Topical Bible: Eternal Life: The Wicked: Have Not

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Eternal life is a central theme in Christian theology, representing the gift of everlasting life with God, promised to the righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. In contrast, the wicked, those who reject God and live in opposition to His commandments, are depicted in Scripture as being excluded from this promise of eternal life.

Scriptural Basis

The Bible consistently affirms that eternal life is reserved for those who believe in Jesus Christ and follow His teachings. In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares, "Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24). This passage underscores the belief that faith in Christ is the pathway to eternal life, a promise not extended to the wicked.

The fate of the wicked is further clarified in the writings of the Apostle Paul. In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Here, "death" is understood not merely as physical death but as eternal separation from God, contrasting sharply with the eternal life granted to believers.

Old Testament Insights

The Old Testament also alludes to the fate of the wicked in relation to eternal life. In the book of Daniel, a prophetic vision reveals, "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). This passage suggests a resurrection to different destinies, with the wicked facing everlasting contempt rather than eternal life.

New Testament Teachings

The New Testament further elaborates on the exclusion of the wicked from eternal life. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks of the final judgment, where He will separate the righteous from the wicked, saying, "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). This stark division highlights the eternal consequences of one's earthly life choices.

The Apostle John, in his first epistle, reinforces this dichotomy: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12). The absence of life for those who do not have the Son indicates the lack of eternal life for the wicked.

Theological Implications

The exclusion of the wicked from eternal life is a sobering aspect of Christian doctrine. It emphasizes the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ and adherence to His teachings as the means to attain eternal life. The wicked, by their rejection of God and His Son, forfeit this divine gift and face eternal separation from the presence of God.

Conclusion

The biblical narrative consistently presents eternal life as a gift reserved for the righteous, those who have faith in Jesus Christ. The wicked, by contrast, are depicted as being excluded from this promise, facing eternal separation from God. This theme serves as a call to repentance and faith, urging individuals to seek the path of righteousness that leads to eternal life.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 John 3:15
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Answer to Mr. W's Fifth Objection.
... be judged in righteousness; when the wicked shall go ... into everlasting punishment,
and the righteous into life eternal. ... of all; but they have not entered into a ...
/.../section v answer to mr.htm

2 Timothy ii. 14-Nov
... he who has attained a heavenly life, will attain eternal life also ... good therefore
have reaped persecutions and afflictions, and the wicked have not been punished ...
/.../homily v 2 timothy ii.htm

Of the Sweetness of the Commandment which God Has Given us of ...
... of this fountain of waters of eternal life shall more ... and pine away: the desire of
the wicked shall perish. ... of God's beauty which the damned shall have, like a ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter i of the sweetness.htm

Because of Its Bearing Upon the Church.
... In contrast to the wicked who have "no peace ... of which those who drink shall "never
thirst." The believer is already in possession of "eternal life," but he ...
/.../pink/the redeemers return/3 because of its bearing upon.htm

The Day of Judgment. Extracted from a Sermon by Hugh Latimer ...
... be not led with the desires of this wicked world ... it is not a money matter: for our
eternal salvation and ... who they are that shall enjoy everlasting life, and who ...
/.../the pulpit of the reformation nos 1 2 and 3 /the day of judgment extracted.htm

Appendix xix. On Eternal Punishment, According to the Rabbis and ...
... it forth, as statements both inaccurate and incomplete have been put ... who are immediately
written and sealed to eternal life;' the perfectly wicked, who are ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xix on eternal punishment.htm

Salvation
... read it as if it stood, 'If the wicked man turn ... there are too many now, as there
have been in ... they know nothing about eternal death and eternal life, which are ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon ii salvation.htm

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God," &C.
... The wicked have not his word and promise for prosperity, even ... a kingdom of God beside,
an eternal kingdom, and ... The promises of this life are not your portion ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xviii but seek ye.htm

How Holy Love Returning into the Soul, Brings Back to Life all the ...
... only forgotten; but the sin of the wicked is not ... makes her former good works return
to life again, because ... as sin makes us incapable of eternal life, which is ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter xii how holy love.htm

John v. 39, 40
... He said of the Scriptures, in which "ye think ye have eternal life," so of ... Proverbs
1:7.) If then to fear God is to have wisdom, and the wicked man hath ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xli john v 39.htm