“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

3.0 The Path to Eternal Life

Jesus answered and said to him,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again
he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

In the previous chapter, you have read the good news of the gospel and seen that our hope is in Jesus of Nazareth – the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Savior, your Redeemer, Immanuel (God with us) and God in the flesh. You read that God sent His only Son Jesus out of love for us to save us from bondage under sin, Satan, and death for God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” so that none are lost in judgment to eternal death. You read that He was born of a virgin, lived a perfect and sinless life and that He willingly gave His life for you being crucified on the cross as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for your sins – the “spotless lamb,” “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

You read that it is only through the blood of Christ that you can be saved and stand holy and blameless and declared righteous (your sins forgiven) before the Lord on the great Day of Judgment and receive eternal life. You also read that He rose again to life after three days and is right now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven ruling and reigning in His kingdom – and interceding on our behalf with God the Father.

So, let us now start on the path towards eternal life. In this chapter, I give an outline of that path. I set a solid foundation on which to proceed and give you an overview of the way of a Christian. Each step will then be covered in greater detail in subsequent chapters of this book.

THE NEW TESTAMENT PLAN OF REDEMPTION/SALVATION

The path to eternal life starts with being “born again,” as it is written:

“Truly, truly, I [Jesus] say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

This is commonly referred to by various terms:

  • Accepting Christ,
  • Coming to Christ,
  • Believing in Christ or Becoming a Believer,
  • Placing Your Faith in Christ,
  • Being “Saved,”
  • Being “Born Again,” or
  • Being Converted

Unfortunately, you will find that people mean different things when they say those words, for once again, there are many false teachings in this area (I address those shortly). So, I want to provide an overview of what Scripture gives as the plan of salvation (i.e., the path to eternal life), for unless you have the high-level map, you might be deceived and “come short of” eternal life. Scripture tells us that the road to eternal life involves all of the following:

  1. You Must Be Born Again – This is the very first step in the path to eternal salvation. When you are born again of the Spirit, your sins are forgiven by the blood of Christ on the cross. No one can earn forgiveness of sins through “good works” or by simply being a “good and moral” person; forgiveness is only found through the atoning sacrificial death of Christ by the grace of God. To be born again, one must:

1.1 Hear the Gospel Message: You hear the gospel message and the hope that is found in Jesus Christ correctly explained to you (what this book is doing), as it is written: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ,”

1.2 Believe in Jesus: You respond to that message by accepting Christ (believe in Him) and place your complete faith, trust, and hope in Jesus as your Lord and Savior,

1.3 Repent of Your Sins: You genuinely turn away from your sinful behaviors and turn towards Christ (repentance means a change of heart and attitude towards sin and God),

1.4 Confess Christ: You verbally confess Christ as your Lord and Savior (and King), and

1.5 Be Baptized: You get baptized by immersion in water “for the forgiveness of your sins.” It is at baptism that your old self is “buried with Him [Jesus] through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life,” and you are raised “a new creature [person]” in Christ.

  1. Obedience to Christ – Once born again, you have been redeemed (purchased) by the blood of Christ; you are therefore a “bondservant” of Christ and must submit yourself to the will of Christ (and thereby the will of God). This is commonly referred to as turning your life over to Christ and also “taking [picking] up your cross.” You must be obedient to the commandments of Christ as given in the New Testament of the Bible. [Please also know that we are not under the Old Testament Mosaic Law/Ten Commandments given to the ancient Hebrews at Mt. Sinai – the Mosaic Law was “fulfilled” by Christ and “nailed to the cross” and is no longer in effect in this New Testament church age of grace. We are now under the New Testament Law of Grace.]
  2. The Role of Works (Bearing Fruit): True Christianity is as much about action as it is about the profession of faith. Genuine saving faith will have as its natural result “good works,” also called “bearing fruit” for the Lord (i.e., good works are the natural outpouring of genuine faith). We are following the examples set by Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others who not only proved that their faith is genuine (both before man and before God) by their works (actions), but they also “abounded in the work of the Lord.” What the Bible calls an “idle” profession of faith is not pleasing to God and is not a saving faith – it is called a “dead” faith, for it is written: “faith without works is dead.”
  3. Persevering in Faith – And finally, you must persevere in faith (i.e., remain faithful) unto death no matter what, even in the face of trials, tribulations, and persecution. Those who persevere in faith until death will receive their “crown of life.” Scripture is abundantly clear that one can still “fall away” from, turn back or quit the faith even after one has been born again!

