If you take an opinion poll on
death you will discover more people want to live than die. Those who commit
suicide do so out of frustration than of joy. Though people complain of how
hard life is with them they certainly would not choose death if given a choice.
Life is what all seek, however it may be with them. Life is the distinguishing
characteristic between the living and the dead. Physical life is evidenced by
the ability to take in and utilize food, eliminate waste products from the body,
and grow. Living things respire (make use of needful air). They produce their
young. Apart from plants, they also move and express their feelings.
But life is not all about the
physical. The Lord Jesus Christ talked of ‘eternal life in the age to come’ (Luke 18: 30) and of ‘the
road that leads to life’ (Matt.
7: 14).
These do not describe the present life. They refer to life after
now. There is such a thing as spiritual life. The Lord called that life
‘eternal’, meaning ‘unending’. It is clearly different from the life we have
now because this life will end but eternal life will not.
Eternal life is the more important
of the two. Once a person is born into this world, they must continue to live
both here and after death. There would be no end to living. In this world we
share a common lot. The same condition faces us all. But conditions will change
after death. The Lord Jesus talked of those to whom the King would say, “Come,
you who are blessed” (Matt. 25:
34), and of those to whom He would say, “Depart from me, you who are
cursed” (Matt. 25: 41). He
concluded by saying the cursed would go into eternal punishment but the blessed
into eternal life (Matt. 25: 46). To have eternal life is peace, but to have
eternal punishment is disaster. To avoid such disaster it is important to know
what to do.
In Luke 18: 29
– 30, the Lord Jesus said: “No one who has left home or wife or
brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to
receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”
This statement followed a certain rich man’s
reluctance to forsake his wealth and follow the Lord (Luke 18: 18 – 25). The
rich man acknowledged there was such a thing as eternal life and rightly
conceived it as inheritable (v. 18; compare Matt. 25: 34). But his idea about
the inheritance was that he must work for it, so he asked the Master as
recorded in verse 18, “What
must I do to inherit eternal life?” Answering along his line of thought
the Lord reminded him of the commandments to which the man admitted he had kept
from childhood. If this man has kept the commandments from childhood to then,
why was he not satisfied about having eternal life? Was he looking for the Lord
to endorse his religious life even when it was not giving him the peace he
needed? If he were satisfied with his life he wouldn’t certainly have gone to
the Master. So there must have been something more to which his inner
(spiritual) being sought after. There must be something greater than keeping
the commandments. And he lacked that one thing. The Lord told him, “You
still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (v. 22).
This statement is pregnant with meaning. Firstly,
this man lacked something despite his religious upbringing. Secondly, he lacked
treasure in heaven despite his great wealth on earth. Thirdly, he probably
lacked that charisma of giving to the poor. He was selfish, amassing wealth to
himself, and at best, his posterity only. Fourthly, he was not a disciple of
Christ, and so the Lord asked him to follow Him. It is clear this man’s life
was empty despite his having so much to show for on earth. There were so many
‘unseen’ barriers between him and eternal life. Beyond keeping the
commandments, there was need to ‘clear the weeds’ about his life.
The Lord touched him where he needed healing. His
main problem appeared to be selfishness, which he needed to address, but was
unwilling to. To sell his possessions and turn the proceeds over to others, not
least those who never worked for them, was too much for him to do. This was a
test of the heart, a test which all of us must pass. We all have where it is
hardest for us to surrender. For many, as for this man, it is their wealth. Be
honest with yourself. Where is it hard for you to give up? That may just be the
only step between you and eternal life. No one whose heart is not turned to the
Lord can have eternal life. The Lord always judged matters from the heart
rather than from what is seen externally. Is your heart right with God?
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