Eternal Life

Inheriting eternal life is a Hebrew idiom for “living life in the will of God.” This meant that those who followed Jesus believed that if they obeyed his teachings and imitated his ways of living out God’s will, they would gain the ability to “live their lives in the will of God” (inherit eternal life) because they believed that Jesus’ interpretations of the commands of God in the Torah were the perfect interpretations.

The eschatological reward and punishment system was not as important to Jewish people as it is to us Westerners today. In other words, first century Jews were not as concerned with the “afterlife” nearly as much as they were concerned with the “active” life of being a child of God who lived God’s will correctly in the world.

It is not easy for those of us who have grown up in the Western world where everything either ends with reward or punishment or payoff or pay-up to imagine doing something because we should do it and it pleases God. I would even suggest that if it was somehow proven that there was not an afterlife reward for Christians that many who claim to be Christians would choose another religion. I would challenge all Christians to imagine for just one day doing God’s will without even considering a reward in the afterlife. Actually, pretend for one day that you are either going to live according to God’s will or not and either way there is no heaven or hell in the end.

This is the attitude of the first century Jewish world with regard to obedience to the will and ways of God. We use the reward and punishment system because it works for most situations to which we are required to get people to do what we want. But what if people did their jobs simply because they were able to do them and the jobs needed to be done? What if there was no pay or loss of pay whether I did my job or not? Would I still do my job or be a life-long couch potato? And how would this impact those in supervisory positions? Would they be more likely to express words of appreciation and encouragement like God or would they use tactics of threats and fear like most religions? God’s word was always a sweet tasting gift to first century Jews, which allowed them the privilege of obeying God simply because it pleased Him, not because they were mortally afraid of losing their jobs or lives. God’s word was written to encourage His people to follow His will, not to scare them into obedience.

Paul tells us that we are to do everything we do as if we are doing it for God (Col. 3:23). God doesn’t say do everything we do as if we will be paid for it. We do God’s will for the sole purpose of bringing His Kingdom into the world wherever we are present as His children. Eternal life is the opportunity to please God by doing His will in the world, not the opportunity to live forever, though that may very well be part of the package. But even if our death brought nothing but the end of life, we should do the will of God and do it gladly.

In His Dust,

Johnny

Writer: Capt. Jonathan Gainey was born in Jacksonville, FL in June, 1969. He has been married to Staci, the daughter of retired Salvation Army officers, for twenty years and they have four children ages 18, 16, 12, and 4. Jonathan was commissioned as an officer in June of 2002, and is currently serving in his third appointment in New Bern, NC, USA. He is working on a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the creator and manager of the Flocks Diner website, where his passion for learning and teaching is expressed and shared through writing and a weekly podcast.

2 Comments to Eternal Life

1. A good article which unfortunately only tells half of the story. If I was a sadducee I would probably be content with this. But I’m not. I am a Christian.

   One of the main points of Christian eschatology is the fact that we long for the day when God will ultimately put the entire universe to rights. This includes the completion of the life of the age to come which was started when Jesus was bodily resurrected. Those in Christ will also be bodily resurrected to reign with Christ in the new heavens and new earth.

   I agree that we should not be doing these things ‘just’ for that reward, actually we do what we do because we anticipate God’s final victory OVER death, we want to bring it to bear with the healing and rescue of his people and his world right now. You unfortunately imply that it does matter whether death is the end or not. Of course it matters! In fact God’s ultimate victory over death is one of Paul’s greatest themes! Read 1 Corinthians 15; Romans 8; Ephesians 1-3) Paul’s greatest section of resurrection, of Jesus’ victory OVER death is contained within these great passages, particularly 1 Cor 15.

   May we understand the significance in having a firm grasp of what our hope is. Not as some arbitrary reward for doing good stuff but as the invitation to be a part in building for God’s Kingdom and his mission to his world.

   Grace,

   Craig
Craig Gaudion on September 25th, 2009

2. I live today for the Master , to do His will and commune and to live forever in the “afterlife”because he promises it. If there was no promise of eternity with the Lord then I would”eat,drink,and be merry”and would live as an atheist or maybe a sadducee. We do need to live in the here and now for “now”,but I would not want to live in this world as we know it for eternity. Jesus will take care of that.

   Bob
Robert Deidrick on September 28th, 2009

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