By Guest Columnist, Spencer Sullivan, Pastor, Pelahatchie Baptist
As a sports fan, I like to know what is happening when my teams are playing. I love watching my teams on TV, but there is nothing better than being at the game itself. However, there are many times when I’m unable to do either. When I’m unable to go or watch, I still try to keep up with the score and what’s happening one way or another. A common way is to pull up an app on my phone that provides the score and even the play by play. That’s certainly useful, but what’s even better is when I know someone at the game that can provide me with live updates as it happens in front of their own eyes. A trusted eyewitness is able to tell me exactly what happens, as it happens. The apps are useful, but when there’s a delay or some kind of review, I don’t know what’s going on. A trusted eyewitness can tell me everything, even the nuances that the apps don’t communicate. Whenever we want accurate information in any situation, a trusted eyewitness is far more beneficial than any other option. They are especially more reliable than secondhand information (or worse) from someone who wasn’t even there.
In the Bible, eyewitnesses are absolutely critical. In fact, when deciding which books would be included in the New Testament, there was no requirement more important. If the book or letter was not from the pen of an eyewitness of Jesus, it was not even considered. The apostle John was not only an eyewitness, but one of Jesus’ closest friends. He was 1 of Jesus’ 12 disciples, but more than that, he was also among the 3 disciples closest to Jesus. He wrote 1 of the 4 Gospels and also 3 of the epistles (letters) included in the New Testament. In his first letter, entitled 1 John, he began by establishing himself as an eyewitness of Jesus. This was because there were false prophets deceiving people with false teaching concerning the truth about Jesus. In response to that, John wrote to the early believers as an eyewitness so that they could trust that what he wrote about Jesus was true and credible. At the end that same letter, he wrote: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” What a statement! He essentially said that everything he wrote in that letter was so that those that those who truly believed would have the assurance of eternal life. Having the absolute assurance of eternal life has everything to do with knowing the truth about Jesus and believing in faith! You know, no other belief system in the world even proclaims the idea of eternal security. Do you know why? No other has anything to substantiate that promise. No other faith has a God and Savior that has defeated death and lives today! But, Jesus is the victorious and risen King! This is the Jesus the eyewitnesses proclaimed. In his Gospel, John also wrote these words: “…but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” John, the eyewitness and friend of Jesus, wrote extensively in the New Testament so that you and I could be assured of our eternal destination when this life is over.
So, how does that sit with you? Do you know you will spend eternity in Heaven with absolute certainty? Have you put your faith fully in the Jesus of the Bible, the One proclaimed by His eyewitnesses? If not, let me recommend that you actually read the words written by the eyewitness John. Read the Gospel that bears his name. He wrote it so that you may believe in Jesus and have life in His name.
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