Tag: eternal life

How Much Did Jesus Suffer When He Died for Us?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date March 22, 2020

Jesus Died as the Ultimate Sacrifice So That We May Live

The Old Testament of the Bible overflows with instructions about offering sacrifices to God and how his people but them into practice. One of those sacrifices served as an annual sacrifice for the sins of the people.

The people had to repeat it each year because the sacrifice offered only partial coverage.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Jesus came as the ultimate sin sacrifice to end all sacrifices. He accomplished for all time what the Old Testament sacrifices could only cover annually.

When followers of Jesus look at his sacrifice, some celebrate him as the suffering Savior who died for our sins and others laud as the risen Savior who overcame death. Which is it? Both. Jesus died and defeated death so that we may live.

In his death as the ultimate sacrifice for all the mistakes we’ve made, Jesus suffered greatly.

Each of the Bible’s four biographies about Jesus include the account of his sacrificial death: Matthew 27:32-61, Mark 15:21-47, Luke 23:26-56, and John 19:28-42.

Physical Pain

The first-century people who read these passages knew too well about the physical pain and suffering that crucified people endured. They witnessed it firsthand many times.

Therefore, the writers of these accounts of Jesus’s crucifixion didn’t need to give details of the agony he endured.

The people understood it. They comprehended what Jesus underwent.

For us in the twenty-first century, we lack this firsthand understanding of the physical pain brought about by death through crucifixion. Yet a medical description of what Jesus underwent is truly horrific. But there’s more.

Emotional Pain

Beyond the physical trauma of receiving a beating beyond recognition, being nailed to a cross to suffer, and then dying, Jesus also endured emotional pain. All around him people mocked him, taunted him, and belittled him and his mission.

He worried about the future of his mother, Mary. He carried concern about his disciples wondering if they could manage without him. And when Jesus needed it most, his Father had to look away.

Spiritual Pain

Yet even more than the emotional agony and the physical trauma of his execution, Jesus endured a spiritual pain. It was most horrific.

Recall our embarrassment over the most shameful thing we’ve ever done. If you’re like me, you’d rather not. Now multiply that over a lifetime of mistakes.

It’s a huge weight to shoulder. When King David considered this, he said that his guilt overwhelmed him. It was a burden he couldn’t bear (Psalm 38:4).

Now multiply one lifetime of shame times several billion people. That’s what Jesus bore when he died as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. At that one moment, the sins of everyone who ever lived and ever will live all fell on Jesus.

What an overwhelming, incomprehensible weight to bear. Yet Jesus took all of our sins, for all people, for all time and sacrificially bore them so that we wouldn’t have to.

Jesus suffered, died, and overcame death so that we may live with him forever. Thank you, Jesus.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Tags cross, eternal life, Jesus, sacrifice, salvation, sin

Christian Living

Can You Be a ____ and Still Be a Christian?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date January 12, 2020

Be Careful Not to Judge Others Based on Who We Are or What We Do

Over the years I’ve heard many people wonder out loud about the validity of another Christian’s faith based on what they do or some aspect of their life.

Often this takes the form of, “Can you be a ______ and still be a Christian?” What goes in the blank is both varied and wide-ranging.

Can You Be a Christian?

Lately, here in the United States, I’ve heard political party affiliations inserted into the blank, namely Republican or Democrat. Other times it’s economic philosophies, such as socialist, communist, or capitalist.

For those with a legalistic perspective, various personal activities and lifestyle choices are apt to find themselves inserted into this question. And in other instances, assorted occupations end up in this blank.

And I’ve even heard specific theological perspectives used with this question. Such as, “Can you embrace predestination and still be a Christian?”

Of course, the alternate query is, “Can you embrace free will and still be a Christian?” (Check out this example about free will and predestination.)

Come on. Give me a break. Yet I’ve heard these types of questions asked, along with many more, some of which are even more ridiculous.

