Why is Eternal Life a Free Gift?

[Your closest friendnt]

51 minutes ago, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

Everything in the universe decays to a lower form.  This is by God's design.  Only through faith in Jesus can we have eternal life in Him.  Eternal life is a free gift that we cannot earn from our works.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.

Every one is an eternal being we all live forever, we never stop to exist, we are born, and even thought we die physically, we continue to live forever. 

We all have this free gift of living eternally by birth. 

No one ever stops to exist, unless you believe something else. 

4 minutes ago, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

2 Corinthians 5 - New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Temporal and Eternal

5 For we know that if ^[a]the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, ³ inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. ⁴ For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a ^[b]pledge.

⁶ Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— ⁷ for we walk by faith, not by ^[c]sight— ⁸ we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. ⁹ Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for ^[d]his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

¹¹ Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. ¹² We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. ¹³ For if we ^[e]are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵ and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

¹⁶ Therefore from now on we recognize no one ^[f]according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ ^[g]according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is in Christ, ^[h]he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. ¹⁸ Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and ^[i]He has ^[j]committed to us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Footnotes:

1. 2 Corinthians 5:1 Lit our earthly house of the tent
2. 2 Corinthians 5:5 Or down payment
3. 2 Corinthians 5:7 Or appearance
4. 2 Corinthians 5:10 Lit the things through the body
5. 2 Corinthians 5:13 Lit were
6. 2 Corinthians 5:16 I.e. by what he is in the flesh
7. 2 Corinthians 5:16 I.e. by what he is in the flesh
8. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Or there is a new creation
9. 2 Corinthians 5:19 Lit having
10. 2 Corinthians 5:19 Lit placed in us

 

Cross references:

1. 2 Corinthians 5:1 : Job 4:19; 1 Cor 15:47; 2 Cor 4:7
2. 2 Corinthians 5:1 : 2 Pet 1:13f
3. 2 Corinthians 5:1 : Mark 14:58; Acts 7:48; Heb 9:11, 24
4. 2 Corinthians 5:2 : Rom 8:23; 2 Cor 5:4
5. 2 Corinthians 5:2 : 1 Cor 15:53f; 2 Cor 5:4
6. 2 Corinthians 5:4 : 2 Cor 5:2
7. 2 Corinthians 5:4 : 1 Cor 15:53f; 2 Cor 5:2
8. 2 Corinthians 5:4 : 1 Cor 15:54
9. 2 Corinthians 5:5 : Rom 8:23; 2 Cor 1:22
10. 2 Corinthians 5:6 : Heb 11:13f
11. 2 Corinthians 5:7 : 1 Cor 13:12; 2 Cor 4:18
12. 2 Corinthians 5:8 : Phil 1:23
13. 2 Corinthians 5:8 : John 12:26; Phil 1:23
14. 2 Corinthians 5:9 : Rom 14:18; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 4:1
15. 2 Corinthians 5:10 : Matt 16:27; Acts 10:42; Rom 2:16; 14:10, 12; Eph 6:8
16. 2 Corinthians 5:11 : Heb 10:31; 12:29; Jude 23
17. 2 Corinthians 5:11 : 2 Cor 4:2
18. 2 Corinthians 5:12 : 2 Cor 3:1
19. 2 Corinthians 5:12 : 2 Cor 1:14; Phil 1:26
20. 2 Corinthians 5:13 : Mark 3:21; 2 Cor 11:1, 16ff; 12:11
21. 2 Corinthians 5:14 : Acts 18:5
22. 2 Corinthians 5:14 : Rom 5:15; 6:6f; Gal 2:20; Col 3:3
23. 2 Corinthians 5:15 : Rom 14:7-9
24. 2 Corinthians 5:16 : John 8:15; 2 Cor 11:18; Phil 3:4
25. 2 Corinthians 5:17 : Rom 16:7
26. 2 Corinthians 5:17 : John 3:3; Rom 6:4; Gal 6:15
27. 2 Corinthians 5:17 : Is 43:18f; 65:17; Eph 4:24; Rev 21:4f
28. 2 Corinthians 5:18 : 1 Cor 11:12
29. 2 Corinthians 5:18 : Rom 5:10; Col 1:20
30. 2 Corinthians 5:18 : 1 Cor 3:5
31. 2 Corinthians 5:19 : Col 2:9
32. 2 Corinthians 5:19 : Rom 4:8; 1 Cor 13:5
33. 2 Corinthians 5:20 : Mal 2:7; Eph 6:20
34. 2 Corinthians 5:20 : 2 Cor 6:1
35. 2 Corinthians 5:20 : Rom 5:10; Col 1:20
36. 2 Corinthians 5:21 : Acts 3:14; Heb 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5
37. 2 Corinthians 5:21 : Rom 3:25; 4:25; 8:3; Gal 3:13
38. 2 Corinthians 5:21 : Rom 1:17; 3:21f; 1 Cor 1:30

 

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

X

13 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Every one is an eternal being we all live forever, we never stop to exist, we are born, and even thought we die physically, we continue to live forever. 

