Who is God after?

Acts 8:26-27 (NIV) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”).

We strategize. 

If we (by “we”, I mean me and anyone like me) are forming a band, we look for the best available musicians. If we are organizing a sporting team, we try to persuade skilled, advanced players. In lots of different situations, the people we want in our “team”, whatever the event or endeavor, we tend to consider the skills and abilities we most need or aspire to, or even the influence a person may have on others, as a potential stepping stone to success.

Does God strategize?

If he does, what does he consider?

I ask this question as I skim over the story of the Ethiopian eunuch.

Why would God send Philip to him?

What was special about this man, was his influence in Ethiopia the reason for God sending Philip specifically in such a miraculous way?

Does God even need to organize these “chance” meetings?

The point I want to make is that 1. We should not strategize, or at least we should not be considering the “outward appearance” of a person. By this I don’t just mean their athleticism, or high standing in a particular field. God looks at the heart. We cannot look at the heart as God does. But we can follow God’s lead, as Philip did.

God chooses the least; the least appealing, the least educated, the least influential, as well as others.

Being an Ethiopian eunuch sounds a bit marginal to me. Yet God sent Philip to him.

We don’t have to give any ulterior motive to God for this move. His merciful love towards someone who genuinely wanted to worship and understand the scriptures was more than enough, from my reading. And I believe that this still applies today. He does not need a particular leader in a nation in order to achieve his purposes, he even hardens some leaders in order to show his mercy more powerfully to his beloved.

We don’t have to be special for God to send his loving-kindness in our direction. His love for us is beyond our understanding, and is not dependent on our behaviour, abilities, or influence, but a contrite heart he will not despise.

So in our desire to share the truth of Jesus, his powerful forgiveness for all that was won on the cross, let us go with the leading of the Holy Spirit, which is not within our ability to predict or control, we simply follow humbly, always being ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us. And God will make those chance meetings happen.

God’s strategy is not our strategy.

His strategy is love-strategy.

 For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.

The Lord of Peace

 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way  (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

I believe we are all touched by the word “Peace”, at least in the context of modern western society.
I am confident that “peace” is a universal human concept, that potentially has great depth.
“Peace” or “Shalom” is a well recognized greeting or parting word, in a number of cultures.
If nothing else, to me this implies that we are prone to aggression, and approaching an unfamiliar person or group of people may not be peaceful. And certainly, approaching an enemy in times of war would not be peaceful.
So how is it that Jesus could be the Lord, or Prince of peace? 

What authority and power does this imply and what are the makings of this peace?

If I look at a worldly understanding of great authority, for example a dictator, even a benevolent ruler, the peace that appears to exist under that persons authority may be due to unwavering discipline, with painful penalties. Mercy may be lacking.
Even accidental breaking of rules may be met with swift judgement and painful consequences including the execution and removal of a law breaker. This may allow the kingdom or community at large to continue “peacefully” but does not give peace to the law breaker. Justice may well be served, and the country or kingdoms may have a reputation of safety and law abiding citizens but there may also be high levels of fear, anxiety, lack of self expression, dissatisfaction and as a result, low levels of joy and emotional or inward peace. 

In our society, though there is the freedom of expression and religion, etc, there are still high levels of fear and anxiety and other mental illness which interfere with our experience of peace, not to mention the relatively low penalties for even serious crimes, allowing, in some places, unpredicted/unexpected violence.

Even in nature, on a perfect day, a swim in the ocean may be anxiety provoking for those of us with thoughts about sharks. 

Although the Peace of God applies to every situation, my discussion is more about inter-relational peace.

Reconciliation can produce a true peace for all involved. One that allows the conscience to rest, and sweet sleep to occur at night. But reconciliation requires cooperation from  offended opposing parties. Opposition is sometimes passed on generation after generation, becoming a marker of that group of people, never to be questioned, even beyond reason. 

So reconciliation is not easily achieved, and often tentative, and conditional, with no real love exchanged.

I believe Jesus is Lord of peace because he himself has borne the weight of our sin and reconciled the world to himself and himself to the world. 

