Eternal Life for the Righteous

Posted by: Stephen E. Smith on 2008-05-28

Eternal Life for the Righteous

Stephen E. Smith: General Overseer of The Church of God

"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal"   (Matthew 25:46)

In the verse cited above, Jesus tells of two groups of people. Those in the first group, the wicked, are destined to suffer everlasting punishment. The second group, the one this message will focus on, are those Jesus called "righteous," and who will receive eternal life.

Most people cherish the thought of living forever. Life here on earth is relatively short, even for those who live to a "ripe old age." And there are many ways by which men leave this world early in life. Cemeteries hold caskets of all sizes. Babies, small children, teenagers and young adults join with old folks in the graveyard. One dies from disease. Another loses his life in an accident, while others die through murder or war. Except for those who commit suicide and send themselves early to face the judgement of God, none knows exactly when his time of death will come. James put it well when he stated, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vaisheth away" (Jas. 4:14). 

Thus it behooves every soul to give sober consideration to the subject of eternal life. The Bible clearly teaches that eternal life comes through Jesus Christ alone. The best known verse of scripture in the Bible affirms this: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16).

And lest that some should think that there is some other way by which to obtain this life, we are told, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (Jn. 5:12).

There is no other way to obtain life eternal but through Jesus Christ. Through repentance and faith in Christ as the only acceptable sacrifice for sins, a person passes from death to life. Prior to receiving salvation, all souls are dead in trespasses and sin and destined to suffer eternal punishment in the torments of hell. But God's love made a way of salvation through the suffering and death of His Son for our sins. When Jesus is accepted as Savior and Lord, the miracle of eternal life takes place in the inner man of the heart.

It is important to note that eternal life is more than just eternal existence. There are many people who have a pitiful existence in this world. Some suffer great poverty. Others live in bodies that are deformed from diseases or accidents, and they may suffer physical pain so long as they are in their earthly body. Yet others suffer the loneliness of being abandoned by parents and other loved ones, or abused by sinful men. This worl has enough sorrow to touch the lives of every person on the planet. But in the midst of the problems, those who have Christ have life. They do not have to wait until they walk the streets of gold to enjoy true life, for those who truly know God have entered into a relationship with their Creator/Savior that brings inner joy and peace that this world's problems cannot take away. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son" (1 Jn. 5:11).

Notice the verse above does not say that God will give us eternal life, but that He has already given it, and that it has come to us through His Son. Notice also that this life is the result of knowing God in an intimate relationship: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (Jn. 17:3).

Adam and Eve knew God. For a while after their creation, they walked and talked with God. What sweet communion they must have enjoyed. How glorious it must have been to feel the presence and the deep moving love of their Creator. While the Garden of Eden was no doubt beautiful and full of enjoyable things, it was the fellowship with God hat brought them the greatest happiness. So long as they knew God in this intimate manner they were able to partake in the tree of life. To know God is life.

But when Adam and Eve sinned, fellowship with God was lost and they no longer had access to the tree of life. It came to pass just as God had warned it would should they sin against Him by partaking of the forbidden fruit that hung on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, "...in the day that thou eastest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). Their physical death would come later, but the moment they transgressed God's commandment they died spiritually. They were no longer in fellowship with God, and were dead to the joy, peace, love, holiness and all other treasures of the soul that life with God had entailed. So it has been ever since for the whole human race, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all hath sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

Our opening scripture stated that is only the righteous who will receive eternal life. It was sin that brought death upon mankind, and only righteousness could restore eternal life. That righteousness comes through the Son of God. "For by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ...For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence may abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unot death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:17, 19-21).

Righteousness is restored through a right relationship with Jesus Christ. And when righteousness is restored, eternal life is restored. Without holiness no man shall see God, but that state of holiness is obtained through God's Son, where grace reigns and abounds. How wonderful God's love is and how mighty the grace that lifts fallen man from sin and death, and restores him to holiness and life!

Eternal life may be lost, should a Christian abandon the grace of God and return to sinful living. But as long as one keeps himself in the grace of God and in good fellowship with Christ, he will remain holy and the soul will maintain eternal life. And even thought the physical body must yet die, that death is only a momentary passage for the weak and frail temple we presently abide in, to a glorious one that shall never know suffering or death. "For we know that if our earthly house [our physical body] of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:1, 2).

Whether by way of the resurrection or the rapture, our physicla body must be changed and we muts be clothed upon with that eternal glorious body that God has prepared for the righteous. At that moment, the redemption of the children of God will be complete, and they will enter their greatest joy, knowing that, "...so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess.4:17). Wih such joyful and victorious life now available to those who know God, and with the promise of the redemption of the physical body itself at some time in the not so distant future, every lover of God and righteousness can with great anticipation proclaim, "...even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).

(This article was orginally published in the August 2004 issue of The Evening Light.)