This book uses the term “accepting Christ” to be synonymous with the entirety of step 1 when one is properly born again in accordance with Scripture, which includes all of the following: belief, repentance, confession and baptism. Please know that the list above is not something that I just made up out of thin air! This is not “my opinion” on the matter – I am presenting to you what is plainly taught in New Testament Scripture, without the myriad of myths, fantasies, beliefs, “traditions,” and false teachings of man.

WE MUST APPROACH GOD ON HIS TERMS

Now you will hear much disagreement among men over what I have just written above. You have probably heard the saying: “a lie circles the world twice before the truth even puts its shoes on.” In a similar fashion, false teachings are absolutely rampant today in the world of Christendom, and they are shouted from the rooftops and pulpits in ferocious volume seemingly everywhere you look (especially in America).  These false teachings come from what appear to be “Christian” sources – from churches that claim to be “Christian” and even use the name of Jesus and/or Christ in their names. But be not deceived; they are what Scripture calls “ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

Scripture warns us that the way to eternal life is fraught with peril, with traps, landmines, dead-ends, false short-cuts, side paths to nowhere (death), dark alleys of man-made false teachings galore, and other snares and pitfalls. These are laid up in front of you at every step along the way like a giant obstacle course! Scripture refers to these as “snares” that are placed in front of you to keep you from reaching your goal: which is to be with Christ for eternity. Always remember, we are in a spiritual war. Your enemy, the devil, and his forces and followers are trying to stop you!

You should have noticed that whenever you are at a critical step on the path to God and eternal life, you will find that Satan (and those who follow him) has set up an array of false teachings to try to trick you, to stop you at that point, or steer you out of the “straight and narrow” path given in Scripture. When we first discussed God’s Creation, you saw that many false teachings were posing as science (emanating from the secular God-denying world), which in fact are nothing more than the “theories” of man (i.e., fake science). The purpose of those false teachings was to try to stop you at the very first step: coming to a belief in God.

If they (Satan and the forces of evil) couldn’t stop you at that first step, they fall back and regroup at the next step. So, when we discussed the coming Great Day of Judgment, you saw another avalanche of false teachings (this time coming from mainly within the so-called “Christian” church) which attempt to get you to procrastinate in taking all this “God, Jesus and judgment stuff” seriously, causing many to delay day after day after day in accepting Christ and preparing for eternal life. And if they weren’t able to stop you at that step, they again fall back and regroup and will now try to stop you at this step. They will try to trick you into accepting Christ via the schemes and false teachings of man vs. being born again properly in accordance with Scripture. It is here, therefore, that you will also find another cluster of false teachings.

So not only must I teach you the truth as given in Scripture, but I must also prepare you to know what is not the truth, so you are not cheated, “tricked,” or “deceived” out of eternal life, for you can be led astray by the false teachings of man (e.g., legalism, sabbath keeping, cults that deny Christ, etc.). That is why I am declaring the complete and accurate gospel “message of truth” to you herein, so you are fully informed as to what God expects, and so you do not “come short of” the goal of eternal life:

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert…” – Acts 20:28-31a

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully [i.e. you do not abandon the truth of Scripture for the false teachings of man]…For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. – 2 Corinthians 11:3-4,13-14

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge [understanding] of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 3:17-18a

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. – Colossians 2:8

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. – Hosea 4:6

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge [i.e., having the correct knowledge and understanding of what is stated in Scripture for salvation]. – Romans 10:1-2

I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’” – Revelation 3:11

 

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Know also that these snares and false teachings do not stop even after you accept Christ and are born again, in fact; they seem to intensify. You will face a mind-boggling, bewildering array of false teachings from many so-called “Christian” churches, which try to turn you out of the straight and narrow way, back towards things like legalism (Old Testament Mosaic Law) and other ways of man, even after you are born again. Why? Because when you accept Christ, you have now moved to the front-lines of the (spiritual) war where the battle is being fought. The forces of evil know that they may still be able to turn you back away again from the “straight and narrow” path to eternal life, and even if they cannot turn you back, they may be able to hinder you from helping others hear about and follow Christ.

So, before we continue on in truth, I must call your attention to a few false teachings because they are widely taught and preached in nearly all denominations, churches, pulpits, and books. Please also be aware that these false teachings overlap and are interconnected with each other in many areas – and in nearly all cases, where you find one false teaching, you will surely find others lurking nearby within the same church, sect, or cult! Even further compounding the difficulty here is that when you hear someone today say that they are “saved,” they often mean different things, and they almost always mean that they believe in some (or all) of these false teachings.