On the cross. 

This occurred independently and even despite the lack of cooperation amongst the wounded parties. That is, fallen, rebellious mankind vs God.

This is worth meditating on.

I believe this implies that every ripple of disturbance of the deep peace of holiness is fully resolved in every sense, including issues of justice, and morality, in and on the cross.

By the cross I mean, the willing suffering, death and resurrection of the pure innocent spotless Lamb of God; Jesus our Lord.

This victory has achieved everlasting peace for every situation, every prick of conscience and every anxiety, it also applies to situations of uncertainty in nature and society, where we are still in the presence of God, even if we are walking in the shadows of the valley of death.

Therefore we trust in Jesus, the Lord of Peace.

A friend recently explained that he prays for humiliation.

I found this confronting, but it has been a good consideration in my dealing with daily issues where my pride, along with Satan’s schemes, try to take away the reality and experience of the powerful peace of God.
 

Paul’s prayer and blessing for the Thessalonians is a powerful one, only because it states the truth, in faith.
And we are blessed as we are once again, spoken to by the Holy Spirit, in the gentle discomfort of humility, to bask in the ocean of peace that is the presence of our Lord.

God keeps his promises.

I am writing this little message with a particular situation in mind.

Over many years I have cared for a number of people approaching the end of their lives, many have never understood what a wonderful saviour Jesus is.

Some have had a negative experience of church from childhood, (I certainly remember as a child, that church services felt prolonged, and tedious, and certainly not fun. But some I have spoken to have had much worse experiences than this). If finding God meant you had to turn up to a church and try to enjoy something you’ve avoided most of your life, it just wouldn’t sit right, I’m guessing.

But the great news is that God is not limited to a church building on a Sunday morning. To have peace with God, you don’t actually need “organized religion”, for want of a better term.

 

God loves us so much that he sent his son Jesus, so that anyone who believes in him can have everlasting life.   It is really that simple.

 

Do you want peace in your heart? Do you want a clean slate? Do you want to have all your sins forgiven? Do you want to be with Jesus, in heaven, when you leave this earth?

 

The thief on the cross next to Jesus, realized that Jesus was Lord, and asked him, even as they both were dying, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom”.

 

 Jesus heard him and responded.

 

What did he say to him?

Did he say, well you should have attended church and gone to confession, and prayed more, and read your bible more, and helped the poor, and devoted your life to goodness?

Did he say, you’re a criminal, you made your bed, so now lie in it?

Did he say, you’re a hypocrite if you expect me to listen to you; you never gave me a passing thought, and now that you know you are dying, you want me to overlook everything you’ve ever done, and welcome you with open arms like the father of the prodigal son?

 

No, Jesus did not say any of that, though some of us might think that would be appropriate.

Instead, he said, without hesitation, “Today you will be with me in paradise”.

 

Just like that Jesus accepted the faith of this man, who clearly was moved by the character of Jesus who was crucified, though innocent, and had prayed “Father forgive them, because they don’t know what they’re doing”.

 

As far as I can tell, that criminal died and went to heaven without ever setting foot in a church building. Jesus paid the price for all his sin, on the cross.

 

This is the Jesus I love. This is the Jesus I trust. I believe he forgives us this freely. There is no other way, no other name, no other saviour, only Jesus.

Yes, I do go to church, and I love it, and I probably contribute to the boredom for younger children, but I go to church because I believe Jesus has treated me the same as that criminal.

 

If you would like to have a relationship with Jesus, don’t put it off, ask him now. Pray to him now, privately, ask him to forgive you, to be with you, to care for you, just like the criminal on the cross and every other person who has needed a saviour over the centuries. He is good and trustworthy and full of love and mercy. He will answer your prayer, and you can have peace with God right now, and heaven with Jesus in the hereafter. This is the paradise that Jesus promised, and God keeps his promises.

