August 23: A present possession

For God sent Him, and He speaks God’s words, since He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.    (John 3:34-36 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

There is one God who exists as three distinct persons — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — and we see all three in this passage. Though they are three separate beings they work in complete unity. We never hear about them disagreeing, becoming jealous of each other, or arguing. They have different functions, and work at different times, but they work as a seamless, uninterrupted unit. They are three, and at the same time one. In this passage, the Father sent the Son, the Son spoke the words of the Father, and gave the Spirit. This should give us the faith to overcome any bad marriage, any crisis with our children, or any problems on our job or in our neighborhood. If the God that lives out such mind-boggling unity lives inside of us, He will give us the power to enjoy the same unity in our relationships.

Jesus emphasizes the fact that He was given the Spirit without measure, that all things were placed in His hands, and that belief in Him brings eternal life. He is not boasting or diminishing the other two persons of the trinity, He is simply stating facts. He is speaking to people who’re not sure if they believe in Him or not, and when He speaks about what is possible through faith in Him, He’s not trying to manipulate people into believing, but simply making it possible for them to make an informed decision. If they chose not to believe in Him, they would know what they would be missing for the rest of their lives. Three of the most important things in life are in the hands of Jesus; if we want those three things we have to surrender to Him and make Him Lord of our lives.

When Jesus speaks about eternal life He uses the present tense, stating that whoever believes has eternal life as a present possession. But the opposite is also true, God’s anger is on those who refuse to believe as a present reality. Though our lives are not yet finished, we’re still imperfect and in the process of learning to trust more fully in God, if we choose to believe in Him we can take hold of eternal life right now. It’s not a hope, it’s a fact. Of course we have to continue to be faithful, we can’t relax in our faith, but as we do God views us as already saved.