The gift of Eternal life
Our pre-fall condition was indeed excellent, but we need to realize that after Adam and Eve sinned, we must now accept that we have a fallen nature. Where there is acceptance, there is always a possibility of repentance. The freedom of choice given to our first parents was not used for God’s glory. What is now the condition of this fallen humanity? Human beings became the fallen image bearers of God. The Bible says in:
Jeremiah 2:13 “My people have committed a compound sin: they’ve walked out on me, the fountain of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns—cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves. (Msg)
Rom. 1: 18-32 is gloomy reading, but let me emphasize verses 18 “But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. (Msg)”
Then verses 28-32 "Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerer, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!(Msg.) “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” There are more Scripture verses that would describe man’s post-fall condition.(NKJV)
What became of man after the fall may be characterized in various ways: The loss of the presence of God; curse was introduced in man and nature; loss of sweet communion with God; loss of his true identity and therefore lives a meaningless life; there is evidence of guilt, shame.
Man became self-centered and envious of others capabilities and achievements, lives in a constant broken relationship and total alienation from God. There is suffering, pain, oppression, sickness, hatred, murder, rivalries, jealousies, drunkenness, addiction, fights, grudges, corruption in mind, body and spirit; and finally spiritual and physical death.
That is why, to become a new person, to be alive again in the spirit, man has to be born again by the Holy Spirit of God (John 3: 1-11 consider the context).
Spiritual regeneration is a gift from God. This is what it means to have salvation or eternal life. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
All the time I have been proclaiming-it is all by grace and by grace alone through faith. What is hindering you to receive this gift of eternal life? If you reach out your hand to receive this gift, you have nothing to lose.
