We show that we are God's children by the holiness of our lives. And we grow in holiness and become more intimately God's children when we are able to see the Lord as He is and love as He loves us. Through Jesus, God has shown us how to love. God wants us to love one another. It is in experiencing the love of Christ and in sharing it with others that we pass from "death to life". Failing which, we will be like Cain (Gen. 4), who brutally killed his own brother out of jealousy. Not being able to love is "death".

As such, the life of a Christian is dedicated towards laying down one's life for others. In practical terms, this calls us to share what we have with the poor and needy. If we do this, even though we may be imperfect, God,S who is compassionate and just, will be with us. And with Him in us, we will experience His life-giving peace. In short, to love God and to love neighbour are commandments on which our Christian lives must be anchored.

This is why when we truly encounter Jesus, our lives will never remain the same. Indeed, it was never the same for Nathaniel. His meeting with Jesus led him immediately to acknowledge that he was in the presence of the Son of God. In response, Jesus says that Nathanael will discover many other wonderful things about Him in time. It is in and through Jesus that Nathaniel and those who love Jesus will pass from "death to life".