How Do I Live a Godly Life (Inherit Eternal Life)?
"Eternal Life" is one Hebrew idiom that has been severely shredded by the Western theological knife. The very reason a Jew would accept and imitate the yoke or scriptural interpretation of a particular rabbi was because he believed that by doing so he would be able to "inherit eternal life."
Inheriting eternal life is a Hebrew idiom for "living life in the will of God." This meant that those who followed Jesus believed that if they obeyed his teachings and imitated his ways of living out God's will, they would gain the ability to "live their lives in the will of God" (inherit eternal life) because they believed that Jesus’ interpretations of the commands of God in the Torah were the perfect interpretations.
The eschatological reward and punishment system was not as important to Jewish people as it is to us Westerners today. In other words, first century Jews were not as concerned with the "afterlife" nearly as much as they were concerned with the "active" life of being a child of God who lived God's will correctly in the world.
It is not easy for those of us who grew up in the Western world where everything either ends with reward or punishment/ payoff or pay-up to imagine doing something because we should do it and it pleases God. I would even suggest that if it was somehow proven that there was not an afterlife reward for Christians that many who claim to be Christians would choose another religion.
I would challenge all Christians to imaging for just one day doing God's will without even considering a reward in the afterlife. Actually, pretend for one day that you are either going to live according to God's will or not and either way there is no heaven or hell in the end. This is the attitude of the first century Jewish world with regard to obedience to the will and ways of God.
We use the reward and punishment system because it works for most situations to which we are required to get people to do what we want. But what if people did their jobs simply because they were able to do them and the jobs needed to be done? What if there was no pay or loss of pay whether I did my job or not? Would I still do my job or be a life-long couch potato? And how would this impact those in supervisory positions. Would they be more likely to express words of appreciation and encouragement like God or would they use tactics of threats and fear like most religions?
God’s word was always a sweet tasting gift to first century Jews, which allowed them the privilege of obeying God simply because it pleased Him, not because they were mortally afraid of losing their jobs or lives. God’s word was written to encourage His people to follow His will, not to scare them into obedience.
Paul tells us that we are to do everything we do as if we are doing it for God (Col. 3:23). God doesn't say do everything we do as if we will be paid for it. We do God's will for the sole purpose of bringing His Kingdom into the world wherever we are present as His children.
Eternal life is the opportunity to please God by doing His will in the world, not the opportunity to live forever, though that may very well be part of the package. But even if our death brought nothing but the end of life, we should do the will of God and do it gladly.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
14 comments:
I completely agree with this. I absolutly believe in the concept of heaven as the place Jesus promised to us when he rose and declared, "I am going to prepare a place for you." But our motivation to serve Christ should be out of our intense love for him and our obedient respect for who God is as creator.
That is why I hate the idea of scaring people into relationship with Christ by dangling Hell infront of their face. I've never been able to understand that kind of evangelism. I think it's shallow and ultimately ineffective.
As much as I believe in an actual Hell, I find it much harder to picture it then the Hell I see everyday here on earth. That to me is motivation enough to spread God's word...so that people won't have to face THIS world that we live in without being in relationship with a God who loves them.
I guess our prayer for those who currently live their lives for Jesus focused only on the rewards of the afterlife should be that they will switch focus.
If I fight the good fight (as Paul says) and die and there is nothing but eternal sleep, what have I lost by living with hope, peace and love, making good choices for my body and mind and treating people as I would have them treat me? It's really a win-win situation.
Hi Johnny & friends.
While I completely agree with our search for eternal life, I must remind you that most Jews did believe in an afterlife. It was a theory really developed by the slave or working class in response to their hopeless plight while here on earth. There is an innate need for justice and reward. The wealthy had received theirs, the others should get theirs. You are right, it was not the foundation of their search for God, but it was important. John’s metaphorical letter of encouragement to the persecuted church relays this message of retribution and reward as well as other smaller NT letters. Although, one could state that most of the letters were not authentic teachings of Jesus, but created through the evolution of theology. Even so, it still teaches us the mechanics of Judaic/Hellenized thought.
Then we have the problem of God loving us into the Kingdom.
“Would they be more likely to express words of appreciation and encouragement like God or would they use tactics of threats and fear like most religions?”
While I love this perspective of God, is it true? I have found that God is a reflection of culture while not being culture. Same God, but certain attributes rise and fall with social concern. The God of the ancient world was harsh at times and judgmental. The culture was rough, brutal, and territorial. If we read Deut. we can find the blessings and curses. The blessing last for a half page and the curses go on and on and on…Fear is and was an effective tactic for leadership. In fact, I find it interesting that in the past generation we have seen a shift in leadership philosophy. No longer do we react well to threats and objective authority hence God is softer and more relational than ever. I believe that we are finally catching up to Jesus’ teachings. This is the God he knew…a God of mercy and love. But I imagine most of Israel did not share his perspective. While I agree with your thoughts, I can’t agree with all of the details.
