eternal – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: eternal

Romans 6:23 – Free Eternal Life

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Will

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Truth to Learn

God offers all of us a free gift of inestimable value.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “wages” is opsonia, which is the plural form of opsonion. This word is a compound word made up of opson, which means “meat” and a form of oneomai, which means “to buy.” According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, “It primarily signifies whatever is bought to be eaten with bread, provisions, or supplies from a soldier's pay. Metaphorically, it means general wages, recompense.” It is what a soldier has earned for being a soldier.

“Gift” is translated from charisma, which means “a gift of grace or an undeserved benefit.” In the New Testament, this word is only used in reference to an undeserved gift or favor from God.

The Greek for the gift that God gives us is, Zoe aionios. Zoe is the word for “life” and aionios means “belonging to the continuance of time.” In other words, it means “perpetual, everlasting, or eternal.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is one of the pinnacles of Paul’s teaching in the Book of Romans. It is the second step in what has been called “The Romans Road,” the road to salvation. The first is found in Romans 3:23:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Now, after having talked at length about the fact that we used to be slaves to sin, Paul has just taught us that we are now the slaves of God. We learned that when we were slaves to sin, we were dead (separated from God).

In this verse Paul tells us why we were dead when we were the slaves to sin. He says:

For the wages of sin is death,

Paul is saying that death is what we earned for our sin (and we worked hard for it!). But, Paul says, God does not pay us what we have earned if we have received His gracious gift through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Instead of giving us what we deserve (what we’ve earned), God gives us a free gift that we don’t deserve (and didn’t earn).

If you stop to think about it, there is no greater gift that God could possibly give to us than an eternal existence with Him. The one constant in this earthly existence is the fact that we all will die physically someday and we will be separated from our earthly body. But because of this marvelous gift that God has given us, we will continue our existence in His presence in a heavenly body. We will join with all of our loved ones who have likewise received God’s gift, and together we will glorify God for eternity.

Application

God offers a free gift to all who will believe and that gift is eternal life! Wow!

Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for your sins? I certainly hope so!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:21 – Eternal – Death or Life

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Will

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Truth to Learn

Even though we were ruled over by sin in the past, God’s grace will reign over us because of the righteousness that He imputes to us when we submit to Him as our Lord.

Behind the Words

The words “reigned” and “might reign” are translated from basileuō, meaning “to reign” or “to be king” as we saw back in verse fourteen. The verb forms in this verse are very telling. “Reigned” is in the aorist, active, indicative indicating a past action occurring at a point in time. Hence, it could be translated as “began to reign” or “reigned” as we have it in this translation. However, “might reign” is an aorist, active, subjunctive, which implies something that is not necessarily occurring at the moment but that might occur in the future.

“Eternal” is translated from the Greek word aiōnios, which is from aiōn, meaning “an age” or “a long period of time.” Hence, aiōnios means “perpetual, everlasting, or eternal.

The word translated “Lord” is kurios, which comes from the noun kuros, meaning “might or power.” The word kurios means “one who is supreme in authority or power, a master, or an owner.” When we refer to Jesus Christ as our Lord we are saying that he is our owner, the one who has supreme authority over all that we do, and that we have submitted our will to His.

Meaning Explained

Paul now ties-up the entire chapter in this one verse. Previously Paul taught us that the Law came in to make the presence of sin much more evident. It was the spotlight that made sin undeniable. And he said that where sin was more apparent, grace was even more so. That is, as the knowledge of sin became greater, the recognition of the immenseness of the grace became even greater. To use a military analogy, the greater and more powerful the enemy, the greater is the reputation of the army that conquers that enemy.

Paul now makes the final comparison. On the one hand, sin has reigned unbeatable in the past, producing death. From 2 Thessalonians we know that this death is everlasting:

… and on those who are not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

But in the final showdown, grace will defeat the enemy. It will reign over death and through righteousness (imputed by that grace) it will produce in us eternal life. This grace which allows righteousness to be imputed to us is only made possible through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Application

Thank you, Heavenly Father for helping me see my sinfulness and for your gracious gift, the blood of your only begotten son that paid for my sins. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the promise of eternal life rather than the eternal punishment that I deserve. Truly, you are worthy of my worship and my praise! You are my Owner, my Master, and my Lord, and I willingly submit my will to yours. Amen.

