THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.      We are in a season that is known for gift-giving.

 

B.      QUESTION:  What is the best gift you have ever received at Christmas?  A toy?  A piece of jewelry?  A phone call?  A visit?  A handmade item from a child?

 

C.     There is no better Gift-Giver than the Almighty God (James 1:17).

 

Every good gift and very perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

 

                James even continues in the very next verse setting forth one of the blessings we have received from

                God (James 1:18).

 

Of this own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

 

D.     In this lesson, we are going to talk about one of God’s wonderful gifts.

1.      This gift is mentioned 30 times in the New Testament. 

2.      It is the gift of eternal life.

a.      Romans 6:23

 

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

b.      In John 10:28, Jesus is recorded as having spoken these words:  “I have given them eternal life…”

 

I.                    JESUS IS ETERNAL LIFE

 

A.      In the book of 1 John, we find two verses that teach us that Jesus Himself is eternal life.

1.      1 John 1:2

 

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us).

 

2.      1 John 5:20

 

…This is the true God, and eternal life.

 

B.      Jesus is both an eternal being, and He is the very source of life.  Thus, He is called eternal life by John.

1.      In John 1:4, it is said of the Word:  “In him was life…”

2.      Jesus Himself said that He is life (John 14:6).

 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:  no man cometh unto the Father but by me.

 

C.     NOTE:  No man can ever have eternal life apart from the precious and Holy Son of God.

 

 

 

II.                  THE DEFINITION OF “ETERNAL”

 

A.      Every time we read the word “eternal life” together in the Bible, the Greek word for “eternal” is the same.

1.      Strong (166):  perpetual                       :- eternal, for ever, everlasting

2.      Thayer:  without beginning and without end, that which has always been and will always be, without end, never to cease, everlasting

3.      Vine:  describes duration, endless

4.      Others:  having no end, beyond the realm of time

 

B.      Two pictures of eternal:

1.      A ball the size of the earth touched by the wing of a dove once every year.  When the ball finally vanishes due to the brushing of the dove’s wing, eternity will have only begun.

 

 

2.      A ant carries one grain of sand from the east coast to the west coast.  Then, he brings a grain of sand from the west coast to the east coast.  When the ant has completely reversed the beaches, again, eternity will still be in its infancy.

 

 

III.                ETERNAL LIFE MUST BE OBTAINED BY MAN

 

A.      Eternal life is not something that is given to all men.

1.      It is given only to the righteous (Matt. 25:46).

 

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment:  but the righteous into life eternal.

 

2.      In order to have eternal life, individuals must obtain it.

 

3.      Twice during Jesus’ earthly ministry, He was asked about obtaining eternal life.

a.      Once by a rich man (Matt. 19:16)

 

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

 

b.      Once by a lawyer (Luke 10:25)

 

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

4.      Three points:

a.      These men were not rebuked for asking what needed to be done to possess eternal life.

b.      Both men were given answers to their questions.

1)      One was told to sell all that he had, distribute unto the poor, and follow Jesus.

2)      The other was told to love God with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength, and his neighbor as himself.

c.      There are still things that must be done to possess eternal life.  These things are found in the precious Word of God.

1)      John 5:39

 

Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life…

 

2)      John 6:67-68

 

Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?  thou hast the words of eternal life.

 

B.      Eight positive actions:

1.      Believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:15; 1 John 5:13)

 

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

 

2.      Forsake all (Mark 10:29-30)

a.      In verse 29, Jesus speaks of those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, wife, children, and lands for His sake and the gospel’s.

b.      “But he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time…and in the world to come eternal life” (v. 30).

3.      Seeking those who are lost (John 4:35-36)

 

Say ye not, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest?  behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal…

 

4.      Eat of Jesus’ flesh and drink Jesus’ blood (John 6:54)

 

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up in the last day.

 

5.      Hates his own life (John 12:25)

 

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life.

 

6.      Patient continuance in well-doing (Rom. 2:7)

 

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life.

 

7.      Sowing to the Spirit (Gal. 6:8)

 

…but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

 

8.      Keep yourself in the love of God (Jude 21)

 

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

C.     There is one specific negative that will keep one from having eternal life.

1.      The negative involves hating one’s brother (1 John 3;15).

 

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:  and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

 

2.      Thus, we could list another positive needed for eternal life.  We must love our brothers and sister in Christ.

 

IV.               A DOCTRINAL POINT ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE

 

A.      One of the doctrines of Calvinism states that once a person becomes a child of God he/she can never lose his/her salvation. 

1.      The perseverance of the saints

2.      Once saved, always saved

3.      The impossibility of apostasy

 

B.      One of the arguments is that when a person becomes a child of God, he is given eternal life immediately.

1.      John 5:24

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life…

 

2.      Everlasting life means that one lives forever and ever.  It never ceases. 

3.      Thus, if a person has it right now it can never be lost.

 

C.     A rule of Bible study is that we must harmonize all passages of Scripture.

1.      There are two verses in the Bible that tell us that eternal life is not a present reality.

a.      Paul tells us that it is part of our hope (Tit. 1:2; see Rom. 8:24-25).

 

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

 

b.      The apostle John reveals that eternal life is something that has been promised to us (1 John 2:25).

 

And this is the promise that he promised us, even eternal life.

 

2.      Something that is part of our hope and something that is still in promise to us, is not a present reality.

 

D.     Harmonizing the words of Jesus and the words of the apostle.

1.      Some refer to Jesus’ words as the “prophetic present.”

2.      Jesus is speaking in the present tense about something that we will receive in the future.

3.      The reason He speaks of it as a present reality is because if a person continues to believe and live faithfully to God unto the end, he will receive eternal life.  NOTE:  It is so certain that it can be spoken of as a present reality.

4.      If this is not correct…

a.      The apostles are at odds with Jesus.  This means that there is a contradiction in the Bible.  If there is a contradiction in the Bible, the Bible is no longer an inspired book.

b.      If we say Jesus is correct, then the apostles of Jesus are incorrect.  Thus, they were not speaking by the Spirit of God.  All of their words would then be called into question.  In essence, over half of the New Testament could not be accepted as God’s Word.

CONCLUSION

 

A.      Another point that involves the doctrine of Calvinism could be studied from Acts 13:48.  The verse states:  “…and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”  The doctrine to be discussed is Predestination.

 

B.      In this lesson, we have been talking about eternal life.

1.      It is life.

2.      It is eternal life.

3.      It is a divine gift from God.

 

C.     There is one other major condition that must be met in order to individuals to have eternal life.

1.      A person must be “in” Jesus Christ.

2.      1 John 5:11

 

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

 

a.      The words “in Christ” involve a spiritual place marked off by God wherein His people are separated from the world and its carnality.

b.      To get into Christ, a person must obey the gospel of Christ.

1)      It begins with believing in Jesus as God’s Son.

2)      That faith then moves one to repent of sins, confess the name of Jesus, and be baptized for the remission of sin.  NOTE:  Bible is clear that one gets into Christ by being baptized into him (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3;27).

 

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death.

 

3.      In Christ, a person is free from his sins.  Listen to Paul’s promise to those who have been forgiven (Rom. 6:22).

 

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.