ETERNAL LIFE WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ETERNAL LIFE? BIBLE READING: Isaiah 32:1-20 KEY BIBLE VERSE: And this righteousness will bring peace. Quietness and confidence will fill the land forever. (Isaiah 32:17) ETERNAL LIFE IS COMPLETE PEACE. God acts from above to change man’s condition here on earth. Only when God’s Spirit is among us can we achieve true peace and fruitfulness (Ezekiel 36:22-38; Galatians 5:22-23). The settings described here will happen in full only in the end times. But we can have God’s Spirit with us now, for he is available to all believers through Christ (John 15:26). The outpouring mentioned here happens when the worldwide kingdom of God is established for all eternity (see Joel 2:28-29). BIBLE READING: John 3:1-21 KEY BIBLE VERSE: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) ETERNAL LIFE WILL BE RADICALLY DIFFERENT FROM THIS LIFE. Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life because their lives are miserable. But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s miserable, mortal life; eternal life is God’s life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin. When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective. BIBLE READING: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 KEY BIBLE VERSE: For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down-when we die and leave these bodies-we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1) ETERNAL LIFE BEGINS IN THIS LIFE. Paul contrasts our earthly bodies (earthly tent) and our future resurrection bodies (an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands). Paul clearly states that our present bodies make us groan, but when we die we will not be spirits without bodies. We will have new bodies that will be perfect for our everlasting life. Paul wrote as he did because the church at Corinth was in the heart of Greek culture, and many believers had difficulty with the concept of bodily resurrection. Greeks did not believe in a bodily resurrection. Most held that the real person was the soul, imprisoned in a physical body and that the afterlife was something that happened only to the soul. They believed that at death the soul is released-there is no immortality for the body, and the soul enters an eternal state. But the Bible teaches that the body and soul are inseparable. The Holy Spirit within us is our guarantee that God will give us everlasting bodies at the Resurrection (2 Corinthians 1:22). We have eternity in us now! This truth should give us great courage and patience to endure anything we might experience. HOW CAN SOMEONE KNOW HE OR SHE HAS ETERNAL LIFE? BIBLE READING: John 17:1-26 KEY BIBLE VERSE: And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. (John 17:3) ETERNAL LIFE IS OURS WHEN WE KNOW GOD. How do we get eternal life? Jesus tells us clearly here-by knowing God the Father himself through his Son, Jesus Christ. Eternal life requires entering into a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. When we admit our sin and turn away from it, Christ’s love lives in us by the Holy Spirit. BIBLE READING: John 6:60-71 KEY BIBLE VERSE: Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) ETERNAL LIFE IS OURS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. After many of Jesus’ followers had deserted him, he asked the twelve disciples if they were also going to leave. Peter replied, “To whom would we go?” In his straightforward way, Peter answered for all of us-there is no other way. Though there are many philosophies and self-styled authorities, Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. People look everywhere for eternal life and miss Christ, the only source. Stay with him, especially when you are confused or feel alone. BIBLE READING: Luke 18:18-30 KEY BIBLE VERSE: Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?” (Luke 18:18) ETERNAL LIFE IS NOT SOMETHING WE EARN. This ruler sought reassurance, some way of knowing for sure that he had eternal life. He wanted Jesus to measure and grade his qualifications, or to give him some task he could do to assure his own immortality. So Jesus gave him a task-the one thing the rich ruler knew he could not do. “Then who in the world can be saved?” the bystanders asked. No one can, by his or her own achievements, Jesus’ answer implied. “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Salvation cannot be earned-it is God’s gift (see Ephesians 2:8-10). BIBLE READING: 1 John 5:1-12 KEY BIBLE VERSE: And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12) ETERNAL LIFE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO TRUST IN JESUS. Whoever believes in God’s Son has eternal life. He is all you need. You don’t need to wait for eternal life because it begins the moment you believe. You don’t need to work for it because it is already yours. You don’t need to worry about it because you have been given eternal life by God himself-and it is guaranteed. Some people hope that they will receive eternal life. John says we can know we have it. Our certainty is based on God’s promise that he has given us eternal life through his Son. This is true whether you feel close to God or distant from him. Eternal life is not based on feelings, but on facts. You can know that you have eternal life if you believe God’s truth. If you aren’t sure that you are a Christian, ask yourself: Have I honestly committed my life to him as my Savior and Lord? If so, you know by faith that you are indeed a child of God. God Save the World, Inc.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 07:19:10 +0000
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