In God's service, for His glory,

2 Thessalonians 1:9 – Eternal Torment

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Will

These shall pay the penalty, eternal distress from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

Truth to Learn

Those who reject Jesus Christ will suffer terribly, for eternity!

Behind the Words

The words “pay the penalty” is translated from the words dikēn tisousin. The word dikēn refers to “a judgment, a penalty, or a punishment” and tisousin is a form of the verb tinō, which means “to pay the value of something.” When these two words are used together they mean “to pay a penalty.”

“Eternal” is from the Greek adjective aiōnios, which is derived from the noun aiōn, meaning “an age of time.” Aiōnios means “constant, perpetual, or eternal.”

Olethros is the word translated “distress.” It is based on the verb ollumi, meaning “to destroy” or “to kill.” The fundamental thought behind olethros is not annihilation (ceasing to exist), but unavoidable and never ending distress and torment.

The word translated “presence” is prosōpon, which is made up of pros, meaning “toward” and ops, meaning “the eyes.” Thus, prosōpon literally means “toward the eyes.” It is most often translated as “face,” but it can also be translated as “presence.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about the righteous judgments of God: His righteous decision to show grace to sinners who believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, and His righteous decision to sentence all non-believers to eternal punishment. Yesterday we looked at one aspect of this punishment of unbelievers. Paul identified it as hot, blazing fire. In Luke’s gospel account the following description of this torment is described in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, where the rich man was in torment in hades:

And he cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.” (Luke 16:24)

But even this pales in comparison to the final torment that unbelievers will suffer. According to Revelation 20:15, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

As painful and torturous as this may be, I believe that this is not the worst part of the sentence that will be passed on those who reject the gospel message. Listen to the words of Jesus:

And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:11-12)

In this verse, the expression “sons of the kingdom” is a reference to the Jews, sons of Abraham, who rejected their Messiah. The total absence of the presence of God and His glory will produce such darkness that it will cause those experiencing it to wail and to gnash their teeth. This is the future that is promised to all who reject Jesus Christ.

Application

It is not our job to punish evil doers. That is God’s prerogative and His punishment will be worse than anything we could do.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 3:11 – Eternal Plan – Accomplished!

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Will

according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Truth to Learn

God has already accomplished His eternal plan.

Behind the Words

“Eternal” is from the Greek word aiōn, which we have seen several times recently. It refers to “an indefinitely long period of time.” The most literal translation of this word into English is “age.” The form used in this verse literally translates to “of the ages.” So, Paul is talking about God’s “purpose of the ages” or His “eternal purpose” as we have in this translation.

The word “purpose” is from prothesis, which is based on the verb protithēmi. This is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or position” and tithēmi, meaning “to place.” Thus, prosthesis refers to a “setting forth” or “determining ahead of time.” This could also be translated as “plan.”

“Accomplished” is translated from poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.” It is expressed in the aorist tense and indicative mood indicating action that was completed at a point in time in the past.

Meaning Explained

Paul began a statement in verse one that was then interrupted in verse two, and he won’t resume his original thought until verse fourteen. What appears in verses two through thirteen is a sort of parenthesis that talks about the mystery of the church age in which Gentiles and Jews are united in the body of Christ, co-heirs of God’s estate, and joint partakers of the promise of salvation through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

One fascinating thing about this parenthesis is that it closely parallels the parenthesis that we refer to as the church age. Before Christ’s first coming, God was dealing almost exclusively with the Jews. In fact, from Genesis chapter twelve through the remainder of the Old Testament, the focus is on the descendants of Abraham. However, when the Messiah (Jesus) came and was rejected by the Jews, God turned to the Gentiles. This church age (time of the church) will continue until the rapture, when the church will be removed from this earth. Then, God’s focus will once again be on the Jews as He ushers his faithful ones through “… great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)”

