Greg Maxwell
In this passage from Saint John, Jesus promises eternal life for those who believe in him and follow him. He even tells the Jews that he existed before Abraham. This is one of the most powerful statements made by Jesus, because it undeniably acknowledges and proclaims his divinity. Jesus not only claims to know Abraham, but uses God's holy name ("I am") for himself. This claim invokes a natural response by the Jews who accuse him of blasphemy and try to stone him on the spot.
Eternity means having an infinite duration. Eternity is characterized by abiding fellowship with God. Eternity continues without intermission and is endless. We humans struggle with eternity. It is so difficult to fathom. In our society, everything has a limit. Our games and sports have a time limit, even a "sudden death" rule. Our careers end, our childhood ends, our innocence ends, our weekends end, our days end, and ultimately our life here on earth ends. In my high school math class, I remember struggling with the concept of infinity, when finally my teacher told me that I just had to accept it and move on. Our faith is a lot like that . . . we just have to accept it and believe in Jesus' promise of eternal life.
Newsweek once had an entire issue devoted to Science versus Religion, and one article featured a debate between a renowned atheist and Pastor Rick Warren, the author of "A Purpose Driven Life." The pastor and the atheist went back and forth trying to prove their position and defeat their opponent. Finally, Pastor Warren stated that one simply has to believe in God and have faith. He closed with saying that if he was wrong it wouldn't matter when he died, but if the atheist was wrong, it certainly would matter when he died! I don't know about you, but I am not willing to take that chance! Are you?
No comments:
Post a Comment