Eternal Life

Good day. I trust you are having a great day, and that what I would like to share with you today will truly have significance in your life. What I want to discuss today really goes to the core of our existence, to the core of our being. Maybe somebody has asked you before, "If you die today, where will you go?" If you say you are going to heaven, the next question would be, "Why do you say you are going to heaven?"

So it sounds like a bit of a heavy topic, but it is really something that is so critical in our understanding, because I encounter a lot of people who do not understand the truth regarding that question and that answer. If I can start off by saying: you do not go to heaven because you say you are going to heaven. You are not a Christian because you say you are a Christian.

The Word teaches us the requirement, the way to actually receive that life, to go to heaven. It is very specific, not general. There are not ten answers; there is only one correct answer. But to understand the solution, you actually have to understand the problem.

The problem starts right at the beginning when God created man. The Bible says in Genesis that God created man in His image and in His likeness. God had a specific intention when He created man, and that intention was that man should be an expression of Him in this earth. So He made man in His image, in His likeness, to look like Him, to function like Him, to be Him in this earth. It also says that He walked with them in the garden, so there was a oneness, a way of interaction and a communion that looked different than today. It is important to understand God's intention with man.

But what went wrong? Because of sin, separation took place, because God cannot be part of sin. So because of the sin of Adam and Eve, separation took place between them and God. They were separated from God spiritually. You have to understand that God created man firstly a spirit. Man has a soul, and he stays in a body. So when we talk about you, there are three components: in essence, you are spirit, you have a soul, and you stay in a body. The body that you see is not you; it is the container required to function in this realm. But who you are is spirit, because God is a spirit, and He created you a spirit.

So what happened in terms of separation from God was not the physical man that you see, when God said, "If you eat of this fruit, you shall surely die." Adam didn't fall down dead and die physically. But yet he died - he died spiritually. That separation that took place was spiritual death. His spirit was separated from God, and then he started functioning, if you want to call it that, independent from God. So you are a spirit, you have a soul, and you stay in a body.

So the problem was: God wanted man to be one with Him, to be an expression of Him into this earth, and it didn't work out because of the sin and the spiritual separation that took place. Now that you understand the problem, we can get to the solution, because now you will understand how the solution fits into that problem.

We have to first understand that Romans 1:16 says that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.”

Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

God had to come up with a solution to fix the problem, the thing that went wrong, and that solution was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is something that God embedded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that makes it possible to receive salvation, that makes it possible to fix the problem where it originated.

The Bible is clear in Romans 3:23. It explains that we are all part of sin. But what does that refer to? It refers not to the sin we are doing, but to our nature. Because of the separation that took place between Adam and God in the form of existence in their spirit, everyone born from Adam after that actually has his image and likeness and nature - a nature that is spiritually separated from God. That is why it says we are all part of that. Just being physically born into this earth, you are spiritually separated from God, spiritually dead, because we are the descendants of Adam.

Romans 6:23 continues to explain: "The wages of sin is death." Because of our corrupt nature, being descendants of Adam and Eve after their separation from God, the problem with that nature is that it means we will receive eternal death - we will go to hell if we don't do something about it. But the great thing is that same scripture says, "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus." There was a gift - not something we can deserve or work for. God gave us the gift of eternal life.

It's not doom and gloom. Yes, things went wrong, yes, it was not the original plan, but apart from that, there is a solution: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God unto salvation. It is a gift of God saying, "Here, I have a solution for you. If you embrace that solution, we can fix what went wrong."

This is why 2 Corinthians 5:17 explains it beautifully: those that are in Christ are a new creation.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

So there is a being in Christ - I'll explain that in a moment. Something needs to happen for you to be in Christ. The solution that God had to fix the problem of separation with Him was to send Jesus Christ as a gift, to make it possible for us to accept Him, embrace Him, and fix what originally happened.

So how do you actually embrace that life? How do you receive eternal life? Jesus Himself explained it in John 3:3. He said you cannot see the Kingdom of God unless you are born again. He explains what that means, and it ties in with what I've explained: you are spirit, you have a soul, and you stay in a body.

“Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."”

John 3:3-5 (NKJV)

Many people get confused with that scripture, thinking that being born of water is baptism. He's not talking about baptism; He's talking about your physical being, birthed into this earth in the flesh. When a woman gives birth, her water breaks, and she gives birth. So He is saying, "Unless you are born of water," meaning physically birthed into this earth, "and you are born of the Spirit." But you don't have to rely just on that verse - the next verse continues to explain it.

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

John 3:6 (NKJV)

So Jesus said you will not see the Kingdom of God, you will not embrace it, receive it, or receive eternal life, unless you are born again. The problem was spiritual separation from God in our spirit - not affecting your soul, not affecting your body, but your spirit. Even by birth, your spirit is separated from God, and we saw the consequences of that, just being descendants of Adam. But God had a solution: the Gospel of Jesus Christ is His power to fix that. Then Jesus Himself explained: if you want to receive the Kingdom of God, see it, embrace it, live in it, you must become born again. He was not talking about the physical being; He was talking about the spiritual being. Your spirit needs to be born again. Your spirit needs to receive the life of God into it.

