1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.” (John 17:1–2, NKJV)
The time had arrived for the Father to glorify the Son, and for the Son to glorify the Father. Soon, Jesus would die on the cross for the sins of the world. Although the world viewed His crucifixion as the execution of a man worthy of death, it was the very act that accomplished God’s plan for the salvation of sinners (Isaiah 53:3-5, 10-12). By His death, the Son of God executed His authority over sin. By that same authority, He gives eternal life to His followers. The gospel of Christ proclaims eternal life is in Christ, and that without Him, there is only eternal death: “And this is the testimony: 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 life” (1 John 5:11–12). Now is the time to obediently submit to Christ’s authority and be saved (Matthew 28:18-19). Now is the time to obey the Son for His fellowship now, and throughout eternity (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 5:8-9).
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