Wrongly Judging Others

In each instance there is a similar underlying concern.

The person asking the question finds living a Christian life—that is, being a follower of Jesus—incompatible with a specific philosophy, lifestyle, action, or vocation—which others espouse, and they avoid.

From their perspective, from their worldview, they see a disconnect they can’t reconcile. Yet they are judging others with wrong motives. James warns against this (James 4:11-12).

Therefore we should not concern ourselves with others, but focus on our own behaviors, placing our trust in God. Only he should judge us. Only he can save us.

Jesus Wants Us to Follow Him

Jesus calls everyone to follow him. He doesn’t care about our politics, philosophy, or occupation. He gives us love and offers acceptance. He embraces those who have a sincere interest in pursuing a relationship with him.

Even those who remain undecided receive a gentle answer.

A Personal Decision

Yes, there are certain types of work I would not do and certain lifestyle choices I avoid, but these are personal decisions based on how I determine to best pursue my faith in God and what it means to me to be a follower of Jesus.

It would be wrong for me to apply my ideals to other people who may make other decisions about how to best pursue their faith.

The key point is that we have Jesus in common. The essential consideration is that we’re doing our best to follow him on our journey of life.

Along the way, we will all fall short and miss the mark. But Jesus offers us mercy and grace when we do.

Through Jesus we will spend our afterlife with him—regardless of some of the secondary decisions we may have made along the way as we navigated our journey.

Thank you, Jesus!

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is James 4-5, and today’s post is on James 4:11-12.]

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Tags eternal life, faith, follow Jesus, James, trust

Bible Insights

Inherit Eternal Life

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 31, 2019

The Bible tells the story of a rich young ruler who asks Jesus the question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

His use of the word inherit is interesting—and a bit confounding.

His question implies that salvation is inherited. Is this a misconception of the man posing the question? Surely we cannot inherit a right relationship with God from our parents or relatives.

This is not a condition that is passed on to us, but one we need to seek and receive on our own.

The man’s use of the word inherit, however, does imply that eternal life is a gift given after the death of a benefactor and it can’t be earned. These conclusions are both true.

We do not earn our future life in heaven; it is given to us.

And, yes, someone had to die before we could receive this inheritance, but it’s not a relative; it’s Jesus.

Jesus died so we could have life. Thank you, Jesus!

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 16-18 and today’s post is on Luke 18:18.]

Read about more biblical characters in The Friends and Foes of Jesus, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

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Tags eternal life, Friends and Foes of Jesus, Jesus

Bible Insights

Do You Have Life?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 25, 2019

Whoever Has the Son Has Life

In the first of John’s three letters, he writes to the early followers of Jesus, reminding them of God’s essential message about Jesus, light, and life. Jesus, by the way, is the light and he gives life.

So amid John’s poetic flare, his words all revolve around Jesus. And the Son has life.

As John winds down his letter, he writes, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” He makes it so simple.

We take this word life to mean eternal life, that is, our future life in heaven.

Yes, it is that. But this future begins today, not later after we die. The life Jesus gives us is physical life, too. And this might be just as important. Really.

Too many Christians plod through this life, placing all their hopes in a future life in heaven. Their exclusive future focus robs them of what God wants to give them today.

We need to make the most of this life that Jesus gives us. Live for him. Love others as he does. Point them to Jesus, the Son of God.

John makes it clear: Whoever has the Son has life.

Do you have the Son?

If so, the life he gives starts here, now.

If not, seek Jesus and you will have life. It’s that simple.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 John 5 to 3 John and today’s post is on 1 John 5:12.]

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Tags eternal life, heaven, Jesus, life

Christian Living

How Can We Be Children of God if Jesus is the Only Son of God?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 23, 2019

Discover How God Can Have One Son and Have Many Sons (and Daughters) Too

The Bible calls Jesus the Son of God. We see this in forty New Testament verses from speakers ranging from his disciples to his detractors, including evil spirits and even Satan.

