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Jesus Is Eternal Life
by Tom Stewart
esus the Son of God is Eternal
Life. "Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection,
and the Life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he Live" (John 11:25). This is fundamental to the Christianity of the Scriptures, and
those, who by faith place their confidence in Jesus, have Eternal Life. "11 And this is the Record, that
God hath given to us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son. 12 He that hath the
Son hath Life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not Life" (1John 5:11-12). Those outside of Christianity (the "natural man") must
wonder at the value of such figurative speech; but sadly, even many who profess to
know Christ, have a similar unfamiliarity with this Scriptural expression. "1:23 But we preach Christ crucified,
unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness... 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are Spiritually discerned"
(1Corinthians 1:23; 2:14).
The Scriptural test of whether or not you actually have Eternal Life-- and consequently
that you have the Son of God abiding in you-- is the classic evaluation that True
Faith always demonstrates itself in works, when given the opportunity, as revealed
in the Epistle of James. "14 What
doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?
can faith save him? 15
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute
of daily food, 16 and one of you say
unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them
not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead,
being alone. 18
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I
have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by
my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But
wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:14-20). In verses 18 through 20, James is speaking of "faith" as an intellect
only experience, which even the "devils" have. The Apostle John affirms the same concept of faith
always manifesting itself in works, in that "we
do know that we know Him, IF we keep His Commandments" (1John 2:3).
Eternal Life is a condition that exists only in God Himself, i.e., "For as the Father hath Life in Himself; so hath He
given to the Son to have Life in Himself"
(John 5:26); and,
it is present in whomsoever God abides. "And
he that keepeth His Commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And
hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us" (1John 3:24). Natural Man desires to continue living ad infinitum, but as much
as he may not like it, he is trapped in a continually decaying, dilapidated, and
imperfect body of death-- a condition brought about because of the curse of man's
first sin, i.e., "in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"
(Genesis 2:17).
The emphasis placed upon physical health and longevity becomes ill-placed when it
overrides the necessity of each one of us to seek God first. "31
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall
we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32
(For after all these things do the Gentiles
seek:) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33
But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His
Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:31-33).
The quest for Eternal Life is as old as man himself. "22 And
the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of Us
[the Triune God], to know good and evil: and
now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and
live for ever: 23
therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground
from whence he was taken" (Genesis 3:22-23). Stories,
fables, and legends are full of heroes and villains grasping for the much sought
after Eternal Life; but, why should we be such strangers to the simplicity of the
Truth that Jesus is the "Way, the Truth,
and the Life" (John
14:6)? If we will only release our grasp upon
the things of this world that we trust to care for ourselves-- which release is a
picture of repentance-- then we may repose in confidence upon God. "Thou wilt keep him in Perfect Peace, whose mind is stayed on
Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). When we trust
in God, we abide in God. "1 I
am the True Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman... 4 Abide in Me, and
I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in Me... 7 If ye abide in Me,
and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:1-7).
How can anyone receive the benefit of the Eternal Life which is in Christ Jesus,
to possess the Life That Never Ends? The answer of faith in Christ, given by the
treasurer of Ethiopia to Philip's preaching of Jesus, is exactly to the point for
all who would lay hold on Eternal Life. "And
Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest [i.e., be baptized]. And he
answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37). From the beginning and throughout, Eternal Life residing in any
human being is a matter of laying hold of Jesus Christ by faith, i.e., "lay hold on Eternal Life" (1Timothy 6:12, 19), and abiding in Him by the "faith
which worketh by love" (Galatians
5:6). "If
ye keep My Commandments, ye shall abide in My Love; even as I have kept My Father's
Commandments, and abide in His Love" (John 15:10). Recognizing that
our vitality to lay hold and abide in Christ is an act of our own choosing, still
we must place "no confidence in
the flesh" (Philippians
3:3), and we must trust in Christ the
True Vine to fill us with His Eternal Life and Holy Spirit to cause us "to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). The New Covenant is now fulfilled in us by virtue of the
Spirit of Christ, as promised by Jehovah, "I
will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and ye shall
keep My Judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27). Thus, by faith,
our laying hold and abiding in "Christ,
Who is our Life" (Colossians
3:4), is to possess Eternal Life now and forever.
"And this is Life Eternal, that they might
know Thee the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
Maranatha!
.
Related Topics:
---New
Window
That Ye May Know That Ye
Have Eternal Life ---New
Window
Or, The Biblical Doctrine of the Assurance of Salvation
Or, Only Those Who Abide in Christ May Know That They Have Eternal Life
by Tom Stewart
"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" (1John 5:13).
Perhaps the plainest statement of Scripture that any
may use to determine their possession of Eternal Life, is the Apostle John's letter
to his Little Children. "3 And hereby we do know that
we know Him, if we keep His Commandments. 4 He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is
a liar, and the Truth is not in him" (1John 2:3-4). Present obedience
means you truly possess Eternal Life, while present disobedience means you are a
liar. "And all liars, shall have their part in
the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the Second Death" (Revelation 21:8).
and
A Willing
Mind Indispensable to a Right Understanding of Truth
---New Window
by Charles G. Finney
Lecture XIII
I. That God's promises, with their conditions, are a revelation of the great principles
of His government.
II. What is implied in a willingness to do the will of God.
III. That this state of mind is indispensable to a right understanding of the truth
of God.
IV. That this state of mind will certainly result in a right knowledge of the truth,
unless you tempt God by neglecting the means of knowledge.
and
Secret of Abiding
in Christ ---New Window
and Promises for
Abiding in the LORD ---New Window
Section Index for Jehovah Jesus
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