Most
of us don’t like liars. But many of us have lied at least once in our lives. We
chose to cover something up in the moment, thinking it would cause us less
pain. Lying is usually done to protect self. Some make lying a second
profession. For those people, they often aren’t really sure what the truth is,
or even what constitutes truth. They have lied so much they don’t even need a
reason to lie. They lie even when there is nothing to protect.
Our
text today is one of the most offensive texts in the Scriptures because it is
so clear in its meaning. And in our politically correct culture, clarity is the
enemy. Yet, our text puts things very clearly. If you want eternal life, you
must have Jesus. If you don’t have Jesus, you can’t have eternal life. No
Jesus, no heaven. Know Jesus, know heaven.
This
truth is more emphatic than “the way, the truth and the life” that is so often
stated. It is stated here both positively, having the Son means having life,
and negatively, not having the Son of God means not having life.
So
what is it in the false teacher’s message that is shot down with these direct
statements? They must have been claiming that having Jesus was nice, but that
they had something else that really qualified them for heaven. They claimed a
special knowledge that the Apostles didn’t have, a knowledge that only the
insiders could gain. And they were the conduit for this insider knowledge.
Poppycock!
John
tells us that God Himself has testified to the Truth of the gospel John had
preached to his readers. God’s testimony is the most truthful testimony anyone
could get, so we had better believe it. And the implication is that the false
teachers didn’t believe God’s testimony as delivered through John and the other
apostles. So the result, according to John, was that these false teachers were
accusing God of lying. Like that will go over really well with God!
One
final note. The testimony in question here is about Jesus. It is not a
testimony about some general truth about some Gumby God, changeable to meet the
times, flexible enough not to make anyone upset. This testimony is about the
absolute uniqueness and exclusivity of a relationship with the LORD. The only
way to get that relationship is in Jesus. It steps on everyone’s toes equally.
We are all excluded. We have all offended God. We all stand condemned. And we
all must bow before Jesus and surrender, either now in this life, or at the final
judgment. There is no second or third way to get to heaven. Jesus, only Jesus.