Predicazioni/1Giovanni/Che cosa vuol dire vivere/English version
What Does It Mean to Live?
According to the Apostle John, eternal life is not merely a promise for the future, but a reality that transforms the present (1 John 5:9–21).
What does it mean to live? Living does not simply mean existing; biblical teaching invites us to discover a much deeper reality. In the conclusion of his First Letter, the Apostle John leads us to the heart of the Christian message: "Whoever has the Son has life." He speaks not only of life after death but of the authentic life that God grants—even now—to those united with Jesus Christ through faith. This biblical reflection explores the meaning of "eternal life" according to John, showing how it is a gift from God that transforms the present and opens the believer to the hope of the coming Kingdom.
Introduction: A Question We Must Ask
What does it mean to live? Life is a word we use constantly, yet rarely examine. We all know the difference between a living being and a dead one. But if we had to explain what human life truly is—is it merely the functioning of our bodies? Is it consciousness? The sum of our experiences? Or is it something deeper, without which everything else loses meaning?
Today, this question feels more urgent than ever. On one hand, we hear endless talk about improving quality of life; on the other, we witness what many call a culture of death—where human life is increasingly reduced to a matter of utility, convenience, or personal autonomy. When a society debates which lives are worth living—or which may be discarded—it has already lost sight of life’s true meaning. Before asking how to live, we must first ask: What does it truly mean for us to live?
The Scriptures speak of eternal life as a gift in communion with God. Many assume this refers only to life after death. Others see death as the natural end of existence, while some assume the soul simply continues in some spiritual form. But the Bible points us in a different direction. It does not ask us to accept death as inevitable, nor does it ground its hope in the idea of innate immortality. Instead, it teaches that life belongs to God—that death is an enemy that entered the world, and that true life is a gift we receive in His Son, Jesus Christ.
This is the perspective of the Apostle John, expressed in his Gospel and letters. For him, the decisive question is not just, “What will happen to me after I die?” but: “Do I already possess, today, the life that God offers in Jesus Christ?” That is why he can state with striking simplicity: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
The Biblical Text: 1 John 5:9–21
*“If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony in themselves. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because they have not believed the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. If anyone sees their brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, they should pray, and God will give them life. I am not saying they should pray for a sin that leads to death. There is a sin that leads to death, but I am not saying they should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”*
This passage touches on many themes: God’s testimony about His Son, the certainty of salvation, confidence in prayer, sin, the believer’s protection, and a final warning against idolatry. But at its heart lies the gift of eternal life—the core of John’s message.
As we reflect on these words, we must ask: When John speaks of “life,” does he mean the same thing we usually do? Or does he give it a far deeper meaning?
1. Eternal Life Is a Gift from God, Not the Result of Our Efforts (vv. 9–11)
The heart of this passage is found in verse 11: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” John does not present a philosophy of life or a self-help technique. He speaks of God’s testimony concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. Eternal life is not the product of human evolution, moral progress, or religious achievement. It is a gift—and like all true gifts, it can only be received with grateful faith.
This challenges many modern assumptions. We often think that authentic life means self-fulfilment—building our identity, giving our existence meaning. But John tells us that life is not something we produce; it is something we receive. Its source is not within us, but in God. So the decisive question is not: “Have I managed to give my life meaning?” but: “Have I received the life that God offers in His Son, Jesus Christ?”
Scripture declares: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Saved not only from the condemnation of sin, but from an existence separated from its true source.
2. Eternal Life Is in the Son and Begins Now (vv. 12–13)
John’s next statement is deceptively simple: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” This may sound like the claim of a religious extremist, but it is rooted in his own transformative experience. He does not say, “Whoever will have the Son one day will have life,” but speaks in the present tense. Eternal life is not merely a future promise—it is a reality that begins the moment a person is united to Christ by faith. It will continue beyond death and reach its fullness in the resurrection, but its beginning is already here, in the today of the Christian life.
Let me use an illustration. Think of a lamp. It may be perfectly designed, beautifully crafted, and placed in the ideal spot. But until it is connected to the power source, it remains dark. So it is with human beings. We may be intelligent, educated, respected, even religious—but if we are cut off from God, we lack the very thing for which we were made. Christ does not merely add something to our existence; He reconnects us to the source of life.
That is why John does not say, “Whoever is alive has the Son,” but the opposite: “Whoever has the Son has life.” There is a world of difference.
Some reduce death to a natural fact to be accepted. Scripture calls it an enemy from which Christ has come to set us free. Others assume that human beings possess an innate, indestructible life. But John grounds the believer’s hope not in the supposed immortality of the soul, but in union with Christ. The decisive question, then, is not whether we will continue to exist in some form, but whether we already possess—here and now—the life that only the Son can give.
3. Eternal Life Transforms Those Who Possess It (vv. 14–20; cf. 3:14–15)
Eternal life is not an abstract or virtual reality that leaves everything unchanged. John shows how it produces:
- Confidence in prayer (v. 14–15),
- Victory over sin (v. 16–18),
- A deeper knowledge of God (v. 20),
- The ability to discern truth from deception (v. 20).