In harmony,
John
Good stuff, everyone.
I hear each one of you and love the comments.
With respect to John, the emphasis for obedience was out of a love for doing the will of God. In contrast, the Greek world, including our own Westernized retro-Hellenized culture is more moved and persuaded by the fear of personal loss and the hope of personal gain.
An important aspect for understanding the second temple period is to be aware of the two major factions of Jews. There were the Hellenized and the Hebraic. Hebraic Jews were not nearly as influenced by the teachings of the Septuagint, which is the Greek version of the Torah, prophets, songs and history writings. Nor were they influenced by the Hellenized culture of Greek Jews.
The Hebrew texts were not as plagued by mythological additions and Greek redactor agendas.
To understand Jesus in his Hebraic perspective as not being a Hellenized Jew, is to understand that his teachings were very Hebrew. The Pharisees believed in an afterlife, just as Jesus did, being closest in his theology to that of the Pharisaic movement. Therefore, he did teach of a life after death.
Still the emphasis for a Jewish follower of Jesus in the area of doing God's will was not done with the hopes of afterlife reward as much as it was for the reward of pleasing God in the present.
It is true that the idea of a life after death only developed in the Jewish mind after suffering great persecution during the exiles and yet this does not mean that it only began to exist for the Jews when they began to contemplate it.
Overall, the followers of Jesus were "living for the present kingdom of heaven" rather than "living with the hope of going to heaven when they die." That's why it's so important to understand the true meaning of salvation which is protection from enemies, illness, starvation, et cetera, rather than salvation being a synonym for going to heaven when I die. The Jews never believed that being saved meant going to heaven when they die, but it meant inheriting eternal life as the ability to live now in the will of God.
Walker,
Your experience of loving what you do is evidence of the Kingdom of Heaven being evident in your life. That is very encouraging.
Kathy,
Thanks for your words. I believe that the subject of hell is much deeper and steeped in Hebraic culture and therefore is easily misunderstood by our English ears.
In studying the subject of hell, we learn quickly that Jesus uses it very metaphorically and literally to mean a life separated from the purposes of God and His will for our lives. Any separation, to include a gated community that keeps some in while keeping others out is a form of hell because it is a tool of separating God's children.
Other ways of entering hell are racism, cliques, and social clubs. All of these divide God's people rather than bring them together in the community and unity that is heaven.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
I miss childlike faith....
Kathy,
I'm not exactly sure if my response will fit your intent, but there is a cosmic difference between childlike faith and an infantile acceptance of whatever our preachers told us. A childlike faith is what we are to have which is a faith that causes us to accept people as they are, love unconditionally, and follow Jesus just because he says "Come,"
I don't mean that mean; I mean it sincerely. I am so happy to finally be out from under the blankets of indoctrination and into the wide open sky of getting closer to a clear interpretation of the gospel.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
oh wow.
I was just saying words.
Why you gotta be so mean??? :)
I'd like to ellaborate on my 'child-like faith' comment now that I've slept on it and have gotten over being called infantile.
I was reading this blog and everyone's very mature and educated responses and then I looked at my son smiling on the floor while watching veggie tales and I envied his view of the world, of people and of God. A view that I believe is beautiful and completely abandoned. He and other innocent children like him meant so much to Jesus....in fact, Jesus told his disciples to get over themselves and let the little children come to him (my version)....I was just thinking that maybe Caden has it right and I need some work...That so often we try to out-smart eachother with an 'i know more than you' debate session about history and we hypothesize as to who might have screwed up the gospel based on the human errors of that time when maybe every now and then we could just sit back and giggle at a cucumber dressed up like King David and chuckle at ourselves...it wasn't a dumbing down experience for me as much as it was a humbling one.
That's all I was trying to say.
Love.
And my comment was based on how so many innocent young people are lured by their lack of knowledge into accepting truths that are far from true.
When Jesus speaks of little children, he is often speaking of young Christians as much as he is young children. The young, whether people, Christians or both are so willing to follow, to learn deeply, to experience faith building opportunities, and to forgive when things don't work out as planned.
I want Christians to recognize the difference between simple and simplicity. One remains where he or she began, the other grows and develops deep understandings of how to imitate his teacher. One is happy to settle for whatever his or her teacher says, the other wants to know all that can be known.
I asked my theology professor why we worship on Sunday. The answer came back with a snicker from the professor and the other seminarians in the room, “Because that’s when Jesus rose from the grave. Ha, ha, hee, hee."
