The Truth About Eternal Life
God is the only Self-Existent being, this means He was not created. Since God was not created, He exists eternally; God is eternal. Eternal life is God’s uncreated life. This is what all men are secretly striving to have, to live forever, not knowing that the desire to live forever is a desire to possess a tiny spark of the God kind of life, a life that is uncreated. What is responsible for this innate desire of man to live forever? As with every other question that cannot be answered by man, we turn to the bible.
When God commissioned Moses to go and deliver the enslaved children of Israel from Egypt Moses asked God-
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? (Ex. 3:13)
God responded by giving Moses is name
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Ex. 3:14).
“I AM THAT I AM” in Hebrew translates to Yahweh and in English to Jehovah. It means the Self-Existent One. For God to be self-existent it means He was not created. Had God been created, it would mean that there was a point in time at which God’s existence began. If this were the case God would not be eternal. Eternity is an unending dateless/timesless past, an unending dateless/timeless present and unending dateless/timeless future. Eternity is living outside time in unlimited space. Man lives in time and is confined by space.
The Creation of Man
Every man wants to live forever if the conditions are right. The right conditions are to live eternally in a utopian society. A society where everything is perfect. This utopian society and eternal life eluded majority of men because they can only be achieved through God given principles as prescribed in the bible.
Let us start by examining the creation of Man in the Book of Genesis.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Gen 2:7).
That divine spark, the breadth of life, God’s eternal Spirit was put in man by God when He created man. That is eternal life. God’s uncreated life.
The breath of God which is the breath of life is God’s Spirit, when it encountered man’s body (dust/earth) caused man to come alive.
It can be observed that “man” (dust/earth) became a “living soul” the moment God breathed into His nostrils the “breath of life”. Man is then composed of three things, body soul and spirit.
Man with his physical body comes into contact with the physical world. Man with the breath of God (Spirit) in him relates and encounters God. Third part of man, the living soul, between the first two translates, interprets and acts on what it receives from the physical world through his human body and from God through his human spirit. However, man was created by God to take instructions for living through his relationship with God through his spirit man. His actions and obedience are to come from within to without and not without to within. God gives him instructions through his human spirit; he interprets this in his human soul and uses his human body to carry out God’s instructions.
It should be noted however that God expects man to act on what he received from Him through his human spirit and not what he received from the physical world though his human senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
The Love of God for Man
There is no doubt about it, God loves man. This is obvious from the first two chapters of Genesis. Before He created man provision was made for everything man could ever need. He made provision for everything man would ever need before He created Adam. That is omni-benevolent God.
Food
God made provision for man’s food and nourishment before he was created. The human body is composed of over a hundred minerals as well as vitamins. All these minerals can also be found in the earth, soil, and all the vitamins can be found in fruits and vegetables. This proves that the creation of man from earth, soil, according to the bible is accurate. The fruits and vegetables which God provided for man to eat also contains all the minerals and vitamins in man’s body. Eating it replenishes and nourishes man.
God makes provision for food-
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good (Gen 1:11-12).
God instructs man to eat freely from His provision, the fruits and vegetables in the Garden of Eden-
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat (2:16).
Accommodation
God makes provision for accommodation-
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed (Gen 2:8).
Besides providing free food, God also provided free accommodation.
Relationship with God through His word
God talks to man. That is relationship. God relates with the man He created. He not only talks to man, He gives man instructions. As his creator the only way man can be expected to relate with God is through obedience to God’s instructions. That is faith. Faith in the simplest definition means acting on God’s word. Not acting on God’ word, His instructions is disobedience and lack of faith. Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).
God establishes a relationship with man by talking to Him and giving Him instruction-
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Gen 2:16-17).
Companionship
God creates a companion for man. All the animals God created before man had been created male and female. Man was given dominion over the earth and all these animals and would have observed them moving about in twos, male and female. God relates with man as creator, man needed someone to relate with on his level, he needed someone like himself.
God creates woman-
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him……And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Gen. 2.18, 21-25).
Man Should Praise and Worship God.
Man’s spontaneous response to expression of God’s love, in relating with him; providing him with food and accommodation; and a companion, should be to praise and worship God. This is the natural order of things. This is utopia. Man was free from sickness, disease, death, wars and all the other ills that plague us today. Man has a spark of God’s uncreated life, eternal life, in him. He lives in a utopian society. This was however short lived. Man lost it all and that is why we are here today in a state of dystopia. God created a utopian society and He is the only one that can restore it. The United Nations cannot. Nations cannot. Man cannot. Only God can and He has revealed the plan to do so in advance to man in the Bible. We ignore this revealed plan for man’s redemption at the peril of missing out on eternal life, sharing with God His uncreated life.
God demands man’s obedience
God gave man only one condition for continual existence in this state. This condition was obedience to the only instruction God gave man.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Gen 2:16-17).
I have given you free accommodation, abundance of food, a companion. You live in a utopian environment where there is no sickness, disease or lack. Everything is perfect you are however forbidden from eating from only one tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The punishment for eating from tree is death.
Divine order Vs. Man’s Order
Man consists of spirit, soul and body. Man’s soul and spirit reside in his body. The body deals with the physical world. Man’s spirit relates, communicates and takes instructions from God (God’s uncreated life, God’s Spirit) through his human spirit and these are interpreted his human soul and acted upon through his human body.
Apostle Paul makes mention of the spirit soul and body of man-
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1Th 5:23).