The silence of God

 When I think about my relationship with our heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I am aware that there have been a small number of times in my life when I strongly hoped for a clear, audible, communication, from God. Even when I have not looked for spoken answers, I have occasionally spoken my prayers out loud in times of yearning. But mostly, when I am praying alone, my prayers are silent, within my mind and heart. In all of those instances, I have not heard an audible voice or reply. And the silence that I experienced, I mostly interpreted as "don't alter course". What I mean is, I was probably looking for a door to open, or permission to change my life to an easier direction, when life was getting hard, which I assume, we are all tempted to do. For example, when do we leave a job, a church, a place of residence, a marriage? The last example is a little different, and I probably should not have included it, as there is clear teaching on marriage in the bible. 

Strange as it may sound, I was naturally the sort of child that needed permission to move. And still I do not like changing my course without clear direction or permission. God obviously knows this about me. 

Wouldn't it be amazing if God simply "broke his silence" every now and then, to add certainty to our difficult decisions?

But my experience, and probably everyone else with faith, is that God is mostly silent in terms of the miraculous, heavenly, audible speech that we may sometimes dream we might receive.

But God does speak to us in many other ways.

We should not be surprised at his "silence".

Rarely, in the Bible, do we see examples of God speaking an audible word. He spoke with Adam "Where are you", to Cain "Where is your brother?", to Abraham, when he received his promise. To Moses in the burning bush, and to Samuel "Samuel". And all the prophets had direct messages in one form or other, that allowed them to record "Thus sayeth the Lord".

But how many of these encounters were from God himself? Some of these events are later described as the Angel of the Lord. In other words, messengers representing God. This causes someone like myself to wonder was it God himself or an angel. For example when Jacob wrestled with God.

In the new testament, it was the angel Gabriel that visited Mary. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, received a number of guiding dreams, and he responded to them.

We know from Acts chapter 2 and Joel, that God pours out his Spirit and gives his servants dreams and visions.

And I have experience at least 3 vivid unforgettable dreams and one instance of my earthly fathers voice calling me by name and waking me up (as he often did), though on this occasion he was miles away in hospital. (It was the day my father died, and once I woke to his voice calling me, I knew that this was from the Lord, and that this was the day of his departure).

 The holiness of God is also worth considering. He is truly unapproachable and ineffable. Yet he is not far from any one of us! (Acts 17:27)

But the point I would like to get to is that our Lord Jesus himself experienced God the Father's audible voice only twice; at his baptism, and at the transfiguration. He did not hear his Father's voice in the desert during his fast, in the garden when he wrestled with the cup before him, or on the cross when he cried out "My God, my God why have you forsaken me".

The obvious parallel is that we should likewise also not expect to hear the audible voice of the Father, even in our darkest hours. But what Jesus never let go of, is the word of God, which was in his mind and heart, and which he quoted often, both for himself and for his hearers.

And like our Lord Jesus, we have this word, and we are blessed to read and dwell in that word.

 And on Sundays, when we meet together, the word is read publicly and the word is expounded by members of our church. Surely this is a time when God ministers to us and speaks to us inwardly through his Spirit. By faith we know that God hears us, our prayers are a gift for us and others, God acts to bring good  to us in every situation, especially the painful ones. Faith is not weakened by silence, and accepts the outcome of every situation. We do not put God to the test, and we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, which, in my understanding, is the Bible.

Romans 1:20 (NIV) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

1 Timothy 6:15-16 (NIV) —God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

 

 

Who should get healed?

This may sound like an unusual question. But God says he makes the rain fall on both the sinners and saints alike.
Matthew 5:45 NIV
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Is healing any different?

Modern medicine has helped many, many diseases. In my working career as a doctor, I have seen a small but significant number of illnesses benefit from major breakthroughs which are rightly celebrated. Apart from this, the availability of care and medical help is a great blessing in our country.
Medical care is not determined by faith, though there are disparities in our country, as well as probably all countries. As Christians in the health field, we are in an excellent position to care for those who would otherwise miss out, regardless of faith, level of education, cultural background or any other factor.

The healing ministry in the church is probably a lot wider than what we think. How many countless prayers are silently prayed for loved ones suffering illness? What of the countless Sunday morning prayer lists in all sizes, styles and denominations of church across the globe? 

