Eternal life

Eternal life

BY Argie Simonis     

As I already mentioned, my previous post was a prologue of some foundational biblical truths I am going to deal with such as eternal life, being born again, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and especially the gift of speaking in tongues. I will do this in seperate segments, dealing with one issue at a time. Before I go further, I want to challenge you with a question. What would you say to a non christian to persuade him receive Jesus as Lord according to Romans 10:9 and get saved if you just had one and only chance to speak to him? Well, this surely challenged me to think and pray  and this is were I ended up:

If I had only one chance, I would speak to him about eternal life! 

First of all I would like to put some light in a misconception concerning eternal life. Many people, (christians included) believe that eternity is a future experience, something that will come to pass after we die. Is it so? Let's leave the Word of God enlighten us:

"And this is life eternal, that they might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." (John 17:3)

The word "know" ("epignosis" in greek) mentioned here is the same word used in Genesis 4:1 when Adam "knew" Eve and she conceived and bore Cain. It is more than just a mental acknowledgment ("gnosis") of someone. It has to do with knowing someone intimately, having a deep, unconditional, loving, personal  relationship with him. 

Now, let's apply this definition instead of the words "eternal life" in John 3:16, one of the most popular and powerful verses of the Bible which I am sure you all know very well:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have a deep, intimate, unconditional, loving, personal relationship with Him and Jesus Christ who He has sent.  (John 3:16)

I hope you got my point! Don't you see this now from a different perspective ? 

You have to understand that whether you like it or not, we all are going to live for ever. We will either spend the rest of our eternity with the Lord (1Thessalonians 4:16-17), or apart from Him in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10, 15). 

How do you want to spend your eternity?

Let's read from Mark 10:17-22. We see the young rich ruler coming to Jesus and asking Him a question:

"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17)

That's the wrong question! Many people believe that they have to be worthy and that they have to earn God's favour. If you are considering yourself to be a good person, better than the average, that doesn't make God to accept you. 

In Luke 18:9-14 in the parable of a Pharisee and publican we see that the publican didn't ask for justice; he asked for mercy and he left justified. 

In Romans 3:23 we read: "For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." 

and in Ephesians 2:3 we read: "... and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."

What I am trying to point out is that if we got what we deserved, we should all go straight to hell!

So when the young rich ruler asked this question, Jesus pointed him to the Law. The Law was not given to produce salvation or relationship with God. It was given to take away the self-rightousness and the thought that I must do something to earn God's favour. 

Then he goes on saying: "And he answered and said to him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth." (Mark 10:20)

That man was deceived! Nobody has ever kept all of the commandments from their youth. Only Jesus has lived a sinless life, "who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (1Peter 2:22)

We may have done good things, but nobody ever kept the Law perfectly. God's standards are so high that It was impossible! And in the New Testament, Jesus added even more to that. In Matthew 5:21-22 and 27-28, we read that even if you hate someone in your heart you are guilty of murder and even if you lust after a woman you have commited adultery. 

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

You either need to trust Jesus for your salvation or to trust that God owes to you salvation because you are good enough. 

In Mark 10:17 the young rich ruler says "good master" and in verse 20 he says just "master" without the "good." He was willing to elevate Jesus above an average person, that Jesus was someone special, that Jesus had a special relationship with God, but refused to accept Him as Lord and God. 

Do you know why? Here is the answer: "... for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue." (John 9:22).

This man was afraid that if he recognized Jesus as God he would be excommunicated from the synagogue and no longer be called a Jew. He might loose his identity and his nationality. It was a severe punishment. That rich man was not willing to make Jesus Lord. (Romans 10:9)

That's why Jesus challenged him: "Why call you me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." (Mark 10:18). 

In other words He told him that he either had to quit calling Him good or call Him God!

Later on we read: "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21)

Jesus has never demanded this from anybody else. In Luke 19:2-10, we see that Zacchaeus was a rich man and yet Jesus didn't tell him to sell anything. God is not against prosperity, but this guy was trusting in his prosperity. Wealth gives people prestige and high status. They believe that their money gives them an advantage over other people. He said that he kept all of God's commandments, but in Exodus 20:3 we read: "You shall have no other gods before me." He trusted in his wealth and his position, but covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5)

God is not against you having money, but He doesn't want money to have you!

He wants us to prosper, spiritually and physically and it is a promise for those who follow Him (Mark 10:29-30).

Jesus asked this because He loved him, but finally this young man "went away grieved" without receiving Jesus. He was not willing to make Jesus Lord according to Romans 10:9: 

"If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved."

That's more than words. This is saying that Jesus is God. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)

Here are some highlights of what I have said so far:

• Jesus is allmighty: "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given: and the government shall be on His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
• He came into form as a physical man: "
  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 
  (1Timothy 3:16)  
• He died for our sins and paid for our sins: "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;  And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 
   (Colossians 2:14-15)  
• He is the only way to the Father: "Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me. (John 14:6). 

Unless you make Him Lord like that and trust Him completely for what He did for you, you can not be saved. Going to church, giving your tithes, trying to be good and "joining the club" will not get you to Heaven. It is just not enough. Many people claim to be christians but they get tormented because they don't really know if after dying they will be with the Lord or not. They have no assurance of their salvation. They put their faith in themselves and they are not sure if they have done enough. 

I am telling you, you have never done enough and you will never do enough! 

You can not earn your salvation. You have to receive it as a gift (Romans 6:23). And you have to come to Jesus as God and put your faith in Him and what He did for you and not what you do for Him! 

Every relegion puts the burden of your salvation up to your performance. They will aknowledge that there is some form of God (Allah, Buddha, Hare krisna, Hare Lam, somebody. They will aknowledge some supreme power but then they will say that you basically have to earn this. You either have to have a jihad and kill the infidels, you have to do this, you have to get a saffron robe, take an oath of poverty, deny yourself, you have to do all these rituals, go to confession etc.
They put the burden of salvation on you, so in a sense you are becoming the savior of yourself.

Only in Christianity God Himself saved mankind by making a sacrifice for our sins. He put His own Son to death and punished Him for what we deserve. Only in Christianity you will find a savior! 

Let me put it this way: Imagine yourself standing before God and He says: " what makes you worthy to enter Heaven?"

If you start pointing at all these things that you did or did not do, if you point to yourself as justification for why you deserve to be into Heaven, then you haven't trusted Jesus! You have to put your trust in Jesus and unless you do that you can't have a relationship with God. There is no other way unto God except through putting faith in Jesus as your Lord and savior. Amen!

I hope you were blessed by reading this. It is good to know these things to be able to defend your faith. On my next post I will be dealing with the being born again or "born from the above" experience. Keep up with this teaching and I am sure it will expand your understanding in foundational principles of faith. 

God bless you!