LAY HOLD ON ETERNAL LIFE

LAY HOLD ON ETERNAL LIFE

¹³ I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life. {1John 5:13 TLB}

The reason why most Christians are afraid of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ is that they are not sure of their eternal destination. They still doubt whether or not they will make heaven or hell. They waver between two opinions; feeling saved some days and lost some other days. Looking forward to eternal life one day and eternal damnation the next day, they have completely become double minded. This double mindedness is simply because they have no hold on eternal life, no anchor, no hope of salvation.

The question is; why can’t they lay hold on eternal life even though they are born again? Why do they speak in tongues, heal the sick, cast out devil but are still afraid of the judgement day? The answers to these questions are not far-fetched.

Firstly, there is a gross ignorance in the body of Christ on how to lay hold on eternal life. Many have been told that in order to have eternal life, they must keep a set of rules and regulations-the Jewish laws. They are taught that perfection can be attained if and only if they completely obey every precept of the laws of Moses without faulting a dot. This error has made many Christians to become law-chasers instead of God –chasers. They have more relationship with religious rules and rituals than they have with God. However, because they are humans and have flesh and blood, they haven’t been able to obey all the laws. This inability to keep the entire commandments is the number one reason for the fear of rapture expressed by most Christians.

Secondly, there is an extreme lack of faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. Most Christians don’t completely believe that the death of Christ on the cross is enough to give them eternal salvation, hence they try to complement what Christ has done by self-righteousness-the works of the law. The majority of believers, think that their acceptance of Christ was just to save them from their past sins and that in order to have eternal salvation, they must struggle by themselves to lay hold on eternal life. This again is a misconception and a gross error in the body of Christ.

How then can one lay hold on eternal life? I am going to show you how. It is very simple and the scripture will speak for itself.

¹² Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. {1Timothy6:12}

Look carefully at the scripture above. What can you see? Did it say anything about eternal life? Did it also say anything about how to lay hold on eternal life? Did it say that keeping Jewish laws is the way to eternal life? Did it talk about the kind of call God gave you and the kind of life you got when you accepted Christ?

You see, to lay hold on eternal life, you must fight for something. It is called FAITH. Faith is the only criteria you need, to lay hold on eternal life. This faith is an assurance of your eternal salvation. It is a steadfast hope that wavers not. It is an anchor on which the promise of eternal life is fixed.

When God called you and you answered by faith in Christ Jesus, what you accepted was eternal life. You were called unto eternal life, but to lay hold on this eternal life and not let it slip away, you need faith. Hence the verse above says: “Fight the good fight of faith” so that you can lay hold on eternal life.

The reason most Christians are no longer sure of their eternal destination is because they lack faith. Faith gave them eternal life but they traded their faith in Christ for the works of the law. They no longer believe that Christ’s death is enough to give them eternal salvation. They have lost their faith.

Sadly, without faith, no man can obtain promises from God. There is a promise of eternal salvation for everyone who believes. To inherit this promise of eternal salvation, faith and patience is needed.

¹² Then, knowing what lies ahead for you, you won’t become bored with being a Christian nor become spiritually dull and indifferent, but you will be anxious to follow the example of those who receive all that God has promised them because of their strong faith and patience.

¹³ For instance, there was God’s promise to Abraham: God took an oath in his own name, since there was no one greater to swear by, ¹⁴ that he would bless Abraham again and again, and give him a son and make him the father of a great nation of people. ¹⁵ Then Abraham waited patiently until finally God gave him a son, Isaac, just as he had promised.

¹⁶ When a man takes an oath, he is calling upon someone greater than himself to force him to do what he has promised or to punish him if he later refuses to do it; the oath ends all argument about it. ¹⁷ God also bound himself with an oath, so that those he promised to help would be perfectly sure and never need to wonder whether he might change his plans.{Hebrews 6:12-17 TLB}

The only way to receive God’s promise is via faith and patience. God has bound himself with an oath just to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel. He has proven to us that He will not change His mind about our eternal salvation so that we can be perfectly sure that we have eternal life. God is not a man that He should lie neither is He the son of man that He should repent. Has he said it will He not do it?

¹⁸ He has given us both his promise and his oath, two things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to tell a lie. Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised them.¹⁹ This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven,²⁰ where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his position as our High Priest,^[b] with the honor and rank of Melchizedek.

{Hebrews 6:18-20 TLB}

He gave us not only the promise of salvation but also an oath to back it up. We can completely count on these two things. All who accepted the call to salvation, who escaped the wrath to come; those who flee to Him to save them should now have a new courage, an assurance, knowing that He will give them the salvation He promised. There is a new hope. A strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls because we know that Christ our High priest has gone behind the veil of heaven to plead for us. He lives to ever make intercession for us.

Now that we know we have eternal life only by faith, we must therefore not stray away from the faith in pursuit of self -righteousness by keeping Jewish laws. Lay hold of this eternal life by fighting to keep your faith. Let no man take your faith away by vain philosophy and human doctrine. Don’t abandon your faith.

^1-5 The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth. They will tell you not to get married. They’ll tell you not to eat this or that food—perfectly good food God created to be eaten heartily and with thanksgiving by believers who know better! Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God’s Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy.

^6-7 You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. {1Timothy 4:1-7 MSG}

Just as the bible said it will be in the last days, that many will abandon their faith and hold on to religion, so it is happening in almost every church today. Religion is the order of the day; with little or no faith. Fear is preached every day from the pulpits and self-righteousness seems to be the criteria for eternal life now. No wonder many are afraid of the wrath to come. No wonder they can’t lay hold on eternal life. The promise of eternal life is sure and steadfast but only a few have held on to it by faith.

 ⁹ We believe men who witness in our courts, and so surely we can believe whatever God declares. And God declares that Jesus is his Son.¹⁰ All who believe this know in their hearts that it is true. If anyone doesn’t believe this, he is actually calling God a liar because he doesn’t believe what God has said about his Son.

¹¹ And what is it that God has said? That he has given us eternal life and that this life is in his Son. ¹² So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son, does not have life.

¹³ I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life. {1John 5:9-13 TLB}

What is it that God has said? Do you believe it? Do you believe that you have eternal life once you have faith in God? This eternal life is in His Son-Jesus Christ not in the Jewish laws. The eternal life is not in religion or a bunch of rituals. It is in Jesus Christ. Those who have a faith- relationship with the father are those who can lay hold on eternal life. If any man draws back from faith unto religious rituals, God shall have no pleasure in him. The just shall live {have eternal life} only by FAITH.

My heart desire is that every Christian; both pastors, bishops and members will understand that faith is what they need to lay hold on eternal life. I wish they will acknowledge the finished work of Christ on the cross. I wish they will fight to protect their faith. I wish they will just understand john 3:16 and believe that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. I wish the church will believe this message enough to preach it to the world. To tell the world that the worst sinners can still have eternal life only if they repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ How true it is, and how I long that everyone should know it, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I was the greatest of them all. ¹⁶ But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as an example to show everyone how patient he is with even the worst sinners, so that others will realize that they, too, can have everlasting life. ¹⁷ Glory and honor to God forever and ever. He is the King of the ages, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God, and full of wisdom. Amen.{1 Timothy 1:15-17 TLB}

Eternal life is a free gift to those who have faith in Christ Jesus. It is not a reward for keeping Jewish laws. The law gives power to sin and sin leads to death but the free gift is eternal life. Accept the free gift by faith.

 ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. {1Corinthians 15:56-57}

 ²² But now you are free from the power of sin and are slaves of God, and his benefits to you include holiness and everlasting life.²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.{Romans 6:22-23 TLB}