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CHAPTER XVI.

THE SCRIPTURE USAGE OF THE
PHRASE ETERNAL LIFE, ETC.

SECTION I.

he passages in the BIBLE wherein the phrase ETERNAL LIFE occurs.

there came

Matt. 19: 16. And behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? Mark 10: 17. And, when he was gone forth into the one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

way,

Luke 10: 25. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Luke 18: 18. And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Matt. 25: 46. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Mark 10: 30. But he [that hath left father, mother, wife, children, &c.] shall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come, eternal life.

John 3: 15. That whosoever believeth in him [the Son of Man], should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 4: 36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto eternal life; that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may reioice together.

John 5: 39. Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me.

John 6: 54. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Verse 68. Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

John 10: 28. And I give unto them [Christ's sheep] eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.

John 12: 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal.

John 17: 2, 3. As thou hast given him [Christ] power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Acts 13: 48. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.

:

Rom. 2: 7. To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality; eternal life.

Rom 5: 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 6: 23. For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Tim. 6: 12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Titus 1:2. In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

Titus 3: 7. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

1 John 1:2. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.

1 John 2: 25. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

1 John 3: 15. Whosoever hateth his brother, is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 5: 11. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life; and this life is in his Son.

Verse 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal iife, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Verse 20. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Jude 1: 21. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

SECTION II.

All the passages in the BIBLE in which the phrase EVERLASTING LIFE

occurs.

Dan. 12: 2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Matt. 19: 29. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Luke 18: 30. Who shall receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

John 3: 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlast

ing life.

John 4: 14.

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 5: 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 6: 27. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man' shall give unto you for him hath God the Father sealed.

Verse 40. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Verse 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

John 12: 50. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

Acts 13: 46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Rom. 6: 22. But now, being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Gal. 6 8. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

1 Tim. 1:16. Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

SECTION III.

Remarks on the phrases ETERNAL and EVERLASTING LIFE.

If the reader will carefully examine the first and second Sections of this Chapter, he will see that the phrases eternal life and everlasting life are perfectly synonymous. This is evident from the fact that the original phrase is the same, whether it is translated eternal or everlasting life; and, also, from the fact that in those passages where the phrase eternal life occurs, in the parallel passages the phrase everlasting life is used to signify the same thing. Compare Mark 10: 30 with Luke 18: 30, and John 3: 15 with John 3: 16, and John 5: 24 with John 6: 54.

The phrase "eternal life" does not occur in the Old Testament.

It occurs in the New Testament twenty-nine times, and is generally, if not in all cases, used to signify the moral life imparted by the Gospel. The phrase everlasting life occurs but once in the Old Testament, Dan. 12: 2. In the New, it occurs thirteen times. It is used, as we have seen, to signify the same as the phrase eternal life. It has been supposed that these phrases are used to signify a life to be enjoyed in a future state of existence. The only thing which makes this opinion appear at all plausible is the fact that this life is spoken of as something to be enjoyed in the world to come. See Mark 10: 30, and Luke 18· 30. But we remark that in these texts the word which is rendered world is aion; a word which signifies an age or dispensation. And the phrase "aion to come" is used in the New Testament to signify the reign of the Messiah, or Gospel dispensation. Adam Clarke says, "Olam ha-bo, the world to come, is a constant phrase for the times of the Messiah in the Jewish writers." The following facts will show what is the obvious meaning of the phrases, and that the meaning of them is generally misunderstood.

1. Not one of the scripture writers has ever defined these phrases to signify a life to be enjoyed in a future state of existence.

2. Jesus Christ defines eternal life to consist in a knowledge of God, and of Jesus whom he hath sent, John 17: 3. Of course, those who by the Gospel are made acquainted with God and Jesus Christ, are in the possession of eternal life. It is certainly fair to allow Jesus to define his own terms and phrases. He certainly knew what was meant by eternal life, and if he was correct in his definition of it, the common opinion of it must be erroneous. We choose to abide by the testimony of Jesus, and to reject the authority of all uninspired men when it comes in contact with that testimony. 3. Persons are frequently spoken of in the New Testament as being in the possession of eternal life. John 6: 54; 10: 28; 1 John 5: 11, 13; John 5: 24; 6: 47; Rom. 6: 22. 4. In 1 John 3: life abiding in him." life abiding in them.

15, it is said, that "no murderer hath eternal This certainly implies that men may have the

5. The words eternal and everlasting are applied to this life, not to express the duration of it, but to express the kind or quality of it. This life is called eternal for the following reasons: 1. To distinguish it from the life enjoyed by those living under the Legal

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dispensation. That is never called eternal or everlasting life. We have seen that the phrase eternal life does not occur in the Old Testament. The phrase everlasting life occurs but once, Dan. 12: 2, and we have shown, in our examination of that text, that it is used with reference to the life imparted by the Gospel. 2. Because those who are in the possession of this life enjoy it continually, unceasingly, uninterruptedly and perpetually. One definition of the word rendered eternal is perpetual. 3. Because it is a life to be enjoyed in the "everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ." Christ's kingdom is called everlasting, yet it is to come to an end. "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father," 1 Cor. 15: 24-28. 4. Because it is a life to be enjoyed under the dispensation of the "everlasting Gospel." The Gospel is called everlasting, Rev. 14: 6, yet no one supposes it will be preached throughout the endless ages of eternity. 5. Because it is a life imparted by that Gospel which brings "life and immortality to light." The believer in this Gospel lives in the constant enjoyment of a hope "full of immortality," and in the perpetual anticipation of an inheritance "incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away."

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