Category Archives: Eternal Life

Bible, Eternal Life, Eternity, Holy Spirit, Promises, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

JOIN THE CLUB

ROMANS 4:24

“but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,”

Most clubs you join require you to agree to a certain code of conduct and make a commitment to hold up the stated values of the club. I was part of a civic club years ago and was expected to attend weekly meetings and other events sponsored by the club. I dropped out because it took way too much time away from my family and ministry. They were good people doing good things, but it just wasn’t right for me.

By believing in Jesus and following Him, we are made part of God’s club, so to speak. Let me share some thoughts from Albert Barnes on this verse. “The main or leading truths that God has made known to us are, that he has given his Son to die; that he has raised him up; and that through him he is ready to pardon. To put confidence in these truths is to believe now. Doing this, we believe in the same God that Abraham did; we evince the same spirit; and thus, show that we are the friends of the same God and may be treated in the same manner. This is faith under the gospel and shows that the faith of Abraham and of all true believers is substantially the same and is varied only by the difference of the truths made known.”

APPLICATION

I know that was a lot to digest so go back and read it again. I’ll wait…ready? What Paul is saying and what Barnes is interpreting is we belong to God just like Abraham. Abraham believed to the extent to what God disclosed to him. We believe to the extent to what God discloses to us. We have one huge benefit over Abraham, though. We have the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, to speak in us through the Father.

Abraham’s promise of a nation was birthed through his son, Isaac. Our promise of a promised eternal home was birthed through God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son to prove his faith. God sacrificed His Son to give us faith. Abraham dwells now in heaven as one of the righteous dead before Christ. We will dwell in heaven one day because of the righteousness of Christ.

So many similarities between us and Abraham, between our faith and his. Yes, we share the same God. And yes, because the Father and the Son are One, we share the same Savior. His came through his faith in Jehovah. Ours comes from our faith in Jesus, His Son. I can’t wait to meet Abraham one day. I wonder if he knows that song about the seven sons of Abraham, lol.

Lord, I praise You for giving me full access to the heavenly club You have established through Jesus.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Eternity, Promises, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture, Therefore

THEREFORE

ROMANS 4:22

“Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

You have probably heard some preacher say, “When you see the word “therefore” in the Bible, always look to see what it is there for.” Well, in today’s verse we have a “therefore.” It is the little Greek conjunction dio which can be translated as “for this reason,” “therefore” or “wherefore.” A conjunction connects at least two thoughts. In our case today, it connects the thoughts of the preceding verses with this thought in verse 22. Because of all Paul just said, this is true.

Once again, Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.” We saw this quoted earlier back in 4:3 and 4:9. This is the third time Paul quotes Genesis 15:6. Do you think it is important? Paul is nailing home the point that Abraham didn’t do anything to earn that righteousness. It was given to him before circumcision. God simply chose him and cut covenant with him. God made him righteous and Abraham himself.

APPLICATION

The same holds true for us. If you want to see just how much “therefore” means to us, look at 2 Corinthians 4:16. Paul uses dio again here. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day.” Let me tell you, that verse hit home with me. My old body is wearing down. I have a little pain in my lower back right now, which is new for me. But this verse says that is to be expected. However, my inner man is renewed daily. How sweet!

In our spiritual walk with Christ “therefore” makes a big difference. For instance, Christ died for my sins, and I have acknowledged that and have decided to follow Him. THEREFORE, I am His child and will live with Him in eternity. That’s a big “therefore,” isn’t it? Just like Abraham, I did nothing but step out in faith. Because of that I am reckoned as righteous in God’s eyes.

The next time you are reading through the Word and run across a little conjunction like dio (therefore, for this reason, wherefore), pause and really look what it is pointing you back to. Context is key in any study of Scripture. God’s Word is truth from the first word to the last. Therefore – you can trust it. You can place your faith in that.

Father God, I am grateful Your Word is so rich and so powerful. It gives me the “therefore” I need at the right time.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Eternal Life, Life, Promises, Scripture

AS GOOD AS DEAD

ROMANS 4:19

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;”

When you hear the phrase, “You’re as good as dead,” what do you think about? I think about as kids when you are out playing and you jokingly say that to a friend who just “one upped you.” Maybe you’re shooting hoops and they just went up on the score. So, you issue that challenge “You’re as good as dead” meaning you are about to take them down. It is never meant that you wish them harm in any way. It’s just a phrase.

