Introduction - Why did God give us eternal life?

What is the gospel message? If you were to choose a single verse to describe the gospel, which one would you pick? Many people would choose John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” A very straightforward verse, but it only expresses one aspect of the gospel message. It tells us what God has done and how man is to respond, but it does not mention why God gave people that believe in Jesus Christ eternal life. It does state that God’s motivation was love, but this only tells us God’s reason for our salvation. How do we fit into the purpose of God’s love for us? What are we to do in response to God’s great love and provision of eternal life for us? A verse that tells us the answer to this question is Ephesians 5:1: “Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And, walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” This tells us that God wants us to respond to his gift of eternal life by loving others. We should lead a life that is marked by love, so that we are seen as channels of God’s love to others. We are to be like our heavenly Father and love others with a sacrificial love. This means that sharing God’s love will cost us something. We need to surrender our lives to give to others. We are not to exploit others or the grace of God solely for our own benefit and happiness. The grace that God lavished on us was to be shared with others. Eternal life is a shared life of blessings to ourselves and others around us. Grace is manifested in a community of faith and love. All the kindness and care that the heavenly Father gives to us is to be passed on to others, through our connections with the people around us. Fellowship is the environment in which love expresses itself. The idea of community or fellowship is not a new concept. It is community spirit that fulfills the mandate of loving others. We receive forgiveness, acceptance and life from God, and he expects us to give it away to others. Selfishness and self-interest are the enemies of faith and love. They want us to keep God’s gifts and hoard them for ourselves. As the Bible tells us, “They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 2:21). The correct response is that of: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (2:4). We are to be like-minded with Jesus and serve the needs of others before our own. In short, we are to live our lives focused on the needs of others rather than on our own desires and pleasures, and walk in the path of love. However, what does it mean for us to “walk in love?” The gospel message tells us we are to live a life of affection and compassion for others. We are told that we are all one in Christ. This “togetherness” or “oneness” is a huge task for us to achieve, for we tend to be individuals in our thinking and mindset. Our strength and emotions are not usually community directed. It is true enough that we have family and life partner concepts, but not a similar bond to the faith community in which we attend. A few years ago the big idea in the church community was that of the Greek word “koinonia.” It basically means to “be together in oneness.” We are to united in the Spirit of love for each other and look out for each others welfare, for we are all part of the family of God. Unity of purpose and fellowship are closely associated with each other. These are common to us all, for the Holy Spirit fills our minds with the desire to do godly and righteous things, and have family feelings for all God’s children (see Romans 8:16-17). In Romans 5:5 we are told “that God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Therefore, we are to be involved in each other’s lives as loving children of the same spiritual family of faith. As God’s children, we all have family responsibilities to fulfill and the heavenly Father holds us accountable for each other’s well being. Isolation is not an option for a Christian. We belong to each other and are bound together by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. To be in Christ and have the Holy Spirit of God in communion with us requires us to participate in the family, for we are all part of God’s household with family duties to perform. We are all part of the same TEAM building concept (Together-Everyone-Accomplishes-More). As each of us does our part, the family grows stronger and God’s dwelling place is better equipped to do the will of the Father. “We are to grow up in him who is the head [of the body], into Christ, from whom the whole body (the family of God), joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part (family members) is working properly, makes the body (or family) grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16). In light of this, what do you see as your responsibilities in God’s family?