While eternal life is a gift,
everlasting life however is a reward for righteous living, which leads to
holiness, and at the end one reaps the reward of everlasting life or the
immortality of the body. For it is written; “Now that you have been set free
from sin, and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to
holiness, and the result is everlasting life.” Whereas eternal life is a free
gift, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus
Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:22-23).
Everlasting life however, is not
a gift but rather a reward for we have been warned saying; “Do not be deceived;
God cannot be mocked, a man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his
sinful nature will reap destruction (corruption), and the one who sows to
please the Spirit, will from the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians
6:7-8).
It is those who believe in Jesus
Christ as the begotten Son of God, the resurrection and the life and who walks
as Jesus Christ walked that should not perish but have everlasting life. The
truth of the matter is, Christ became the Begotten Son of God at the
resurrection when He was; “Declared to be the Son of God with power, according
to the Spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:4).
As God alone, Christ could not
have saved humanity, because as God He cannot die. As man alone He could not
save us either, for He could have only saved Himself. He had to be both God and
man.
As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ
was made lower that the angels for the suffering of death. As the Begotten Son
of God, He is crowned with glory and honor. “For to which of the angels did God
ever say; ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You? And again, ‘I will be to
Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son? But when He again brings the first
born [from mortal to immortal] into the world, He says; let the angels of God
worship Him” (Hebrews 1:5-6).
The Son of Man became the
Begotten Son of God by the quality of life He lived as the Son of Man. This
life is indicative of how His followers ought to live because, He came to set
us an example that we should follow His steps and, “He who says he abides in
Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1Peter
2:21; 1John 2:6).
Jesus Christ is the only Begotten
Son of the Father, but became the first born [from mortal to immortal] among
many brethren who will receive the adoption as sons. And so we are told that,
in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful
and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for
the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He
is able to aid those who are tempted (Romans 8:29;
Hebrews1:6, 2:10, 17, 18; Galatians 4:4-5).
Everlasting life therefore, is
the immortality of the human body which will differ from one degree of glory to
another, as there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and
another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So
also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is
raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is
sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is
raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual
body.
The life that Jesus Christ lived,
which we ought to follow in order to receive everlasting life is a life of Holiness
[separation from sin]: for we are admonished saying; “Be holy for I am holy.”
Loving righteousness, which is to be obedient to His word, for, “He who
practices righteousness is righteous just as He is righteous:” Hating
lawlessness, meaning hating being disobedient to the laws of God.
Being humble as we are duly
admonished saying; “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who
being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be
grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross” (Philippians
2:5-8)!
Being completely dependent upon
the Father, as Jesus said; I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by
Himself.” And, “By Myself I can do nothing:” Allowing one`s self to be led by
the Holy Spirit, because it is those who are led by the Spirit that are the
sons of God (John 5:19, 30.John 14:10; Romans 8: 11, 14).
Letting love being the motivating
factor for all His works; as it is written; “God is love. Whoever lives in love
lives in God, and God in him: In this way, love is made complete among us so that
we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment, because in this world we are
like Him” (John 3:16; 1John 4:16-17; 21; John 14:15).
• Being an over-comer: because,
it is those who overcome will He grant to sit with Him on His throne, even as
He Himself overcame, and sat down with His Father on His throne (Hebrews
2:8; 4:15; Revelation 3:21).
This is the criterion for
everlasting life, the redemption and immortality of the body, which is our
eternal inheritance, which unfortunately some will forfeit? For, it is written;
“Each one’s work will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it
will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort
it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on Christ [eternal life] endures, he
will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he
himself [spirit man] will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1Corinthians
3:13-15).
The structure we are building is
developing the nature [character] of Jesus Christ. Hence, the degree of glory
is dependent on how much we have measured up to the stature and fullness of
Christ: For as we behold His glory, we are being transformed into the same
image, from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (Ephesians
4:13; 2Corinthians 3:18; 4:10-11; Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 3:19).
Receiving the free gift of
eternal life, and being saved is not the ultimatum, in addition to these one
has to seek honor, glory, and immortality? (Romans 2:7).
The choice is yours, you have been informed.
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Love in Jesus’ Name
Lucius Joseph
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