Christians Beliefs

 

The Bible talks about eternal life in more than one sense: There is the eternal life now which is already possessed and being taken hold of by persevering believers, and there is the eternal life hoped for in heaven. They are obviously interconnected.

Eternal Life As A Current Reality: (1 John 5: 11, 13)
This refers to the possession of the eternal kind of life in the spirit of the believer while we currently dwell in vessels of clay (our physical bodies) on earth.

Apart from the mere possession of this spiritual nature, the responsibility of each believer is to take hold of the essence of this life while still living on earth. (1 Timothy 6: 12) This is done via the process of sanctification. The living out of the already present nature of eternal life which we received free, is to be apprehended by pursuing sanctification (Romans 6: 22) It is a gracious reward from God to be reaped by the diligent believer of faith who lives a life of sowing to the Spirit, which is the sanctification process. (Galatians 6: 8) Therefore, this eternal life does not abide in anyone who does not dwell in sanctification, such as murderers (1 John 3: 15) (and any other who wilfully live in sin) Eventually, this gift is perfected in heaven.

Eternal Life As A Future Hope (Jude 21; Titus 3: 7; Mark 10: 30)
This refers to the practical experience of everlasting existence in heaven in direct fellowship with God. This is the sure hope of everyone who has received eternal life here on earth according to the promise of God.

What we must bear in mind is that whether now or in the future, eternal life is characterised by knowing God in trinity. (John 17: 3) The defining prerequisite for eternal life is to know God as the Father and the Son, and, of course the Holy Spirit.

- Now, while we are in the world, this knowledge of God comes by a special "seeing" of God's word as imparted to our heart after we have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. (John 3: 16) Nobody can properly know God by his personal efforts. It is God who will reveal the knowledge of Himself to everyone who seeks Him. And this seeking is fulfilled only in Jesus Christ who is THE Way.

- When we get to heaven, the knowledge takes a more direct form whereby each believer then sees God as He is, face-to-face, dwelling in His presence forever.

Needless to say, whoever does not have eternal life abides in eternal death. So, I ask you my reader, "Do you have eternal life now?"

 

God is in the business of calling. He is a relational Being and He premises His relationship on His call and our response to the call. The first person God called was also the first person He created - Adam. We don't know how many times God called Adam and what Adam's responses were, but we know the the details of the last time He called Adam in Genesis 3:9. The response was negative - and the consequence was disastrous, both for Adam and for the generations after him.

God never called Adam again after that episode.

Today, it is your turn. God is calling you one more time. What will your response be?

For those who have never responded to Him positively, He is calling you unto salvation. Unto light. Unto life eternal.
For those who have given the much needed initial response, He is still calling you unto holiness and unto service.

Again, I ask, "What will your response be?"

Therefore, the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart as in the rebellion..."

God bless you.

 

A natural human phenomenon is to become more interested in things spiritual as old age creeps in and the once vibrant vigour no longer avails. There are many explanations for this which include first, the fear of the unknown regarding death that is daily drawing nearer especially as contemporaries begin to die one by one, second, an inward desire to atone for past atrocities and thirdly, an unpleasant and humbling appreciation of the weakness that is getting worse on a daily basis.

The weakness is typically physical, but also financial, emotional and social. There is thus the tendency to replace what is lost with spiritual strength.

At this stage, many turn to esoteric pursuits, some try to find succour in secret societies or witchcraft, etc. while many turn to one of the numerous religions of the world. But right now, we are concerned only with those who, in their twilight years, have turned to the Christian religion. This is to say that they have become very religious and have intensified their activities in the church. But you know, increased religious activity is one thing, spiritual salvation is another. The lesson is that no one can bribe God with religious activities. Yes, it is good and desirable to be in the church but it is meaningful only if one has come through the door – Jesus.

Now, let's be clear about this. Salvation can come to anybody at any age. That is not deniable. What is dangerous is the adoption of a religious life without a prior salvation experience. It merely gives a false sense of safety, but empty and devoid of God's approval. What is what doing at all, is worth doing right.

So, my dear reader who has suddenly become active in church and private religious life at old age or just around retirement, you need to answer the questions – “Have you sorted yourself out with God?”. “Have you gotten your spirit regenerated via the acceptance of Christ as Lord and Saviour?” Frankly, this is the most important step. Without it, nothing else matters – whether physical or spiritual.