ETERNAL LIFE
Strong’s gives for the word “eternal” = “without end, never to cease, everlasting,” sometimes translated “everlasting” or “for ever.” It is the “gift of God” (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8). It is God’s gift—not man’s, not the priest’s, pastor’s, missionary’s, or the church’s. And because it is God’s gift, you will have to come to Him to receive it. You cannot pay for it; it is a gift, and even called a “free gift” (Romans 5:15, 16, 18). It cannot be earned, but only by faith in Christ can you receive this free gift: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Because salvation (eternal life) is a free gift, anyone can have it, and this way, only God Who gives it can be praised for it. If we earned it, then we could brag about how good we are or that we deserved it, which would be the sin of pride: “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
A Christian’s body will die and be raised again at the resurrection, but his soul and spirit are saved at the moment he trusts Christ and he will “never perish” (John 10:28). We are not on probation, waiting to receive eternal life after we die, but the saved “have everlasting life” (John 3:16), which is received at the moment we trust Christ. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). The saved already have eternal life. Not will have everlasting life but “hath,” not will pass, “but is passed from death unto life.” Many such verses as this one say that the man or woman who trusts Christ is “saved” (past tense). “And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” (Luke 7:50). “For by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8; see also John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).
In Matthew 24:13 Christ said, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” This was spoken to those who will live during the great tribulation period. The word “end” in this verse does not refer to the end of one’s life but to the “end of the world” (see Matthew 24:3, 6, 14). This same expression is used two more times in the Gospels, and it also refers to the end of this present age, not the end of one’s life (Matthew 10:22–23; Mark 13:4–20). If it referred to the end of one’s life, then it could be said we must be good till we die, but it refers to those who will believe and receive salvation at the end of the great tribulation, when they see Jesus return at the end of this present age. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem [battle of Armageddon, the end of this age]. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:9–10). “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:25–26).
Christ wants His own to “know” they have salvation: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11–13). It is too late after one dies to find out if he or she is saved. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5; see also 2 Peter 1:10; see SALVATION).
Can one lose his salvation? I heard a wise man say, “It depends on how you were saved. If a person is saved by being good, then when he sins he will become unworthy and lose it. But if he is saved by grace (something we do not deserve) then he is already unworthy even before he sins again. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Fortunately we do not keep our salvation, because most of us cannot even keep from breaking the speed limit. “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5). What sins would one have to commit in order to lose his salvation—adultery or murder? King David committed both (2 Samuel 11:1–17) and did not lose his salvation. We do not believe as some say, that a person can get saved and then go out and sin and nothing will happen to him. We believe that God corrects those who sin, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6–10). The worst day in King David’s life was the day he fell in sin, for there were many consequences (2 Samuel 12:1–15). Salvation is forever as the name implies in “eternal life.” Christ said, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:28–30).
The teaching that one has eternal life once he is saved, does not cause a person to go out and sin, but helps people get saved. For as long as they see salvation as something they can lose, they still believe it depends on them, and therefore must be worked for. In effect, they are saying God did His part and I am doing “my part.” In actuality, they believe God saved them for one second, and then for the rest of their lives (30, 40 or 50 years) they must be good to keep it. It is still boasting, still pride, still sin, and still they have put faith in themselves for salvation, but salvation is “not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
People sometimes wonder about those who stop living for the Lord, but the Bible says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:19; see also Hebrews 12:8). Judas Iscariot did not lose his salvation, he never had it (John 6:64–71). But of the saved, Christ says, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). And on the day of judgment, Christ will say to the lost, “I never knew you: depart from me.” Those who are saved “shall never perish” and those who go to hell were “never” saved.
