2nd Edition, Revised Material
Is Religion A Path To Eternal Life?
I believe that through a combination of one's actions, which is a metamorphosis of one's beliefs, there is a path to eternal life. Clearly, it’s not as dictated as a Betty Crocker recipe to make a cake, but instead is a process of one's self-study which includes making the effort to imbibe the spirit of the Bible rather than the literal meanings.
In the people I have talked with over the years there is a great deal of confusion about eternal life. According to a recent poll by PEW, roughly one-third of Americans (30%) believe that whether one achieves eternal life is determined by what a person believes, with nearly as many (29%) saying eternal life depends on one’s actions.
The study goes on to report that one-in-ten Americans say the key to obtaining eternal life lies in a combination of belief and actions. The remaining one-third of the public says that something else is the key to eternal life, they don’t know what leads to eternal life or they don’t believe in eternal life.
Three Bible Verses On Eternal Life
It seems to be the people who wrote the Bible have inserted a constant theme of the Bible teaches that eternal life is the ultimate gift from God. This theme is easy to comprehend when you listen to conversations and discussions about Bible content and begin to decipher the message around this idea, “If you desire to have eternal life, the Bible encourages you to turn to Jesus and believe in him and in his promises.”
One of my main questions, which I talk about in my book and podcasts, is asking if it’s helpful to an honest seeker to be appeasing God?. Living life to please someone is somewhat slavish. I rally that we focus on living the spirit of Jesus in our daily activities, which means we are living the embodiment of kindness, love, and compassion with ourselves and also with those around us - at home and at business.
John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:36 states, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
1 Corinthians 15:54-55, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’”
Those three verses interpreted spiritually mean something completely holistic that applies to all people. But taken literally, each verse raises the ire of FOMO - the Fear of Missing Out. In other words, subscribe to the Bible, aka organized religion by participating with donating time and money, or you will be cast out of God’s inner circle.
Donald L. O'Dell
August 25, 2023