In Matthew 19 Jesus is approached by a man asking a question that everyone has asked at one point in their lives: “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” We all know that our lives on earth are limited and the desire to live forever has been placed in the heart of everyone. However, just like that rich young ruler, the first place that we look for salvation is ourselves. We think that there is something that we must do to earn eternal life. Truth be told this is what most religions today are doing. In fact, when you truly examine the religions of the world today you quickly find that there are only 2 religions. In one category you have those who are trying to do something to earn God’s favor. They are seeking to earn salvation by their works. They look to  themselves to somehow achieve the smile of God. Every religion outside of biblical Christianity can be put into this category.

The problem with this mindset is that it focuses solely on what we can do and sadly ignores what we have done. In Romans 3:23 the Bible says: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” I’ve met very few people who would disagree with the fact that they are sinners. Sadly, though what many do is they view their sin through the lens of man instead of through the eyes of a holy, righteous, and just God. Man compares himself to those who are around him. For example, many will say: “I don’t go to church because the church is filled with hypocrites. My neighbor calls themselves a Christian and I live a better life than they do.” God though doesn’t judge us based on our neighbor, he doesn’t use the people that we think that we are better than as the measuring stick, he uses the man called Jesus. When compared to Jesus, the one who never sinned we are all sinners in the eyes of God. However, by being a sinner we now have an appointment with a just judge who will judge everyone righteously. Hebrews 9:27 says: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” We have an appointment with death soon followed by an appointment with judgment. This is the condition that we were born into. Romans 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death.” Wages are nothing more than what we earn by being sinners. The scientific word for death is separation. When we die physically, we are separated from our bodies, however the Bible teaches us about something called the second death. Revelation 21:8 says: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” This is what we earn by being sinners. No amount of church membership, baptism, or tithing can change this fact. In and of ourselves we are helpless and hopeless. There is nothing that we can “do” to earn eternal life.

Biblical Christianity on the other hand teaches that eternal life is not something that we achieve but rather is something that we receive. No one knows that we are sinners anymore than the one that we have sinned against. God knows that as sinners we could never do enough to earn eternal life. This is where Jesus comes into the picture. Let’s look at Romans 6:23 again: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We cannot do enough good works to earn God’s favor, but Jesus never did a bad work! He lived the life that you and I could never live. He kept all of God’s laws and he followed all of God’s commandments perfectly. However, that’s not the end of the story. Not only did Jesus live the life that we could not live, but he died the death that we deserved to die. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Jesus didn’t just die for our sins, but he died as our sins on the cross. Jesus took the judgment and punishment that we deserve for our disobedience. You see, there will never be a sin that God fails to judge. He either judges the sinner who has never received Christ as savior in hell for all of eternity, or he accepts the judgment of Christ on the cross in their place.

How then, can I inherit eternal life? Romans 10:13 says: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9-10 says: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Notice in these verses that true salvation is a matter of the heart. It is not a head knowledge that Jesus died on a cross for the sins of the world, but rather it is an understanding that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. It is not a prayer that I pray but rather it is a new birth that I experience. When someone trusts Christ as their Savior, they receive the gift of eternal life. The moment that you have to work for or earn something it ceases to be a gift. In 2 Corinthians 6:2 the Bible says: “behold, now is the day of salvation.” If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, there is no better time than today.

Do you know for sure that you have eternal life? If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Putman Baptist Church.