I Intend to Live Forever… It was the slogan on a T-shirt: “I intend to live forever….so far, so good!” That sounds like the old joke about the man who fell off an 80 story skyscraper and as he passed succeeding floors on the way down kept saying, “so far, so good.” But unless he has a parachute he can deploy before he hits the ground, like the man in the “Great Call” commercials, such statements are utter folly. Unbelievers may be satisfied with the idea that death ends everything, that this life is all there is, and that ‘heaven’ – or ‘pie in the sky by and by’ is wishful thinking. They are going to be rudely surprised, I’m afraid. Not me. I intend to live forever and I’m looking forward to it more and more. To be clear, I’m speaking of eternal life here. “Forever” may also refer to hell, but hell is never referred to as “eternal life.” Hell is the second death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the foundation of the Christian faith, for as Jesus himself assures us, “Because I live, you too shall live.” A good while ago, when I was teaching a Sunday school class of high school students, I asked the question: “If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?” The general response I received was a vague “I hope so.” Not one would venture to say, “I know I will!” Now these were Christian young people from Christian families, and I thought it was sad that they had no assurance of their salvation. Where was the joy? I am aware that, as the old Negro spiritual says, “E’vybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’t a goin’ there.” There are those Calvinists who believe that once you are saved you can’t lose your salvation, and continue in sin (a doctrine that makes nonsense of most of the New Testament), and there are those who believe in a “works salvation” – that God weighs in a scale their good deeds and their bad deeds and if the former outweigh the latter they will make it. This view renders the Cross unnecessary. So, can we avoid wrong doctrine and wrong thinking and still be confident of our salvation? We are told in scripture that when we believe, repent and are baptized, we not only receive the forgiveness of our sins, but also the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is our guarantee or down payment on heaven. Nevertheless, we can quench the Spirit. [ I Thess. 5:19.] We can “outrage the Spirit of grace” by continuing in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, and there is no longer a sacrifice for sins. [Heb. 10:26 ff.] Can you know you are God’s child? On a human level, we know when we are on good terms with our family. We know when we look forward to a visit with our parents. We know we’ll receive a warm welcome whenever we show up. We look forward to being with our brothers and sisters and cousins, etc. Some children so dishonor their parents that they are told, “Never darken my door again!” They are disinherited, cast out and lose all the benefits that could have been theirs. Others simply move away from home and ignore their parents and siblings. They never write, call, visit or help in times of crisis. They have no love for those that bore them. Some give lip service: they say they love their family, but when put to the test to provide or sacrifice for them, they fail the test. If we are on right terms with God, we love conversing with Him, listening to His word, offering Him our praise and worship, following His commands. We look forward to being in His house, being with His family, caring and serving one another. “A day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” We are aware of the Spirit in our lives, giving us directions in daily affairs, bringing to our mind truths from God’s word, causing us pangs of conscience when we do wrong, providing grace and comfort in times of grief or trouble, moving us to tears with the joy that is inexpressible, and filling our hearts with peace that goes beyond understanding. We can truly say, “Abba, Father” and look forward to hearing Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Forever is a long time. It will be more than wonderful.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 14:02:48 +0000
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