Faith Comes From GOD

Hello!  and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  For our first-thing-first this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (08 January 2016)

"Who has overcome the world?  The one who believes that JESUS is the Son of GOD.

JESUS CHRIST was acknowledged through water, but also through blood.

Not only water but water and blood.

And the Spirit, too, witnesses to HIM for the Spirit is truth.

There are then three testimonies:  

the Spirit, the water and the blood, and 

 these three witnesses agree. 

 If we accept human testimony, with greater reason must we accept that of GOD, given in favor of HIS Son.  If you believe in the Son of GOD, you have GOD's testimony in you.

But those who do not believe make GOD a liar, since they do not believe HIS words when HE witnesses to HIS Son.

What has GOD said?  That HE has granted us eternal life and this life is in HIS Son.  The one who has the Son has life, the one who do not have the Son of GOD do not have life.

I write you, then, all these things that you may know that you have eternal life, all you who believe in the Name of the Son of GOD." - 1 John 5:5-13

(GOD-Love is the one who asks us to believe in HIS Son, and faith is a victory.  John wrote the book of Revelation to give hope to persecuted believers, showing them the victory they share with CHRIST simply because they believe in HIM.  John repeats the same thing here in a different way.

Our greatest victory is to attain our inheritance as children of GOD and to reach the eternal life of GOD HIMSELF.  Those who believe in CHRIST have already come to the Truth, to GOD.

How may we know that we love the children of GOD?  John already told us:  the person who loves GOD also loves his brothers and sisters.  Here, however, John expresses it the other way around:  those who love their brothers and sisters are known by the fact that they love GOD.

Many things are called love; there may be something of love in all of them, more or less.  The love of GOD for us and the love that HE gives us toward other people cannot be confused with other loves.  The love springing from an authentic communion with GOD does not resemble sentimental love, blind and fickle.  Rather, it is effective, both in the sense that it liberates others and it transforms us in CHRIST.

Verses 6-9 point out three complementary aspects of the Christian experience, which are first seen in JESUS HIMSELF.  John characterizes them with three words:

- water:   water is the symbol of cleanliness and of new life.

- blood:  the blood of the sacrifice, the painful atonement for sin, the blood of martyrs.

- Spirit:  the uncontainable power that animates CHRIST's witnesses; the amazing creativity of the people and institutions that are rooted in faith.

These three witness to JESUS CHRIST and they also characterize Christian salvation.  We can easily see that they correspond to the tree sacraments of baptism, Eucharist and confirmation.

In the concluding paragraph, John repeats what he said throughout the letter:  you who believe, appreciate what you have.  Do not underestimate the step you took in accepting CHRIST.  Explore and look for the riches which are meant for you and which are found in "HIM who loves us" [Revelation 1:5].)