“Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” These words were addressed to Jesus in Luke 18:18 by a rich young ruler. Not many people today find words such as these of any real interest to them. One would think, with the world in the terrible condition it is in, that this generation would feel more anxiety for the future than they do; but such, it seems, is not the attitude of this time and age. Therefore, these words are addressed to those who wish an answer to the question: “How do I inherit eternal life?”
Almost everyone has given some thought to our existence on this earth, and have wondered what happens to us after death. Yet the best minds in the world have produced no positive hope of a hereafter other than that offered in the Bible. Perhaps the saddest fact of all is that only a small portion of the world’s inhabitants believe the Bible; but, accept it or not, it alone offers a complete record of how the Creator established a plan for the earth and life upon it. This Book offers the only covenant or contract to man whereby he may attain life beyond the few short years of this present state of being.
To begin with, let us consider the covenant God made with Abraham, and see how it concerns all mankind. Quoting the record from the book of Genesis, chapter 12, verses 1 to 3: “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).
Here is the promise repeated: “And the Lord said unto Abram . . . lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee” (Genesis 13:14-17).
Quoting from the New Testament, Romans, chapter 4, verse 3: “For what saith the scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Furthermore, this is also witnessed by Paul in Galatians 3:6, and by James, chapter 2, verse 23.
Of particular significance are the words of Peter in Acts chapter 2, verses 38 through 40. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”
The question that comes to mind, then, is: How does this affect the Gentiles?
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3: 27-29).
Here is concrete evidence offered by the Apostle Paul that God will recognize the Gentiles only through the blessing that He gave to Abraham as we note in verse 14: “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Just as Abraham believed God so must we believe that God is able to bring to pass what has been promised to Abraham, namely: that there will be a kingdom in Jerusalem for the Jews and all those that become heirs to this kingdom through Jesus. Isaiah 2, verses 2 and 3 reads: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go up and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: For out of Zion shall go Forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Furthermore, the same words were written by Micah, chapter 4, verses 1 and 2.
The apostles of Jesus wondered what was meant by the Kingdom of Heaven (or Kingdom of God), so let us refer to Matthew 19:27-29. “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”
While some would have us believe that the kingdom is in heaven, the Bible does not teach such a doctrine. In fact, there is not one passage in the Holy Book that says that man is going to leave this earth and go to heaven; yet the Bible contains many passages that prove that the Kingdom of God will be established on this earth. The Apostle Paul makes this clear in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 4, verse 8: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing”, when He comes the second time to establish the kingdom that He preached.
We should especially remember what the angel told Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Luke, chapter 1, verses 31,32. “And, behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.” And where was David’s throne? In Jerusalem, the future capital of the world.
If we truly wish to have eternal life, we must put forth some effort to this end. One must do better than the Pharisees and priests of the temple, because Jesus said to them: “I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come” (John 8:21).
Frequently we hear expositors of the Scriptures teach that one need only believe in the name of Jesus the Christ to be saved. This does not agree with the teachings of the Bible, and in proof we offer Matthew, chapter 5, verse 20: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Some say, “I live by the Golden Rule,” but there is absolutely no reason to believe that this is sufficient for salvation. It is necessary to know and understand the purpose and accomplishments of Jesus Christ to be saved. “No man cometh unto the Father but by me . . . ” (John 14:6).
Being Gentiles then, let us face the fact that we must learn what God expects us to do and then be baptized into Christ. Otherwise we find ourselves without hope, and here we would remind you what Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, Having No Hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:11,12).
To be called of God and to be eligible for salvation is a serious matter, whether one be Jew or Gentile. We read in the book of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 14: “Blessed are they that Do His Commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
The choice then is up to each individual as to what he wants to do about seeking eternal life. On the one hand we have the words of Jesus: “If ye Keep My Commandments, ye shall abide in my love . . . ” (John 15:10), making us heirs according to the promise given to Abraham. On the other hand we can go our worldly way, and when Jesus returns be rejected by Him. “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
The answer then to the question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life” is: become enlightened concerning, and obedient to the laws and precepts of God and His Son, “To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thes. 3:13).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One