But in Abraham’s case, it was true. His chance of siring offspring was pretty much nil. He was “about a hundred years old” and his wife Sarah wasn’t far behind. If he told his buddies he was about to become a father, they would have probably just laughed at him. The Greek word used here is only found two other times in the New Testament (Colossians 3:5 and Hebrews 11:12). The word is nekroó, and it means to view something as a corpse, lifeless. That doesn’t give much hope for a child, does it?

APPLICATION

“The same God who began Israel with a barren couple later raised Jesus Christ from the tomb; in both cases death or deadness only highlights His sovereignty.” (Topical Lexicon) You see, a lifeless corpse doesn’t mean God can’t do something. Think about the miracles in the Bible where someone who was dead was brought back to life. I won’t begin to list them all here. Do a study on your own and you will see that time after time, God intervened and brought life back.

God gave Abraham and Sarah a child, one born from parents who should not have able to be parents. Life belongs to God. He determines who has life. Every breath we take is a gift from God. He gives us life. Don’t ever think someone is without hope if God wants to give them life. Now, He doesn’t always give life here. Sometimes He wants to give life eternal. Isn’t that better anyway? For a believer, it is.

I want you to take a minute and give God thanks for the life He has given you. It may not be the life you had planned for yourself, but it is still life. God has a plan for this life. He has a plan for a future life also, if we will accept it. Have you? Have you taken ahold of the life that is truly life? Only God can give that. One is awaiting you.

Father of life, thank You for giving me life here and the promise of life eternal.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Eternity, Faith, Hope, Promises, Scripture

HOPE AGAINST HOPE

ROMANS 4:18

“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.’”

Have you ever held on to hope for something or someone even though everything in your mind told you to give up? I have. In fact, right now my wife and I are doing that about a family member. There’s been a separation now of almost two and a half years. All efforts to reconcile have been rebuffed or simply ignored. But…we still hold out hope that our God will move hearts to forgive and come back together.

Abraham exhibited that kind of hope when he believed God’s promises to him. Matthew Poole explains the phrase “hope against hope” well. “Abraham, when he had no natural or rational grounds of hope, either in respect of himself or Sarah his wife, did yet believe and hope he should have a son; and so be a root or stock, from whence many nations should spring: and this faith and hope of his was grounded upon the power and faithfulness of God.”

APPLICATION

What do you hope in? In whom do you place your hope? The Greek word for “hope” is elpis which means an expectation or a confidence in what is certain. There is no guess work with our hope as believers. We’ve got a sure thing in Jesus. Nothing nor anyone can take away that hope we have in Him. That should give us all confidence.

Paul says later in Romans 5:2, “through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.” The hope of the glory of God! Woohoo! God’s glory is certain. We can be sure of one day experiencing His glory in its fullness. We are told that we too will be glorified. I believe His light will glorify us instantly the moment we see Him face-to-face.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul comforts the Thessalonian believers with these words. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope.” That’s a happy and sad verse – happy for us but sad for the unbeliever. They have no hope. Thanks be to God that He has given us the supreme hope, the supreme confidence. He loves us with an everlasting love. Give Him praise today.

Lord, You have promised us eternal life with You through Your Son Jesus. Our hope is in that, and it is certain!

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Eternal Life, Life, Salvation, Scripture

LIFE TO THE DEAD

ROMANS 4:17

“(as it is written: ‘I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS’) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist.”

Some people have a super green thumb. What do I mean by that? They can take a plant that looks completely dead and can bring it back to life again. They feed it and water it and nurture it back to life. Those are plants that I toss in the garbage can, but to the eye of the trained green thumb, they see life where there is no life. They don’t give up on it.

Today’s verse has a phrase that we need to look at. It’s towards the end of the verse. It says, “who gives life to the dead.” What in the world was Paul referring to? We will see more about this in verse 4:19, but to put it bluntly, there was no way Abraham and Sarah were going to have a child at their age. You may know someone who got pregnant in their 40’s or even 50’s. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? But nothing is too difficult for God.

APPLICATION

And we were dead before Christ. Ephesians 2:1 and 5 tell us that pretty clearly, “1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins,…5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” God took us off of death row when we gave our lives to Christ. We were doomed, damned to an eternal hell (and yes, it is real).

