PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)
NCE (English); Dip (Computer Studies); ND/HD
(Journalism); Dip, BA (Theology) MA, PhD.
THE
BIBLE AND ETERNAL LIFE
Devotional Text: 1 John 5:11-12
Introduction:
Eternal life simply means an endless life,
which can only be obtained through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. To this end,. the
main text of this lesson remarks 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 hath not life”, (1 John 5:11-12). Eternal Life is the opposite of
eternal death, which is an endless state of agony in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, (Rev. 21:8), as Eternal life is an endless state of bliss
in heaven, where Jesus is said to have prepared for His saints, (John 14:1-3).
GENERAL REMARKS
(1)
God Has
offered humanity Eternal Life, (1 John 5:11)
(2)
This Life
(eternal) can only be found in Christ, (vs. 10)
(3)
Only those
who receive Christ can obtain this life (vs. 12)
(4)
Those who
reject this life have no life in them, (vs., 12)
ETERNAL LIFE AND THE WORLD OF
LIFE
Eternal life, which has already been
described in this lesson as endless life, is what Jesus Christ alone can give.
This confirms the Scripture which quotes Him as saying, “my sheep hear My
voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish: no one can snatch them out of My Hand”, (John 10:27-28).
The point here is that, there are three concrete steps to eternal life. The
first is that one must listen to the voice of the Lord, and the second is that
one must as well follow Him, to ensure that one is groomed with the words of
eternal life (John 6:68), since the said words of eternal life are the
spiritual nutrients that nourish the seed of eternal life which Jesus Christ
gives. To this end, therefore, the writer biblically states that:
(i)
No one gets eternal life without listening to Jesus
Christ, as well as follow Him, (John 10:27-28)
(ii)
God gives
eternal life only through His only Son, Jesus Christ, (1 John 5:11-12)
(iii)
Those who
reject the gift of eternal life which comes only by Jesus Christ have no life
in them, (vs. 11-12)
ETERNAL LIFE AND THE OPPOSITE
The opposite of natural life is natural
death, and the opposite of eternal life is eternal death. Furthermore, the
natural death leads to natural grave, which the Scripture calls the second
death, leads to eternal grave, referred to as the lake which burns with fire
and brimstone, (Rev. 21:8). The cited biblical assertion, therefore, kills the
theory of annihilation, which is the concept of total destruction of the soul
of the sinner at death. For, there are conscious pains and sufferings for those
who die as sinners, since the Bible says there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth, (Matt. 24:51). Also, the narrative of Jesus Christ on the Sheep and the Goat nations vividly shows
that, there are those who would enjoys eternal life in heaven and there are
those who would bear the brunt of eternal death in eternal fire,
(Matt.25:31-46). The foregoing, scripturally, draws attention to the eternal
truth that:
(i)
Eternal life
is that endless life which recipients would spend in heaven (vs. 34), whereas,
(ii)
Eternal
death is that endless agonies which those who played down on the gift of
eternal life
would face in eternal lake of fire, (vs. 41)
(iii)
Those who
desire to enjoy eternal life in heaven must in this present world believe and
receive
Jesus Christ, the Son of God into their lives, (John 3:16;36)
ETERNAL LIFE AND CONSEQUENCES OF
REJECTION
Two basic consequences of the rejection of
eternal life are the separation of someone from God and His Saints (Matt.25:32)
and the damnation of hell, (Matt. 23:33). Without mincing words, when one is
separated from the Lord, one becomes undoubtedly separated from the only source
of life (John 1:4), and when one faces the damnation of hell, one becomes
drafted into eternal doom, (Luke 16:23-24). For, the Lord will surely execute
judgment upon all, and will convince all that are ungodly among them of all
their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all the speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against
Him (Jude 15). Therefore, be certain that:
(i)
The wicked
shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God, (Psalm 9:17)
(ii)
The only way of escape from the problem of eternal damnation is to believe
on the Lord Jesus, since all who do not believe are already condemned, (John
3:18)
(iii)
No
one who rejects God’s offer of eternal life (1John 5:11-12) that would have any
other way of escape, (Heb. 2:3)
In
conclusion, please, note
that eternal life is God’s greatest gift to the human race, and the opposite is
eternal death, which this lesson has proven to be deadly agonizing. WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?
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