Our Purpose on Earth, Our Eternal Salvation, and Our Eternal Hope in Christ

The Scriptures teach that humanity’s ultimate purpose is to know, love, and glorify the one true God. Jesus Christ Himself defined eternal life in these terms: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Our existence is not accidental or self-directed; we were created by God and for God, to live in relationship with Him through faith in His Son.

This relationship is made possible only through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul declares that we are “justified by faith” and have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Faith is not mere intellectual assent but a resting of the heart upon the finished work of Christ—His death for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection.

Upon believing, the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence within the believer. Paul writes that “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9), and that our bodies become “the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you” (I Corinthians 6:19). The indwelling Spirit seals us, guides us, convicts us, comforts us, and empowers us to walk in newness of life. Thus, our purpose on earth is lived out in daily dependence upon the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Spirit who dwells within every true believer.

The measure of God’s love is seen most clearly in the incarnation and cross of Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). In the fullness of time the eternal Son of God took upon Himself true humanity. He became fully God and fully man—two natures united in one Person without confusion or division—so that He might represent both God to man, and man to God.

Paul describes this self-emptying love: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6–8).

Only One who is both fully divine and fully human could offer a sacrifice of infinite worth sufficient for the sins of the whole world. Christ did not die for a select few alone; He is “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2). His love is universal in its provision and personal in its invitation.

Salvation is not complicated. It is not obtained by religious works, moral reformation, church membership, or ceremonial observance. The gospel that the risen Lord committed to the Apostle Paul is the gospel of the grace of God: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you… how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:1–4).

Paul summarizes the simplicity of the message: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). The sole condition is faith—trusting the finished work of Christ.

The moment a sinner believes that Christ died for his sins and rose again, he is justified freely by God’s grace, sealed with the Spirit, and placed into the Body of Christ. Nothing more is required; nothing less will avail. This is the good news Paul was commissioned to preach among all nations: the free gift of eternal life through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. To every person who receives this gospel, God grants the unsearchable riches of Christ both now and forever.

All who have trusted Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into the one heavenly Body of Christ. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (I Corinthians 12:13). This membership brings an inheritance of spiritual blessings that cannot be earned and can never be lost:

These blessings are not earthly rewards contingent upon performance; they are the free gift of God’s grace to every believer the moment he or she trusts the gospel.

For the believer, death is not the end but the gateway into the presence of the Lord. Paul could say with confidence, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8). The separation that death brings is temporary; the family of God will be gathered together forever in the presence of the Savior who loved us and gave Himself for us. The greatest joy of heaven is unbroken fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, together with the entire company of the redeemed.

Scripture also assures us of joyful reunion with those who have fallen asleep in Christ. Paul comforts the Thessalonian believers: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him… Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:14, 17).