| Whoever Lives and Believes in Me Jesus began to explain how he would run his kingdom. “I give my followers eternal life. Whoever believes in me will never die.”[170] Eternal life! The most basic instinct of all living things is survival; the quest of mankind throughout the ages has been to overcome death—humans were “slaves all their lives because of their fear of death.”[171] We have sought the fountain of youth through religion and science. Who really wants to die? Everyone started to pay attention to the words of the teacher. “The words that I speak unto you—they are spirit, and they are life.”[172] His teachings were the key to unlock not only eternal life, but life as it was meant to be. “This is what I am telling you: love your enemies, do good to those that hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.”[173] Love the Romans and do good to them? They wanted to destroy their enemies! What kind of advice was this? It makes sense to our unregenerate minds to hate our enemies; it would be foolish, even insane, to do good to those who hate you. Where did he get this illogical philosophy? Jesus said, “I am not speaking my own words. The Father who sent me has commanded me what I must say and speak. And I know that his command brings eternal life. This is my commandment: that you love one another.”[174] Jesus distilled the commandments of God when he said, “Love God with all your heart, and the person next to you like you do yourself. Treat everyone like you would want them to treat you.”[175] Jesus taught us to how break the death-trap of treating others like they deserve. “Do not pay back evil for evil or cursing with cursing; instead, pay back with blessing.”[176] “Overcome evil with good.”[177] In sowing righteousness (right-doing), you are guaranteed a harvest of good by God. He designed nature to teach us this. “Do not deceive yourselves;... a person will reap exactly what he plants. If he plants in the field of his natural desires, from it he will gather the harvest of death; if he plants in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit he will gather the harvest of eternal life.”[178] It may take time, but God stands back of his promise. We need to be patient and persistent, and wait for God to bring the sure harvest. “Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”[179] The principle of Christ’s life and message was love. This is the way his kingdom is run. Jesus taught us that this is the solution to all suffering, the nucleus of all peace and unfailing happiness, and is ultimately stronger than death. |
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| 170 John 10:27, 28; John 11:26; John 6:47 171 Hebrews 2:15 172 John 6:63 173 Luke 6:27-28 174 John 12:49, 50; John 15:12 175 Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 7:12. 176 I Peter 3:9 177 Romans 12:21. 178 Galatians 6:7, 8 GNB 179 Hebrews 2:15 |
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