Saying that Jesus is the Son of God suggests there’s only one Son. Indeed, other verses—such as John 3:16—call him God’s one and only Son.

This means that God is Jesus’s father, and Jesus is his only Son.

But if Jesus is the only Son of God, why does the Bible also call us sons and daughters (children) of God? If we receive him (John 1:12), are led by his Spirit (Romans 8:14), and have faith (Galatians 3:26), then we become children of God.

As his children, is that why we pray to him as “Our Father” (see Matthew 6:9) or should only Jesus get to do that?

The Bible is not contradicting itself. Jesus can be the one and only Son of God and at the same time, we can also be sons and daughters of God. Here are two ways to understand this.

The Bride of Christ

Jesus talks often about the groom (bridegroom) and his bride, implying that he is the groom and his followers are his bride.

John the Baptist testified that he came to pave the way for the Messiah: Jesus, the bridegroom. The bride belongs to the groom (John 3:27-29).

The apostle John reinforces this in his epic vision that includes a future wedding of bridegroom and bride. Jesus is the Lamb, and we are his bride.

As the bride of Christ, we become God’s children through marriage. God has one Son, and through our marriage to his Son, we, too, become the children of God.

However, this idea of being spiritually married to Jesus is hard for many people to accept, especially men. Fortunately, there’s another analogy that’s easier to grasp.

Through Adoption

Another illustration of our relationship with Father God is adoption.

Paul writes that by receiving God’s spirit we’re adopted into God’s family, becoming his sons and daughters. Through God’s spirit, we can then call him, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

Being adopted as his sons and daughters was God’s plan from the beginning (Ephesians 1:4-6).

Adoption is a beautiful image. As adopted children, God selects us; we’re chosen. The act is intentional.

Through adoption we then become God’s heirs, co-heirs with Jesus (Romans 4:14). As heirs, we receive eternal life from him (Titus 3:7).

We Are Children of God

Through our spiritual marriage to Jesus, we become children of God. Through our spiritual adoption into his family, we also become children of God. As God’s children we are heirs of all he has. This includes the gift of spending eternity with him.

Praise Father God.

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Tags bride, children, eternal life, Heavenly Father, heir, Jesus, marriage

Christian Living

The Bible Uncovers the Spiritual Realm for Us

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 27, 2018

We Get a Glimpse into the Spiritual Realm Through Scripture

We live in a physical realm. In our physical world, we experience it with our senses. We see things, touch things, and hear, taste, and smell things. Through our senses, we experience our physical reality.

However, there’s also a spiritual aspect of our existence, which embraces the spiritual realm. Though we can’t tangibly experience this spiritual reality with our senses, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Through the Bible we get a peek into the spiritual realm and can get an awareness of what that implies.

Here are some aspects of the spiritual realm that the Bible reveals to us:

Three Characteristics of God

Through the Bible we can discover three critical characteristics of God.

First, he is omnipotent, which means he’s all powerful, Almighty.

Next, we see that God is omnipresent. This means God is present in all places at the same time. He is everywhere, all the time.

Third, we see God as omniscient, which means all-knowing. God knows all things. everything.

These words all start with omni. Omni means all. God is all powerful, all present, and all knowing. I like to say that he’s omni God, that is, he is all, all we need. He is everything.

Three in One God

From the Bible we get the concept of God as a Trinity. In the Trinity we have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yet they are one.

He is three entities, yet one entity. He’s three and one at the same time. Confusing, right? The Bible reveals this to us, and we addressed this characteristic of God in prior reasons of why I love the Bible: reason #2, #3 and #4.

Holy Spirit Power

Let’s focus for a moment on the Holy Spirit. As we’ve already covered, the Bible reveals the Holy Spirit to us. More than that, the Bible also reveals the Holy Spirit’s power.

Though we see the Holy Spirit at work throughout the Bible, he takes center stage in the book of Acts, with close to one hundred mentions.

