“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,
that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13, NKJV). 

When you hear the phrase, “in the beginning,” what springs to mind? Likely, your thoughts turn to page one of the Bible where we are told that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). There we read of the eternal God speaking creation into being. That creation would fall under the power of sin with the disobedience of Adam. The rest is history, albeit a fallen one, that would be the womb for God’s promise of a Savior (Gen. 3:15). 

Years later the apostle John would again take up that phrase to write a new creation account. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He would lay out themes of creation, light, darkness, and life in relating the account of the eternal, uncreated Word becoming flesh, come in grace and truth, the promise of Genesis come to term. 

John would also invoke “beginning” in his first epistle: “That which was from the beginning …, concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). As he did in his Gospel, John points us to Jesus, the eternal Son of God incarnate to save. 

What does John want us to understand in writing these things? He tells us plainly. In his Gospel he writes: “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). John’s entire account can be seen as testimony to be considered in reaching a verdict. The record of Christ’s “I AM” statements, His miracles, His teaching, and the accomplishment of His saving work are written to convince us that Jesus is the promised Messiah in whom is found eternal life for all who believe. 

Likewise, John lays out a purpose statement in his epistle: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). To what does John point us to assure that we indeed possess life in Christ? If we liken salvation to a medical condition, John lays out symptoms for its diagnosis, perhaps foremost of which is love. 

The beating heart of John’s Gospel is love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The beating heart John’s first epistle is love. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16). 

What do John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 tell you about life in Christ?