We are told in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. It goes on to say that no one will get to heaven unless they believe in Him and follow His commands. Death to life! It’s hard for our finite minds to comprehend. How can He do that? Because He created us in the first place. He knows every single molecule of our bodies. He can refire us into brand new creatures in Christ.

In John 5:24 Christ says, “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.’” From the very mouth of God the Son. We have to hear. We have to believe, and we have to follow. Where are you right now? Are you still dead to Christ? Turn to Him today and gain new life in Him.

Father, I am so thankful for my new life in Jesus. Praise Your name.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Eternity, Faith, Guarantee, Promises, Scripture

I’M SURE

ROMANS 4:16

“For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”

I have bought a lot of stuff in my lifetime. Many of those products came with guarantees. Some were for one year while others came with a lifetime guarantee. I like that. I have a pair of sunglasses that are protected for life. If they get scratched or broken, I simply send a picture to the company, and they send me a new pair. I am guaranteed that in writing.

Today’s verse gives us a guarantee also. If we trust in faith we are guaranteed the promise of salvation. The word “guaranteed” is the Greek word bebaios which is only used nine times in the New Testament. It can be translated as “firm, steadfast, sure.” It has the word picture of walking on solid ground. We know Who that firm foundation is, don’t we?

APPLICATION

For context I want to give you Hebrews 2:1-3a but look at verse 2 particularly regarding the words of the angels. “1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every violation and act of disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” The word “unalterable” is bebaios.

In the first part of Hebrews 6:19, we have a phrase that should “light your fire” and lead you to praise the Lord. It says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable…” It is reliable. There’s our word again. But I especially like that it says it is “an anchor of the soul.”

God’s guarantee of your salvation will never expire. It’s not one of those limited one year warranties. It’s not even a lifetime guarantee. It’s an eternal guarantee. I challenge you to find one better. Once you are His you are His forever. There is a no return policy attached. He won’t give you back to destruction. He has you firmly in the hollow of His hand. So, rest in Him. He’s got you.

O God, I am so thankful that my faith is guaranteed in grace.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Eternity, Promises, Salvation, Scripture, Testimony

PROMISES

ROMANS 4:13

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.”

We should never make promises we cannot keep. A promise is a vow to carry through on something. Have you broken a promise to someone? I have. I didn’t plan to break that promise when I made it. I had all the right intentions when I made it. But life can throw us curve balls sometimes, can’t it? I have been very careful since then to only make promises that I can keep.

God made some promises to Abraham. Paul alludes to one in today’s verse. Albert Barnes adds this to his commentary on this verse. “Those promises were that God would make of him a great nation (Genesis 12:2); that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed (Genesis 12:3); that his posterity should be as the stars for multitude (Genesis 15:5); and that he should be a father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). As this latter promise is one to which the apostle particularly refers (see Romans 4:17), it is probable that he had this in his eye.” God made and kept His promises to Abraham.

APPLICATION

When Jesus appeared to the disciples after the Resurrection, He said this in Luke 24:49, “‘And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’” What was that promise? The Holy Spirit! He promised us a Comforter, and we received that at our salvation.

In Galatians 3:14 Paul writes, “in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Don’t you know Paul knew the power of this promise? He received it when he was saved. He had been a very religious man before, according to the law, but he had never experienced the power of the promise of the Holy Spirit until he met Jesus face to face.

There’s another promise God has made to us which John spells out clearly in 1 John 2:25. “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.” Not only do we receive the Holy Spirit to guide us down here on earth, but we also have been given a promise of eternity with our Lord. Wow! Try to top that one. Can’t be done! Thank You, Lord! Give Him praise today.

Father God, You are so faithful to keep every promise You ever made to us.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Forgiveness, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

RECKONED

ROMANS 2:26

“So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision?” 

Here in the South, the term “reckon” has a whole different meaning than we see biblically. Here we say, “Well, I reckon I can do that,” meaning I think I can do it. It’s often used in the shortened form of “reck’n” when asked if you think something is true or false. But this word is definitely not a slang word in Scripture. Let’s take a look.

The Greek word Paul uses here is logizomai. It has a lot of defining words attributed to it like impute, number, reason, suppose, credited, consider and as in today’s verse, regarded. It is used 41 times in the New Testament with 19 of those occurring in the book of Romans. Paul’s point in today’s verse is that these uncircumcised would be counted among the righteous if they kept the law just as any Jew would if he did.

