Paul McKenzie

Memory Verse, Thursday, October 2, 1 John 5:13

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (KJV)

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (NIV)

If you look at the KJV, it seems that the phrase "believe on the name of the Son of God" is an unnecessary redundancy. It is written like that in the Greek text as well. The NIV removes the "redundancy" and shortens the verse.

Some believe that it is a necessary redundancy, and should have been included. The first is a simple description of the believer: the one who believes on the name of the Son of God. The second shows the distinction of knowing that one has eternal life BY believing on the name of the Son of God.

Some might think that is trivial, but because there was and is, so much false teaching about both the way to eternal life and the One Who brings it, John wants us to be clear on both accounts. You can know that God is giving eternal life to those who believe, and that belief is distinctly tied with WHO they believe: God the Son.

It is through God the Son that the Trinity is revealed. Through Christ we get to know the Father, and through Christ we are sent the Holy Spirit so that the Father can be revealed to us. And it was the Father, in the incredible order of the Godhead, Who sent the Son to be the Savior of the World. And it is the Spirit Who bears witness to it all, and gives us the understanding.

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it." (Psalm 139:6, ESV) Not without the revelation of the Spirit, that is.

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, ESV)

Believers know that they have eternal life, and know that this life comes only through the work of Christ. We can be confident of this because of that very reason. It's not what we do that saves us; it is what He has done. And "being confident of this very thing: that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6, KJV)

And we become increasingly confident through learning about the "fruit" that is borne by those who are born again. This is described thoroughly, and deliberately redundantly in this little letter. The simplicity of it is amazing: We think upward toward heaven above all things. Our priority and heart lies in our love for God, Who, we find, first loved us!

We recognize this love as it permeates our being the more we set our affections upon Him. And then we see the proof of it by how we love our brothers and sisters, first within the church body, which is a training ground of love and fellowship. And from that, we learn how to reflect His love as we walk in the wilderness of this world, where we shine as lights with the simple testimony that "God so loved the World that He sent His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Simple, and eternally effective. We will persevere because His Spirit will keep us. And deep, deep within us we have that quiet, sure assurance that we never need to fear, for the love of God sustains us no matter what the trial in this mortal life. And one day—it will seem as a moment—one day we will see Him face to face. !!!!!!

My new response to others when the conversation comes to my age is: "I can now see the Pearly Gates!" I've reached my seventh decade in the wilderness of this world, and have been fortunate enough to have walked with Him since I was 16. Oh, I've had many failures and falls, but He has never let me down, and that deep, abiding "knowing", as my dear friend Rhonda wrote in one of her songs, is always there. "There is a knowing". A knowing that no one can take from me, for I am His, and He is mine.

I, by no merit of my own, am forever a Kingdom child. Born into it by the breath of the Holy Spirit. You can be too.

Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

Memory Helps:

"These things
have I written
unto you that believe
on the name of the Son of God;

that ye may know
that ye have eternal life,
and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God." (KJV)

A rather long verse in the KJV, but I think more accurate, so I'm using it here. And of course, if you look at lines 3 and 4 in both divisions, you can easily memorize them since they are practically identical.

Then look at the rest of it, and try just reciting them: "These things have I written / that ye may know that ye have eternal life."

Looking at it initially this way makes the verse much easier to memorize, at least for me. I hope it does for you as well.

I use Tiny "TiM" for my "memory character" to represent verses 13 (T=1, M=3, vowels fillers. He has "written" "the name of the Son of God" on some paper and gave it to "you that believe". He did this so that they may "know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God". He also throws a "yawning Lei" on each one of them so we know that this is 1 John 5:13.