Lenten Reader | Day 15

March 1st, 2024

Hears & Believes

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

John 5:24-27

Leading up to this passage, Jesus has been proclaiming the authority He has through the Father. As Christians we believe in Jesus and wholly trust that He is who He says He is, and we trust in the authority He has.

In this passage Jesus is explicitly declaring His authority and proclaiming the power of God in His ability to grant everlasting life to those who believe and trust in the Father. Jesus calls upon those who are dead in sin and declares that now is the time in which all those who choose to hear His word will be made alive again. Praise God for all of us have lain dormant in the valley of sin, but this passage proclaims that Jesus has the power to save us and raise us back to life with Him if only we believe in Him and the One who has sent Him.

In this world we will surely be ladened with trouble, and the voices of society will be loud in proclaiming that sin is a part of our human nature and should be celebrated. But friends, do not be deceived by the world. Take heart in what Jesus proclaims in this passage of John, which is the holy truth. Jesus has the power and authority to raise those who are dead in sin back to life…everlasting life. Challenge yourself today, do you accept the everlasting life that Jesus is offering us by believing in Him and the One who sent Him?

How can you continue to choose to believe the truth about Jesus and His resurrecting power in a world that often celebrates sin and darkness?

Sarah Mayne