Eternal Life is a Side Benefit of Salvation
What if I told you that salvation is a side benefit of fellowship with Jesus? Think about it carefully. Do we want Jesus for who he is or for what He gives? Do people accept Jesus out of a desire of self preservation, in the hope of avoiding eternal death? Or do they accept Jesus because they truly desire friendship with Him? The difference between these two motivations is the difference between simply using someone for what they can give you and that of seeking true friendship.
The Kingdom of God is sometimes referred to as the upside down kingdom. It doesn't work like the kingdoms of this world. For starters it is based entirely on the unmerited favour and grace of God. The good news is that grace is not fair! In other words, grace is receiving what we do not deserve. The Kingdom of God is not about how hard you work! Our final reward is not wages due to us because of our labour. Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard to emphasise that any reward received in being part of God's Kingdom was not because of how hard or how long one worked but because of the generosity of the King of the Kingdom. Everything we have is a gift from God!
Yes, it is true that salvation leads to service. We are saved to serve. How could it be any different? After all, if you are 'saved' this means so much more than simply escaping eternal death in the future. It means that we have found a transforming fellowship with God in the present that will set us free from our selfish obsessions. We begin to look away from our comforts and our pleasures and become more and more like Jesus who left the safety and comfort of heaven to seek us out. Every person born into the Kingdom of God is born as a missionary. But this is simply the effect of selfish hearts being liberated from their inward focus. Our labour and service to God in His vineyard has nothing to do with earning our future eternal life. Rather our labour and service to God is simply the natural outflow of an unselfish heart beating in unison with the divine heart.
What is the goal in knowing Jesus? The goal in knowing Jesus is not simply to escape judgement. Rather the goal in knowing Jesus is friendship here and now. To walk with Jesus IS the reward, here and now! Eternal life is actually simply the means to the real end in being able to enjoy a friendship with us that God does not want to see come to an end.
This video was produced in partnership with Hope Channel New Zealand and originally aired on television under the title "More than a Story: A Generous Gift" (episode 16 of 24).
