1 John 5:13 and 20, and John 3:14-15, 17, 36, 27

"I write this 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).

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 5:20).

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).

"For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17).

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him" (John 3:36).

"John answered, 'No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven'" (John 3:27).

Comment:

First of all, it is important to realize that the Bible's verse numbers were added long after the fact. The authors of the various books never intended that each verse stand alone as a true and complete statement, and it can be misleading to do so. Context is very important in understanding scripture, and a single verse cannot contain the depth and meaning of the whole.

These passages metaphysically describe the birth of Christ awareness that Jesus Christ realized, taught, and demonstrated. That awareness is that each of us is an expression of the Divine—each of us is the 'son' of God. In order to realize that truth, the Son of man—that is, our mortal consciousness—must be "lifted up" to a higher awareness. It was the entire purpose of Jesus' ministry to awaken that awareness in everyone, to get us to believe in our own Christ identity. Once we grasp and embrace our true spiritual identity, death becomes meaningless in the face of our eternal sonship. If we do not believe in our own Christ identity, we are still in the grip of the illusion that life is finite.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed