Eternal Life
John
10:27-28 “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand.”
What is eternal
life? In the Bible eternal life is also
called everlasting life:
John
3:15 “That whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Eternal life,
then, is everlasting life, or life that has no end. May we simply believe
God’s record of eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son.
We want to notice just a few of the many good reasons why we should
believe in the Biblical teaching of eternal life.
Jesus Christ is Our Eternal Life
We can believe in
eternal life because Jesus Christ is our life:
Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our
life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
1 John 5:11 “And this is the record,
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
When we are born
again of the Spirit of God, we receive the eternal nature and life of Jesus
Christ Himself into our very souls.
Eternal
Life Accompanies Faith
Eternal life is imparted to our souls the very moment we believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ:
John
6:47 “Verily, verily, I
say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 3:36 “He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not
see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
The penitent
sinner who simply believes in Jesus Christ as the Scriptures teach, has
eternal life. We can know we have eternal life, and we can know it even now:
1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know
that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is.”
Eternal
Life is the Gift of God
We can believe in
eternal life because it is the gift of God. It cannot be earned or bought, but
simply received as God’s free gift:
John 17:2 “As
thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to
as many as thou hast given him.”
Romans
6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Eternal life is
the gift of sovereign grace. It is freely given to undeserving sinners
according to God’s eternal purpose, which shall not fail!
God
is Faithful to His Promises
As sinful people
we are fickle and sometimes break our promises. We may even take back gifts
from those who fail us. But God is faithful and His promises never fail! Though
His children fail Him every day, He will never take back His gift of eternal
life. God is not changeable like we are, but He is ever faithful to His Word:
Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life,
which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began”.
1 John 2:25 “And this is the promise
that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”
Hebrews 13:5 “…I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee.”
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
Our
Life is Kept by God’s Power
If eternal life
was kept by our power, we would surely lose it. But the Bible teaches that we
are kept secure by His power:
John
10:27-28 “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand.”
1Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
We
Were Ordained to Eternal Life
The Bible teaches
that God chose a people unto salvation and eternal life:
God chose a people
in Christ even before the foundation of the world:
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will”.
The Sealing of the Holy Spirit
God’s children are
sealed with the "Holy Spirit of promise" until our Lord returns:
2Corinthians 1:22 “Who hath also sealed us,
and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his
glory.”
God
Wants His Children to Know that We have Eternal Life
1John 5:13 “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.”
God wants His children to have assurance of eternal life. It is the
devil, not God, who causes us to doubt our salvation and our eternal destiny.
It is a wonderful blessing to know that we have eternal life. There is
hope, confidence, peace, and great joy
in knowing we are eternally saved.
John 5:24 “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life.”
May the Lord grant each of His children great confidence of eternal life:
I have an excellent thought,
better than thoughts of gold:
Far better than dreams of riches,
and wealth that waxes old.
Eternal life my thought,
abiding in me now:
Abiding in me forever,
it can never be annulled.
It is the gift of God to me,
that none can take away:
None can take His gift from me,
none is greater than He.
It is the gift of God to me,
bought with Jesus’ blood:
Sealed by His Spirit in me,
and ordained by His love.
So on to heaven I will go,
kept by Jesus’ might:
on to my eternal home,
to Jesus my eternal life.
Conclusion
You can only have the assurance of eternal life if you have repented of
your sins, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. There
is no God given assurance of eternal life outside of true saving faith in Jesus
Christ. If you do not have this kind of faith, then repent and believe in the
death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins
and receive the gift of eternal life.