WHAT DID JESUS MEAN ? (3)
'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.' John 11:25
Jesus Christ died on the Cross in our place to take the punishment for our sinful nature and the sins we have committed. God holds us responsible for all the actions we have taken, thoughts we have had; for all the motives that have driven us; for all the intentions we have made. And they have all been conceived from hearts and minds that are alienated from God.
God demands righteous living: lives directed and accomplished through His laws and wisdom. 'Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.' (Jesus in Matthew 5:48) But 'For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.' (Jesus in Matthew 15:19) For all these sins and for the many other forms in which our disobedience to God shows, we will all die and go to hell, according to Jesus! Hell is the place where God is not present; where everything goes wrong; everything is the worst that it can be; where the truth is realised too late.
The only way to avoid this fate is for each of us personally to put our trust in Christ's self-sacrifice for us on the Cross and to determine from now on to serve God to the best of our ability. This is eternal life: lived in contact with God now and in His presence after death. This why Jesus is the Life. But the Christian believer is promised more. Jesus declared 'For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.' (John 6:40) And again 'I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.' (John 6:47) The Christian believer will be resurrected (raised) by Christ. Christ's resurrection was the source of eternal life. His resurrection facilitates the resurrection to life of all who put their trust in Christ.