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). The word “fallen” in this verse has different possible meanings in the original Greek and the same word is translated “hath taken none effect” in Romans 9:6, and “faileth” in 1 Corinthians 13:8. At any rate, it is clear from the verse that no sin was committed, but that the person was trying to be justified by keeping the law, and therefore he failed to obtain the grace of God, for it is not given by the “law” but by faith. There are other verses that people have stumbled over, but the main one is found in Hebrews 6:4–6, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance.” This passage was written to those who wanted to keep going over the basic teachings of salvation. And that is why in verse 1 of this chapter, the apostle Paul said, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ.” These were good principles, but there was no need to keep going over them now that they were already saved; instead he wanted them to grow, “let us go on unto perfection.” And he told them, “not laying again the foundation of repentance…faith…baptisms…laying on of hands…resurrection of the dead…eternal judgment.” We’re not these important teachings? Yes, and Paul said that if God would permit (v. 3) he would even go over it yet again, but why keep explaining how to be saved once you are saved? And that is why Paul said “if” we shall lose our salvation it would be “impossible” to get it back, so there was no need to tell them how to get saved again. It was a hypothetical situation, to try and get the point across that even if they could lose their salvation, they could not get it back, so why keep telling them how to be saved? It needs to be stated here that all those who believe you can lose your salvation also teach that you can get it back, but the verse says it would be “impossible” to do this. No one in the Bible was saved twice, and no one in the Bible lost his salvation.
Nor can they ever be sure they are still saved, as they will worry over the last sin they committed, that perhaps God got tired of forgiving them. And those who have eternal life are not doing good works to get, or keep salvation, but they do them because they are saved, out of a thankful heart to God Who saved them. And when they are tempted to sin, they realize God will correct His children. There were many times that I did not listen to my dad, but he never opened the door and threw me out, saying, “You no longer belong to me.” Are we to believe that our heavenly Father loves us less than our earthly fathers? “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:37–39; see also 2 Timothy 1:12; Psalm 37:28; Romans 6:23, 8:29–30, 35–39,11:29; Hebrews 10:4, 13:5; John 10:29, 15:16; Ephesians 1:13–14).
Please read the other doctrines and pray for this
website to be used of God and to help Christians!
Strong’s gives for the word “eternal” = “without end, never to cease, everlasting,” sometimes translated “everlasting” or “for ever.” It is the “gift of God” (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8). It is God’s gift—not man’s, not the priest’s, pastor’s, missionary’s, or the church’s. And because it is God’s gift, you will have to come to Him to receive it. You cannot pay for it; it is a gift, and even called a “free gift” (Romans 5:15, 16, 18). It cannot be earned, but only by faith in Christ can you receive this free gift: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Because salvation (eternal life) is a free gift, anyone can have it, and this way, only God Who gives it can be praised for it. If we earned it, then we could brag about how good we are or that we deserved it, which would be the sin of pride: “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
A Christian’s body will die and be raised again at the resurrection, but his soul and spirit are saved at the moment he trusts Christ and he will “never perish” (John 10:28). We are not on probation, waiting to receive eternal life after we die, but the saved “have everlasting life” (John 3:16), which is received at the moment we trust Christ. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). The saved already have eternal life. Not will have everlasting life but “hath,” not will pass, “but is passed from death unto life.” Many such verses as this one say that the man or woman who trusts Christ is “saved” (past tense). “And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” (Luke 7:50). “For by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8; see also John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).
In Matthew 24:13 Christ said, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” This was spoken to those who will live during the great tribulation period. The word “end” in this verse does not refer to the end of one’s life but to the “end of the world” (see Matthew 24:3, 6, 14). This same expression is used two more times in the Gospels, and it also refers to the end of this present age, not the end of one’s life (Matthew 10:22–23; Mark 13:4–20). If it referred to the end of one’s life, then it could be said we must be good till we die, but it refers to those who will believe and receive salvation at the end of the great tribulation, when they see Jesus return at the end of this present age. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem [battle of Armageddon, the end of this age]. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:9–10). “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:25–26).
Christ wants His own to “know” they have salvation: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11–13). It is too late after one dies to find out if he or she is saved. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5; see also 2 Peter 1:10; see SALVATION).
