Time To Decide

Why should we be concerned about what will happen after our lives here on Earth? after all, we may think, there is still a long time to go.

Man has many opinions about what will happen to the spirit (or the soul) when one leaves the land of the living such as:

• Life does not continue to exist in the "afterlife" after death.
• Every creature, created in the image of God, will live eternally with God, its creator.
• There is an eternal life with God and an eternal death with the devil - Satan.

This Bible study on this topic is divided into three parts:

• Living For Eternal Life (with God).
• Living For Eternal Death (in hell).
• Invitation from God. Note: Word and phrase underlining have been added for better emphasis.

Are You Living For The AFTER-LIFE (Heaven)?

People who believe there is eternal life with the creator and the righteous or eternal death with the devil and the unrighteous attempt to follow some interpretation of God’s principles, precepts and commands. God requires a person to be “In Christ” to be acceptable. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The lifestyle of these people will include:

• Loving, honoring, glorifying, praising, and worshiping God as He has directed in His Word
• Desiring the best for everyone, even their enemies.
• Providing for the needs, of the widows, orphans, and especially Christians.

Since redemption, the forgiveness of our sins, is in Christ our primary concern should be learning how Christ desires us to live. It should be obvious that His commands, teachings, and examples are to be found in His Word. One teaching is in the following parable:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor" (Luke 10:25-29)?

After relating the parable of the “Good Samaritan”, Jesus allowed the Pharisee to answer his own question. “The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him’ " (Luke 10:37). Jesus told him to do what he knew to do, which was to love his neighbor as himself.

We are also told to “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2) and "If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).

There are many instructions to those In Christ to follow in becoming imitators of God thus living in the AFTER-LIFE with God.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2-3).

To those In Christ John wrote “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light [all things good, things done in the open - love, truth, mercy, kindness, faithfulness]; in him there is no darkness [all thing evil, things done in secrete – hate, envy, false, vengeance, selfishness] at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with

• And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:8-10).

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” (1 John 4:1-3).

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. So, I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:14-19).

• “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
• “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)

• “Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:14)
• “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another.” (Colossians 3:15-16).
• “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17)
• “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).
• "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh (Jude 17-23).

It is clear from the above that those in Christ must grow. Therefore, the critical question is “How do I grow?” in order that my life becomes a mirror of God’s image. What can I do to become

more like God continually reflecting a clearer likeness of his essence and nature of love, truth, and justice as I grow older?