The Holy Spirit also takes part in creation, as covered in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible.

And the Holy Spirit is there as the Bible concludes, taking a central role in the last chapter of the last book. The Holy Spirit is powerful and the Holy Spirit lives in us. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit and then obey what he says.

Miracles and More

Throughout the Bible we read about miracles, of supernatural events that transcend physical realities. Some people make ineffective attempts to explain away miracles through logic, science, or reason. All attempts fall short.

Through faith, we accept the miracles we read about in the Bible as the manifestation of the reality of the spiritual realm.

Angels

The Bible reveals angels and other supernatural beings to us. These aren’t harp-playing cherubs, floating on clouds, with child-like innocence plastered on their face.

These are powerful spiritual beings, created by God, who do his bidding and even battle on our behalf.

Evil

The Bible also reveals another element of the spiritual realm to us. It is Satan, the devil, he exists in the spiritual realm, yet we see evidence of his work in the physical realm.

Many people imagine Satan as God’s counterpart, doing battle against each other is equal, opposing forces.

Yet the Bible reveals that Satan is an angel created by God. He later rebels against his maker. God, as creator, is more powerful than his creation. That means God is more powerful then Satan.

Though the devil enjoys a time of authority to cause havoc in our world today, in the end God will win. And he will conquer his enemy, Satan.

Life After Death

Last, the most important element of the spiritual realm that the Bible reveals to us is that we will experience a new life. This is a spiritual life that continues after physical death.

Though no one is sure what our life-after-death existence will be like, the Bible reveals to us that it is real.

As followers of Jesus, we can expect to spend eternity with God in the spiritual realm. And then it will all become clear (1 Corinthians 13:12).

We are more than corporeal, so much more. We are more than just a body. Let’s not even consider our physical being first.

Instead let’s begin with our spiritual being and build upon it: we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body (1 Thessalonians 5:23 ).

The Bible reveals the spiritual realm to us. Though it’s hard to comprehend from our present, physical reality, the Bible gives us glimpses into it and what it means.

We must grasp this and accept it, for it is our future. And when we get there, I suspect it will be more real than the reality we currently experience in the physical realm.

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Tags eternal life, Holy Spirit, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, spiritual realm, supernatural

Christian Living

Is Being a Christian a Present Reality or a Future Hope?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 23, 2016
2 Comments on Is Being a Christian a Present Reality or a Future Hope?

Our Perspective on What it Means to Follow Jesus Shapes How We Think and Act

I’ve met people so fixated on heaven that they squander their time here on earth. Not only do they miss the opportunities before them, but they also offer a negative example to the world of what it means to be a Christian.

They treat life as a burden and react to every disappointment as a stoic martyr. With long faces they measure their time on earth as an ordeal to endure, one that prevents them from obtaining heavenly bliss.

Yes, our future hope in heaven is significant, but if that’s the only reason to be a Christian, we’re missing what God wants from us and has to give us – now.

Life is a gift, an amazing gift to enjoy and to use and to share. We need to make each minute count for Jesus today, not sit in a corner and count each minute until it’s time to leave.

Years ago I largely missed the delight of my senior year in high school because I was so fixated on what was to come next. High school loomed as a time to tolerate, a hurdle to jump over, before I could move on with life.

I even let relationships languish because I didn’t see them as part of my post high school reality. I lost that time and can’t reclaim it.

Yes, I can’t wait to get to heaven and enjoy eternal ecstasy, but I also can’t wait for the opportunities of each new day. In some small way I want to be the hands, the face, and the love of Jesus to those I meet.

I want to encourage those who are discouraged, to help those in need, and to point those who are searching to a better way.

When Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11), it was a reminder to take each day as it comes, one day at a time, and not rush to the next one. We need to make the most of today, whether it is our last one or we have thousands more.

God has given me my time on earth for a reason. If I don’t make the best of it, I may not be ready to fully embrace my future with him in heaven.