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow (simply body), and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12).
Man was created to receive instructions from God and act out the instruction through his physical body. This is God’s order for man. Anything contrary to this is not from God and is sin. It is self-worship or idol worship. It is putting the material and physical before the God that created all things. Sin simply means disobedience to God’s instruction, God’s order.
Man disobeys God’s Command
In the Garden of Eden, man was influence by the serpent to disobey God. Man, by succumbing to this influence reversed God’s divine order- instruction from God to man’s spirit, the soul interpreting and to body acting it out. Man looked at his environment and concluded that he would rather act through his eyes and desire pleasant things, feed his appetite, be wise and independent of God. This is reversing God’s divine order. Man acted from outside – decided in his soul on his physical desire to please his body independent of his spirit.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons (Gen 3:6-7).
Consequences of Man’s Disobedience
God told man that he would die if he disobeyed His command-
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Gen 2:17).
Having God’s uncreated life and a perfectly created body, man physical body was meant to live forever. However, through disobedience to God’s only instruction the prescribed punishment of death became inevitable. There are two types of death, one was instantaneous the other was gradual.
- Spiritual Death
Spiritual death was the removal of God’s uncreated life, eternal life, from man leaving man only with his human spirit. The relationship that existed between God and man became severed (without God’s uncreated life) and man had to hide from God because of his changed state, nakedness and shame. From this point it is God that can approach man, man cannot approach God. God however provides a way for man to ask for forgiveness, cover his sin through the sacrifice of an animal to approach him. This was not enough to restore eternal life.
Mercy of God.
Man had lost a perfect relationship with God. He was no longer worthy to approach God. He had to hid from God. God reaches out to man-
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou? (Gen 3:9)
Man responds in fear, shame in his sinful state from his hiding place-
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself (Gen 3:10).
Instead of both spiritual and physical death to happen at the same time God instituted a way for man to ask for forgiveness and approach Him. The prescribed way was through the sacrifice of an animal and spilling the blood to signify the covering of man’s sin. This is implied here-
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them (Gen 3:21).
Clothing them with coats of skin implies-
(a) an animal had been killed
Killing an animal and spilling its blood to cover sin is implied here but is more obvious in the story of Job and his children-
And his sons went and feasted in their houses, everyone his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually (Job. 1:4-5).
(b) God rejects man’s way of repentance and approach to Him-
Man had made fig leaves to cover his nakedness and shame. This is a man-made decision using his environment to do what he thought was right to cover his sin, his nakedness.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons (Gen 3:7).
All decisions and instructions must however be from God. God rejected this and instituted the sacrifice of an animal for covering of sin. Man can only approach God through His prescribed way.
- Physical Death
The institution of blood sacrifice to approach God introduces us to the mercy of God. The mercy of God means- God’s continued lovingkindness to man despite our unworthiness.
Man had disobeyed (sinned) God and was worthy of physical death. In order to prolong man’s physical life God in His mercy prescribed the blood sacrifice to cover his sin temporarily to give him a chance to change his ways (repent) and be obedient to God always. Hence physical death which was inevitable was delayed giving man a chance to seek God. That is the mercy of God. He wants all men to be saved and is patient and willing to give them a chance to come to the knowledge of truth.
Man’s flesh not having God’s uncreated life/eternal life in him anymore became corrupt and extremely disobedient and sinful and became subject to gradual decay. This gradual decay eventually brought about physical death. The first man, Adam, lived nine hundred and thirty years before his death (Gen. 5.5). He had all the time in the world to live according to God’s revealed ways.
- Earth was Cursed
In addition to man’s spiritual and physical death, the earth was also cursed –
Man became unworthy of God’s provision and presence.
Man in his sinful state became unworthy of God’s provision and presence. He had to leave the Garden of Eden and provide for himself.
Man must provide for himself under sever conditions-
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; (Gen 3.17-18)
God sends man out of the Garden of Eden and His presence-
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life (Gen 3:23-24).
The cursed ground also became subject to gradual decay. This means man, plant and animals that were in it and dependent on it for sustenance all became subject to gradual decay and eventually death. This is why man’s lifespan has been greatly reduced from the time the first man lived nine hundred and thirty years (Gen. 5.5) to man living seventy to hundred years today with very few living beyond this age.
Why does man want eternal life?
God removed His uncreated life (eternal life) from man when man sinned (death). He was created with it and this was his natural state before sin. God put eternity in man and removed it.
Man was created to live forever; he will forever desire it to live forever. It was God that put eternity in man. Man disobeyed God. Eternity was removed. Nature abhors vacuum. The absence of righteousness is sinfulness. Man filled the vacuum with sin. He replaced a life nature with death nature. He replaced righteousness with sinfulness. Life with death. Death is sin and sin is death. Man is a sinner not because he sins but because he is a sinner. He has a sin nature. When sin (death) entered righteousness (eternal life) left. The two cannot coexist. The first man disobeyed God and took on a nature of sin and death instead of one righteous and life. He passed this nature down to his generations.
Man does not die immediately. His has his whole lifespan to move from death to life. God has given him this time in His mercy to seek eternal life. There is a prescribed remedy. Salvation through faith in the death burial resurrection of Jesus. This is the sacrifice foreshadowed in the coats of skin God used to cover man’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Coats of sin can only cover sin it does not restore eternal life. Faith in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus cleanses sin and restores eternal life.
Choose life!!