Lay Hold on Eternal Life

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Jesus promised each one of us life more abundant (John 10:10), which means that we are to have a glorious experience in this life, happy and free in His finished work. His promise was not referring to our life to come, though that will be wonderful as well, for the New Testament makes it clear that we are to be living a great life in this present world (Romans 5:17; 1 Peter 3:10).

There are things that we can do in this present life that allow us to apprehend the glory that is found in the next life. Paul refers to this as laying hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:19). There are no works that we can do that can qualify us for heaven, but there are some actions that we can take while on this earth that will lead to days of heaven on earth. It is the simple principle of sowing and reaping that is a recurring theme of the New Covenant, and if the believer follows its pattern, they will reap if they faint not (Galatians 6:9).

Paul addresses young Timothy in two letters that bear Timothy’s name. Near the close of the first letter, he tells Timothy to give a charge to the wealthy members of his congregation that they not trust in their “uncertain riches, but in the living God” (1 Tim. 6:17). All wealth that we accumulate on this earth is uncertain riches, for the economies can shake and crumble, as we have well seen! The living God is unshakeable, thus He is a firm foundation. When we trust in Him we see that He “giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

The word “communicate” in verse 18 is an unfortunate translation. The original Greek word is ‘koinonikos’ which means “inclined to share with others; a free or liberal giver”. Paul uses this word 4 times in the New Testament and each time he is referring to giving financially or in any other way in which you are contributing to someone else. This is the heart of sowing into good ground, where you believe that your giving makes a difference in a church, a ministry or a life. Paul encouraged those that could spare the money to give it, for it would lay up a store for themselves against bad times to come (1 Timothy 6:19). Where the world’s system says “save your money for a rainy day”, Paul said “Give to others and you are prepared for the rainy day”.
When you learn the concept of sowing and reaping, you lay hold on a piece of eternity. The glory and the joy that permeates the next life will become yours on this earth and in this life. Days of heaven on earth are possible, but only if the redeemed become less attached to the system of this earth and more in tune with the music of heaven.

Jesus warned us about laying up treasure here, which was not His way of saying “Don’t save your money”. Instead, He wants us to focus our investments in the spirit realm, confident that our heavenly Father is a firm foundation, unshakeable in a world of uncertain riches. Invest wisely in ministry and the work of the Lord and you too will “lay hold on eternal life”.

Lay Hold on Eternal Life

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Jesus promised each one of us life more abundant (John 10:10), which means that we are to have a glorious experience in this life, happy and free in His finished work. His promise was not referring to our life to come, though that will be wonderful as well, for the New Testament makes it clear that we are to be living a great life in this present world (Romans 5:17; 1 Peter 3:10).

There are things that we can do in this present life that allow us to apprehend the glory that is found in the next life. Paul refers to this as laying hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:19). There are no works that we can do that can qualify us for heaven, but there are some actions that we can take while on this earth that will lead to days of heaven on earth. It is the simple principle of sowing and reaping that is a recurring theme of the New Covenant, and if the believer follows its pattern, they will reap if they faint not (Galatians 6:9).

Paul addresses young Timothy in two letters that bear Timothy’s name. Near the close of the first letter, he tells Timothy to give a charge to the wealthy members of his congregation that they not trust in their “uncertain riches, but in the living God” (1 Tim. 6:17). All wealth that we accumulate on this earth is uncertain riches, for the economies can shake and crumble, as we have well seen! The living God is unshakeable, thus He is a firm foundation. When we trust in Him we see that He “giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).

The word “communicate” in verse 18 is an unfortunate translation. The original Greek word is ‘koinonikos’ which means “inclined to share with others; a free or liberal giver”. Paul uses this word 4 times in the New Testament and each time he is referring to giving financially or in any other way in which you are contributing to someone else. This is the heart of sowing into good ground, where you believe that your giving makes a difference in a church, a ministry or a life. Paul encouraged those that could spare the money to give it, for it would lay up a store for themselves against bad times to come (1 Timothy 6:19). Where the world’s system says “save your money for a rainy day”, Paul said “Give to others and you are prepared for the rainy day”.
When you learn the concept of sowing and reaping, you lay hold on a piece of eternity. The glory and the joy that permeates the next life will become yours on this earth and in this life. Days of heaven on earth are possible, but only if the redeemed become less attached to the system of this earth and more in tune with the music of heaven.

Jesus warned us about laying up treasure here, which was not His way of saying “Don’t save your money”. Instead, He wants us to focus our investments in the spirit realm, confident that our heavenly Father is a firm foundation, unshakeable in a world of uncertain riches. Invest wisely in ministry and the work of the Lord and you too will “lay hold on eternal life”.

How to Be Cursed

Galatians 1:6-9

Everyone wants to be blessed, but I have never met anyone who wants to be cursed. There is much advice to be found floating about the Christian community on how to be blessed and to be a blessing, and considering there are very few people lining up to be cursed, there is a surprising amount of information on why so many Christians are living under a curse.

First of all, there is no curse to be found on or around those who have accepted Jesus Christ. Paul wrote that Jesus became cursed at Calvary, so that we would be free from the curse (Galatians 3:13). Yet, there are many preachers breathing out threatenings against God’s people, warning that sin will curse them, or not giving in the offering will curse them, or their grandfather’s addictions have cursed them. Stand firm in the liberty that Jesus paid for at Calvary, and know that He took the curse so that you do not have too.

However, some may be infatuated with curses, so the Bible does provide them with a sure-fire method to operate under the oppression of a curse. Paul wrote to the church in Galatia that he was amazed that it had taken so little time for them to abandon the gospel of grace in favor of some other message (Galatians 1:6). He then announced that if he himself, or an angel from heaven were to preach anything other than the original message of God’s grace and goodness, then “let him be accursed” (verse 8). He is so adamant about this, that he says it again, in the very next verse, nearly word for word.

Paul never shows this type of vehement anger in any other of his 14 epistles. To the very intelligent church at Galatia, he shows little patience. In chapter 3, he calls them “foolish”, and not for some act of atrocious sinful behavior, but rather for the fact that they are teaching that men are saved by grace and go on to growth by the works of the law (3:3). If this angered Paul, nearly 2000 years ago, when the church was small and young, how would he react in our massive churches today?

Remember, Paul received the message of the New Covenant directly from the lips of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12). He was not taught his doctrine by any man, but he relied on the identification of the Spirit to show him what was to be the way of living for this new church of Jesus Christ. Never once does Paul threaten believers with eternal damnation, not even using the word “hell” in any of his writings. An edifier of believers to the very end, it is remarkable, in light of this, that Paul gets so upset with the church at Galatia.

He took the perversion of the gospel of grace very seriously. So important was pure grace to Paul, that he evokes the Greek phrase for “eternally condemned” when he uses “accursed” in Galatians 1. So important is pure grace to God, that this letter makes it into the canon of scripture, as a warning to all who dare preach a gospel of mixture, combining the beautiful grace of heaven with good deeds and works to achieve sanctification and wholeness.

What man calls balance, God calls mixture. Paul wished to see no one living or operating under the threat of a curse, but he was not afraid to call one down on those who did not take the gospel of grace seriously.

Rest today in this good news of God’s grace and know that the same message that Paul preached 2000 years ago is still alive in your heart.