Son-Light Beats Life in the Shade

“Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

~1 John 5:10-12 (NRSV).

We can be forgiven for having to re-read John because he appears repetitive, and certainly contrastive, but it’s clear such Scripture is stated like it is to make us think; to ruminate and wrestle with the text.

This little passage above is typical.

It’s the power of God that we get to meditate over simple, yet alluring, concepts to deepen our knowledge of the Lord.

The Testimony of the Heart – Son-Light

We all align to, and embark upon, a testimony. That is belief. We all believe.

Signs of God are ever-present, yet, due their own wills — that God’s provided us because of his love — many choose not to believe this testimony. This testimony is made known firstly by what God has made — evidence of, and the process of, Creation — and, secondly, by the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

Those who become convinced as to the reality of God in Creation and in Jesus, however, have a testimony inherent to the truth in their hearts. The truth is theirs without barrier. We can affectionately call this the “son-light”.

Rejecting The Testimony of the Truth – Life in the Shade

Shade is the metaphor of life without life — Spiritual life.

It might seem like life but it’s, in reality, a world of death because of the level of untruth that’s lived out. Life is truth; lies, or the fabricated, pretend life, are death.

The truth is God and the fact of Jesus — the Saviour of humankind.

A Sharper Truth

Probably the most translucent theological truth is this one:

Whoever has the Son — and therefore, life — has such by the way they live their lives. This is the cognisance of, and ability to live according to, the truth.

This is a sharper truth cutting into the hearts of “saved” believers, so-called, who attend church and say their prayers, but have superficial fruit to show for it; signifying the truth is no longer alive and kicking in their lives. And seasons like this come to every believer; times when we’re challenged beyond our wills to align to the truth.

This is a hard word for all.

It means that salvation is a matter to be lived out. Heaven is another reality entirely.

The Son-light or life in the shade? Truth or lies? These are our choices.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.