Can one lose his salvation? I heard a wise man say, “It depends on how you were saved. If a person is saved by being good, then when he sins he will become unworthy and lose it. But if he is saved by grace (something we do not deserve) then he is already unworthy even before he sins again. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Fortunately we do not keep our salvation, because most of us cannot even keep from breaking the speed limit. “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5). What sins would one have to commit in order to lose his salvation—adultery or murder? King David committed both (2 Samuel 11:1–17) and did not lose his salvation. We do not believe as some say, that a person can get saved and then go out and sin and nothing will happen to him. We believe that God corrects those who sin, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6–10). The worst day in King David’s life was the day he fell in sin, for there were many consequences (2 Samuel 12:1–15). Salvation is forever as the name implies in “eternal life.” Christ said, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:28–30).
The teaching that one has eternal life once he is saved, does not cause a person to go out and sin, but helps people get saved. For as long as they see salvation as something they can lose, they still believe it depends on them, and therefore must be worked for. In effect, they are saying God did His part and I am doing “my part.” In actuality, they believe God saved them for one second, and then for the rest of their lives (30, 40 or 50 years) they must be good to keep it. It is still boasting, still pride, still sin, and still they have put faith in themselves for salvation, but salvation is “not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
People sometimes wonder about those who stop living for the Lord, but the Bible says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:19; see also Hebrews 12:8). Judas Iscariot did not lose his salvation, he never had it (John 6:64–71). But of the saved, Christ says, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). And on the day of judgment, Christ will say to the lost, “I never knew you: depart from me.” Those who are saved “shall never perish” and those who go to hell were “never” saved.
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). The word “fallen” in this verse has different possible meanings in the original Greek and the same word is translated “hath taken none effect” in Romans 9:6, and “faileth” in 1 Corinthians 13:8. At any rate, it is clear from the verse that no sin was committed, but that the person was trying to be justified by keeping the law, and therefore he failed to obtain the grace of God, for it is not given by the “law” but by faith. There are other verses that people have stumbled over, but the main one is found in Hebrews 6:4–6, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance.” This passage was written to those who wanted to keep going over the basic teachings of salvation. And that is why in verse 1 of this chapter, the apostle Paul said, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ.” These were good principles, but there was no need to keep going over them now that they were already saved; instead he wanted them to grow, “let us go on unto perfection.” And he told them, “not laying again the foundation of repentance…faith…baptisms…laying on of hands…resurrection of the dead…eternal judgment.” We’re not these important teachings? Yes, and Paul said that if God would permit (v. 3) he would even go over it yet again, but why keep explaining how to be saved once you are saved? And that is why Paul said “if” we shall lose our salvation it would be “impossible” to get it back, so there was no need to tell them how to get saved again. It was a hypothetical situation, to try and get the point across that even if they could lose their salvation, they could not get it back, so why keep telling them how to be saved? It needs to be stated here that all those who believe you can lose your salvation also teach that you can get it back, but the verse says it would be “impossible” to do this. No one in the Bible was saved twice, and no one in the Bible lost his salvation.
Nor can they ever be sure they are still saved, as they will worry over the last sin they committed, that perhaps God got tired of forgiving them. And those who have eternal life are not doing good works to get, or keep salvation, but they do them because they are saved, out of a thankful heart to God Who saved them. And when they are tempted to sin, they realize God will correct His children. There were many times that I did not listen to my dad, but he never opened the door and threw me out, saying, “You no longer belong to me.” Are we to believe that our heavenly Father loves us less than our earthly fathers? “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:37–39; see also 2 Timothy 1:12; Psalm 37:28; Romans 6:23, 8:29–30, 35–39,11:29; Hebrews 10:4, 13:5; John 10:29, 15:16; Ephesians 1:13–14).
Please read the other doctrines and pray for this
website to be used of God and to help Christians!
