John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
We find several encouragements in this last verse of the third chapter of John’s gospel. First, we are encouraged by the grace of God. Faith is evidence of eternal life. John didn’t say that the one who believes will have eternal life. They have eternal life. As the writer of Hebrews wrote in chapter 11, verse 1. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. It’s the same with love. Love is the evidence of sins forgiven and eternal life. Remember the woman who washed Jesus’ feet in the house of Simon?
Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”
Do you see it? Her love was an expression of faith, which was evidence of an awareness that her sins had been forgiven. She didn’t love so that her sins would be forgiven, she loved because her sins were forgiven. So we can first be encouraged that if we believe in and love with the Son, God has been gracious to us and given us eternal life.
Second, we are encouraged about the character of the faith God gives those who have eternal life. They obey Jesus. “Faith without works is dead,” wrote James in 2:26, in the same way “as the body without the spirit is dead.” The reason we live to love with Jesus is that we have faith in Him and therefore obey Him. He commands us to believe and love one another. Faith and love work together.
Third, this verse encourages us to share the gospel and call people to believe and obey Jesus. Each person is responsible to believe and obey Jesus. If they do not obey, they will not see life. It is implied that if they do obey, they will see life. Sharing the gospel and calling for faith in and obedience to Jesus reveals the state of the person with whom we share.
Notice there are two states of relationship with God. One has eternal life, and the other has the wrath of God abiding on him. Their responses to the gospel reveal their condition before God. The only way to discover those who have eternal life and those on whom the wrath of God remains is to share the gospel with them...
