What are the Qualifications for Obtaining Eternal Life?

One of the most used quotes from scripture is:

John 3:16- “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever shall believe upon Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

Most people stand by this as an excuse for their lifestyle choices. They use it like their personal “get out of jail free” card to silence any Christian that tries to teach them about living according to God's will, which is to say living to please God by removing sin from our lives. These are usually the same people who, when asked what the full chapter was teaching, have no clue at all. In reality, this verse, often taken out of context, helps teach the point that if you “believe in Christ” you will obey our Father, believe that Christ was His Son fulfilling prophecy and stop your wicked ways by turning from them and toward the Light. Christ is that Light, and He set the example for us.

As with all biblical truths, God makes sure to give us each and every lesson confirmed by other scriptures. Scripture always backs up scripture in various places, remember that. So let's explore other areas that teach this same lesson whereby we can rightly divide the word of God and understand what is expected of those who wish to have eternal life with our Father.

Romans 8: 1-9 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (**What “law” is this spoken of here? NOT the commandments, or how scripture says we should live our lives- BUT it IS the “law” of the sin sacrifice/offering. Why was this law of sacrifice done away with? Because Christ became the sacrifice for our sins. The law was not bad, mankind was bad and could not keep the law- therefore Christ became the sacrifice and paid that price for all those who follow Him.**) “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (**Here we see the point; “the righteous requirement” is NOT walking according to the flesh, meaning fleshly sins, but who do turn from that to walk according to the Holy Spirit.**) “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (** Note the word usage: “live according to” this is another confirmation of that qualifying requirement- it is an action phrase not merely a thought or mindset but their lifestyle choices are the determining factor of what is important to the person, ie. flesh or God.**) “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (**This is the bottom line of the lesson. You can not say you are a Christian and truly believe without living according to what pleases God and turning from the sinful flesh desires.**) “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

How about another confirmation of this requirement? Turn your bible to Romans 6.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (**Once you choose Jesus, then you must make lifestyle choices that reflect Him, you can not continue living in sin while saying that you are a Christian or you are a liar. Whether you are lying to yourself or to God, it is still visible to our Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.**)

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (**The requirement again stated here: that the sinful part of our lives must be put to death if we are to truly live and believe as a Christian.**)

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (**If we are to be partakers of grace, set free to have eternal life, we must live and behave accordingly, which is to say obedient to God and stay away from all that He hates and that which displeases Him.**)

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