Eternal Life – Welcome to Mission 17:11

A question that keeps coming up: how did concepts of soul immortality & eternal hell torment develop in the church? Was it not something the first century church believed in?

Answer: There’s this one guy who started it: Jesus Christ. Ever since, men have been debating it. The end.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke each hold multiple references of Jesus teaching about the doom of eternal judgment and condemnation. Many try to dismiss it, but you know what you never hear? Anyone addressing John 3:17–18. Lots of preachers love John 3:16 and never study John 3:17–18*.

All of mankind is already condemned due to rebellious sin against the Creator. If the eternal life Jesus came to offer is rejected, the default is that we are already condemned. Our race is a rebel race that chose the wrong side in a spiritual war. We didn’t just do it at the beginning, but every nation, ever age, every generation and every individual’s natural default position is hatred of the one true God.

Men make up all kinds of systems to ignore that – especially religion. Jesus is the only one who came to save us from it.

Turn to Jesus and live.

*Ref: John 3:17–18 “ 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

“…condemned already….”

People miss this: Mankind was always destined for eternal life. The only question is whether we would be granted that in joy-filled and life-giving fellowship with the creator forever, or cast out of His presence into just punishment with His enemies.

How do we know this? a) man was cast out of Eden and removed from access to “the tree of life”. That was a temporary way of keeping us from being in sin in an eternal state. b) Jesus confirmed that He came so that we could be saved. When Jesus said in John 3:16 “…shall not perish…” it does not mean shall not cease to exist. It means the saved shall not be cast into the doom of the lake of fire, where God will send the fallen Angels. How do we know that unsaved, fallen, unrepentant rebellious men will suffer eternal torment? Because the lake of fire comes after the second resurrection. The resurrected life is not temporal like this one. That’s stated all over the New Testament. Christ suffered and died to save you from that. Turn to Him and live.

— The call of Jesus is to become His Disciple. If you’re wrestling with how to do that, we can help.

for more information on the essentials of the Christian faith.

Check out our many resources, and most importantly: read the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Jesus has given us the clear path. Our goal is to help you become a fully mature disciple of Jesus prepared for every good work.

Mission 1711