting me.
You have done the most important thing possible
- become a member of God's family. God now
lives within you in the person of the Holy
Spirit. This means you have become God's
masterpiece. You can't be more special than
that. To grow you will need to meet with other
members to give and receive encouragement.
You can do that by joining a loving and
accepting Christian denominational church or
meeting in your home. (Our book, "How to Meet
with God at Home" has details).
The word "church" means a meeting of God's
family {true believers in Jesus Christ}. It
does not exist between meetings because it is
not an organisation but an intermittently
observable organism. From here on the word we
use for church is "meeting").
Jesus' message to you is that God is light. If
you walk in that light,you have spiritual union
with other believers. When you fail (and it's
inevitable) confess your sin to Jesus. He is
faithful, just and will forgive and purify you.
Jesus bled and died for you to provide
forgiveness. He speaks to the Father in your
defence, being the atoning sacrifice for your
sin and for the sins of the whole world.
If you claim to have spiritual union with God,
yet walk in darkness,you are a liar not living
by the truth. The same applies if you claim you
don't sin, you deceive yourself and call Jesus
a liar.
(Chapters 1 & 2 verses 1 & 2)
Obedience to Christ's commands proves you know
Him and it's how God's love is truly made
complete in you. If you claim to live in Him
you'll walk as He did.You'll love your brother,
ensuring that nothing in you hinders his
spiritual growth.
If you say you know Jesus but disobey Him,you
are a liar. Likewise, if you claim to be in the
light but hate your brother, you are still in
darkness. It has blinded you and you don't
know where you are going.
If you love the world (sinful cravings, the
lust of eyes, boasting of what you have and do)
the love of the Father won't be in you. "The
world and its desires pass away, but the man
who does the will of the Lord lives forever."
When you believed in Jesus Christ, God the Holy
Spirit took up residence in you, so you know
the truth. He remains in you (as does the
Father and the Son) and you need no one else to
teach you. Continue in Him, so that when He
appears you may be confident and unashamed.
If you meet people who deny that Jesus is the
Christ, they deny the Father at the same time.
Such people are antichrists.
(Chapter 2 verses 3 - 29)
How great is the love the Father has lavished
on you in calling you His child. He has not
made known what this will finally mean,but when
He appears,you'll be like Him and see Him as He
is. This is your hope, so purify yourself just
as He is pure.
When you sin it breaks God's law. Sin is
lawlessness. There is no sin in Christ. He came
to take away your sin. If you are born of God
and live in Him,you won't deliberately continue
sinning. (Anyone who deliberately continues to
sin is of the devil who has been sinning from
the beginning. The Son of God appeared and
destroyed the devil's work). God's children
don't continue sinning, the devil's children
do.
Love people, it's a sign you've passed from
death to life. Don't be surprised if the world
hates you for this.
Jesus Christ laid down His life for you. That's
what love is and you ought to be prepared to do
the same for your brother. If you have plenty,
and see your brother in need, have pity on him
and help him - it shows God's love is in you
If your love is genuine it will show in
action (not just words).
Live on this basis and your heart will be at
rest in God's presence. You'll have confidence
before Him, obediently doing what pleases Him,
and getting answers to your prayers.
His command is to believe in the name of His
Son Jesus Christ and to love one another. Do
that and God the Holy Spirit assures you that
you live in God and God lives in you.
(Chapter 3)
Beware of the devil's evil spirits. They do not
acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh, they
are the spirit of antichrist.They are active in
the world now. They speak from the world's
viewpoint and it listens to them.
So do not believe every spirit. Test them to
see if they are from God. You are from God,
therefore you have overcome all evil spirits,
because God in you, is greater than the devil.
Love comes from God. When you love others,it
shows you have been born of God and know Him.
God showed His love for you by sending His one
and only Son into the world, so you could live
through Him. This is love: not that you loved
God, but that He loved you, so you ought to
love others. If you love others, it shows God
lives in you and His love is made complete in
you.
You know you live in God and He in you by His
Spirit and by your acknowledging that Jesus is
the Son of God. So you know and rely on the
love God has for you.
God is love. If you live in love, you live in
God and God lives in you. This love is made
complete so you'll have confidence on the day
of Judgement,because in this world you are like
Him.
Fear has to do with punishment,but perfect love
drives out fear, there is no fear in love.
You love because God first loved you. (If you
don't love your brother whom you have seen it
shows you don't love God whom you have not
seen). God's command is - if you love God,
you'll also love your brother. (Chapter 4)
If you believe Jesus is the Christ,you are born
of God. Loving God means obeying His commands.
They are not burdensome, because you have
overcome the world, getting the victory through
your faith and belief that Jesus is the Son of
God.
Jesus was born like you were,but He died on the
cross. The Holy Spirit of truth testifies to
this. Everyone who believes in the Son of God
has the same testimony in His heart. The
testimony is that God has given you eternal
life and this is in His Son. If you have the
Son you have life,if you don't have the Son you
don't have life.
These writings are so that you may know you
have eternal life. Thus you may confidently
approach God, knowing that if you ask anything
according to His will He hears you and you have
what you asked of Him.
If you see someone sin, pray that God will give
him life.
When you are born of God, you don't
deliberately continue to sin. Jesus Christ
keeps you safe so the evil one who controls the
world can't harm you.
Jesus Christ has come to give you
understanding, so you can know Him and be in
Him,the true God and have eternal life. So have
nothing to do with false gods.
(Chapter 5)
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and
from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, be with
you in truth and love.
Christ's command from the beginning was that we
love others. This means consistently obeying
Christ's commands.
You'll meet many deceivers who don't believe
Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again for
them. Don't be led astray by such people.
(John's second letter)
Jesus is the way and the truth and the life.
Being His person means you "walk in the truth"
or live a consistently truthful life.
Show hospitality to others who do the same as
you, working together with them for the truth.
Peace be with you.
(John's third letter)
HERE ARE SOME MAIN POINTS FROM JOHN'S LETTERS.
1. Believing in Jesus makes you spiritually one
with Him (the Holy Spirit indwells you) and
with other genuine believers. God is light
so this means you walk in the light. When
you fail by sinning, confess it to Jesus
and He will restore you.
2. God's love is made complete in you, when you
show you know Christ by obeying His
commands.
3. God the Holy Spirit lives in you,so you know
the truth and He is the only teacher you
need.
4. Sin is lawlessness,so if you are born of God
and live in Him you won't deliberately
continue sinning.
5. Show you love people with practical actions
- not just words. You'll have peace with
God, confidence as you obey and please Him
and your prayers will be answered. God is
love, so if you live in love, God lives in
you. You are able to love, because God first
loved you.
6. Your oneness with Jesus means you share His
eternal life. So you can confidently know
that if you ask according to God's will, you
have what you ask for.
7. The devil's deceiving spirits are active in
the world. So do not believe every spirit.
Test them to see if they are of Christ and
He will keep you safe from the devil who
"controls" the world.
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