1 John 5:11 – And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1 John 5:12 – He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Hello readers, been a little while since my last blog. Hope you are all going well. Today I am going to be talking about… what is the record? Many people seek God, or so they say anyway. Many people want to know who God is and what God has to say. It seems pretty good, every man and his dog has his opinions, but where can we find the truth, the absolute, in all this? Where is this God, and what does this God have to say? And truthfully, many people just don’t want the truth, so they’ll keep searching their whole lives, and many prefer to live a life where they won’t be held to account or a light be shone on their sin like the God of the Bible does. People choose a lie willingly. Remember in Acts 17? Paul came across an altar in Athens that read TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Many people assent to a God or a higher being out there, but think he’s unknowable, or detached from his creation, or it’s a journey to find him and what he says. But is God really shrouded in mystery? Can we find out who he is and what he has to say?

In 1 John 5:11,12 – And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. The Bible is saying… and this is the record. So where is the record? What is the record? Here it is. Here is the record. Here is THE truth. The truthful version of events, carrying the seal of God. 1 John is truly a book written to Christians so they can know things, so they can know they are saved, so their faith is built upon the infallibility of God’s word. Reading God’s word builds faith. You can’t read 1 John and not be built up in the faith, to be grounded and settled in the truth, in the veracity of God’s word. And in 1 John 5 we find a heavenly witness. You see there is the word of man… then there is the word of God. There is the witness of man… then there is the witness of God? Which is greater? Which would you rather hear? Everyone’s got something to say. We’ve recently seen that in Job. Everyone’s got an opinion, everyone’s got their own way, everyone’s a know it all. But where is the TRUTH. THE record? Well we’ve got the record from heaven here. The record from Christ who is in heaven. If you were going to base your life on the word of a witness, this would be the witness to listen to… surely? 1 John 5:9 – If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

So what is a record? Websters 1828 dictionary says a record is an authentic or official copy of any writing, or account of any facts and proceedings, entered in a book for preservation. And so on… but a record is something written down to the intent of preserving authentic or correct evidence of a thing. In a court of law they record what was done there, historians record history by writing down what happened, when you there’s a land transaction or you buy a car or something there is a record of it with a deed or a lease and bill of sale. The Bible is proof. It’s the word of God. The Bible is the record of God to man. It’s God saying… and what God has said… isn’t’ that what we should all be interested in? The witness of God is surely greater than the witness of man? No wonder the Bible says in Romans… let God be true and every man a liar. All of the opinions and philosophies and man’s wisdom… they should be nailed to the cross of Christ.

Don’t you want to know what God says? It’s recorded in his word. This is what John is saying in this book to believers. Hey, here is the record. Here is the God. Here is what he’s said. Here is what he requires. You can spend a lifetime searching for God, and ignore what is plainly written down. It’s written so you can be saved, so you can be prepared against the day of judgement, so you don’t have to live in simplicity being fooled by the devil and wasting your life and ending up in hell. You know, we’ve been in Job a lot of late… and Zophar said oh that God would speak! Job had said in Job 9:11 – Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. The whole debate these guys were having was centered on who God was and what God was doing in Job’s situation. And we know they all got it wrong, it was when God spoke that the whole thing was settled. You can’t see God, you can only know him by his word, and the revelation of his word to you by the power of the Holy Spirit sent in Christ’s name. Shouldn’t God’s word settle you? There’s nothing else, THIS IS the record John wrote. There is no other truth. There is no other God. There is no other way of salvation. There is no other way to fulfillment and purpose in your life. In big neon lights… AND THIS IS THE RECORD.

1 John 5:10 – He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. People choose not to believe the record of God. They say nah witness, you’re lying, I know better. God’s record they turn their noses at. You can reject the record of God as fundamentally as his giving of his Son to die on the cross for our sins. You can reject the record of God that he created the heaven and the earth in six days. You can reject the record of God of what he requires of you in this life. Big call to call him a liar isn’t it? You know, it is Jesus Christ who is heaven today. You aren’t, I’m not. Why wouldn’t we listen to the guy that is in heaven? The guy that made it? The guy good enough and powerful enough to make it? Heaven was opened to him, he was received up. There’s no record of anyone else doing that. Because noone else could. So why don’t we receive the heavenly witness, the heavenly record of what’s what. He came with the word of God, he came with the Father’s seal… and they rejected him, and they crucified him. People love truth huh. The Bible is the heavenly record. It’s God’s word to man.  He tells us about himself, he reveals himself to us, he gives the Holy Spirit so that we can understand and believe and live it.

John wrote in 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. Is your faith built and settled by knowing the record of God to man? It should be. The disciples said they believed, but they forsook him. So we need to grow in faith and grace and truth… not become destitute of it, not be tempted and drawn and seduced and enticed away from it by our lust and pride and sin. Lord I believe, help my unbelief. There’s no other truth, there’s no other way, there’s no other life. The Bible speaks of those who are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. How many people wax lyrical about their faith journey, their spiritual exploration and enlightenment… all sorts of rubbish… when who God is and what God has said is plainly written down. And it’s unchanging. God gave us his Son, if you don’t HAVE him… you don’t have life. Simple. It’s not enough to know about him… do you have him?

It’s all about Jesus Christ. The one in heaven, the one who is God. 1 John 5:7 – For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. It’s funny how we take the word, the record, of all sorts of people, men, and yet reject the word of God. We call him a liar… because the truth is not in us… the witness has found no home in our hearts. The courtroom of your heart doesn’t rate the word of God on the witness stand. If you have truly believed, if you have owned who Christ is and what he has done for you, you have the Holy Spirit, and he will point you to the word of God, he will point you to Christ, and minister Christ unto you. Job and his friends did a lot of arguing over what the record of God was. God’s word is written down for us today, we are all without excuse. He can be known, and what he requires is known, so at judgement there will be no… I didn’t know. You can do what you want, but to reject the heavenly witness of what the truth is, something that should satisfy your search for it… that’s going to be on you at judgement. We live in a world that calls God a liar, even people calling themselves call him a liar in what they believe and say and do. And this is the record… here it is people. Who wants it? Who can hear it? So before you come to Christ, this same question still holds true at the start… Isaiah 53:1 – Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

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