1 John 5:11-121 John 5:11-12
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  

WP-Bible plugin And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life.

This passage tells us that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, the way to possess eternal life is to possess God’s Son. The question is, how can a person have the Son of God?

Man’s Problem

Separation From God

Isaiah 59:2Isaiah 59:2
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. have hid: or, have made him hide  

WP-Bible plugin But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.

Romans 5:8Romans 5:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

WP-Bible plugin But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

According to Romans 5:8Romans 5:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

WP-Bible plugin, God demonstrated His love for us through the death of His Son. Why did Christ have to die for us? Because Scripture declares all men to be sinful. To “sin” means to miss the mark. The Bible declares “all have sinned and fall short of the glory (the perfect holiness) of God” (Rom. 3:23Rom. 3:23
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  

WP-Bible plugin). In other words, our sin separates us from God who is perfect holiness (righteousness and justice) and God must therefore judge sinful man.

Habakkuk 1:13a You are too just to tolerate evil; you are unable to condone wrongdoing.

The Futility of Our Works

Scripture also teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality, or religious activity can gain acceptance with God or get anyone into heaven. The moral man, the religious man, and the immoral and non-religious are all in the same boat.

They all fall short of God’s perfect righteousness. After discussing the immoral man, the moral man, and the religious man in Romans 1:18-3Romans 1:18-3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
 

WP-Bible plugin:8, the Apostle Paul declares that both Jews and Greeks are under sin, that “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:9-10Rom. 3:9-10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; proved: Gr. charged ¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  

WP-Bible plugin). Added to this are the declarations of the following verses of Scripture:

Ephesians 2:8-9Ephesians 2:8-9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.  

WP-Bible plugin For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not of works, so that no one can boast.

Titus 3:5-7Titus 3:5-7
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; ⁶ Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; abundantly: Gr. richly ⁷ That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  

WP-Bible plugin he saved us, not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.

Romans 4:1-5Romans 4:1-5
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
4 ¹ What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? ² For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. ³ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. ⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵ But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.  

WP-Bible plugin What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter? 2 For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about (but not before God). 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

No amount of human goodness is as good as God. God is perfect righteousness. Because of this, Habakkuk 1:13Habakkuk 1:13
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? iniquity: or, grievance  

WP-Bible plugin tells us God cannot have fellowship with anyone who does not have perfect righteousness. In order to be accepted by God, we must be as good as God is. Before God, we all stand naked, helpless, and hopeless in ourselves. No amount of good living will get us to heaven or give us eternal life. What then is the solution?

God’s Solution

God is not only perfect holiness (whose holy character we can never attain to on our own or by our works of righteousness) but He is also perfect love and full of grace and mercy. Because of His love and grace, He has not left us without hope and a solution.

Romans 5:8Romans 5:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  

WP-Bible plugin But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This is the good news of the Bible, the message of the gospel. It’s the message of the gift of God’s own Son who became man (the God-man), lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sin, and was raised from the grave proving both the fact He is God’s Son and the value of His death for us as our substitute.

Romans 1:4Romans 1:4
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: declared: Gr. determined  

WP-Bible plugin who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 4:25Romans 4:25
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.  

WP-Bible plugin He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.

2 Corinthians 5:212 Corinthians 5:21
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.  

WP-Bible plugin God made the one who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the right-eousness of God.

1 Peter 3:181 Peter 3:18
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:  

WP-Bible plugin Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit.

How Do We Receive God’s Son?

Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross, the Bible states “He that has the Son has life.” We can receive the Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior by personal faith, by trusting in the person of Christ and His death for our sins.

John 1:12John 1:12
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: power: or, the right, or, privilege  

WP-Bible plugin But to all who have received him–those who believe in his name–he has given the right to become God’s children

John 3:16-18John 3:16-18
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. ¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  

WP-Bible plugin For this is the way God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

This means we must each come to God the same way: (1) as a sinner who recognizes his sinfulness, (2) realizes no human works can result in salvation, and (3) relies totally on Christ alone by faith alone for our salvation.

If you would like to receive and trust Christ as your personal Savior, you may want to express your faith in Christ by a simple prayer acknowledging your sinfulness, accepting His forgiveness and putting your faith in Christ for your salvation.