A friend of mine collects Coca-Cola memorabilia, but it must be vintage, not a reproduction. Many people shop carefully for the products of designer manufacturers, because having a designer handbag or luggage is a status symbol. For others, the latest smartphone or video game is the most prestigious version to own. A guarantee of authenticity is a valued thing, and many designers guard their patents against cheap knock-offs.

Are we just as interested in the claims of Scripture for Jesus' authenticity? No one spoke more passionately on the subject than the apostle John.

1 John 5:6-12 – This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (NASB 1995)

Jesus was not a spirit, as gnostics of John's time believed, but a real man, made of flesh and blood, sent to live among us and die a man's death on a Roman cross, taking on the punishment for the sins of the world. He was baptized in water by His cousin John, and shed His blood on the cross; they are His witnesses. The Holy Spirit completes these witnesses to Jesus' humanity and His divine nature. Our faith is based on this reliable "seal of authenticity".

The apostle John deftly exposes the sin of unbelief. By rejecting God's own testimony about His Son, we are effectively saying it's not true. That makes God out to be a liar. Does that go too far for you? For many, His death on the cross is offensive and distasteful; better to trivialize the cross into jewelry or design, or replace it with a self-help gospel!

We have eternal life, but that belief rests on knowing that our salvation rests in Jesus and not in our own efforts and performance. How will you know for sure? It doesn't matter if you have a good day or a poor one, for if our salvation depends on what Jesus did for us, then we can truly know.

Prayer: We praise You, Lord, for the life You have given to us in Your Son, Jesus. Help us in our daily lives to have confidence in that "seal of authenticity". Amen.