We all have this free gift of living eternally by birth. 

No one ever stops to exist, unless you believe something else. 

I don't see the answer to the issue I raised in your post.

We are all born with the gift to live eternally. 

[SavedOnebyGrace]

1 minute ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Every one is an eternal being we all live forever, we never stop to exist, we are born, and even thought we die physically, we continue to live forever. 

We all have this free gift of living eternally by birth. 

No one ever stops to exist, unless you believe something else. 

X

I don't see the answer to the issue I raised in your post.

We are all born with the gift to live eternally. 

It's right there for you to read.  Try reading the same chapter in the New Living Translation.

[Your closest friendnt]

3 minutes ago, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

It's right there for you to read.  Try reading the same chapter in the New Living Translation.

 

8 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Every one is an eternal being we all live forever, we never stop to exist, we are born, and even thought we die physically, we continue to live forever. 

We all have this free gift of living eternally by birth. 

No one ever stops to exist, unless you believe something else. 

X

I don't see the answer to the issue I raised in your post.

We are all born with the gift to live eternally. 

Can you not say something with your own words,

Are we not all born with the gift of living eternally, stay on the question, I am a little stubborn. 

Make it simple, give something for discussion.

[SavedOnebyGrace]

8 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

 

Can you not say something with your own words,

Are we not all born with the gift of living eternally, stay on the question, I am a little stubborn. 

Make it simple, give something for discussion.

It's quite clear that your body in its present form is not eternal.  For those of us resurrected, we will have new bodies.  We will no longer be controlled by sin.  How different will we be?  I rely upon the Bible for particulars.

[Guest shiloh357]

49 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Every one is an eternal being we all live forever, we never stop to exist, we are born, and even thought we die physically, we continue to live forever. 

We all have this free gift of living eternally by birth. 

No one ever stops to exist, unless you believe something else. 

Living forever and eternal life are not the same thing.

[Your closest friendnt]

41 minutes ago, Saved.One.by.Grace said:

It's right there for you to read.  Try reading the same chapter in the New Living Translation.

 

46 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Every one is an eternal being we all live forever, we never stop to exist, we are born, and even thought we die physically, we continue to live forever. 

We all have this free gift of living eternally by birth. 

No one ever stops to exist, unless you believe something else. 

X

I don't see the answer to the issue I raised in your post.

We are all born with the gift to live eternally. 

Can you not say something with your own words,

Are we not all born with the gift of living eternally, stay on the question, I am a little stubborn. 

Make it simple, give something for discussion.

13 minutes ago, shiloh357 said:

Living forever and eternal life are not the same thing.

I was just wondering about that, and I am sure I am not the only one.

Then the point I was making it was about living for ever.

Then what is this "the eternal life" does it have a meaning other than the meaning of "living eternally". 

Does eternal life means no one can stop living forever, that our life is eternal. 

[Guest shiloh357]

22 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

 

Then the point I was making it was about living for ever.

Then what is this "the eternal life" does it have a meaning other than the meaning of "living eternally". 

Does eternal life means no one can stop living forever, that our life is eternal. 

Eternal life isn't about a length of time.  Eternal life is Jesus.   He is eternal life.  When we receive eternal life, we are receiving HIM.   Jesus said that He was eternal life (John 11: 25-26, John 14:6).   It is HIS life in us.  That's eternal life. 

[Ezra]

1 hour ago, Your closest friendnt said:

No one ever stops to exist, unless you believe something else. 

True. But external existence and eternal life are two different things. Those who have Christ have eternal life.  Those without Christ have eternal existence in Hell. Eternal life means life with God eternally (and all that this implies).

[Your closest friendnt]

5 minutes ago, shiloh357 said:

Eternal life isn't about a length of time.  Eternal life is Jesus.   He is eternal life.  When we receive eternal life, we are receiving HIM.   Jesus said that He was eternal life (John 11: 25-26, John 14:6).   It is HIS life in us.  That's eternal life. 

X

2 minutes ago, Ezra said:

True. But external existence and eternal life are two different things. Those who have Christ have eternal life.  Those without Christ have eternal existence in Hell. Eternal life means life with God eternally (and all that this implies).

You are bringing new issues to discussion, one is that no one has eternal life, unless he has Jesus.

In other words no one had the kind of eternal life Jesus had, before him. 

You open the Pandoras box regarding questions, but one at the time.

What would be the difference between the life the other people had Jesus was talking to, and Jesus him self. 

 

 

 

[Guest shiloh357]

2 minutes ago, Your closest friendnt said:

X

You are bringing new issues to discussion, one is that no one has eternal life, unless he has Jesus.

In other words no one had the kind of eternal life Jesus had, before him. 

You open the Pandoras box regarding questions, but one at the time.

What would be the difference between the life the other people had Jesus was talking to, and Jesus him self. 

 

 

 

Others that Jesus was talking to were spiritually dead, being separated from God.   A person can die in that state and will exist forever, but not have eternal life.   Eternal life is life of a different quality, being hooked up with God as one's source of true life and all of the blessings that go with it.