1 John 4:15 AMP
[15] Whoever confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
Let us lay a quick foundation to the verse above. John, the writer of this book, made it clear that he was writing from the position of personal experience. He said: 'what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life, is what he was proclaiming to his audience. He said he had seen the Word of Life in action as an eyewitnes, and was able to testify about this Word of Life to his audience. By extension, my personal conviction helps drive my public declaration. Whatever it is I am convinced and sure about becomes a message that I am proud to present to other people at anytime. John had tasted of the riches of the Word of Life, and was now inviting others to come and experience the same. Do I have the same mind and heart as John here? Am I focused only on what I can get, and not much on the lives that God seeks to bless through my own knowledge and experience of Him?
John in his day had the opportunity to fellowship with the Word of Life, along with other believers of his time, and so do we in our own time today also have the opportunity to fellowship with the Word of Life, as well as other believers of our own time too. However, it has to be noted that this access is not a right you get automatically by natural birth; it is a privilege you get by the second birth. The natural birth has given rise to sin, and anyone who dies following the natural birth only has no access to the eternal life promised by God. That is the standard, and I can choose to live or die by that standard. It will not be lowered or changed for anyone, no matter how gifted or connected. It is the second birth, or what we call 'being born again' that gives a man that access into the reality of the latter part of the verse above. It is a non-negotiable and irreplaceable experience for anyone who wants to access all that God is and has.
How do we arrive at this amazing destination? The verse above clarifies. It is for anyone who confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God. It may sound simple, but this is the position that has caused problems for many people. It does not follow rationality or human critical thinking. It does not make that much sense humanly speaking. This is where God provides the grace that brings salvation and has appeared to ALL men. It is this grace that enables me to say No to sin and Yes to God. Both confession and acknowledgement work together to achieve that which God seeks. It is my mouth that confesses, and my life's pursuits and priorities provide the public acknowledgement that I now live by different standards and have a different master now. The reward of that inner change is that God abides in you, and you in God too. Picture the amazing fellowship that is possible when the presence of God manifests in all of us. Do I truly have Him? God's time of favour is here.
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