While these false teachings are covered in the Beware the Wolves chapter, I am also listing some of them here because you will with nearly 100% certainty encounter them:

  1. The Sinner’s Prayer: This false teaching proclaims that one is born-again (accepts Christ) simply by making a one-time profession of faith, often called the “sinner’s prayer.” This is usually performed as part of an “altar call” at the end of a church service or in a giant stadium evangelism or revival event. But contrary to popular belief, you are neither born again nor saved to eternal life by simply saying a magical set of words. This teaching is not in Scripture anywhere! At best, the “sinner’s prayer” that you may be led to speak by your church or pastor is only a way to help you verbalize steps 1.2-4 listed above.
  2. Baptism Isn’t an Essential Condition/Component of Salvation: Some falsely teach that baptism isn’t a necessary condition, component, or element of salvation (i.e., one does not need to be baptized to receive forgiveness of sins, to be born-again, or even to receive eternal life). They claim that baptism is simply performed out of obedience, and they almost always also claim that baptism is a “good work” of man (see the next false teaching) and therefore excluded from salvation. However, this book shows you that baptism is not a “good work” of man and that it is at baptism where one is both forgiven of sin (by the blood of Christ) and born-again (raised to new life in Christ).
  3. You Are Saved by Faith Alone (Faith Only): This false teaching denies that obedience and works have any part whatsoever in the plan of salvation. However, Scripture is clear that “faith without works is dead” and that the life of a true child of God is marked by continued “obedience” to Christ, with “bearing fruit” for the Lord as the natural result of that obedience (the role of works) as a “bondservant” of Christ. True Christianity is as much about action and a life of service as it is about the profession of faith. A “dead” faith (“faith without works”) will not save you to eternal life! To support this false teaching, Paul’s writing in the letter to the Ephesians is widely distorted and taken out of context. Those who proclaim this false teaching almost always compound their error by also falsely teaching that baptism is a “good work” of man and therefore not a requirement for salvation. However, this book is showing you that these “wolves” are therefore triply wrong because: a) baptism is not a “good work” of man, b) it is required for salvation (to be born again), and c) Scripture also teaches us that works do play an important role in the biblical plan of salvation.
  4. Once Saved Always Saved: Another enormously popular false teaching today proclaims that once someone has accepted Christ, they can never lose their salvation regardless of how one subsequently lives the rest of their life (i.e., once saved, you are always saved to eternal life no matter what). In this false teaching, it is viewed that your (final eternal) salvation occurred at an instant of time when you first accepted Christ. This false teaching is also called “perseverance of the saints” by Calvinists. This teaching is not in agreement with Scripture, for the Bible clearly and repeatedly warns that one can “fall away” or “depart” from the faith (apostatize), “backslide,” “turn back,” quit the faith, or even be deceived and tricked out of your crown of life – even after you are born again! While it is true that God will never forsake or leave you, Scripture is abundantly clear that you can choose to leave/quit Him, and also that many will do just that even after being born again.
  5. Being Born Again is Sufficient for Eternal Life: Right on the heels of the prior false teachings (this is a close cousin of them) comes another false teaching which claims that our ultimate and final goal is simply to be born again. This false teaching equates being born again with receiving eternal life ­– i.e., that there is no difference between initial salvation and forgiveness of sins (being born again) and eternal final salvation (when you receive your “crown of life”). Therefore, this false teaching is a sort of by-product of combining the “saved by faith alone” and “once saved always saved” false teachings together. However, Scripture is clear that our goal is eternal life (final salvation) with God and His Christ in heaven and that being born again is only the first step on the path to eternal life. Being born again represents your initial salvation and the moment when you receive forgiveness of sins at your baptism (by the blood of Christ). However, the way of a true Christian continues throughout the remainder of their life in continued obedience, repentance, works, and perseverance until death resulting in final eternal salvation. True Christianity isn’t a one-time prayer…sure, it often starts that way, in an instant, when you see the light and decide to accept the truth of Christ…but true Christianity is a way of life until death.
  6. Predestination. Many adherents to the Calvinistic (i.e., “Reformed Protestantism”) set of false doctrines believe that God chose certain people to be saved and others to be damned before the world began, and therefore your destiny is completely out of your control (i.e., that man has no free-will choice to either accept or reject Christ). According to this false teaching, God apparently has pre-chosen people like one would program robots ahead of time. This is just one of the many false teachings of the man-made dogma known as Calvinism. Scripture teaches that each person is born sinless (not in “original sin,” which is still yet another false teaching!), comes to an age of accountability where they understand right from wrong (and therefore become accountable for sin) and then must decide/choose for themselves to either accept or reject Christ. We will all be personally accountable for our own sins and sinful actions (and even our motives). God gave each person free will, and accepting or rejecting Christ is a free will choice each person makes. You either choose to become a son of God or remain a son of Satan. God, while ultimately sovereign, does not override your free will choice. Those who end up in hell will do so because of their own choice by rejecting God and life.