The Word is quite clear on how you receive that life into your spirit, how you become born again. Romans 10 explains it very clearly.

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV)

So there are two components. You need to believe that Jesus Christ died for you, that He paid for your sins, that He made it available for us to become the righteousness of God - that's why it says, "with the heart you believe unto righteousness." But it's not enough to believe there is a God, not enough to believe there is a Jesus. That is what you do with your heart, but that is only the first step. The second step, after you have believed it, is that you must speak it - "with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation."

So God made something available - Romans 1:16 says the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation. And the Word explains elsewhere that the word they received did not benefit them because they did not mix it with faith. James explains there is no such thing as faith without action. So Romans 10:9-10 tells us: yes, it's great that you believe it, but you must act upon it, you must exercise and demonstrate your faith, and that means you must also speak what you believe. Towards the end of this video I will lead a prayer, and if you feel in your heart that there is something you want to do, I urge you to listen and pray along with that prayer. But first I want to explain a bit more about what we've just read.

I want to go back to 2 Corinthians 5:17 and complete what I started reading there, so you understand the full picture.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NKJV)

Can you understand that if I am reconciled with my long-lost brother, I can only be reconciled with him if at some stage we were together and got separated, and now I am reconciled with him again? So we were one with God in Adam since the creation of the earth, when God said, "We will create man in our image, in our likeness." He walked with them in the garden. There was a form of existence and oneness that they had, which got lost. But Jesus Christ made it possible again for us to become one with God, for our spirits to become one with God - that's why it says, "who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ."

So why did God send Jesus? He sent Jesus so that we could become one with Him again - be reconciled. Yes, Jesus did pay for our sins. Yes, it is significant. Yes, it is not possible to get to the Father except through Jesus Christ. But paying for our sins was a means to an end, not the end result itself. That's why Romans 10:9-10 says, "with the heart you believe unto righteousness."

So what is it that you believe? You believe that the price Jesus paid was enough - the blood of Jesus paid for all our sins, the sins you have done, the sins you are doing, and the sins you will do, and His blood was enough for that. But when you believe unto that, you believe that in exchange, Jesus washed you clean and made it possible for you to become one with God again. Remember, Adam and Eve could not remain one with God because they walked in sin, and God could not be part of sin. But now Jesus Christ has made it possible to say, "I am paying for all your sins; you are washed clean." That is why it is so amazing to receive salvation: we believe unto righteousness, we believe what Jesus did was enough, and because we believe it and speak it, we receive that life, we are washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and He positions us to have a life that becomes one with God. That's why it says, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself."

Because of the separation, God sent Jesus, and Jesus took my place and died in my place. The Bible says we were in Christ. If you accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you were in Jesus when He died - you died with Him, and you were resurrected with Him. That's why it says God was in Jesus reconciling the world with Him.

Jesus died for our sins. He went to hell, He was resurrected, and He ascended, and He is seated at the right hand of God. The Word says that if you accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour, it means you were in Him when He died, in Him when He was resurrected, and in Him when He ascended to heaven. And now He is one with the Father again. Because He is one with the Father, and we are in Him - remember 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "those that are in Christ" - when you have accepted Him as your Saviour and your Lord, you are in Him, which means you are in the Father, which means you have been reconciled. So the original problem has been fixed.

So if somebody asks you, "If you die today, where are you going?" the answer is very simple. You can go to heaven if you have received the life of God inside of you. You can only receive the life of God inside of you if you accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and as your Lord - you have to accept that He died for you and paid for all your sins. Romans 10 explains that you believe it, and when you believe it, you also speak it, and when you speak it, it means the life form inside of you changes. Your spirit, all of a sudden, receives the Spirit of God, receives the life of God.

Because the life of God is then in your spirit, your spirit and the Spirit of God become one, and you have that life inside of you. You actually are born again, you actually receive eternal life, and that is what makes you go to heaven. If you figuratively want to talk about it, and ask what makes you enter the gates of heaven: you will not enter because you haven't committed sin, not because you have been living right and doing good, not because you have been going to church, and not because you call yourself a Christian. The thing that makes you enter is the life form inside of you. Either you have a spirit separated from God, or a spirit that has the life of God inside of it. If you have the life of God inside of you, that is eternal life.

If you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and receive eternal life in your spirit, that life form is what makes you enter into heaven. The essence I want you to receive is this: the only thing that makes you go to heaven is the fact that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, not only believing it but speaking it, and then literally, in your spirit, you receive the life form of God, and you become one with God.

“…and God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself…and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

2 Corinthians 5:19 (NKJV)

But the amazing thing is that it then says He has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. May I respectfully say - not the ministry of judgment. We were not sent to judge other people; we don't have the ministry of judgment. Our ministry is the ministry of reconciliation. Our function is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God unto salvation. There is no other solution, and we preach that.

The Bible says the god of this age has blinded the eyes of those who don't believe, lest the light of the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ should shine on them, and it takes away that veil, that darkness. Many don't know that Jesus Christ is the only solution. We need to bring that solution to them. When you spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when you share that Jesus is the only solution, as you share it, that light surrounds them, shines upon them, and they can see truth and hear truth. Because that light has taken away the scales that blinded their eyes, they can embrace that truth and respond.

