Eternal Life

Not only is it eternal but it is imperishable and incorruptible.

I Peter 1:3-5

 

John 17
3“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

21that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

23I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

26and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”


In a sense you can have eternal life NOW.

We note that God has loved you as much as he loves Christ. And Christ has been loved :You loved Me before the foundation of the world.


Its important to point out that first verse identifying eternal life as KNOWING God and Jesus. Its less selfish, trusting has nothing to do with "survival"

Then God's foundational love for you.

Its matter of Eternal Life having you first already and then you get to know God and Jesus.

 

There is no sole condition for receiving salvation.

All mercy and salvation comes from God, We might all get it in different packaging.

Paul's own case:

1 timothy 1

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 15It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 16Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.


Paul had no faith, Paul was killing, murdering, blasphemer UNREPENTANT. Paul had no "RIGHT" to receive any divine intervention or correction, those acts of MERCY Paul received UNCONDITIONALLY.

He didn't pray to God one day.....and then Jesus appeared, he didn't have faith and then Jesus appeared.

He was in the middle of sinning, on the road. When Jesus decides to SAVE HIM.


While I am a sinner and a non believer, I can still receive the command of God telling me not to sin. God says "do not sin". There is an act of mercy there on God's part, the command is a mercy. Its a better warning then any red light, then any do not touch, do not enter, do not swim, ect.

I never qualified even for the slightest mercy already shown in the God given commands of love God and neighbor and do not sin.

Even from Paul's perspective , he earned and qualified for salvation by being an ignorant unbeliever.

And its true there is no better example of patience Jesus has with those who believe in him for eternal life then the perfect patience she showed a NON-BELIEVER.

"the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus."

In terms of justification (of mercy), If your grace is lacking it is found in Christ, If your faith is lacking it is found in Christ, If your love is lacking it is found in Christ.

If grace was your legs, faith was your sight, love was your heart.......you could be missing all three it is Jesus Christ who carries you.

You are The Cross that Jesus carries, His hands are nailed in Your hands, His feet are nailed in Your feet, when you or the world blames you, he takes the blame, sin and responsibility of the whole world.


I'm better off pointing at the most rotten jerk, there that is the best candidate for justification/salvation.

Rather then judging folks base on their works nor status of "faith" or "elect". To realize God is close to all sinners.

Romans 10

5For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. 6But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”









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I'm saying even non-believers in a sense are receiving mercy from God already. You might run into someone who never heard of Jesus before or heard of and it never been explained. When you teach them or preach to them even though they might not be believers yet you yourself are already a expression of mercy from God's part.

2 Corinthians 5

18Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

You are proclaiming to the world to the sinner and unbeliever out there that they God seeks reconciliation.




Romans 11
. 30For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.


At one time you were disobedient to God, but you were shown mercy during this. Mercy was shown to you so that those who are disobedient now would be shown mercy.

You might not think it but when you set a proper example and live by the word of God you yourself become a mercy of God to sinners and unbelievers. And the hope is to graft them in to the body of Christ.