During the parenthesis, the church age, God is revealing His mystery to us (His church) and to the spirit beings in heaven through us (His church). In today’s verse we learn that this is not just by accident. This is all part of God’s plan of the ages. Before He created anything, God (that is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), put together a plan. This plan included the choosing of every member of the church, according to the fourth verse of the letter to the Ephesians. That plan included the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins so that we can live in His presence eternally. And, according to today’s verse, He has accomplished His plan in Jesus Christ.

Application

Let me urge you to take a few minutes to mentally “step away” from the world system and all of its distractions. Do you realize that you are part of God’s eternal plan, and you have been part of that plan since before He created this physical world? Not only was your salvation part of His plan, but He has completely accomplished His plan in Jesus Christ. Now – what are you going to do with this knowledge?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 3:11 – Eternal Plan – Accomplished!

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Will

Ephesians 3:11 – Eternal Plan – Accomplished!

according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Truth to Learn

God has already accomplished His eternal plan.

Behind the Words

Meaning Explained

One fascinating thing about this parenthesis is that it closely parallels the parenthesis that we refer to as the church age. Before Christ’s first coming, God was dealing almost exclusively with the Jews. In fact, from Genesis chapter twelve through the remainder of the Old Testament, the focus is on the descendants of Abraham. However, when the Messiah (Jesus) came and was rejected by the Jews, God turned to the Gentiles. This church age will continue until the time of the rapture when the church will be removed from this earth. Then, God’s focus will once again be on the Jews as He ushers his faithful ones through “… great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)”

Application

Let me urge you to take a few minutes to mentally “step away” from the world system and all of its distractions. Do you realize that you are part of God’s eternal plan and you have been since before He created this physical world? Not only was your salvation part of His plan, but He has completely accomplished His plan in Jesus Christ. Now – what are you going to do with this knowledge?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 6:23 – The Free Gift

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Truth to Learn

God offers all of us a free gift of inestimable value.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “wages” is opsonia, which is the plural form of opsonion. This word is a compound word made up of opson, which means “meat” and a form of oneomai, which means “to buy.” According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, “It primarily signifies whatever is bought to be eaten with bread, provisions, or supplies from a soldier’s pay. Metaphorically, it means general wages, recompense.” It is what a soldier has earned for being a soldier.

“Gift” is translated from charisma, which means “a gift of grace or an undeserved benefit.” In the New Testament, this word is only used in reference to an undeserved gift or favor from God.

The Greek for the gift that God gives us is, dzoe aionios. Dzoe is the word for “life” and aionios means “belonging to the continuance of time.” In other words, it means “perpetual, everlasting, or eternal.”

Meaning Explained

for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

In this verse Paul tells us why we were dead when we were the slaves to sin. He says:

For the wages of sin is death,

If you stop to think about it, there is no greater gift that God could possibly give to us than an eternal existence with Him. The one constant in this earthly existence is the fact that we all will die physically some day and we will be separated from our earthly body. But because of this marvelous gift that God has given us, we will continue our existence in His presence in a heavenly body. We will join with all of our loved ones who have likewise received God’s gift, and together we will glorify God for eternity.

Application

God offers a free gift to all who will believe and that gift is eternal life! Wow!

Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the price for your sins? I certainly hope so!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:

2 Peter 3:8 – He Always Is

Posted on June 23, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 3:8

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

Truth to Learn

God is always present … everywhere and at all times.

Behind the Words

The word “forget” is translated from lanthanō, which we looked at back in verse five. It means “to lie hidden” or “to be unaware of.” So, a better translation of the beginning of this verse would be, “But do not ignore this one thing …”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is one of those which people seem to delight in pulling out of context and using as a proof text for bizarre doctrines (like the earth wasn’t really created in seven days but in seven eons). However, instead of talking about what this verse doesn’t mean, let’s talk about what it does mean.

