You Can Have it Now!
Michael W. Dewar, author
April 2nd, 2024
Introduction
Through the prodding of the serpent, our ancestral parents in the Paradise Garden traded eternal life for the knowledge of good and evil. The two trees of greatest significance in the garden were the tree of death, and the tree of life. Whether we know it or not, from then to now, human existence revolves around these two trees. We will try to explore their significance in this short article.
The man and his wife did not blindly eat from the tree of death; they were warned not to eat for the resulting consequence would be death. The prohibition clearly states, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17 NIV). Note, there was no prohibition against eating from the tree life at this time.
They Loss of Eternal Life
The man and his wife did not only lose eternal life; they themselves became lost. The fruit of the tree of death leads to a life of separation from God, that is what death is, separation from God, the true source of life. If a person is not rescued from this state of death, separation becomes permanent and eternal. Redemption is God’s rescue plan (John 3:16).
Metaphorically, the tree of life depicts a lifestyle of righteousness with God, otherwise known as eternal life. Eternal life is not just longevity of life; it is life at its highest quality in a perfect environment. Adam and his wife enjoyed this quality of life before they went rogue. They would have transitioned to a permanent state, had they not eaten from the tree of death.
The moment they sinned the glory of God departed from them. That is the signal that spiritual death had begun, thus the shame, the hiding, the cover up, and the blame (Genesis 3:7-13). They did not behave like this before.
All humans are offspring of Adam and Eve. We are born into this world spiritually dead and lost (Rom.5:12). And if we continue in that state of spiritual death the result will be eternal death unless we are rescued redemptively (John 3:16). Redemption is God’s rescue plan, and it is resident in one person, Jesus Christ. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Matthew 10:6). Outside this arrangement, there is no salvation from sin and death (Acts 4:12).
Humans lost eternal life even though it was in their reach just as the forbidden fruit was. Our ancestral parents could have easily eaten from the tree of life as they ate from the tree of death. They were driven from the garden to prevent them eating from the tree of life and live forever in their sinful state of death and dying. That would have been hell on earth. So, expelling them from the garden thus barring them from the tree of life was an act of mercy (Genesis 3:22-24).
Eternal Life a Present Reality
Is eternal life still achievable? This is like asking if a drowning man in the middle of the Pacific Ocean can be saved. The simple answer is yes! But he cannot save himself; he must be rescued. For this reason, no sooner than Adam and his wife fell overboard into the ocean, God implemented a rescue mission. God clothed them and promised a Redeemer to rescue them and their posterity (Genesis 3:15,21). That Redeemer is Jesus Christ in whom eternal life is resident (John 3:16).
Jesus said His mission was first to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ then He said, “the Son of man is come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 10: 6, 18:11). The Great Commission to make disciples of all nations is a global rescue initiative to save all humankind from their lost condition (28:19-20; Acta 1:8).
Eternal Life is resident in one person and that person is Jesus Christ (John 3:14-18). Jesus Christ is God’s gift of salvation; this gift is offered to all humankind (Romans 6:23). Speaking of Satan, Jesus said the thief comes “to steal, to kill and to destroy,” but He (Jesus) came that “we might have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). The apostle Paul reminds that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Again, this gift of eternal life is resident in Jesus alone, and it is offered to all humankind. But it must be received before physical death comes to us. If we refuse eternal life, the default choice becomes ours. The default choice is eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15).
Let me be clear, eternal life is not something you receive after death; it must be received before you die. If you die without a saving relationship with Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are eternally lost (John 3:16). You must understand this truth, or it is better not to have been born.
To better understand this magnificent gift of eternal life and the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption, I have prepared for you 10-volume series, “Related Events to the Second Coming of the Christ.” They are in three versions: paperback eBook, and audiobook. Begin with volume 1, The Rapture. Get yours here now.