WHAT SHALL I DO TO SECURE ETERNAL LIFE?
By T.
EVERY sane man or woman is possessed of an inexpressible desire to live to all eternity. Men in all ages have queried: “Shall we live eternally? Will we ever be immortal? Are we immortal now?” With this thought, or desire, of eternal life in mind, and being away from the light of the Bible, the groundless doctrine of the immortal soul’s dwelling in man was invented. Men for ages have argued that we have a soul that can not die. But still the question is unsettled. Its most ardent advocates are not positively sure that their reasonings upon the subject are sufficiently strong to silence the inner questionings that arise, despite all that has been said. A clear statement in regard to the immortality doctrine is made by Paul, as follows: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. I charge thee in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession; that thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; which in its own times He shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honor and power eternal. Amen.” 1 Tim. 6:12–16, R.V. In the foregoing words we are exhorted to “lay hold on the life eternal.” We are also plainly told that “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords,” is the One “who only hath immortality.” Since God plainly tells us that He only hath immortality, it is clear that only those can lay hold on eternal life who accept it as a proffered gift from our heavenly Father. No truly intelligent Bible Christian who candidly investigates the subject will cling for a great while to the pagan doctrine of the soul’s inherent or natural immortality. How can he, when the Bible does not teach any such thing? Altho the Bible does not teach the soul’s immortality, yet should we be comforted; for it offers us something far better than any of the human theories about the immortal soul. It gives us the positive promise of an unending life. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. Language could not state a truth more clearly. Every one who “believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” The promise is sure to all such, but there is no promise of eternal life to any others. Contrariwise, there is the unequivocal statement, “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life.” Another text upon this subject is equally clear. It reads: “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. That person who has the Son of God has accepted the character of the Master. All the virtues and lovely and lovable traits of character presented in the Sermon on the Mount are woven into the life of the individual who has the Son of God. He lives on the high plane of divine morality, and such an one God esteems worthy of eternal life. The heavenly Father can not intrust an eternity of existence to one who is immoral, impure, dishonest, debased. Only those who accept and love the true way of righteousness can enter into the real joys of an eternal existence.7All evil-doers would do as they ever have done: they would pervert the good things of the Lord, and, turning them into a wrong channel, would cause them to be a curse rather than a blessing. God will not immortalize sin. He gives us the present opportunity to turn away from sin, but if we neglect the proffered salvation, there stands the decree, “The wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23. And death is death. It can not be made to stand for eternal life in a state of misery. Such a condition could not be called death. It would be a miserable, torturous life. The Lord is not a tyrant, that He should inflict endless torture upon any, no matter how vile they may have been. Then, as we would prize an eternal existence, let us make sure that we go to the Source from which it may be obtained, and not be deceived by the doctrine that immortality inheres in sinful man. If we would live forever, we must receive the gift of eternal life from the Son of God. Otherwise our mortal life that we now hold will soon pass into the oblivion of eternal death. T.