First of all, Peter is refuting those who claim that the Messiah (the Christ) is not coming because the message of His coming has been proclaimed for thousands of years, and there is no more evidence of it today than there was when it was first proclaimed. These scoffers claim that everything is continuing on without change for all this time, and there is no chance for a change any time soon.

Peter first refuted this by saying that things have not continued in the same way always, and he cites the flood of Noah’s day as an example. He also warns that there will be another judgment of the earth and its inhabitants, this time by fire.

Now for Peter’s second rebuttal of belief in uniformitarianism. First, though, he warns his readers, “Do not ignore this one thing.” It is his way of saying that the following is a very important thing to learn: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”

So what does this phrase really mean? Just this: God is not bound by time. It’s as simple as that! He is right now in eternity past, He is also in eternity future, and He is everywhere in between. Christ, Himself, expressed it when He was arguing with the Jews:

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)

The expression “I am” means that in every point of time, God is there in the present. It is not just a matter that God has always existed and will always exist but that He simultaneously exists in all points of time and eternity. Therefore, to Him, a moment in time is the same as a thousand years, is the same as a day. That’s what Peter is saying. And, since God is not bound by time, the argument (that it has been thousands of years since the message was first preached and He still hasn’t come) has no bearing in the matter at all.

Application

The next time you find yourself getting impatient with God, wondering why He hasn’t answered your prayers yet, keep in mind that God knows the end from the beginning. He is already there and He knows precisely the right time to help you in your “hour” of need.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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1 Peter 5:11 – Our Eternal God

Posted on March 18, 2009 by admin

1 Peter 5:11

To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

God is mighty in position and power, deserving of our worship now and for all eternity.

Behind the Words

The word translated “glory” is doxa, (from which we get our English word, doxology). The meaning of giving glory to God is, “ascribing to Him His full, rightful and deserved recognition.” Contained in the idea of giving God glory are the notions of praise, worship, and obeisance (an act of recognition of another’s superiority).

The word translated “dominion” is the Greek word kratos, which literally means “strength” or “might,” but it carries more of the meaning “especially manifested power” or “dominion.” It is, again, a recognition of God’s superiority in terms of power and authority. It is recognition that God is great and powerful having supreme authority and power, and we are small and weak having little, if any, authority and power.

The expression “forever and ever” comes from the Greek eis tous aionas ton aionon, which literally means “unto the ages of the ages.” An age refers to a period of time or the collection of events within that period of time. The Greek expression, eis ton aionon (unto the ages) is interpreted as “unto eternity” or “until the end of the ages.” The added tous aionas in today’s verse changes the meaning of this expression to “throughout all of eternity,” meaning that it doesn’t stop when time ends and eternity begins, rather it continues on throughout all of eternity.

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse starts with “To Him.” The obvious question is “To whom?” The answer lies in the first part of yesterday’s verse, “The God of all grace.” So, we could read today’s verse as, “To the God of all grace be the glory and the dominion throughout all eternity. Amen”

Peter is, as we all should be, ascribing praise, worship, and reverence to the one who is most powerful and mighty and who shall be so throughout all of time and eternity!

He closes his benediction with the word amen, which is not a Greek word but a Hebrew word. It is not simply a formula type word for ending a prayer as we so flippantly use it today. In the New Testament it is often translated as “verily” or “truly.” Its most basic meaning, however, is, “this is true with absolute certainty!” It is not so much a period on the end of a prayer as it is an exclamation point.

To the God of all grace be the glory and the dominion throughout all eternity. Amen

Application

How easily and carelessly we toss about a verse like this. Think about what it means. First of all, we are recognizing that God is supreme and we are but lowly creatures. By implication we are recognizing that He is the one who made everything that exists out of nothing. Next, we are saying that He deserves recognition for who He is, and that recognition includes worship and praise. Finally, in expressing this, we admit that He transcends time and that His exalted position will continue long after time has ceased. This is truth!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –