Colossians 2:9-10, “for in him dwells the fullness of the Godhead
bodily. And you are complete in him, which is the head of all principalities and
powers”. In Christ, you cannot lack anything: as for wisdom, the bible says,” Christ
has been made unto us wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:30), as for health, the bible says,
“by his stripes we were healed” (1 Peter 2:24), as for wealth the Bible says, “God
shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by CHRIST JESUS” (Philippians
4:19).
THE NEW CREATION HAS ETERNAL
LIFE (John 3:16, John 5:24; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; 1 John 5:11-12)
What is eternal life? Is it possible for a man to live forever
and not see death? These are the questions we need to ponder on as we discuss Eternal
Life?
Eternal Life is God’s kind of life, an everlasting life, a life
that cannot be cut short by anything like disease, sickness or death. It is not
acquired after a man is dead like some people think.
Eternal life is a gift from God
The bible says in Romans 5:21, “That as sin hath reigned unto
death even so grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ”. Romans 6:23, says, “For the wages of sin is death
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ”. Eternal life is a gift
of God. It is imparted into our spirit the moment we got born again. God’s love
for man brought about the gift of eternal life and this life is in His son Jesus.
(1 John 5:11-12).
Death has been abolished.
The bible says (2 Timothy 1:10) Jesus Christ abolished death
and hath bought life and mortality to light, through the gospel. Immortality here means “eternal life” or “everlasting
life”. Legally, death has no hold on the
New Creation. Death reigned over the fallen human race and the ordinary man had
a life span of 70 years or at most 100 years span. But the recreated human spirit
has an everlasting life. Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel, He lets us know that in John: 5:24, that he that hears His Word and believes
on Him that sent Him hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation
but is passed from death to life. He says, “HAS PASSED not WILL PASS”.
This lets us know that the moment we get born again we pass from
death to life; everlasting life, a life above sickness and death. We do not work
for it, just as a newborn baby does not work for its life; we inherited God’s kind
of life because we are born of Him. WE ARE BORN OF GOD. God is immortal (1 Timothy
1:17) and Christ has brought life and immortality to us.
GOD’S
REASON’S FOR
SALVATION (Gen 12:1-2; Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
In Genesis 12:1-2, “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 show thee: And I will make thee a great nation and I will
bless thee and make thy name great and shall be a blessing”.
The call of Abram can be likened to our translation from the
kingdom of darkness into God’s
kingdom. Abram was told to leave his country and kindred where there was idol
worship unto a place where God alone is to be worshiped. God also promised to blessed
Abram and make his name great and we through Christ have received this promise
for the bible says in Genesis 13:16. Now to Abraham and his seed was the
promise made, he did not say to “his
seeds” as of many but as of one, to
thy seed which is Christ.
To be blessed is to be empowered to prosper in all
things: health, wealth, relationships or
friendships etc. Also from Genesis 12:3, God said that “through thee shall all the families of the earth be
blessed”. Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-20
commissions us to bless the families of the earth by preaching the Gospel.
We are saved for the following reasons, amongst others:
a) That we may be
a source of blessing to all.
b) That we may
escape the destruction that is to come, etc.
WHAT IS TRUTH (2 Corinthians 5:7; John 17:17)
John 17:17 makes us know that the Word of God is truth. Sight is anything we can perceive with our
physical senses i.e. smell, touch, sight, hear and taste.
Sight and truth may not always agree e.g. a Christian may
have all the symptoms of malaria but in truth he has been healed by the stripes
of our Lord Jesus (Isaiah 53:5). Jonah
speaking in Jonah 2:8 said, “they
that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” Lying vanities here refers to things that can be
seen, perceived, smelt and touched etc, but don’t align with God’s
Word (the truth). However it is also possible for the sight to align with God’s word e.g. a Christian full
of health, wealth and wisdom.
CONCLUSION
The Christian is the one who is born of God, by confessing
Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
This process of rebirth is what is called ‘born again’.
CLASS REVIEW
Who is really a Christian and how is he related to God?
How can you describe the New Creation: power, dominion and
authority?
What is God’s
reason for salvation?
What is truth?
