Author Steven Lake
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| What if you were immortal? Friday, July 18th, 2014 11:06pm Keywords: (None) |
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| In the recent Hollywood blockbuster "Edge of Tomorrow", lead character Tom Cruise gains a type of immortality by absorbing the blood of an alien monster, allowing himself to reset time over and over again each time he dies, making it so that time would automatically rewind to before he died so that he could relive his last days again and again repeatedly. That now brings up an interesting thought. What would you do if you were immortal, could live forever, and never have to fear death? If you're a believer, a Christian, a follower and child of Jesus Christ, you already are. Sure, the body we're in may be mortal, it may die, but life, according to God anyways, is not defined by what type of body or "house" we live in, but rather by who we are. Let me explain. To begin my explanation I will turn to the wonderful, insightful writings of C.S. Lewis who once so insightfully said, "You are not a body with a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." And he was right about that. What do I mean? Well, think of your body as a house; a residence for the real you, which is not physical, but spiritual. YOU are the soul C.S. Lewis was talking about. But there's more to it than just that. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV) - "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" Now chew on that thought for a bit. Your bodies are a temple. What is a temple? It's a house of sorts, built to be the home or earthly residence of a god or other deity. In this case your body is made to house the Holy Spirit, one of the three members of the trinity. So, if your body is a house for the Holy Spirit, doesn't that mean that it's not the real you? Think about that. How can you be both a house and the resident of that house at the same time? You can't. It's either one or the other, but not both. So if our bodies are merely a house for the real us, what is the real definition of life and death? Well, there is several. The one we most commonly thing of is the life and death of things around us. IE, the operating and cessation of operation of the bio-mechanical elements that make our bodies work. But from God's viewpoint, life and death are different. Life is only achievable by salvation through Jesus Christ and Him alone. Until then we are considered dead. 1 John 3:14 (KJV) - "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." Passed from death unto life? That certainly sounds to me like the bible defines real life as being spiritual, and not physical. So, getting back to my original question, how are you immortal? Well, first off, you're a soul, not a body. Secondly, spirits can't die. At least not the way we understand death. True life is a sinless eternity with God. Death is a Godless eternity in Hell with Satan and his ilk. So, if you're a saved, born again believer in Jesus Christ, then you're a living, eternal soul wrapped in a fleshly, mortal, temporary house. Eventually though, when you leave this mortal plane and arrive in heaven, you will be given a flawless, perfect body. A new house, if you will. 2 Corinthians 5 (NLT) - "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. A tent. God sees this body we have as a temporary dwelling. It'll soon be replaced by a permanent, flawless, perfect body. The only question then will be, where will that body, and the soul it contains, spend all of eternity. If you're saved, that'll be in Heaven with God. If not, as I said, you'll be forever in Hell, and nothing you do will ever get you out of that horrible place of torment. So, Christian, if you are clearly immortal in every sense of the word (which I've just proven to you), why are you just sitting there doing nothing? Why do you fear men and this world, and all they can do to this body? That body you're wearing is only temporary. The worst that mankind and this world can do to you is destroy it. But they can't hurt you. Matthew 10:28 (KJV) - "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." So fear God, and Him alone, and not man. Men have power only over the body. But once that power is exhausted, they can do nothing more to you. But God can. So stop being afraid of people and about being persecuted, or putting food on the table, waxing your car, playing golf, etc. Get to work serving God. The rewards of your work will, in the end, pay dividends that are out of this world. And no, I haven't forgotten about you, the unbeliever, the one who is not saved. God loves you. He died on the cross for you to save YOU from your sins and an eternity in Hell long before you were ever born. He loved you even before He created the world. If God (ie, the entire godhead, including the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit) so loved you even before you were made, would He not still love you today? The Father gave Christ to pay your sins; the same sins that would send you to Hell for all eternity. Do you wish to ask Christ into your heart today? Do you want salvation? Do you want to escape Hell and the torment that will come from residing in that awful, horrible place? If you do, read on to understand all you must do to be saved. Trust me, it's worth it. Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. First, you must understand that you are a sinner. We all are, from the greatest to the least, including myself. Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Second, you must understand that the wages of sin is death. Yes, death. Banishment forever in Hell separated from God and everyone you love and everything you love. Total isolated, tormented separation forever. The ultimate solitary confinement. Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: That while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. But do not despair, for there is hope. Even before we knew we were sinners, lost and without God, He sent His only son Jesus to die for all, even you, long, long before you were ever born. Yes, He cared enough for you that He would send Jesus to die in your place, and Jesus also loved you so much that when sent He gladly went, knowing beforehand the incredible pain and suffering He would have to endure on your behalf. That is true love, far above anything that exists in this world, and is the truest love of all. Romans 10:9-10: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. So how can you be saved? You must give over ALL of your trust to God, believe that Jesus is Lord of all, and believe that He raised Christ from the dead, and you will be saved. If you wish to pray right now and ask God into your heart, begin by confessing to God that you are a sinner deserving of Hell, and you repent (ie, turn away) from all of your sins, and then ask Jesus to come into your heart and to save you and to forgive you of all of your sins and you will be saved! Now if you've just prayed that prayer, praise God and welcome to the family! Now, as a new believer there are two things you should do right away. 1) Confess your new found faith to at least two people, 2) find a bible and begin reading it, 3) begin praying to God daily, and 4) find a good, bible believing church in your area and begin attending. Put yourself under their leadership and learn all you can. The change it will bring to your life will be amazing! The love of Christ in your life even more so. :) |
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