Eternal Life
2 Tim: 4:6-7, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that Day and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing’. Paul told these words to all the believers who are waiting for the Second Coming of the Lord and His judgment. He encourages the believer to live a good life and continue till his last breath, and keep his hope in the Lord that He will deliver him from all the sin of this world, till eternity.
Paul explains this to Timothy in 1Tim.1: 18-19, ‘For this charge I commend you son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which having rejected concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck’.

In 1 Cor.9: 26, Paul further explains that there are people who do not have any goals in their lives. They continue to live a life without hope, rejecting the Savior and have lost their faith. Here he give his own example saying, ‘Therefore I run thus not with uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it to subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.’

Are we living lives to get disqualified from eternal life or are we going to enter into that kingdom?
I hear many Christians speak about their life. They believe in the Savior but do not know about eternity. Their life is just passing off without any goal or hope of eternal life. They fear God (Yah) but still do things against the Almighty, saying who will see our inner lives? No one can catch us even if we steal a bit from His treasury. They kill their conscience and live their lives. They get into many temptations and do not feel sorry about it. Is this a good fight? No! They are getting tuned to life as satan is leading them. In such situations there were great people of faith like Noah, Daniel and Job (Ezek.14: 14). These people kept their faith in spite of many temptations they faced and did not fall prey to these temptations. They trusted in God (Yah) and told others around them not to do such bad things. Though they could not save others they still kept their faith and saved their own souls.
So we have to read the word of God (Yah) and teach it to others, to build their faith and trust in the living Lord, who is the Savior of all men, especially believers.
In 1Tim.4:10-15, Paul commands Timothy to teach and to preach, ‘…till I come give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift…take heed to yourself and in the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

How do we enter into eternal life? John.17: 3 says, ‘And this is life eternal that we may know thee the only true God (Yah), and Jesus Christ (Yahshua Messiah), whom thou hast seen.’

The Bible tells us that only if we know God (Yah) and Jesus Christ (Yahshua Messiah) we can have life eternal! We can know God (Yah) by studying the scriptures; by hearing the word of the Lord and believing that Jesus Christ (Yahshua Messiah) is the Son of God (Yah). John.5: 39 tells us to ‘search the scriptures’. By carefully studying the Bible we will know the great plan of salvation of our Lord and how we can inherit eternal life. In Luke.10: 25, a lawyer asked Jesus Christ (Yahshua Messiah) how we could inherit eternal life. We should love God (Yah) with all our hearts, soul, strength and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves. When we love God (Yah) and neighbor as the Bible says, we will not have any ill feelings towards our fellow men. In this world we face many problems, many mountains, which seem impossible to overcome. When we love God (Yah) and obey His commandments, when we submit ourselves completely to His will, then  - ‘not I that live, but Christ (Messiah) that liveth in me’. (Gal.2: 20). And when He lives in us, we will overcome the world and have life everlasting.

Eternal life is a gift of God (Yah). (Rom.6: 23). A gift is something given freely. Messiah promises us this gift if only we forsake our old life. Get rid of it completely. Do not have any place for sin your life. Say no to sin and satan. Though the way to good clean life is up-hill, though it is narrow, and thorny, yet everlasting life is at the end. So, Rom.6: 23, the gift of God is eternal life. Heaven is life, consisting in the vision and fulfillment of God; and it is eternal life, there is no sickness or greed in it, no death to put an end to it. This is the gift of God. The death is the wages of sin, it comes as a result of a sinful life; but the life is a gift, it comes by favour. Sinners deserve hell, but saints do not automatically deserve heaven. There is no proportion between the glory of heaven and our obedience; we must thank God, and not ourselves, if ever we get to heaven. And this gift is through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is Christ (Messiah) who purchased it, prepared it, prepares us for it, preserves us to it; He is the Alpha and Omega, our salvation.
So then, let us not neglect such great salvation (Heb.2: 3) and continue our sinful selfish lives but commit our ways to Him and enter into everlasting life. Let our goal, as believers, be only to reach everlasting life. To enter eternal life there are three step:
1) We should believe that Messiah is our Savior… to cleanse us, with His blood from every sin.
2) Be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit (John.3: 4-5)
3) Take part in the Lord’s Supper, i.e., bread and fruit of the vine (John.6: 54)
Those who are not baptized and do not take part in the Lord’s Supper have no part in Messiah and will not enter eternal life. Our life on earth is short, maybe 70 or 90 years, but this is the time given to us to prepare for eternal life as children prepare for examinations. We as believers should pass the test of temptation, i.e., overcome lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life (1 John.2: 16). We should praise and glorify our Heavenly Father and be a witness to His name, which will help us to enter eternal kingdom. Every believer should preach the gospel to help others enter into eternal life. We may not be perfect, but God (Yah) is faithful and just to forgive our sins if we confess them (1 John1: 9) and He will make us pure so that every believer enters into His eternal kingdom.

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