February 14 (John 3:16)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life. (ESV)
In that most famous verse, John 3:16, we read that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish. Here is an instance in which English just cannot capture the full flavor of the Greek. When I say I believe in gravity, I mean that have I accepted what others have taught me about it and go along with the idea that it works. The phrase “whoever believes in him” is a translation of
(ho pisteuōn eis auton), which literally means “the one believing into him.” It suggests a growing, deepening relationship
in which His life and ours meld together to the point that we are
indistinguishable from Jesus, which is so much different from simply believing
IN something.
And this is what
I want on my tombstone. I can think of
no better way to be remembered than as one who spent his life believing into
Jesus. What about you? Do you want to be known as someone who
believes in Jesus the way you believe in arithmetic or the power of
democracy? Or would you rather be known
as someone who believes into Him so that people see Jesus when they see you?
Jesus, I have enough head knowledge about You. I want to grow deeper into You. I want to know You with every fiber of my being, in my very flesh and in my soul. May I be known as one believing into You. Amen.
Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins
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