While I’ve done my best to untangle and explain these (and other) false teachings for you in this book, in reality, they are often interrelated and interwoven together in a giant tangled web or knot. Some “faith alone” advocates believe that a Christian must live a life in accord with Scripture (i.e., they believe in obedience), while others don’t. Some deny the role of baptism in salvation, and some don’t. Some “faith alone” people believe you can fall away from the faith, while others believe in “once saved always saved.” So, there are many variations and permutations of these false teachings, where some groups believe in one false teaching and part of another false teaching, or vice versa.

Furthermore, to say one believes in one false teaching often implies another as an inescapable consequence. For example, can you really say that you were “saved” to eternal life by saying a “sinner’s prayer” without also implying (whether you realize it or not) that you also believe in “once saved always saved” and even further that you are also saved by (a simple profession) of “faith alone”? By conceding that the “sinner’s prayer” saves you, aren’t you therefore also implicitly denying the role of baptism, whether you admit to it or not? Similarly, can one really believe they are saved by “faith only/alone” without also (perhaps even unknowingly) believing that being born again is all one must do to receive eternal life? So, you see, they are all jumbled together in reality, spun into one giant web of deception.

Wow…what a mess man has made of the simple teachings of Scripture! I think a real-world example of how these false teachings show up in practice will go a long way in illustrating what I’m talking about here. And in my experience, whenever you see someone (a church, group, book, etc.) leading off with the “sinner’s prayer” false teaching, you can rest assured that you will find many other false teachings in their materials as well (as a general rule). Jason Jackson writes about receiving a “Christian” tract that was being handed out. In examining the tract, he writes: [1]

Two ladies walked up the driveway. They handed me a small, tri-folded brochure that contained the service times of their church group. It advertised the religious group as being “independent of any denomination, Bible-based in every part of ministry, soul-winning and missions minded, and distinctively Christian.” The tract claimed that the religious body is “an old fashioned, independent, Baptist Church that believes, preaches, and practices the Bible.”

Their claims to being Bible-based, however, are negated in that section of the tract titled, “How to have a home in Heaven.” Four points are designed that, supposedly, guide one to salvation. Unfortunately, the teaching is hardly “independent of any denomination … and distinctively Christian.”

Some may object to this review, saying that it is neither friendly nor loving. But Paul asked on one occasion, “So then am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Gal. 4:16).

The loving thing to do is to tell the truth. We must not judge people superficially or hypocritically (Mt. 7:1), but we are required by God to evaluate what we hear, “handling aright the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). The truth will set us free; error will cause us to be lost (Jn. 8:32; 2 Tim. 2:18).

So what does the tract say about “How to have a home in Heaven”? Here are the points and scriptures that are discussed — just as they appear in the tract.

  1. All have sinned. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
  2. The penalty for sin is death and hell. “For the wages of sin is death….” “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Rev. 20:14).
  3. Jesus died to pay for our sins. “But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
  4. Trust Jesus as your Savior and your only hope for Heaven. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom. 10:9). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

After making these four points, the following conclusion was given:

    “Pray a simple prayer to God, from your heart, such as the following: ‘Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. If I were to die today, I would deserve to go to hell to pay for my sins. I believe that you came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died on a cross to pay for my sins. I believe that you arose from the grave, and I ask you to forgive my sins. I am trusting only You to take me to heaven. Thank you for saving me, Jesus. Amen.’”

A Kindly Response

Like the Bereans of Acts 17:11, let us examine the Scriptures to see whether these things are so.