Will everybody accept it? No, not everybody will accept it. Not even God can force somebody to become born again. Our responsibility is to bring them the truth, to give them the opportunity so that light may shine on them and they may see and experience the truth. Then they have to make the decision for themselves. You can't make somebody born again, but our responsibility is to present the truth, shine the light so their eyes can open, and then, when they can see, they at least have the ability to respond to it. That is our responsibility.

I want to touch on something I mentioned earlier, and that is the concept of righteousness. So many people have gotten to the stage where they have heard the Gospel and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. They became born again, they received eternal life, and that is great - it means they are going to heaven. But I've encountered many times that people don't understand the full implication of what has happened, specifically regarding righteousness.

We must understand that for you to have become born again, Romans 10 explains that you have believed unto righteousness - meaning you have believed that Jesus paid for your sins. So it's important to understand that now that you have become born again, sin cannot separate you from God anymore. Does sin have implications in your life? Yes, it has implications, but one of them is not to separate you from God, because you now have a life form that is one with God. That is why the Bible explains that when you became born again, you received the gift of righteousness.

Your life form is the life form of God that is in your spirit, and that life form is the righteousness of God.

“…much more those who receive the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:17 (NKJV)

So it is a gift. Those who want to achieve their own righteousness cannot do it - the Bible explains it is not possible. You receive it from God, and then you are righteous, because it is a gift. We need to understand that sin cannot separate us from God anymore, but that does not mean we continue to walk in sin. The more this life that is in you becomes a conviction in your heart - the Holy Spirit that is in us testifies with us that we are sons of God - the more you get to that place of conviction whereby you will just start sinning less and less and less.

So we don't have to walk around telling people to stop sinning and condemning them. If people don't have this life form inside of them, if they don't have the Holy Spirit inside of them - Acts 1:8 says, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" - if they don't have that ability, the power of the Holy Spirit, they are going to continue to fail. That doesn't mean you lose your salvation; if you continue to believe that Jesus Christ is your Saviour, you have salvation. But we have to believe unto righteousness, because that makes us live a different life. The more we become convinced of our righteous nature, the less and less we will sin, because that desire will just disappear.

Remember, we have the ministry of reconciliation - our responsibility is to make people one with God, and then we help each other. It's not a question of isolating ourselves while everybody is on their own journey; we help each other stand together, be strengthened, and continue to desire to live the life God intended for us. We live that life because we need to be an expression of God in this earth - not so that we can become acceptable to God. You cannot live a life form that would make you so acceptable to God that He would give you the gift of righteousness in your nature. It is a gift given to us because of what Jesus Christ did for us.

It's important to understand that you have become the righteousness of God. You have received that life form because you accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and your Lord - not because you are living right and doing good.

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.”

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV)

What Jesus did has positioned you in this place, where it says, "to present you holy and blameless and above reproach." When you have accepted Jesus and received the nature and life form of God, that is righteousness. You are holy, you are blameless, you are above reproach. Otherwise, the price that Jesus paid was not the complete price. You cannot add onto the price that Jesus paid. The price that Jesus paid is the complete price.

It is the full price. So I want to encourage you, as I mentioned earlier, maybe you understand now that you do not go to heaven because you live right, do good, go to church, or call yourself a Christian. The Word says that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life; nobody comes to the Father except through Him. So maybe you didn't have that understanding before. Maybe you just want to confirm again that you have received that life form inside of you.

So I want to pray with you now. I want to urge you, if you have it in your heart to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour, to pray this with me. Make sure, if you have that desire, that conviction, and you are not certain whether you've done it in the past or you just want to reaffirm it, then please pray this prayer after me.

Thank you, Father, that You love me so much. You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me. I accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord of my life. Thank you, Father. I receive eternal life into my spirit. Thank you, Father. I am born again. I am a new creation. I am in Christ Jesus. Thank you, Father, that You do not leave me alone, that You sent Your Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, come and fill me. Come and fill my heart. Come and fill my mind. Come and fill my body. Thank you, Holy Spirit. You are inside of me. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for supernatural ability. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for that power to strengthen me and enable me to live the life that my Father created me for.

Thank you, Father. In the name of Jesus, I thank You that You have sent Your Son to make it possible, that You sent Your Son, that is Your power unto salvation. I have accepted Jesus as my Saviour. I have accepted Jesus as my Lord. Thank you, Father. I have been reconciled with You. Thank you, Father, for my nature is now righteousness. I am holy. I am pure.

I am above reproach. Thank you, Father. I desire to live the life that You created me for in this earth by the power of Your Holy Spirit. I want to live a life unto Your glory and to manifest You in this earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I trust you were able to receive everything that God had in store for you through this message, and you are welcome.

If you have any questions, you can follow the links. If you want to make contact with us, we will gladly continue to assist you with any other questions that you have. May God bless you. May you have a life that pleases Him because He lives in you. In the name of Jesus, amen. Have an awesome day, and we chat soon.