You can know you have eternal life

1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. In today’s verse, we learn why John wrote this epistle, namely, that those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God might know that they have eternal life. He probably had everything he had written in the letter in mind when he said, “These things”, but he had just told them that if they have Jesus in their lives, then they have eternal life. He had also told them the proof that they know God and have Jesus in their lives. The proof was that they believed Jesus was the Son of God in the flesh and they loved their brothers and sisters in Christ. Faith and love are evidences of new birth, the birth, so to speak, of the Son of God in their lives. This should encourage us who believe in the name of the Son of God. To believe in the name of Jesus is to trust in His work accomplished on our behalf— His righteousness performed for us, His body given as an atoning sacrifice, and His resurrection, signifying our being forgiven and raised to eternal life. If you are not living to love with Jesus, then may I encourage you to do so. If you believe in the name of the Son of God, then you have His life dwelling in you, and that was His purpose when He was on the earth. His purpose hasn’t changed. He’s still glorifying His Father by loving with Him through His children. If you aren’t living intentionally to love with Jesus, then, in the name of Jesus, I call you to repent of living for something other than Jesus’ purpose. As a believer, your life isn’t about you, it’s about Jesus. Your old life, with its worldly purposes died when He died on the cross. That’s believing in His name. Your new life is Jesus’ life—dwelling in you and expressing His love and righteousness through you. That’s believing in His name. Repent, believe, and intentionally live to love with Jesus—trusting in Him to be your life. I hope you’ll pause and meditate on the reality of having eternal life. When John wrote that they “may know”, he wasn’t implying that they could just imagine themselves as having eternal life. To know eternal life is to know a reality, something that exists and is true before God. If you are living to love with Jesus, you know you have Jesus in your life. You experience His love flowing through your life on a daily basis. You don’t find it burdensome to love, it’s a joy and a privilege to you. According to the things John wrote in this letter, you are a child of God and have eternal life. Rejoice in the Lord! Give God thanks, and give Him glory.