Eternal Life

^{Luke 18:18} A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

There it is..... the question we all ask ourselves at some point or another? What must I do?

We will look into the Rich Ruler this week and undoubtedly find out we are more like him than most of us care to acknowledge. Don't deceive yourself, you know you have asked the question. Here is an answer from Paul's words in Ephesians 2. (emphasis mine)

⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship,created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

It seems pretty clear to me that eternal life comes to us by our faith through the freedom of grace. All the things you are doing to earn it, really have very little meaning. God has a plan for you, no doubt, but that plan is when you are in Christ Jesus. When you are the new creation, born again, God will use you as a tool for His kingdom. Until you believe, your efforts are fruitless. A little faith, a free gift of grace and the inheritance of eternal life is yours.