Coming to Terms with Life in This World…In Anticipation for the Next
The Bible is God’s revealed will and Word for all people. It is highly valued by those who have received the Spirit of Christ to understand it. It is despised by those who are condemned by its message. The Scriptures reveal the one true God in three Persons (Trinity). It also reveals the plight of man and God’s salvation of His chosen people from history and around the world (Rom 11:5;Rev 5:9; 7:9).
Sinners live in a constant state and practice of sin (Rom 3:23; 5:12). They are conceived in sin, inherit sin, have a sin nature (Eph 2:3), and they are tempted to sin by Satan and his demons. As slaves to sin, sinners have no will or ability to change their plight (Rom 6:6, 16–20; 8:7). Salvation belongs to God (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1), and He has chosen a remnant of people from the total human population that has ever existed (Rom 11:5). We are the elect from every nation, predestined to adoption as children of God from before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4–5). He saved us (Titus 3:5).
The only life change that has eternal ramifications is this new life of God in the soul of those redeemed by Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, resulting in the manifestation of both repentance and faith in Christ (Acts 5:31; 11:18; Rom 10:17). From being void of the Holy Spirit to being baptized and indwelt, the regenerate believer is alive to God (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13). It is the Spirit of God who now directs the Christian’s life to be lived in faith (Jn 16:13; Gal 2:20).
Reality provided by divine revelation replaces delusion and deception promulgated by the devil. Let us consider just a few principles for Christians to remember when living a life pleasing to God, which is our ambition (2 Cor 5:9).
First, all of life in this fallen world is vanity (Eccl 1:2). For those with no hope, outside the commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2:12), God’s holy nation of royal priests (1 Pet 2:9), they do not believe in heaven or hell. They are living their best life now, so they reject the idea that their life and work are meaningless and chasing after the wind.
Christians are less concerned with the lives they live in the course of this world because the promise of life after death is for life eternal in the holy presence of Almighty God (Rev 21–22). Value is placed on eternal, spiritual things rather than the temporal. This should be evident in how we live, especially in financial and material ways.
Second, every person born comes into the world with nothing and each one leaves this world with nothing (1 Tim 6:7). This material reality is both biblical and visible to everyone. Coupled with the vanity, wisdom warns us that the great majority of people are living in denial. They live in the mode of material and financial accumulation, even as they watch the funerals of billionaires and royalty on television. This should be corrected when one is born again of God’s Spirit (1 Pet 1:3).
Third, the remedy to a life of vanity and final separation from possessions in this world is to store up treasures in heaven and not upon the earth (Mt 6:20). In order to accomplish this uncommon task, one must take the mammon of unrighteousness (money in this world) and make friends for eternal habitations (Lk 16:9). If one sees his brother in need and has purposed in his heart to give to meet that need, then he has demonstrated Christ-like love, representative of the kingdom of God (1 Jn 3:16–17). God loves a cheerful giver, and Yahweh-Jireh promises to re-supply the saints for every good work (2 Cor 9:8).
Fourth, the attitude of Christ at His incarnation was humble submission to the will of God the Father (Phil 2:5–11). Therefore, the Christian should not think more highly of himself than he ought (Rom 12:3). Disciples of Christ do not boast in themselves, but they boast in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:29–31). He alone has done great things, and we are the beneficiaries.
In telling others what Christ has done for His bride, His church, the Israel of God, we naturally produce a spirit of thanksgiving. We turn our eyes to Christ, who has accomplished all our works for us (Is 26:12), and who has authored the very faith we manifest to bring Him all the glory.
Fifth, with the death sentence upon our physical bodies because of sin, we are wise to put no confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3). In Adam, all die because of sin (1 Cor 15:45; Rom 6:23). It is appointed for each person to die and then appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27), who is the judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5).
Finally, my dear reader, your life is but a vapor (Jas 4:14). Life is brief even when one is granted elongated years by the One who knows all of our days before there is yet one of them (Ps 139:16). He is the Alpha and Omega, determining the end from the beginning. He is the architect and builder of all things (Heb 3:4; 11:10), including your body and soul ordained for such a time as this.
In summary, we have a vaporous material life of vanity that elevates pride and arrogance, producing sin that leads to death, judgment, and the sentence of eternal punishment in fiery hell for eternity. The futility of accumulation of the things of the world is magnified in the death of the rich and powerful.
In conclusion, the Scriptures show us a very different life found only in Christ Jesus, who has gone to prepare a place — mansions of glory — to be enjoyed by those whose hope in this world was the glory to be revealed to us when Christ comes again to destroy this creation in favor of a new creation where righteousness dwells in perfect prosperity and security forever. Live for that, today, and you will not be disappointed.
David Norczyk
Missoula, Montana
October 22, 2022
