Tag Archives: Life

The Goodness and Severity of God

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The prophet Ezekiel had just run down a list of problems still visible in a nation already in the process of being destroyed and taken into captivity.  But the Lord allows him to give them one more message of hope.  If they repent, they can still be spared from what looks like certain doom.

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!” – Ezekiel 18:30-32 (NKJV)

“Turn and live.”  That’s really the message of the Gospel in its most reduced form.  We must turn from our sin and receive the life that God offers through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.   But the alternative is not living in neutrality towards God.  The alternative is not life at all, but death.  This is a harsh but merciful message.  This is the choice that each person faces.  Here we see that God is both love and light by His very nature and in His character is no darkness at all.

Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God… – Romans 11:22 (NKJV)

Eternal Life: What’s That?

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I love it when the Bible defines its terms. It helps clear the air or lift the fog and increase our biblical literacy. So much of the Bible’s vocabulary can seem like jargon. It’s like trying to enter a conversation about art, cars, computers, music or any sport when you’re sort of a newbie. The Scriptures throw things at us that we have either never heard of before, or can easily misunderstand for lack of a biblical definition.

The phrase eternal life is one such expression. Everlasting life is another way to say it. At first glance it seems obvious; it must be life that lasts forever – plain and simple. Now that’s correct as far as it goes, but it’s incomplete. There’s more to it than that and Jesus adds to our understanding in one of His prayers. In the Gospel of John He is speaking to His Father and, in passing, says the following:

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. – John 17:3 (NKJV)

So this “life” is more than existence that goes on and on without stopping. It is life that is bound up in the relationship that we have with the Father and the Son – so much so that Jesus matter-of-factly says that it is that relationship. That is one compelling reason to deepen our connection with God. The very connection itself is eternal life. And that is a relationship that we will have all eternity to explore.

Bible Trivia: This is the only recorded spot in the Bible where our Lord refers to Himself as “Jesus Christ”.