Eternal and Abundant Life
- Cathrine Schmelzer
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
“Faith in Jesus, and submission to His commands, actually gives us life, an abundant life that we can’t live on our own.”
“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
This verse, just a few paragraphs from one of the most well known verses (John 3:16), is a truth that is essential to understanding the message of the gospel. Because of Jesus going to the cross and dying in our place, for our sins, we can spend eternity with God in heaven.
In order to receive the gift of heaven, though, there is something we must do first. We must believe in the Son and obey His commands. But, we’re not given these “rules” to oppress or restrain our lives. Just the opposite, actually. In John 10:10, Jesus tells us, “... I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Faith in Jesus, and submission to His commands, actually gives us life, an abundant life that we can’t live on our own.
Those that do not obey the Son, do not see life. Here, Jesus is referring to the abundant life that He provides, and instead of seeing the abundant life that they could have, the wrath of God remains on them. Yikes. My ESV study Bible notes on this verse say, “God’s anger (wrath) is His holy response to rejection of His love and law.” In Romans chapter one, the people who held the wrath of God were “given up” by God and therefore separated from Him.
Moms, hear this. Whoever does not obey the Son is separated from God. I think it’s safe to say that none of us want that, so it’s so important to put our complete faith in Jesus, obeying His commands and allowing Him to be with us.
Take a moment to:
Reflect on this verse, and apply it to your life, and more specifically, your mothering. Have you put your faith in Jesus and allowed Him to be the complete Lord over your life?
Written by Cathrine, mom of 4