Eternity is Long – Choose Wisely
Where do you want to spend eternity? Some would think this to be a silly question. However, it is a valid question because everyone must make choice where they will exist following this life. A soul does not cease to exist once the earthly house of the soul fails to sustain life. One’s destiny is also not predetermined. Unfortunately, the doctrine of predestination (the doctrine that God has planned or ordained all things before they happen), has been around a long time. Sadly, predestination’s formal theological framework emerged in the early 5th century (around 412 A.D.) through Augustine of Hippo, more commonly known as (St. Augustine). This was 300+ years after the establishment of the church for which Christ died.
This idea of predestination was revived and expanded by the French reformer John Calvin, making absolute predestination a central pillar of Protestant Calvinism. From this man-made doctrine came Continental Reformed, Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist Reformed, Calvinist Methodist, and Reformed Anglican churches, all of which look to Calvin as the chief expositor of their beliefs. Down through the years, all of these churches have “mutated” into their present state and additional religious bodies have emerged holding the same ideology at their core. Strangely, none of the many adherents of this doctrine can explain why they try to make converts. If one’s eternity has been preselected by God Himself, can one even be converted?
No! Others cannot select your eternity for you, nor can they prepare for you. This is something each soul must determine for itself depending on how they’ve lived their lives. (See Psa 119:109). This is a “principle eternal” expressed in Ezek 18:4 – the latter part of the verse reads: “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” The way this is stated in the King James Bible is of great importance as all sin. Rom 3:23 makes this abundantly clear. The declaration “all have sinned” and the statement “the soul that sinneth” are expressing two different things. The fact that all sin is based on the fact that all are human. The idea of one that “sinneth” is that one fails to “choose” to NOT SIN. The KJV, the ASV, ERV and perhaps a few others retain the “ETH” from the old English, meaning an on-going or continual action. Unfortunately, the NIV, ESV, NKJV, and a plethora of others put forth “the soul that sins will die”. Sounds like all are lost per Rom 3:23 if these perversions to God’s Word is held as the standard and are followed.
Interestingly, all of the aforementioned perversions of the Bible have the words “all have sinned” in Rom 3:23. It doesn’t take a genius to see that “sinned” and “sinneth” are not the same thing. Also, if one considers the irrefutable fact that God’s Word does not oppose itself, and that it does not contain a single sustainable contradiction, it is plain that God makes a distinction between one who sins (all humanity), and one that “sinneth” (one who continues in sin). What’s the difference? The one who “sins” is one who “transgresses” according to the latter part of 1John 3:4, which reads: “for sin is the transgression of the law.” Transgression is the act of breaking a rule, law, or moral code, therefore, transgression of “the law” is to break the Law of God. On the other hand, he “that sinneth” carries with it the idea of an on-going life of sin or transgression, either refusing to obey, or never having been taught to obey.
As an example, God, in His Holy Word has provided numerous examples. These all show that “choice” is available to all. Take for instance, Acts 2:21 and the inspired Words of the apostles in that first gospel sermon in the N.T. age. The audience was told “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That strongly implies choice. Later in that same sermon, in Acts 2:40, “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” The result is found in vs 41 – Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Those that “gladly received the Word”, chose to obey the gospel, be “added to the church”, choosing to not continue in sin.
This idea of choice is equally supported in Rom 6:13 where the Christians in Rome, (those who had obeyed the gospel), were reminded to “choose” to whom they would “yield their members” – not “as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin”, but were to yield to God in continual obedience, “as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Verse 16 of that same book and chapter asks them if they did not know that the one to whom they yielded themselves was the one they would obey. Then, verses 17-18 show what choice they made and the result by stating, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Another passage which supports the idea that we can choose where we will spend eternity is 1Cor 6:9-11, of course written to the church in Corinth. Verses 9-10 have a list of sins, which if continued in, show that the participants are unrighteous and are unable to “inherit the kingdom of God”, which means are excluded (by their choice of activities) from being accepted into the church for which Christ died, nor will they be granted entrance into the eternal realm of the obedient and faithful. And verse 11 tells that while some of them had been participants in these sins, now were “washed, sanctified, and justified” in the name of (by the authority of) the Lord Jesus.
When did this occur? When they made choice and followed through on obedience to the Law of God. They “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine” (1Cor 6:17) which is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1Cor 15:1-4) In so doing, they died to the love & practice of sin, were buried in the watery grave of baptism (where they contacted the precious blood of Christ), and were raised (resurrected) from the water to live in newness of life. In being baptized “into Christ” they became Christians (the only way to do so) and made choice regarding their eternity. At that same time, they committed themselves to God and to faithfulness to Him for the remainder of life.
What about you? Have you chosen wisely? Or do you follow man-made doctrine? Remember, Eternity is long. It is forever. Seek the truth from God’s Word, obey it and choose wisely. Obey the gospel and strive to remain faithful as long as you live.
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