APPLICATION

In Romans 4, logizomai is used in Paul’s discourse about Abraham. Look at what 4:3 says, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’” Remember, Abraham was considered or reckoned by God to be righteous BEFORE he was circumcised. He was considered righteous BEFORE the law was given. So, being reckoned as righteous has nothing to do with law keeping or circumcision. It’s about the heart.

What do you reck’n? Are you reckoned as righteous in God’s eyes? If you have given your life to Him, you are. Nothing can change that. God looked you over and, knowing your heart, has reckoned you as righteous. Unlike Abraham, we have the Holy Spirit that seals that in us. No lie from the enemy can disrupt your righteousness in God’s eyes.

While you are reck’ning, think on these verses in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19. “17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

God, I give You praise for reckoning me as righteous and for “not counting” my sins against me now.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Consequences, Damnation, Eternal Life, Eternity, Scripture, Sin

GIVEN UP

ROMANS 1:24

Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.”

There’s this funny video on Social Media in which a mother and her young son are debating whether her son should be allowed to take a spoonful of Hershey chocolate. Now, I’m not talking about cocoa for hot chocolate. I mean the kind you cook with which is very bitter. The boy insists he wants to try it. The mother has told him repeatedly he would not like it, but after constant begging, she “gives him up” to his own decision. Of course, you know the result. The boy takes a big spoonful and instantly regrets his decision.

That is exactly what God does to these unrepentant people Paul is describing. God will not force us to believe or follow His commands. The verb Paul uses here for “gave them up” is a common verb used 120 times in the New Testament. Paul uses it three times in verses 24-28 of Romans 1. Some definitions of this word are “to yield up, bring forth, cast, and deliver up.” The Greek word is paradídōmi from pará, (close-beside) and dídōmi, (give). This implies God had to be close beside to hand them over. Hmmm!

APPLICATION

One of the most powerful ways this word is used is in Romans 8:32 where Paul writes, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” The verb “delivered…over” is the same word we see in today’s verse. God did not spare His own Son, even for those who spurn the gift. These individuals could have changed course and come to God. I wonder if that happened to any those Paul is writing about.

God does not play games with us. If we won’t repent and turn to Him, the end is sure. Our sins will keep us out of heaven. Not everyone goes to heaven, contrary to popular belief. We can’t sit in judgment and know whether a person is saved or not. But we are able to see the fruit of their lives and know whether they are walking with Him daily. This is a hard truth and one many don’t want to hear.

Our choices have consequences – eternal consequences. This verse is for each of us today. We need to ponder a minute where we are with the Lord. I know that I know that I know that I am saved by the blood of the Lamb and will spend eternity with Him. How about you? Are you sure? You can be. God has a special place prepared for every believer. Is your reservation booked?

Lord God, I am thankful Your Holy Spirit did a work in my life and drew me to You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Eternity, Forever, Heaven, Scripture

FOREVER IS A LONG TIME

PHILIPPIANS 4:20

“Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Having attended college and seminary, I have heard many teachers or professors speak long and longer. Now, I enjoyed my education. I actually kind of miss it, but I don’t miss those times when the topic or the speaker were especially boring. I would never call out names, but some of those teachers should have never been in front of students lecturing. It truly seemed liked forever.

In these last four verses of Philippians, Paul closes with a doxology followed by greetings and salutations. We often just skim these kinds of verses, but don’t do that. In today’s verse, Paul is giving glory “to our God and Father.” After all, all the glory belongs to Him, right? But he finishes that sentence by saying, “forever and ever.” There is nothing magical about the Greek word for “forever.” It means just that. But I do like what the Cambridge Bible says about it. “The idea conveyed by the phrase here is of circles of duration consisting of, embracing, other circles ad infinitum.”

APPLICATION

Are you prepared to praise God forever and ever? That’s exactly what we will do. When we receive our eternal reward and enter into heaven, we will be in the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. I will probably spend the first millennia on my face before His throne. How about you? Seeing the glory of the Lord displayed and lighting heaven will be overwhelming, to say the least.

We see a very similar doxology in Hebrews 13:20-21. “20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Very much like what Paul wrote in today’s verse, isn’t it?

Peter writes similar words in the last half of 1 Peter 4:11. “so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” I think you can see that this phrase giving glory to God forever and ever was one embraced by many. Shouldn’t we embrace it as well. Try saying those words each day for a week as you end your prayer time. He does deserve the glory forever and ever.

God, Your glory is in You. We will only truly observe it when we see You face to face.

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