Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:12
Depending on the Christian tradition you hold to, this statement invokes a few things about what it means to “have life.” Some focus on eternal life, and some emphasize earthly life. Yet, if you look at many scriptural witnesses, it is both.
Paul speaks about living out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) and also about being careful about how you live (Ephesians 5:15-16), but at times will also focus on life eternal (Romans 6:22). The Lord’s brothers, Jude and James, also speak of the duality of life.
But the pie’ce de re’sistance is from Jesus himself who speaks about looking and living toward the vertical (heaven) and horizontal (earth) when he taught:
One of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31
Now go live the life… both of them!
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