TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE - PART 1

FRIDAY 21 JANUARY 2022

Eternal life is an unending life of God specially revealed in Christ Jesus as a permanent reward and endless blessing for those who receive Christ as Lord during their earthly life. It is a remarkable and gracious gift of God, which comes by grace and accessed by faith in Christ Jesus. Eternal life can be granted to anyone and received by anyone, at any moment and at any place or location in this present world. In other words, it doesn't have designated centre, specific office or geographical post where people go for the gift, except through the wisdom of salvation, which is in Christ. Let's find out more!

Reference: Mark 10:17 New Living Translation (NLT) "As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to Him, knelt down, and asked, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life."

One thing I like about this man who came running to Jesus is that he located the right person. This suggests that "to avoid being misled", its important who we run to, in terms of obtaining any solution. So what comes to mind is location. This man consulted the accurate location of eternal life. Christ is the permanent source and location of eternal life. Through this location (Christ), God grants us eternal life and communicates the mysteries of the faith and personal knowledge of Himself to all who believe. Therefore eternal life is the special revelation of the God-kind of life (Zoe) which provides the new creation in Christ with an immortal right and privilege to participate in the eternal purposes of God in Christ beyond this world. So it is an enduring witness within the inward man of a Christian, assuring him that he will spend eternity with God after the end of time.

To simplify my insight into the mystery of eternal life with a crystal clarity of perception, it is the very life of God which we receive at the point of salvation and it is to be fully made manifest after the return of the Lord Christ Jesus which will summon the resurrection of the dead saints first. The precision of this truth is explained in detail in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV): "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." The final phrase summed it up: "And so we will be with the Lord forever." Forever here denotes "perpetually" or "endlessly" because eternal life is indestructible, imperishable and indefinite.

Although many argue that eternal life does not commence during our earthly human lifespan, a part of Johannine literature testifies to the truth that a born again Christian has eternal life now on earth and it's supernaturally evident in his earthly experience. The literal standard and enlightenment that resolve this argument is found in 1 John 5:10-12 (NIV): "Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Beloved God has given us the source of eternal life, namely Christ. Therefore whoever receives Christ receives eternal life instantly because it is the life that exists in Him, inarguably superior to human, earthly life. The Bible says, "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NLT). Eternal life is divine, extraordinary and cardinal. We are created anew in Christ Jesus with this life and since God is not a created being, to terminate the infinite distance between us and God, Christ installed or implanted eternal life in any human at the point of their salvation, like a wireless connection. Yet to inherit eternal life? Declare the prayer below and you'll start partaking of divine nature and participating in divine experiences until Christ's return.

Scripture Reading - Matthew 19:16; Luke 10:25; John 10:28; Luke 18:18.

Guided Prayer: I acknowledge today that God demonstrated His unconditional love for me in this: While living without Christ, He sent Him ahead of time to die for me. Therefore I renounce the nature of sin and I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I believe and confess with all my heart that Jesus is the Son of the true living God, who died for me and was raised from the dead on the third day by God. I believe that Jesus is risen and He's alive forever. I accept Him into my heart and I declare His Lordship over my life forever. I'm now born again as a new creation. I have eternal life: my present-moment reality. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me and taking full charge of my life, as my Lord. Glory to God!