In other words, eternal life does not just change our future destiny—it changes our present existence.
That is why John can also say: “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in them” (3:15). This does not mean that love earns us eternal life, but the opposite: those who have received Christ’s life cannot remain dominated by hatred, vengeance, or the desire to destroy others. Love is not the price we pay for salvation; it is the sign that God’s life is at work in us.
Just as a living tree is known by its fruit, while a dead tree can produce none, so eternal life becomes visible in a life transformed by love, holiness, and communion with God.
4. Eternal Life Calls Us to Live Now as Citizens of God’s Kingdom (vv. 20–21)
John concludes by reminding us that we are “in Jesus Christ, the true God and eternal life” (v. 20)—then adds a warning that may seem disconnected: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (v. 21). But the two statements are deeply linked. Those who have found in the Son of God the source of true life need look for it nowhere else.
Idols are not just wooden or stone statues. An idol is anything that takes God’s place in our hearts: money, power, success, pleasure, absolute autonomy—even a person or an ideal to which we attribute ultimate meaning. At its core, an idol is always a false promise of life.
John reminds us that true life is not found in what this world offers, but only in the Son of God.
Imagine an immigrant who has already received citizenship in the country where they will soon live. They still reside in their old homeland, but they belong to another nation—they share its laws, its values, its future. So it is with the Christian. We still live in this world, but we already belong to God’s Kingdom, inaugurated by Christ’s resurrection.
Eternal life is not just about waiting for heaven—it is about living now under Christ’s lordship, so that every thought, every choice, every relationship is shaped by His will. The believer does not merely await eternal life—they possess it in the Son. Physical death will not be the beginning of that life, but merely the transition to its full revelation.
That is why the question this passage leaves with each of us is not: “How long will I live?” but: “Where do I receive my life from?”
Conclusion: Where Do You Receive Your Life?
We began with a simple question: What does it mean to live? The Apostle John has shown us that the Bible’s answer is very different from what our age assumes. Eternal life is not just life that lasts forever. It is the life that:
- Has its origin in God,
- Is given in His Son, Jesus Christ,
- And begins now, by faith.
It is a life that transforms our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves—and one day, it will reach its full expression in the resurrection and God’s eternal Kingdom.
That is why John does not merely invite us to reflect on our future after death, but on our present condition. He asks us, in essence: Where do you receive your life? Do you seek it in success, wealth, power, personal autonomy, or some other idol of our time? Or do you receive it from Him who came into the world to give us life?
For John, “having the Son” does not mean merely knowing about Jesus or admiring His teaching. It means:
- Believing God’s testimony concerning Him,
- Entrusting our lives to Him,
- Recognising Him as Lord and Saviour,
- And living each day in communion with Him.
Whoever has the Son has life—because they receive from Him the life that no one else can give.
For those who have already placed their trust in Christ, this passage is both a deep comfort and a renewed responsibility.
- Comfort, because our hope does not depend on our merits, feelings, or abilities, but on God’s faithfulness—He has given us life in His Son.
- Responsibility, because this life must be visible. It must manifest itself in love for God and neighbour, in the struggle against sin, in confidence in prayer, and in the rejection of all idols that still seek to take Christ’s place.
Let me leave you with the questions John implicitly asks of us:
- Where am I receiving my life from?
- What or who is truly sustaining my existence?
- Can I say that I have the Son—because I have placed all my trust in Him, and from Him alone do I expect my salvation and hope?
If the answer is yes, then let us give thanks to God and live each day with the joyful awareness that we already belong to His Kingdom.
If that certainty is still lacking, the Lord invites you today to turn to Christ in faith. He does not offer merely a religion, a philosophy, or comfort in the face of death. He offers Himself. And since He is life, whoever receives Him receives the greatest gift God can give to a human being: true life, eternal life.
Let's pray: O our Father, living God and source of all life, We thank You that You have not left us in the darkness of our ignorance and spiritual death. You have spoken to us in Your Son and revealed that in Him alone are found true life and eternal life. We thank You that, in Your grace, You have not only given us teaching or an example to follow, but You have given us Your only Son—so that by believing in Him, we might receive the life that no one can earn by their own merits, and that no reality in this world can provide. We pray for each of us now. If our hearts are still seeking life where it cannot be found, free us from the idols that deceive and disappoint us. Grant us true repentance, that we may place our trust in Jesus Christ alone and receive by faith the gift of eternal life. And for those who already belong to You, renew in us each day the joy of salvation—so that the life we have received in Your Son may be evident in our love for You, for our neighbour, and in our faithfulness to Your will. Help us, though we still live in this world, to never forget that we already belong to the Kingdom of Your beloved Son. Keep us firm in the faith until the day when the life we now possess by grace is revealed in all its fullness—and we see our Lord face to face. To You, Father, be glory, honour, and praise, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Paolo Castellina, August 5, 2026