Twenty-Five PromisesJohn 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
When Jesus says ‘I tell you the truth’ or ‘verily, verily’ he is making a promise. This promise is very close to being the most basic promise of the Gospel: believe and be rescued.
Don’t miss this: over and over in John’s Gospel, and over and over in Scripture the promise is that rescue from condemnation, rescue from death and the gift of new life and eternal life is available to those who will simply agree that they need to be rescued and believe that the rescue is found in Jesus, the one God sent. There are many, many more things that could be said, and that Scripture does, say to fill out this basic understanding, but nothing said elsewhere changes the simplicity of the message: Jesus promises that if you trust in God to rescue you, you will be rescued.
Lately I’ve been enjoying Stuart Townend, Keith Getty, Fernando Ortega and the people at Indelible Grace, among others, who have been resurrecting old hymns and writing new hymns that make just this point. Here are a few:
