Eternal Life

You have eternal life. In fact, so does everyone you know.

Billy Graham has it.
Michael Jackson has it.
Mother Theresa has it.
Hitler has it.

The point is, where are you going to spend it?

I tend to cringe when I hear people say to someone who was just saved, “Now you have eternal life!” No, actually, they just now have it through Jesus' inheritance. They will no longer be judged by their works, but by the righteousness of Christ's blood that covers them.

Revelation 20:13-15; 21:6-8
“Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.... And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to the thirsty from the spring of living water as a gift. The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars – their share will be in the lake of sulfur, which is the second death.'”

One of the reasons I feel so strongly that it should worded this way is that it puts an extra pressure on us to share the Gospel. It's one thing if I think a person just doesn't have eternal life happily with Jesus; That perhaps they pass into oblivion. But to think that they will spend eternity in agony, in a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30, Luke 13:28), wishing they had followed Jesus, spurs me to try harder and love deeper.