The Promise of Eternal Life
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Reflection: This verse encapsulates the core message of the Gospel – God's love for humanity and the promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Reflection: Eternal life is a gift from God, not something we can earn through our own efforts. It is only possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:25
"And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life."
Reflection: God's promise of eternal life is a central theme throughout the Bible, and this verse reaffirms that promise.
The Assurance of Eternal Life
John 5:24
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."
Reflection: Eternal life is not only a future hope but a present reality for those who believe in Jesus Christ.
John 6:47
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life."
Reflection: Faith in Jesus Christ is the key to receiving eternal life.
1 John 5:13
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."
Reflection: Believers can have assurance of their eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Nature of Eternal Life
John 17:3
"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Reflection: Eternal life is not just about living forever, but about having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:46
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Reflection: Eternal life is contrasted with eternal punishment, emphasizing the importance of faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 2:7
"To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life."
Reflection: Eternal life is the reward for those who seek God and live according to His will.
The Way to Eternal Life
John 11:25-26
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'"
Reflection: Jesus Christ is the source of eternal life, and faith in Him is the only way to receive it.
John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
Reflection: Jesus Christ is the only path to eternal life and a relationship with God the Father.
Romans 10:9
"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Reflection: Eternal life is available to all who confess faith in Jesus Christ and believe in His resurrection.
The Hope of Eternal Life
Titus 1:2
"In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began."
Reflection: The hope of eternal life is grounded in the character of God, who is always truthful and faithful to His promises.
Titus 3:7
"So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Reflection: Eternal life is the inheritance of all who are justified by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:3-4
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."
Reflection: The hope of eternal life is a living hope, based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of an imperishable inheritance in heaven.
The Importance of Pursuing Eternal Life
Matthew 19:29
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."
Reflection: Following Jesus Christ may involve sacrifices in this life, but the reward of eternal life is far greater.
Mark 10:30
"Who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life."
Reflection: The blessings of following Jesus Christ are not only in the future but also in the present, even in the midst of persecutions.
1 Timothy 6:12
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
Reflection: Pursuing eternal life requires perseverance and faithfulness in the face of challenges and opposition.
The Blessing of Eternal Life
John 4:14
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Reflection: Eternal life is a satisfying and never-ending source of spiritual nourishment and refreshment.
John 6:27
"Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal."
Reflection: Eternal life is more valuable than any temporary, earthly pursuit or possession.
John 10:28
"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
Reflection: Eternal life is a secure and unassailable gift, protected by the power and love of Jesus Christ.
The Implications of Eternal Life
Romans 5:21
"So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Reflection: Eternal life is the ultimate triumph of God's grace over sin and death.
Galatians 6:8
"For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."
Reflection: The choices and actions of this life have eternal consequences, either leading to corruption or to eternal life.
1 John 3:14-15
"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
Reflection: Eternal life is characterized by love for others, while hatred and sin are incompatible with the life that God gives.