  1. While allegedly pointing people to heaven, there is nothing said about repentance. But Jesus said, “Except you repent you shall all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3). And Paul declared that God commands men everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30). If God commands it, can we ignore it, and still be faithful teachers of his Word?
  2. There is no mention of baptism in this section. But Paul was urged to arise, be baptized, and wash away his sins, “calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). Peter preached, “Repent ye, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, unto [to obtain] the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38). The apostles taught that baptism is essential for salvation because Jesus had said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16). Can we teach less than what Jesus taught?
  3. There is not a single example in the New Testament where the non-Christian was instructed to pray for salvation. There are many examples, however, when believers were baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

Error is often mixed with truth. The devil himself quoted the Scriptures (cf. Mt. 4:6). There are a number of truths within this tract. Every verse is true, because they are quotations from the Bible. But one must consider all that the Bible says about salvation if he is going to obtain a home in heaven.

“The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever” (Psalms 119:160).

As you see, the tract was full of false teachings despite being from a well-meaning “independent of any denomination, Bible-based in every part of ministry, soul-winning and missions minded, and distinctively Christian” church (their very own words). And unfortunately, false teachings won’t be clearly labeled as such for you when you encounter them in the real world as in the example above – they are cleverly disguised by mixing in what appears to be biblically sounding language. Indeed, the tract appears to be very “biblical” on the surface, but, in fact, it is not in agreement with what is taught in Scripture.

I hope you are starting to see the daunting task you will be facing in seeking actual Scriptural truth as opposed to man-made opinions, schemes, and false teachings. This is one of the main reasons I decided to write this book, as I had to sort through all these false teachings myself, trying to find truth. Please don’t just blindly believe whatever you hear being taught or preached as actual biblical truth without fully checking it against Scripture. It doesn’t matter if you hear it from a man on the street corner or from someone in a position of authority with lots of important-sounding initials,  abbreviations, and titles placed before and after their name dressed up in an expensive suit behind a fancy pulpit at a large and famous church. And this also goes for anything I write – check everything against Scripture for yourself, for the Bible is the final Word (pun intended).

By the time you have finished this book, I hope that you are able not only to recognize and defend the truth as given in Scripture but also able to recognize what is not truth. Remember though, false teachings won’t be clearly labeled as such by those who are teaching them; they aren’t always easy to spot. You must first know what Scripture actually teaches in aggregate as truth (“The sum of thy word is truth”) in order to be able to recognize a false teaching when you encounter one.

THE ALLURE OF FALSE TEACHINGS

Why are these false teachings so widespread and popular? It is because they offer a feel-good, safe, easy and superficial form of “Christianity” that modern “itching ears” like to hear – but that is not what Scripture teaches, nor what history bears out as proof in the lives of the saints which have come before us.  Scripture tells us that the path forward to eternal life isn’t always easy and that it takes courage, the strength of character, discipline, and perseverance.

We are plainly told in Scripture to “count the cost” of following Jesus. When you decide to follow Christ, you may suffer the loss of friends, loved ones, and even family members who turn their back on you or ridicule you because of Jesus. You may face discrimination and setbacks or loss at work or business. In fact, many Christians who have gone before us were put to death for declaring (and sticking to) their faith in Christ! I highly recommend reading Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (The Actes and Monuments of the Christian Church), so you can get an idea of what followers of Christ in earlier days have had to suffer. Many had to seal their testimony with their gruesome deaths. Some of you who are reading this book and decide to follow Christ may also suffer severe persecution. It’s easy for us to forget the reality of persecution, especially those of us who live in nations where freedom of religion and speech are allowed.

I’m not trying to scare you; I’m simply presenting to you the truth given in Scripture. We read in Scripture that when we look back from the other side of eternity, any time of persecution and suffering here on earth will seem to have been done and over with in an instant, a flash in time, quickly gone and behind you – it will pale in comparison to the glory of God and heaven for all eternity. The great apostle Paul, who suffered many things for preaching the gospel, wrote this:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. – Romans 8:18

It is also written:

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. – James 4:14

Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow. – Psalm 144:4

“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath.” – Psalm 39:5

But know that you will be able to “stand firm” in your faith and persevere in all things by the power of Christ who now “abides (lives) in” you – this is called living in the Spirit (“walk in the spirit”) and is discussed more in an upcoming chapter.

SEEK THE THINGS ABOVE

Choosing to follow Christ often means sacrifice. You will need to give up seeking the things of this world (fame, fortune, lustful pursuits, power, etc.) and instead “seek the things which are from above,” the things of God:

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. – Colossians 3:1


You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. – James 4:4

The example recorded in Scripture about the rich young man at the time of Christ is instructive here:

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” – Mark 10:17-27

We must be willing to sacrifice all things for Christ – worldly possessions, wealth, fame, and even life itself. The rich young man written about in Scripture above wasn’t willing to give up his worldly possessions for the treasure of Christ and eternal life in heaven! How sad, tragic even. And it was a decision of lasting, eternal consequences and duration. There are further warnings in Scripture about seeking worldly material possessions and wealth:

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” – Luke 12:16-21

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21

These topics are covered in more detail in later chapters.

