Eternal Life or Eternal Death – Man's Choice

Article written by Arthur J Licursi (on his website here)

The "gospel of Christ" is the most glorious offering our creator God could make unto lost mankind.

"For I [Paul] am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it [Paul's "gospel of the grace of God" for this age] is The Power of God unto Salvation to every one that BELIEVETH…" (Romans 1:16 (KJV))

The one caveat in the above verse is to "BELIEVE," trusting in Christ, as the Sole Basis of One's Salvation. This means all men are free to Choose Salvation unto eternal life or, alternatively, they may reject Christ… unto "everlasting destruction."

It is not God's will for us to Not Believe and Receive the Gospel's Free Gift of Salvation. It is called "the gospel of the grace of God" since 'grace' speaks of a Free, Undeserved, Gift.

Paul here wrote of the destiny of unbelievers who "persecute" and "trouble" (vs. 4, 6) the grace-believers, saying;

"Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense [repay] tribulation to them that trouble you [the believers];" to those "who shall be punished with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION [Grk. olethros, To Be Completely Destroyed] from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" (2 Thes. 1:9 (KJV))

We need to explain how that God is perfect in all His attributes including His perfect love, perfect justice, and perfect righteousness and yet … He will allow some to go to "everlasting destruction."  

We begin by declaring these consistent core attributes of God.

• God alone is perfect love, for "God is love" (1 John 4:8).
• God alone is also 'just' and perfect in His 'justice,' which demands His perfect 'righteousness.'

"To declare, I say, at this time His [God's] Righteousness: That He Might Be Just, and The Justifier of him which BELIEVETH in Jesus. Romans 3:26 (KJV)

The fact is that since "all [of mankind] have sinned and come short of the glory [that perfect expression] of God" (Rom. 3:23), there is "none righteous, no not one" (Rom. 3:10), all humans have "the sentence of death" due them (cf. 2Cor 1:9).

"For the wages [the 'just' reward] of sin is death;" (Romans 6:23) …

"The soul [Heb. nepesh, the individual self-person] that sinneth, it shall die." (Eze. 18:20).

In His perfect justice God requires death as the justifiable 'payment for sin.'

God's character is fixed, unchanging, for He "cannot deny Himself [who He is]" (2 Tim. 2:13). Thus, since all have sinned individually, then it would be that ALL Their Sins Must Be Paid For … or be assigned to "Everlasting Destruction" (2Thes 1:9) in "the lake of fire." This is Biblically referred to as "the second death" (Rev. 20:6b) which comes to the lost long after 'their first' or physical death, … at the end of all ages.

The 'fire' that brings total "destruction" is eternal but the 'bodies and souls' of the unsaved rejecters of Christ are not eternal. For, Jesus said;

"And fear not them [those who are not God] which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather Fear Him [The Lord] Which Is Able to DESTROY both SOUL and BODY in hell [Grk. gehenna, in the "lake of fire"]." (Matthew 10:28 (KJV))

God's justice will not permit Him to 'wink at Sin,' yet THANKFULLY;

in accord with His great Love… God Himself Conceived and Planned for a 'just way' by which any humbled human can 'justly be Saved' unto ETERNAL LIFE.

Jesus summarized God's plan this way;

"For GOD [the Father] SO LOVED the world,

that HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON [Jesus Christ to die and pay for the sin of the world],

[so] that Whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM should NOT PERISH [Greek. apollymi, not to be 'completely destroyed'],

but HAVE [Christ's Own] EVERLASTING LIFE." (John 3:16 (KJV)

While yet In Eternity Past, God's LOVE appealed to God's perfect WISDOM for the remedy to man's hopeless dilemma. Thereby, our Creator God Conceived a Plan, which the Bible calls "the Gospel of the GRACE of God." That plan is based Solely Upon the Cross-Work of Jesus Christ, whereby the Glorious LOVE OF GOD was fully employed.

That plan required that GOD THE FATHER OFFER HIS PRECIOUS SON AT THE CROSS, CRUCIFYING HIM, to Pay for The Sins of The Whole World.

Before any man had ever sinned, in God's mind; "… The Lamb [Jesus, was] Slain from the foundation of the world. (Rev. 13:8 (KJV)

Thereby, God's perfect Love and perfect Justice are now Fully Satisfied by Jesus Christ's perfect RIGHTEOUSNESS in the SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF at the Cross on behalf of all humankind.

Yet, this free salvation is effectual for only 'as many as BELIEVE' (Trusting in Jesus Christ as their Savior) … as seen here;

"But To Him that worketh not, but [rather] BELIEVETH ON HIM [Jesus] that Justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH is Counted for Righteousness." (Romans 4:5 (KJV))

The result of the Cross-work of Jesus Christ, is that ALL Men May Be Saved … 'IF' They Will BELIEVE.

Therefore, ONLY UNBELIEVERS who choose to REJECT CHRIST with His Cross-Work and Death on Their Behalf will go to "Everlasting Destruction" in the ever-burning "lake of fire."

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31 (KJV))

Note that any man's Loss of Eternal Life is NOT Due to that man's Sins; for ALL Sin Has Already Been Dealt with at Christ's Cross. They will be lost only for NOT BELIEVING to receive the Eternal Life of "the LAMB OF GOD," as their personal Savior!

"For by GRACE are ye saved through FAITH; and that NOT of yourselves [not of your religious doing]: it is the GIFT OF GOD: 9 Not of [good or religious] works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9 (KJV))