Christianity Oasis Forum

[saint701]

Hello Christianity Oasis!


Blessings!

The Truth about The Life Eternal
Ref: http://www.believers.org/believe/bel217.htm
Every time I write an article about a truth found in the Bible, I must do a short review of the literature, that is, see what others have written about my topic. It doesn’t take long for me to peruse through what 10 or so expositors have said about the topic I am about to write on. Where those authors are concerned, I look for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God. Such is how we will discuss our current topic of The Life Eternal.
Most of the time I find 4 different kinds of authors…those that couldn’t be further from the truth, those that refer to what the Bible itself says about the topic and then explain what they think about that topic. Then there are those that have experienced the truth of the topic they have written about to some degree, and those that have experienced all the fullness of that topic, and have gained the understanding and wisdom that goes with the fullness of said experience.
First of all, Life Eternal is not merely a continuance of one’s current life in some ethereal form that has no end. It isn’t the continuance of our natural life in some ethereal body that will never die. It is not leaving our current clothing for a pair of angel’s wings and a derrière that we sit on just looking around at all the beautiful Heavenly settings and smelling the heavenly fragrance of Heaven’s flowers in the air. Some have said they are not interested in going to Heaven because it is a boring place and there won’t be anyone there because of that. Such stupidity doesn’t belong there anyway, but God extends His mercy to all and some will repent of their unbelief and make it to Heaven. Amazing Grace was given to this often time’s stupid thang too knuckleheads.
Back to the expositors…we find the same groups of expositors discussed above writing or speaking to us about the topic of Life Eternal. (Eternal Life, Everlasting Life) Of the first group of expositors it can be said that they are ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. These refuse to believe in Christ our Lord. They are philosophers, college professors and historians as such that tend to persuade people that their view of religion or view of religion they espouse to is logical and therefore valid. Nonsense! If I know God, of what value are theories about Him? To know God is to see, know, and understand Him as He truthfully is. What is logical or valid among those that theorize, imagine, and believe that somehow they can teach us anything about something they have not known, or convince us their nonsense should be respected?
Consider this…I am a physicist. I am a particle theorist. I propose the existence of things I cannot see based on research carried out and validated through physical evidence confirmed by others. My hypothesis demands that I find that particle I believe exists and observe its function as part of the building block of the physical universe. Once I have found that particle and understand its significance in the universe I can write about or lecture about the nature of that which previously was not known. Such is what a particle physicist does and it is what Christians do in order to find God…they seek God because others have found Him and written about their findings based upon their experience. Those that seek Him find Him because they believe what others have said based on their experience in knowing Him. In many cases those that seek Him have also observed visible evidence of His existence.
Now…isn’t it logical that if I want to speak or write about that which I have theorized about, that I should do research to find that thing based on the experience of others that have known some things about the existence of that which as yet I do not know, and find that thing, observe that thing, and finally experience and understand that thing before writing or lecturing about it? To me such research would be both logical and valid. If you do not know what you are talking about…please sit down and shut up!!!
Of the second group of expositors it can be said they are devoid of experience. Often their teachings begin with “I think” this and that about a certain topic. If I was being interviewed by a group of investors looking for an architect to design a shopping mall for them and I began the interview with “I think”…without drawings of what I had envisioned, and/or a model of the proposed shopping mall, I should not deceive myself into thinking that I willed be hired by those investors to build their mall. And yet where scripture is concerned we have a super abundance of “I thinkers” in the pulpits all over the world. Avoid them. They cannot lay the foundation of Christ our Lord.
Of the third group it can be said that they have some experience and are capable of shepherding a flock to the degree they have experience. For example, their doctrine of Life Eternal might begin and end with, “You must be born again.” These have actually been born again and are capable of leading people into the experience of being born again. They have experienced that old things in their life have indeed passed away and all things have indeed become new. While for some the experience of being born again is the beginning and end of their doctrine of Eternal Life, others within this group may have also been filled with the Holy Spirit, may speak in tongues, may have all the gifts, administrations, and operations of the Holy Spirit present in their ministry, but such is where their experience ends. Such is unfortunate as the greatest experience one may have of Life Eternal Here on this planet still awaits them.
Now Here I could write down all of the many Bible references which illustrate all of the different conditions one may encounter or experience that declares one has Eternal Life. However, I have given the URL reference above to supply you that information hoping that you will read it to promote your understanding of Eternal Life. That same writer makes clear that whatever the condition is we find ourselves in on our journey, if it is on his list of those things that qualify as a condition of Eternal Life, we have Eternal life and need not fear we don’t.
Notwithstanding, here are some scriptural declarations of where the journey of The Life Eternal is leading us if we do not quit seeking an ever greater knowledge of it that leads us into wisdom and understanding. Eternal life is the better way of 1Corinthians chapter 13. It is the knowing God as He is in John chapter 17 verse 3. It is the witness within ourselves of 1 John verses 9 and 10. It is the perfected love, the love that casts out all fear of 1 John chapter 4 verse 18.
In its completeness, The Life Eternal is the love of God perfected in us, not by our works, but by the life He has imparted to us of himself within our Hearts through faith. What is the greatest work of The Life Eternal of the Eternal One within us? It is that time when God the Father of our Lord Himself comes to us, gives us an understanding of His commandment of love, and leaves Himself within us to carry out the commandment of love He has given us.
Life Eternal is having He that is the origin and perfect essence of all that is truly love living inside us in the form and mind and love of the Spirit of His Son. Life Eternal in all of its fullness is to have and know and walk in His love and is to be taught by and can speak to and be spoken back to He that has given us His perfect love.


Blessings!
Love, In Christ Jesus, Saint.