INITIAL SALVATION VS. FINAL SALVATION

And finally, know that there is a difference between initial salvation/forgiveness of sins (which happens at baptism when you are born again) and final (eternal) salvation when you receive your “crown of life.” You will find much emphasis on being born again (rightly so), but modern liberal “Christian” churches are simply not doing a good job of explaining the complete plan of salvation, much of which happens after one is born again. Scripture is abundantly clear that initial salvation/forgiveness of sins (i.e., being “born again”) is not the same as final (eternal) salvation. Your ultimate goal is not being born again – it is having eternal life with God and His Christ in heaven.

Being born again is simply the first, but by far the most important, step on the path to eternal life. Said differently, being born again is a necessary but not sufficient requirement for eternal salvation. When you are “born again,” you are a “new creature,” “infants in Christ” – but never forget that it is only your first step on the rest of your Christian pilgrimage! You must “press on to maturity” through obedience, action (“good works”), and perseverance. Scripture is very clear that many who start out in faith (i.e., they are born again) will not finish their journey to eternal life. Let me give an analogy to help you understand. Suppose you want to be a doctor. Getting admitted to medical school is a very important (and necessary) first step, but unless you actually graduate so you can properly be called a doctor and practice medicine, it will have been meaningless.

Eternal salvation doesn’t occur in an instant; it is a continually progressive process (called sanctification) that starts when one is born again (having been cleansed by the blood of Christ at baptism) and continues throughout the life of a Christian as they walk with the Lord until death. Wayne Jackson writes: [2]

When many people hear the term “salvation,” they immediately think of something that occurred in their past. Many Protestants believe that salvation was received the instant they expressed a genuine faith in Christ as their personal Savior, and that it never can be forfeited. As we shall notice, these ideas are not accurate.

The process of sanctification (and salvation) isn’t completed until one receives their “crown of life” – which is awarded to you on the great Day of Judgment. Sanctification means being “set apart” for Christ, set apart from sin and this world (“I chose you out of this world”), and becoming dedicated to righteousness and the service of God. It conveys the sense of being made to conform more and more to the image of Christ.

And finally, Scripture warns us not to take our (eternal final) salvation for granted! We are called to be diligent and attentive to the Word of God, always “growing in the grace and knowledge [understanding]” of the Lord, being obedient to the commandments of Christ as given in the New Testament and making sure we do not “come short of” our goal – which is eternal life. Scripture, therefore, exhorts us to:

  • “Make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10 KJV),
  • “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12),
  • “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which  you were called” (1 Timothy 6:12),
  • “Finish the course…keep the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7), for
  • “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day [the Great Day of Judgment]” (2 Timothy 4:8)

This vital topic is addressed in more detail in the upcoming chapters titled You are Born Again and Walking in the Way.

GOING FORWARD IN TRUTH

Now, having laid out the high-level roadmap for you, the following chapters in this section of the book show you how to be properly “born again” in accordance with New Testament Scripture. Remember that being “born again” is only the first, but by far the most important, step on the path towards eternal life. Then the next section of this book then picks up from there to discuss obedience, the role of works (“bearing fruit”), and persevering in faith, along with other important topics such as prayer.

FALSE TEACHING(S) YOU WILL ENCOUNTER:

 

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RELATED SCRIPTURE:

So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? – Galatians 4:16

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Timothy 2:3-4

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water [baptism, not birth] and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but He [Jesus] who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.” – John 3:1-13

The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. – 1 Corinthians 15:47

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. – Romans 10:8-17

[1] Jackson, Jason. “How to Go to Heaven – Sincere, but Wrong.” ChristianCourier.com. Access date: May 31, 2018. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/how-to-go-to-heaven-sincere-but-wrong
[2] Jackson, Wayne. “The Word-tenses of Salvation.” ChristianCourier.com. Access date: May 22, 2019. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/the-word-tenses-of-salvation

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Cite this article

Anderson, R. John. "3.0 The Path to Eternal Life." EachDay.org. Access date: March 28, 2024. https://eachday.org/part-iii-accepting-jesus-christ/3-0-the-path-to-eternal-life/