Are these "ordinary" prayers heard by God and answered?

For some Christians, it is important that God miraculously heals today, apart from and independent to medical science. Some refuse to visit a doctor, even a christian doctor. And for other Christians, there needs to be scientific medical proof before any faith healing is believed.

But I want to mention the “miracle” of our human bodies, with inbuilt healing qualities/abilities that are truly amazing.
As an infant we learn to speak and walk and other normal skills, but we never learn to heal, it just happens. We graze our knee, and are blessed with the gift of pain, the gift of crying, and then the gift of coagulation, the gift of fibrin and scab formation and then the gift of re-epithelialization. Full healing occurs over a few short days without our intervention, skill, or even thought. And there are countless internal mechanisms keeping all of our organ's functioning, which we are totally unaware of. How many cancer cells do our immune system destroy before, eventually, in the occasional person, one takes hold?
For some Christians, there is a need or even a demand to see God at work in miraculous healing.
There are scriptures that state strongly that Jesus’ followers will do greater things than he.

John 14:12-14 (NIV) Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

How many lepers did Jesus heal?
Maybe 20? No more than 50 from my quick recollection. But modern medicine, now, has a cure for leprosy.
How many people of faith were involved in the discovery of such cures. I actually have no idea, but more than we imagine. I am aware of stories of breakthroughs in science coming to those who pray. And what of the current leprosy mission, https://www.leprosymission.org/ staffed by people of faith, offering funded treatment to those who are unable to access this?
Do these things “count” or are they too ordinary to satisfy those promises?
I’m not sure that I have ever personally seen a dramatic miraculous healing. I believe they happen. I pray for people to receive such healing. But I accept that God may answer these prayers in ways that are unexpected.  I have seen many of my patients recover when they were considered unlikely to. In my understanding, prayer is part of this. God is part of this. He can and does strengthen parts that we already have, such as our immune system, or the wisdom of those making decisions. To me this is as strong a work of the Holy Spirit, as a blind person receiving their sight. But maybe faith is needed to see this!

Hebrews 12:12-13 (NIV) 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Naaman had to wash in the Jordan river 7 times.

Sometimes, we have to do ordinary things to receive healing, like submit to the expertise of people who do not share our faith. Is this God letting us down? Or is he giving us opportunity to relate to others we otherwise would not?
In all things God works for the good of those who love him. We believe this, especially when our prayers are met with what some might interpret as silence.
And what of partial healing? I suffered a significant disc protrusion earlier this year. A number of people were concerned for me and prayed for me. Those payers were answered. I am much better, but I still limp. To me, I am as good as I would ever hope to be, and I am thankful. Is my disc still protruding? Probably yes. Is that a blessing? In my eyes, yes.

And what about later in life, should we expect ongoing healing forever? When is it OK to allow nature to take its course? We all must face physical death up to he time of Jesus return. Our Saviour faced suffering and death head on. He could have prayed and legions of angels would have rescued him, but he did not save himself. He accepted death. There was a greater need than his need to stay physically well and alive. It was our sin. He died for our sin. And we know that probably all the apostles died a martyr’s death. And today there are more martyrs than in the first century. How does that fit with an expectation of instant prayer healing?
Stephen the first martyr was a great example of how we are to face suffering.

Am I anti-miracle-healing? 

No.
But I see it rarely, and I do see the disappointment and questioning of sincere believers when prayers for healing are seemingly unanswered. I do not believe it relates to a lack of faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.
God has a time and purpose for everything, including healing and suffering, and disability. Our need to have things fully healed may be due to our fear of illness and disability, or our fear that God may not be with us in these things, or our fear of dealing with people who do have permanent disabilities, or our fear that God is not in fact strong, mighty, present, and able to do these things easily.

Love drives out all fear. 

We should continue to pray for each other, including for our healing. Paul tells us in Thessalonians to pray without ceasing. If we are really in need, I think fasting is worth a go, and I am also into kneeling.

So who does God heal?

Psalm 103 tells us that he heals all of our diseases.

Who is he speaking to?

