Eternal Life

Friend, what does it mean to have eternal life?

The Gospel of John in the Bible records the following words concerning Jesus Christ: “That whosoever believeth in Him (Jesus Christ) should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15). Jesus defines eternal life in this way in one of His prayers recorded in John’s gospel: “ … Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son (Jesus Christ), that thy Son also may glorify Thee: As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is eternal life, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” (John 17:1b-3).

All humans were created by God as eternal beings and will exist somewhere forever, but that does not necessarily mean they will possess eternal life. Eternal life is being rightly related to the eternal God who is the creator and sustainer of life. Being separated from the eternal God brings eternal death, not the cessation of existence but the inability to have a relationship with God the giver of life.

But what would separate us from our Creator? The Bible clearly teaches that sin has separated us from our Creator. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, tells the nation that their sins have separated them from Him: “But your iniquities (sins) have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). What was true for the nation in a corporate sense is also true for every individual as well. Sin, the failure to obey God’s commands, separates God’s creatures from Him. God who is holy cannot allow anything sinful into His presence. This is why God declares in the book of Revelation, that in eternity to come, no person or no thing which is defiled (a sinner) will be allowed in His presence: “And there shall in no wise enter into it (the new heavenly city) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). The Bible clearly teaches that sin separates individuals from God the giver of life so that the individual guilty of sin no longer can have a relationship with God the Creator. Therefore one guilty of sin does not possess eternal life.

Who then lacks eternal life? The Bible clearly teaches that all people lack eternal life because all people have sinned: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:10-12). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us” (1 John 1:8,10). The Bible is replete with statements concerning the sinfulness of all men and their inability to obey God’s commands. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches that if a man disobeys even one of God’s commandments he is guilty of breaking the whole: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

Is there any hope? This takes us full circle to where we began. Jesus, speaking to a man named Nicodemus concerning how a person could one day enter into the kingdom of God, said this: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man (Jesus Christ) be lifted up: That whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sin of all mankind. He, being a man completely devoid of sin, a man who always obeyed every commandment of God the Father completely, was willing to exchange His righteousness (obedience to all of God’s commands), for our sin: “ For He (God the Father) hath made Him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is the acceptable substitutionary sacrifice for man’s sin. This sacrifice was made when Jesus was crucified on the cross of Calvary approximately 2,000 years ago. God declared His satisfaction with Jesus’ sacrifice when God raised Him from the dead. Had Jesus’ death on the cross not been satisfactory for the payment of men’s sin His body would have remained in the grave, for the wages of sin is death. However, the fact that Jesus in bodily form came forth from the grave on the third day, a fact that was witnessed by over 500 people at one time, gives proof that God did accept Jesus’ payment for sin, and that His sacrifice stands complete for the redemption of sinful men. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

How then can I have eternal life? The Bible declares that we receive eternal life by repenting of our sin and by trusting in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the grave: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel (good news) which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). When we place our dependence in Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection on the cross as payment for our sins, the Bible teaches that we are actually receiving Christ Himself, and if we possess Christ, we possess eternal life: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11-13).

Friend, do you possess eternal life? This is the most important question to which you will ever give an answer. The Bible is clear that if you have never received Jesus Christ as the substitutionary sacrifice for your sins, then you do not possess eternal life. Not only do you not possess eternal life but the wrath of a holy God abides upon you: “He that believeth on the Son (Jesus Christ) hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Friend, I would urge you to consider your eternal standing before God, and if you do not possess eternal life, I would encourage you to turn from your sin and place your dependence in Jesus Christ right now.

If you would like more information concerning this truth, or if you have trusted in Christ, please contact me and let me know. You are also invited to listen to a message that was preached in our church on a recent Easter Sunday entitled: “Three Days that Effect Eternity.” Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you.

Sincerely,
Pastor Mellen