1 John 5.20-21
“And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
These final verses of First John are powerful. The word that John uses for “true” is the Greek alethinos. It means “real,” and in this brief passage John uses it twice to describe God the Father and once to describe his Son Jesus Christ.
The crucifixion and resurrection are real. Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross, and three days later he resurrected, thereby defeating death. This was for the purpose of redeeming man from sin and reconciling him to God. “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” (Colossians 1.22-23)
Choice is real. People who choose to repent of their sin and believe in Jesus are reconciled to God. People who reject Jesus are not reconciled and are destined to spend eternity apart from God. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3.36)
Spiritual warfare is real. The forces of evil are constantly at work seeking to deceive and destroy. They distort the truth, deny the reality of God’s redeeming work in Christ, and they attack the followers of Christ. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5.8)
God’s claim on our life is real. God calls Christians to engage with the realities of a broken world. God sends us into the world to be agents of his kingdom in the midst of the challenges and difficulties of a world damaged by sin. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5.20)
Victory is real. Through the power of his Spirit in our lives, the Lord makes available the spiritual resources we need for standing firm against the temptations of the world and the attacks of the evil one. However, we must appropriate and utilize those resources through faith and wisdom. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5.4-5)
Again … the truth is that God and his kingdom are real. The great question is: how will we respond?
