1 John 5:12
Memory Verse
The one who has the Son has the life, the one who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12).
Just as a branch does not have life on its own unless it is part of the vine, so we do not have eternal life unless we are in Christ. The life we receive was given to us in the Son (1 John 5:11). Therefore, the one who has the Son possesses eternal life. Eternal life is God’s quality of life—a life that has the inherent ability to support itself.
The only way to receive the Son is to believe that He (Christ) died on behalf of our sins according to the Scriptures, and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
Since we have life in the Son, when we sow to the Spirit, we produce the results of this life. If we sow to the flesh, we produce corruption (Galatians 6:8). This does not mean we lose salvation, because those in Christ have eternal life. Instead, it is about the kind of work we do. We should not think we will avoid reaping what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Let us sow unto the Spirit so that we produce works related to eternal life. The works that come from the flesh will be burned up. Still, the grace believer will be saved (1 Corinthians 3:13–15).
We have been set free from the sin nature and have become slaves to God. Now, we can produce fruit that leads to holiness and shows eternal life (Romans 6:22). Also, grace reigns in the Christian’s life through righteousness because of the eternal life in Christ (Romans 5:21). Because we can produce fruit and are free from sin by grace, let us cast off the works of the flesh and the sin nature. When our minds focus on the flesh, our actions produce works of death, which are a manifestation of a life that does not fellowship with God. When we focus on the Spirit, we use our lives in Christ. This brings us a calm mind and shows the life of Christ in us (Romans 8:6).