Everyone.

If I Wrote a Tract

Christians believe in Jesus.
We believe he died by crucifixion but 3 days later, came to life, not because he wasn’t properly dead, but because he was able to break out of death. We actually believe he defeated death, like a superhero destroying an incredible monster. But his power was not like a superhero. It was the power of a perfect life, with impeccable moral purity, utter innocence, true holiness, resisting all the temptations of the devil, as well as humble submission and obedience to God our Father.
Christians believe Jesus is alive right now as a resurrected man, in heaven, and that soon he will return, the true king of all creation. We believe he is God. God’s son, but also fully and truly man.
He has the power and authority to judge the moral failures of every person in all of history, and forgive the sins of those who love him, and sentence those who don’t.
But Christians aren’t motivated by fear.
We believe that God is love. And that it was because of his great love, that God, the father, sent his one and only son Jesus, to be one of us, at the very first Christmas.
To forgive even the smallest sin, he had to legally pay the price of every sin, and that price is death. Yes death is a terrible punishment, but the death penalty is exactly what Jesus suffered in order to meet the strict legal requirements of forgiveness. If you ever forgive anyone, if you think carefully about it, you are paying the cost of whatever that person did against you. That is true forgiveness, it’s more than words, it’s action, loving action.
So Christians believe Jesus died on a cross, paid the price for our sins, rose from the dead, rose physically to heaven, and will soon return.
But we also believe that he is present with us, spiritually, through God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
We believe that it is God’s Spirit that stirs our hearts and makes us care about our honesty and purity (or lack-of) and failure to live up to Godly standards, even simple things like keeping our word.
These things start to keep us up at night, and we may even long to be free of these painful thoughts and memories.
When this is happening, Christians believe this is God working in our lives, urging us to come clean, spill the beans, admit that we can’t do it alone, that we need His love and forgiveness. That is when we see the true beauty and preciousness of the cross of Jesus. The bible says that he became our sin, that he carried our sorrows, and that his wounds heal us. (And that is just scratching the surface)
How do we then cross that line into God’s family of forgiven and relieved children? People who believe deeply that their sins are forgiven? People who sing for joy the words of amazing grace?
It’s really simple.
Believe, confess, repent.
Believe that Jesus is the King, resurrected and alive in heaven.
Confess that we need him for our forgiveness.
Repent, which basically means change direction, stop following our own ideas and follow Jesus instead. His teaching is clear, in the bible, on how we should live our lives (especially the New Testament).
That’s one of the reasons Christians meet together at church on sundays. To hear more about what Jesus taught us, to sing for joy, and to meet with God. He promises to be with us always but especially when we meet together.
You can follow moral laws for living without Jesus. But if you are strict about it, you will fail (for example Jesus taught that if you even think about committing adultery, it’s basically the same as committing adultery).
So if we need our conscience to be properly clean, no amount of self sacrifice or self torture or self isolation or anything else we try to do will achieve this. Only Jesus, on the cross, dying for our sin, can, and does do this, once and for all.
That’s what Christians believe, and sing about. It is life changing, and we want you to join us and Jesus.
You could just turn up at your closest corner church, and see if God speaks to you there. Hopefully he will. I also recommend reading the Bible, (Christians believe the bible is fully inspired by God, and fully reliable when understood properly- but it can also be misused so care is needed) I especially recommend the New Testament, and maybe start with the Gospel of John. The Old Testament is very relevant but is not as obviously about Jesus, as the New Testament, though Jesus himself tells us that the whole of the Old Testament is about him and is actually fulfilled by him.
And if there is one word worth dwelling on and trying to really understand deeply, that word in my opinion is “grace”.
It’s a Christian word that summarizes the generosity of God’s forgiveness. If you visit a Christian gathering, ( that is what the word "church" means) the people there should take that word pretty seriously to be useful as God’s representatives, in my opinion.
By the way, life as a Christian is not all roses. It includes ongoing struggles, failures, disappointments, grief, temptations, times of self questioning and doubt. But we are never alone, and God has surprising ways of lifting us in times of trouble, and keeping us in his family, it’s part of his commitment to us, Jesus is clear about that. And we re-experience the truth of his forgiveness, time after time. That is my experience. Christians really believe God loves us this much. The bible testifies to this many times.

