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People get eternal life basically the same way they get an iPhone 6-- they
contact a distributor of the product they want. In this case, there is but one
authorized distributor: God's son.
†. John 17:2 . .You have given him authority over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as You have given him.
This is actually a lot easier than most folks realize. Take for example the
experience of the five-times married woman shacking up with a man in
Samaria that Jesus once encountered on his travels. In metaphoric
language, he informed her that she could have eternal life just by asking him
for it.
†. John 4:10-15 . . Jesus said to her: If you knew the gift of God, and who it
is who says to you "Give me a drink" you would have asked him, and he
would have given you living water.
. . . She said to him: Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is
deep; where then do you get that living water? You are not greater than our
father Jacob, are you, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his
sons, and his cattle?
. . . Jesus answered and said to her: Everyone who drinks of this water shall
thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of
water springing up to eternal life.
So, in order to get the ball rolling: one must first have some understanding
of the "gift of God".
†. John 3:14-17 . . As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in him have
eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The incident to which Christ referred is located at Num 21:5-9. Long story
short: Yhvh's people became weary of eating manna all the time at every
meal. But instead of courteously, and diplomatically, petitioning their divine
benefactor for a different diet, they became hostile and confrontational;
angrily demanding tastier food.
In response to their insolence, and their ingratitude for His providence; Yhvh
sent a swarm of deadly poisonous vipers among them; which began striking
people; and every strike was 100% fatal, no exceptions. Then the people
came to their senses and asked Moses to intercede. In reply; The Lord
instructed Moses to fashion an image of the vipers and hoist it up on a pole
in plain view so that everyone dying from venom could look to the image for
relief.
The key issue here is that the image was the only God-given remedy for the
people's bites-- not sacrifices and offerings, not tithing, not church
attendance, not scapulars, not confession, not holy days of obligation, not
the Sabbath, not love of one's neighbor, not charity, not Bible study and
Sunday school, not self denial, not vows of poverty, not the Ten
Commandments, no; not even prayers. The image was it. In other words
then: Christ's crucifixion is the only God-given escape from the wrath of
God; and when people accept it, then according to John 3:14-17 and John
4:10-15, they qualify for eternal life.
†. Rev 22:17 . .The Spirit and the bride say: Come. Let each one who hears
them say: Come. Let the thirsty ones come-- anyone who wants to. Let
them come and drink the water of life without charge.
====================================
People get eternal life basically the same way they get an iPhone 6-- they
contact a distributor of the product they want. In this case, there is but one
authorized distributor: God's son.
†. John 17:2 . .You have given him authority over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as You have given him.
This is actually a lot easier than most folks realize. Take for example the
experience of the five-times married woman shacking up with a man in
Samaria that Jesus once encountered on his travels. In metaphoric
language, he informed her that she could have eternal life just by asking him
for it.
†. John 4:10-15 . . Jesus said to her: If you knew the gift of God, and who it
is who says to you "Give me a drink" you would have asked him, and he
would have given you living water.
. . . She said to him: Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is
deep; where then do you get that living water? You are not greater than our
father Jacob, are you, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his
sons, and his cattle?
. . . Jesus answered and said to her: Everyone who drinks of this water shall
thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of
water springing up to eternal life.
So, in order to get the ball rolling: one must first have some understanding
of the "gift of God".
†. John 3:14-17 . . As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in him have
eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The incident to which Christ referred is located at Num 21:5-9. Long story
short: Yhvh's people became weary of eating manna all the time at every
meal. But instead of courteously, and diplomatically, petitioning their divine
benefactor for a different diet, they became hostile and confrontational;
angrily demanding tastier food.
In response to their insolence, and their ingratitude for His providence; Yhvh
sent a swarm of deadly poisonous vipers among them; which began striking
people; and every strike was 100% fatal, no exceptions. Then the people
came to their senses and asked Moses to intercede. In reply; The Lord
instructed Moses to fashion an image of the vipers and hoist it up on a pole
in plain view so that everyone dying from venom could look to the image for
relief.
The key issue here is that the image was the only God-given remedy for the
people's bites-- not sacrifices and offerings, not tithing, not church
attendance, not scapulars, not confession, not holy days of obligation, not
the Sabbath, not love of one's neighbor, not charity, not Bible study and
Sunday school, not self denial, not vows of poverty, not the Ten
Commandments, no; not even prayers. The image was it. In other words
then: Christ's crucifixion is the only God-given escape from the wrath of
God; and when people accept it, then according to John 3:14-17 and John
4:10-15, they qualify for eternal life.
†. Rev 22:17 . .The Spirit and the bride say: Come. Let each one who hears
them say: Come. Let the thirsty ones come-- anyone who wants to. Let
them come and drink the water of life without charge.
====================================