I continued to search and learned that Jesus didn’t rise on Sunday, but he rose on Saturday night after 7:00 p.m. which is the end of the Sabbath, constituting a new day, but not yet Sunday. I also learned that we worship on Sunday because the other Jewish sect (Pharisees) worshiped on Saturday and the Nazarene sect of the Jews (Christians) wanted to separate themselves from their new enemies—the Pharisees who were angry at the Nazarenes for abandoning them during the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.
That may not seem important to others, but it helps me to understand that having worship on Sunday is no more or less honorable than having worship on Tuesday. I also see no reason to yank my children out of bed on a Sunday morning before sunrise on Easter, especially since Jesus was already risen at the very convenient hour of 7 P.M. on Saturday night when we’re all up and ready for a party anyway.
There is still so much more to learn as children of God who are seeking to know our Jesus and to be like him as much as is humanly possible.
Here's a fine example of what I mean:
We always assume that Zacchaeus climbed up a tree to see Jesus because he is small. The truth is, he could have simply gone to the front of the crowd, if his height alone was a problem. The real reason Zacchaeus climbed a tree is because his choice of employment rendered him a sinner and he was not allowed to touch anyone. Therefore, the only way for a sinner to see Jesus is to stay away from the crowd, while still finding a way to hear and see the Messiah.
These may seem to be pointless bits of information, but they have significant meanings. How many people do we force away from our Christian crowds who are gleaning from the blessings of Jesus' teaching because they didn't tithe or they are a homosexual, or they are an adulterer, or they are not a member.
Having a child-like faith, for me, is the action-based faith that children have which allows them to go after the truth no matter what the danger. I would play with snakes as a kid, just to say I caught one and to see exactly how it was able to move without legs. Kids are dangerous; they can be unstoppable and their innocent desire to know the truth at any cost gives them the inspiration and motivation to never settle for, "Because I said so."
I too, want a child-like faith.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
Wonderful insight Johnny, but I have heard Kathy's plea for spiritual serenity from so many. Most people I know don't have the desire nor interest in a quest to define or understand God as you do. If we are truthful, all of us have lines that we draw. Some are willing to go deeper, others become satisfied with their answer, and others may not have the time to put in to study. I know so many who live a Godly life with a very wrong philisophical understanding of who God really is. I think that is OK. Not everyone is wired for questioning authority or the contemplative existence. I love this blog, but I understand the quandry of Kathy. I am not saying that Kathy is intellectually inferior, but perhaps we must leave room for those who appreciate things as they are. In some ways I envy that.
Thanks, John.
I appreciate all that is being said. These comments are really helping me in so many ways. They help me to be more sensitive while continuing to grow and help others who want more.
As I study the Jesus of the second temple period in Jerusalem who lived as a Jew in a Jewish world, I understand that there is a reason that God chose that culture of people in that time and in that place to present the Messiah to the world.
The Jews of that day were very dedicated to learning, learning, and more learning. They had a passion for knowing every nuance of the word of God beginning at the age of 5. As one rabbi said, "Before five years-old we do not accept a student, but after five, stuff him with Torah like an ox." None of us were stuffed with the word of God. That is why learning more than we already know can seem to be such a chore or even unnecessary. I know that we would never say it out loud, but it's true that we have definitely missed out on a passionate love of knowing God's word. Most of us have a definite adoration for what is there, but not a passionate fire for having it all inside our hearts and on the tips of our tongues.
I am aware that not everyone appreciates the new findings and emphases that are being presented by modern scholars, but I hope to inspire those few who want to change the face of Christianity from a student based movement to a live-it based mission that is solidly grounded in the true meanings of the words of Jesus.
Forever learning,
Johnny
I'm going to bow gracefully out of this conversation but before I do it is important for me to clarify that there are people who are satisfied to believe just what they've been told...I am NOT one of those people. I am constantly searching for knowledge so that I may know God better...and although there are alot of areas in which Johnny and I agree, there are some in which we don't, and it is not because I am uneducated or ignorantly closing my ears and going, "Lalalala"...
It is because I have done my own study and have drawn a different conclusion.
I think sometimes when I share my comments they are countered in a way that negates my personal education and intellegence and I don't think that's fair.
Maybe I'm just taking things to personally cause I'm a girl...sniff, sniff
It is important to share findings so that people can either accept them as fact or chock them up as an opinion, but I think it's very important to not negate someone's thoughts just because they are different.
In the words of a 5 year old child,
"I'm taking my ball and going home."
And in the words of Santa Claus,
"Merry Christmas To All, and To All a Goodnight."
Thanks for playing.
Thanks Friend. I too have learned from what you've had to say.
Johnny is just a bully.
hee.hee.
We are all bullies. Some of us are just better at hugging while we fight.
Crapes and peas,
Johnny
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