As the saying goes, “Today is the first day of the rest of our lives.” We need to live it to the full for Jesus.

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Tags daily bread, eternal life, heaven, Jesus, serve God

Bible Insights

Train With Purpose

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 15, 2015

Pursuing the Best in What We Do

In Paul’s letter of advice to his young protégé Timothy, he acknowledges the value of physical training. Even better is training to live a godly life.

Physical training has some value, but godliness has even more, both in this life and the life to come, in the physical world and also in the spiritual world.

He contrasts physical training, which is good, to spiritual training, which is better. How often do we pursue things that are good, while pushing aside things that are better, God’s things? The best things.

Even when it comes to our faith, there are good things we can to with our time, money, and attention and there are better things we can do. May we live wisely and always focus on the best.

In other letters Paul uses the metaphor of a runner to teach about life. As people who follow Jesus we should train for our race and run our race with the purpose. We want to finish, win, and earn a prize for how well we run.

We don’t want to be disqualified; we don’t want to quit before we reach the finish line. Coasting through the race—or through life—isn’t an option.

We must press forward with the end in mind. To do these things, we train with purpose. Our eternal future is at stake. We run to win.

[1 Timothy 4:7-8, 1 Corinthians 9:24, Galatians 2:2, Galatians 5:7, Hebrews 12:1]

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Tags eternal life, Paul

Bible Insights

Who Did Jesus Come to Help?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 30, 2015

Consider What Jesus Modeled

Religious leaders in the Bible often criticize Jesus. It’s understandable. He and his teaching confront the comfortable sacred niche they enjoy in their society.

They have a good thing going, and they want to hang on to it. Jesus threatens their status quo, so they attack him.

In one instance they censure Jesus for his choice in dinner companions. It seems quite closed-minded to us today, but to them it is a big deal. Jesus is eating with sinners (aren’t we all) and tax collectors—gasp.

While Jesus models acceptance, his detractors advocate moral segregation. (They also insist on ethnic separation.)

Jesus defends his actions, declaring he is there to help the sick, not those who are healthy, not the righteous. Certainly the religious acting Pharisees are the most righteous (morally upright, right living) people around.

Is Jesus allowing the Pharisees to remain in the old covenant, the Law of Moses, as the means for their salvation, while offering a different way for everyone else?

It could be, but I don’t think so. I see clarity in the New Living Testament (NLT) in the way it renders this passage, where Jesus says, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17, emphasis added).

Jesus comes only to help those people who know they have a need. The self-righteous are not ready for his help; there is nothing Jesus can give them.

There’s an old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” The same is true with spiritual matters; we have nothing to give people who don’t feel a need for what we have to offer.

[Read more in Mark 2:13-17, Matthew 9:8-13, and Luke 5:27-32.]

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Tags eternal life, Jesus

Bible Insights

What Does it Mean to Have Fallen Asleep?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 9, 2015

The Bible sometimes uses the quaint phrase fallen asleep. It’s a polite way to say that someone died. I smile at this ambiguous language and wonder why Bible writers used a euphemism instead of being direct.

But I think there might be more to it. To say fallen asleep is not merely an understated way to communicate that someone’s life is over. It’s a hint that there is another life awaiting us after death, that we will awake to a new kind of existence.

Just as natural sleep is a respite between one day and the next, so too figurative sleep is a transition from one form of life to another.

While our body ceases to function, our spirit moves on to a new dimension. And we must first fall asleep to make that transition.

When the Bible talks about those who have fallen asleep, it’s more than a gracious way to say someone died, it’s the suggestion there is even more to look forward to as we move into the spiritual realm. But first we must sleep; we must die.

Read more those who have fallen asleep in Matthew 9:24, Mark 5:39, Luke 8:32, John 11:11, Acts 7:60, Acts 13:36, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 1 Corinthians 15:6, 18, 20, and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-15.

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Tags death, eternal life, heaven, hope