Abundant Life

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10)

I do not think Jesus was referring to abundant life in this present age. Jesus knew that it is appointed that all men must suffer and die. All mankind are in the process of dying, not living abundantly.

Jesus came so that we may have life "abundantly" when he returns to resurrect us to "immortality". Jesus is the only man who has been raised and now has immortality….

“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory…which He will bring about at the proper time. He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:22-54; 1 Timothy 6:15-16)

We do not have abundant immortal life yet, only the promise of it and it is our "blessed hope".

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort..." (Titus:11-15)

Immortality

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future… He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Jeremiah 29:11; Revelation 21:5)

God’s plan has never changed. When bible teachers attempt to categorize certain “economies” or “administrations” or “dispensations” in a progressive manner they do so without any outline or direct statements of such a thing in the Scripture. Doing so does help us see historically how certain cultures lived in relation to their understanding of God. But it also limits a God without limits. 

God’s plan never changes. He creates imperfection, totally destroys the imperfect and recreates perfection from the ashes. And it is not a “circle of life”, but a straight line that begins in imperfection and mortality and along His infinite highway that mortal, sinful, failed life rises from the ashes to become immortal...all for the glory of our limitless God.

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” (Isaiah 61:3)

Spin Doctors

At the end of the ages I find that the Bible teaches that ALL are saved and justified...

“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to ALL MEN, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to ALL MEN.” (Romans 5:18)

 And I find that ALL are alive and reconciled to God...

“For as in Adam ALL DIE, so also in Christ ALL WILL BE MADE ALIVE...and through Him to reconcile ALL THINGS to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:22; Colossians 1:20)

 And I find that there is no more death or sin when ALL are immortal and God is ALL in ALL.

“...our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel...at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin...the last enemy that will be abolished is death. For He has put ALL in subjection under His feet...then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected ALL to Him, so that God may be ALL IN ALL.” (2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 9:26; 1Corinthians15:26-28)

We are not told in the Bible what God has done prior to creating the ages nor what will happen after the ages come to an end. We are simply told that these are...

“...things which eye hath not seen and ear has not heard, and which HAVE NOT entered the heart of man...” (1 Corinthians 2:8-9)

Religious spin doctors of Christian institutions over the past 1700 years have managed to hide most of the glorious truth about the ages by adding their own doctrinal “spin”. Their commentaries will be burned up with this present world but the Word of God will endure for the "olam va'ed” (as far as we can see...and BEYOND).

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed… but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (2 Peter 3:10; 1:25)

So just read the Bible and trust in its good news.  You do not need help from me or the spin doctors...you are the object of this glorious good news - the salvation and redemption of sinners - REJOICE!

“The LORD God commanded the man, saying, From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it YOU WILL SURELY DIE…” (Genesis 2:16-17)

I am told that the Hebrew word translated “die” is more accurately rendered “to die shall you be dying”...in other words the dying process began and all of us inherit the dying process as a result of the original sin of Adam. 

“…as through one man (Adam) the sin did enter into the world, and through the sin the death; and thus to all men the death did pass through, for that all did sin…” (Romans 5:120

I was asked by a Christian friend if I thought his Daddy had lied to him when he told him that the penalty for unconfessed sin is everlasting punishment in hell? 

It was a loaded question and I was not about to call his Daddy a liar… so I said no he did not lie to you, he sincerely told you what he believed. He was concerned as any parent believing in hell would be….he was just MYTHTAKEN.

And this attitude I find to be the strongest hindrance to people repudiating the false teaching of eternal conscious torment in hell. They trust their spiritual leaders and I learned early that you cannot argue with that “logic”. So all I can do is post my different opinion, citing the Scripture upon which I base my view, hoping some people will pick up the bible and check it out….if so, I am confident they will find as I do that the wages of sin is DEATH, just as "the free gift of God is eternal LIFE". Our existence began with God creating us in our mother’s womb….and the new creation will start at our resurrection when God creates us brand new as a free gift into the immortal, sinless image of God, of which Christ Jesus is the firstfruit.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord….as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord… Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly…this mortal must put on immortality…then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.” (Romans 6:23; Romans 5:21; 1 Corinthians 15:49-54)

God wins…and so do we!

“…we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance character; and character, hope…” (Romans 5:2-4)

When I was very young I had regular migraine headaches. I remember them to be so awful that at times I would tell Mom that I wanted to die as she would lovingly rub my temples with my head in her lap. The doctor prescribed a medication for me at the time that would gradually put me to sleep. And when I woke up the headache would be gone and I was glad I did not die.

Over time I learned to focus, not AT the pain, but THROUGH it to the time when it would be gone. Faith that it would subside in time gave me hope and allowed me to endure the pain. I think that is what Paul is talking about above when he says we can boast in our “sufferings” which produces hope of a better life to come when we are glorified in our resurrection.

“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)

”These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40)

Who were these “all”? The list is the hall of fame of the Bible…Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel.

They were commended for their faith but did NOT receive immortal life that God has promised.

God has promised to make us perfect… but not in this age…for now we all die. Now we can only believe the promise of God that….

“…as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” for “just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man” and these earthly bodies will be “buried in weakness and raised in power; buried a natural body but raised a spiritual body…The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality”. (1 Corinthians 15:22-53)

Only the joy of having faith in God’s promise will make a sinful man good, and a religious man humble.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed…always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (II Corinthians 4:8-10).

Paul is talking about our situation in this age. It is sometimes troubling and as we grow old we realize that life in this age is temporary. HOWEVER, we are not “distressed” when we remember that just as Jesus died and was resurrected to immortal LIFE, so shall we be raised as well.

“this mortal must put on immortality… when this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore be steadfast…knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:53-58)

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will…In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-14)

Mankind has been "predestined" to hear and believe the good news of their salvation and upon believing they become sealed with the promise of "Holy Spirit".

I have heard much teaching about the Holy Spirit over the years. Like “walking in the Spirit”, or “receiving the Spirit”, or being “filled with the Spirit”. Some teach that the Holy Spirit is a person and part of a “trinity”. Some even teach about a “second blessing” when one is “baptized in the Holy Spirit”. Any many say things like “the Spirit led me” to do such and such.

The various and conflicting teachings on the “Holy Spirit” is confusing and probably wrong to some degree.

Here is a simple way I keep what God says about “Spirit” straight in my mind, Holy or not. I am a man of the flesh…a "soul" which is mortal and controlled by those natural emotions that all mankind experience (the flesh). I will stay “mortal” until I die and am raised a “Spiritual body". It is a promise from God. That body will be Holy and Spiritual - a new creation - only when I am made immortal. But that is in the future…it is our inheritance an hope as children of God.

“So also is the resurrection of the dead…it is sown a natural body, it is raised a SPIRITUAL body. If there is a natural body, there is also a SPIRITUAL body. So also it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living SOUL. The last Adam became a life-giving SPIRIT. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven…Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery…we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the DEAD will be raised imperishable… But when this…mortal will have put on IMMORTALITY, then will come about the saying that is written, DEATH is swallowed up in VICTORY.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-57)