The Simplicity and Complexity of Eternal Life

 The Simplicity and Complexity of Eternal Life

Luke 10:25-28; 18:18-22

Jesus was asked a question that many ask either vocally or quietly about eternal life. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” When approaching this topic, I refer to the three parts of the response given to Jesus. The first part of the response was “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” In the answer to the response, Jesus took these people back to the basis of relationship and the law, Love. Let’s look at the texts. “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

First, The basis of eternal life is wrapped up in the Shema, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” Deut. 6:5

With any relationship with God, it is based on love, first his love for us, and our love for him. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him... We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:16,19

One of the easier things to do is love those who are near and dear to us. For example, a mother or father with a newborn child. The parents have loved the child in the pregnancy, and at birth. Once the child has breathed their first breath, there is the bond of love between the child and parents. This bond of love is the same with our relationship with God. It began with God because He is love. As God created us in the womb of our mother, so also God's love begins with our beginning. This was the love in the Garden of Eden, but sin entered our world, and man became ashamed and fearful. But God, who is love, never stopped loving his creation. God continued to have a relationship with man, even though man now was afraid of God because of sin. Through love, 1 John 4:18 reveals how God planned to deal with sin, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. And this brings us to the complexity of receiving eternal life. Sin and fear are not part of God’s eternal life for all who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Mankind has been bound by sin, it is ingrained in their nature because of the fall of mankind. They don't really know how to love, outside of a relationship with God. Man has come up with many replacements for love, but cannot duplicate God’s love.

We are taught the different types of love, so that we can define it with our finite minds, but we truly don’t experience love until we experience a relationship with God. How does this happen? John 3:16 states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God in his infinite love for his creation, gave what he loved to provide a way for fallen mankind to have the type of relationship mankind was created for. When we begin the type of relationship that God desires, we will love him with all that we are: heart, soul, mind, and strength, and in this is the simplicity.

Application - Many in the world and even some in the church body still have a lingering doubt on eternal life. Why? Because of the relationship with God. God has already done the work to bring us to him, all we need to do is believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. That is the first step to experiencing true love, a love that fills us with a peace that passes our understanding. I still remember the day I came and asked Jesus to be Lord of my life, I experienced a peace that is indescribable, and a love for God that was unquenchable. I began to experience what true love was, and it flowed through me, and I began to see my need to love others. You too can experience this love and peace.

The Second part of the basis of eternal life is found in Jesus’ response to the expert in the Law. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The simplicity of this is found in the surrendered life of Jesus living in you. The expert in the law, didn’t really understand the law he quoted back to Jesus. It was just rote memory. He had surrendered his life to a religious career, not to the Lord who created him. It was interesting that Jesus responded not with condemnation but to show him what true love was, ‘The parable of the Good Samaritan.’

It was easier to love oneself or those who will return like love than to love those who are unclean, a burden, considered beneath their social status. Jesus wanted him to see people as God saw people, with love and mercy. Then Jesus used a character to shame the religious leaders, a Samaritan. The Jews considered the Samaritans no better than dogs because of their ancestry.

This is the complexity in loving our neighbors. Mankind’s bias, prejudice, and hatred which are born in their sinful nature have kept them from knowing the love of God and it is reflected in their lack of love for others. The people in Jesus’ day hated anything that did not line up with their agenda. The Romans detested the Jews, and likewise. The people hated the tax collectors and the injustice done by those in authority. This was the mindset of those whom Jesus came to save from their sins, many considered themselves as good people. He told us we would know people by their fruits. “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Matt.7:18-20”

Application - In the world today, there are pockets of people in the world who show love for their neighbor, but by and large, most in the world have their bias, hatred, racist attitude, and disdain for anyone who is not like them or thinks like them. Just look at our country. It is being torn apart by hatred, bias, and racist disdain by all ethnicities and genders. 

Jesus commanded us that we are to love others as He loved us.” “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.“ (Jn.13:34-35)

I have had people ask me, “Am I really saved? One of the litmus tests I ask them to do on themselves is “Do you follow Jesus’ commandment to Love one another and to love your neighbor as yourself.” The other question that digs deep into our soul and heart, Have we surrendered our lives to follow him? And Paul gives us good counsel, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Cor. 13:5)

And Lastly, this brings us to the rich young man who wanted eternal life. “A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.”

Jesus asked every believer, “Follow me!” Matt.16:24 “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”, John 12:26 “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”, Luke 9:23,57-62, Matt. 4:19, John 8:31-32 and many more.

The simplicity of following Jesus is that he leads and we follow. Peter put it this way, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21), and Paul put it this way, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Following Christ began with surrendering of their lives and submitting to the will of God. This leads to the complexity of eternal life.

The complexity of following Jesus, as you read in the aforementioned verses, We must die to ourselves, our self-nature. Man cannot do this in his own ability and strength. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Cor.5:17 It is totally the work of Christ for redemption and the work of the Spirit for guidance, growth and sanctification.

 

Following Jesus means to rid yourself of your control, and let Jesus guide and keep you. Peter, Andrew, John, and James all left their boats to follow Jesus, Matthew left his tax and money collecting business (banking) to follow Jesus, so did all the other disciples and people who saw Jesus walking upon the earth. Many people say, How can we follow when we can not see him? Paul said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor.5:7...For in it (gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Ro. 1:17 and Gal.5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” 

Application - Following Jesus meant believing in Him (salvation), the denying of self (submission and sanctification) and picking up the cross (the daily denial to the ways of the flesh and committing to do the will of God). Truly becoming a Christian is simply believing in Jesus Christ as Savior, living by faith and suffering for Christ are possible only because God has given us His Holy Spirit, to empower us to stand in faith, to walk in the ways of Christ, and we have the blessed hope and promises of Christ. He will return and take us to be with him in his Kingdom, and to live eternally with him.  

So the basis of eternal life is in loving God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength. To love one another as Christ has loved us, and to follow him, believing in the Son, doing His will, until the day He takes us to his Kingdom in Heaven. Amen

 

Again, I would like you to pray about who you could share this lesson with. I will enclose the ABC’s of Salvation in order that you may use them to reach out to others who

need Jesus as Lord and Savior. Please share this with someone, God said “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” Isa. 55:11

 

A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Until Next Week, My God bless you to know the love that passes all knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

In His Service, Mike Davis