Lastly I want to mention prayer. Christians pray to God, and usually finish with "in Jesus name", because Jesus tells us to do everything in his name. God hears our prayers, and Jesus hears our prayers, and the Holy Spirit helps us pray as children of God. We believe God answers prayer. The way he answers is as a loving Father caring for the whole of his creation, with a clear plan for every part of it, including you and me, so sometimes the answers are surprising, and sometimes it feels like we hear silence. Most of us have prayed to God at some point in our lives. I believe he hears every prayer. Christians believe he wants us to pray continually, for each other, for ourselves, in thanksgiving, and also in our lowest times. It is hard to be a Christian and not pray.
I hope this little summary is helpful to you and your search for true meaning in this life and the next, so what are you waiting for? Ask God right now to lead you to the person who will help you become a christian.
 

Righteousness- trying to explain a religious word

"Righteousness" is a religious term.
 

Ordinary language does not properly convey it's meaning because ordinary language mostly exists outside the realm of religious beliefs. It seems to me that this is becoming more and more the case in western society. My concern is that ordinary people may switch off when terms like this are used.

Most of us relate to nature.

The beauty and grandeur of nature is able to reflect the greatness and majesty of God, to any person, religious or not, but nature does not, in my opinion, give us a “natural” understanding of God’s righteousness, or righteousness in general.

Justice and truth are concepts we grasp more easily than righteousness, even though nature does not necessarily reflect justice or truth. But as members of human society, most people have an understanding of justice and truth, especially when we experience the opposite of these, ie injustice and deception (ouch).

Righteousness could be understood as perfect justice and truth in a person's character, which remains consistent and unchanging. 

Righteousness is not something easily attained. It does not come naturally. In fact, in the strict sense, it is impossible to achieve, due to what Christians refer to as fallen nature, which apart from anything else describes the tendency for every human being to rebel/disobey/take the selfish road/sin.
“Sinless perfection” is a term sometimes mentioned in Christian teaching. Implying a state of being that is morally impeccable.
Righteousness could also be thought of as something like that.

What this is all getting to is that righteousness is a state of being which applies only to God. 

God is righteous. He is completely, perfectly and unchangeably righteous.

Unrighteousness is what actually applies to the rest of us. Although we were created perfect, and I would include righteousness in that description, we rebelled and lost it all. Like a chipped or broken plate, it can never be perfect again.

But God is able to make us righteous!

 He does this only through sacrifice, atonement and propitiation (more religious words, but important ones, see later).

He exchanges (swaps) his righteousness for our unrighteousness on the cross of Golgotha, 2000 years ago, in the person of Jesus. 

It is a gift, totally unattainable, but freely given! (This is a gigantic assertion, and is otherwise known as “the gospel”)

As Christians, we have some understanding of righteousness, but we may mistake our religious way of life as somehow solidifying the righteousness that we have been given in Christ.
We may give the impression that living our lives as Christians achieves a form of righteousness that God is pleased with.
The Pharisees had this impression.
It is incorrect.

As Christians, we are righteous, and remain so, but all of this is a gift that we cannot do without.
The lives we live are a witness of what God has given us, but do not achieve an ounce of righteousness. Even the courageous sharing of our faith, which can help others come to faith, is wonderful but certainly does not achieve righteousness. Prayer, fasting, attending church, bible study, theological dedication etc, do not achieve righteousness.
Jesus alone, as a human, in all of history, was the only person able to live a life of sinless perfection (Christians believe this strongly). He was, and is (he rose from the dead and remains active and alive right now) righteous, in himself, but never independent from the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Our righteousness is a gift we must have in order to be in continual loving fellowship with God. God the Father gives this gift by sending his Son, Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, atonement and propitiation (words that mean that our sin and rebellion is completely extinguished), so that we who are unrighteous can be made righteous. What an amazing gift.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.