Eternal life The Bible verse means the everlasting life that everyone who believes in Christ Jesus as the only begotten Son of God will receive in the age to come (John 3:15-16; Mark 10:30). Eternal life also means to know the LORD as the only true God and to recognize Christ Jesus as His only begotten Son (John 17:3).
On the contrary, everyone who does not believe in Christ Jesus as the only begotten Son of God and dies in that state will receive everlasting punishment in the coming age (Matthew 25:46).
In Matthew 19:16-22, we come across the rich young ruler who came to Christ Jesus and asked Him what he needed to do in order to qualify for eternal life. Jesus told him to go and observe God’s commandments. In response, the young ruler told Jesus that he had observed the law from his youth. So Jesus instructed him to go sell all that he had and then come and follow Him. When the young man heard this, he went away because he was not ready to do that.
In Matthew 25:31-46, we come across a category of people whom Christ Jesus states will enter eternal life. According to the scripture, these are people who helped His brethren by giving them food, drink, clothing, and shelter. Also these are people who visited Christ’s brethren when they were sick or in prison. Christ tells them that by doing good deeds to His brethren, they were actually doing the good deeds to Him.
The disciples of Jesus also wanted to know what they would gain given that they had forsaken everything and chosen to follow Him. Christ response was quite inclusive. He told them that anyone who had left their house, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, and lands or wealth would receive a hundredfold now in this time, and in the age to come, eternal life (Mark 10:28-30).
Scriptures record that a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus came to Jesus by night to inquire about His ministry. Jesus plainly told him that one had to be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. That implied believing in Christ Jesus as the only begotten Son of God. By so doing, one would receive eternal life (John 3:1-3, 14-15).
In John 6:40, scriptures teach that it is God’s will that everyone should believe in Christ Jesus so that they may get everlasting life.
In John 6:54 Christ Jesus told the Jews that unless one ‘ate his flesh’ and ‘drank his blood,’ they would not get eternal life. By this He meant that He would offer His body and blood as a sacrifice for the sins of not only the Jews but also all of humankind. It is in light of this that believers occasionally celebrate the Lord’s Supper as stipulated in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. By so doing, they are actually proclaiming the death of Christ till the day He will return.
In John 10:27-28, Jesus teaches that He is the one who gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. He told the Jews who were then gathered in the temple to listen to Him that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. He further tells the Jews that none of His sheep shall perish because it is God Himself who keeps them safe.
Eternal life is also a gift from God. This is according to Romans 6:23, which says
‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
The apostle John refers to Christ Jesus as the eternal life in 1 John 1:1-3. The scripture says
‘That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.’
In the book of Daniel 12:2, the scripture teaches that in the end time, the dead will be resurrected. Then, those who walked righteously will receive everlasting life. On the other hand, those who did wickedness will receive shame and everlasting contempt.
In Galatians 6:7-8, the apostle Paul urges believers to always walk in the Spirit so that in the end they will reap eternal life. The scripture says
‘Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.’
Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/
‘Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and has made us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.’ (Revelation 1:4-6)
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