The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-12-07
Eternal Life
Lesson for December 8, 1862

Do you have an ambition TO
live forever? That depends,
doesn't it? It depends on what
kind of forever" you are think
ing about. There are some for
evers you wouldn't want a min
ute of. There may be other for
evers 50 perfect that a single
instant would more than atone
for all the sorrows and agonies
Of this sad world. Merely to sur
Wve is no wise persons am
bition. There is a play, mo
Exit" in which three characters
all strangers to one another,
meet in hotel room. There is
nothing there to hurt them, they
are just there only they can
never get out. They get worse
than bored. they become des-
perate. they try to kill one an
other. But they can't be-
cause they are dead and they are
in hell. That's what it would be,
sheer hell, merely to live on and
on and on.
To Know
Christian hope has never
when it was truly Christian)
been for simple immortality. If
heaven is just more of the same
we have known here most hui
man beings would say No thank
you. Once is good. but once is
enough. But Christian hope has
always been centered around a
different quality of life, not a
different length Of life. To be
sure. Christians hope for con-
tinuance of life. but that pros
pect is not even bearable unless
it is a continuance of a better
kind of life than is possible with
out God. Eternal life, as the
New Testament shows it to us.
is not something you get after
you die. You have it now, or
YOU don't have it. If you have it
now. death cannot destroy YOU.
Il you do not have it now, no
possible length of poSt-mortem
existence is going to be anything
but misery.
What quality. then is the life
which We should want to 60 on
through death. forever? We can
put all that Christians believe
about it in three profound ideas
drawn from the New Testament.
First. Jesus himself said, This
is eternal life, that they know
Thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom Thou hast
sent" John 17:3.) To know
Christ not know about Him.
still less to echo what somebody
else knows-this is life eternal
tMs IS what makes the vital diff
ference in life.
To have
John also says that he who
has the Son" (meaning Christi
has eternal life. Some Christ
lans think this is an expression
TOO bold for them, they are
afraid OF it. But there it stands.
What is it to have Christ and is
II the same thing as knowing
nm? We might illustrate from
the pupils Of some famed music
Ian. II he has been tr,,lv
great teacher. when we hear his
former pupils in a concert. we
say to ourselves at once-Whv
mat sounds like the old macs
tro,- l could shut my eyes and
imagine it was the old genius
himself.
To share
The inspired writer's of tho
New Testament were not much
gwen to drawing pictures of q
future heaven. The center of
their teaching was life here mad
now, life this side Of death
suppose a boy in his teens finds
me question bobbing up in his
mlhd: How shall sver be q
good father? Now that is a good
question. but the best way tn
answer it is not to spend time
thinking about it. The best wav
70 prepare for fatherhood-at the
age say of fifteen. is just TO be
the best boy possible. If YOU
aren't a real boy you don't
nave much chance of being a
real man. Paul. for example in
a famous chapter which works
up to the great thought of eter-
nal life. does not spend that
Chapter Romans A. describing
heaven. He speaks of it in what
may seem a strange way: that
is. sharing the life, death ard
resurrection of Jesus Christ. The
main idea is that the Christian
shares the sacrifice Of Christ
and also shares his victory. Wet
ores. we might better say for
as Christ was undeafeated by sin
or by death. SO the Christians
lie hares this victorious
quality. He hints at something he
suggests more than once. name
" that the Christian should be-
gin. now and here, to live the
life of heaven. Then heaven.