“And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” 1 Corinthians 15:19 NLT. I think this particular verse should be taught in churches very often. Moreso, during evangelical outreaches. A lot of people, believers as well, have the misconception about what Jesus really came for. It’s not out of place to say He desires us to live in good health, wealth, and all those other good things of life, but we must remember the real deal is salvation. He came that we may have life and have it in abundance (Jn. 10:10). Jesus came to give us eternal life, to stretch our hope beyond this fleeting world into eternity. Because of Him, we can speak of death as if it were only sleep.
I love the idea that, in Christ, goodbyes are never final. Just this morning, I remembered a dear friend who “fell asleep in the Lord” last year. Instead of sorrow overwhelming me, I smiled because she knew the Lord, and that means one day I will see her again. This is the beauty of salvation: the blessed hope of reunion with those who have gone ahead in Christ. (1 Th. 4:13-14, Ac. 7:60)
And what makes us so confident? The answer is simple: the Scriptures. Our confidence is anchored not in wishful thinking, but in the words Jesus spoke, the works He accomplished, and the Gift He gave us.
Because of what Jesus said
We have learned to be confident in the power of God because Jesus Himself first displayed it to us. Every step of faith a believer takes was modeled and taught by Jesus. So when you hear me sing, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be,” don’t ask me where my confidence comes from. I didn’t invent it; Jesus gave it to me.
He said in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” This promise was not empty. Jesus foretold His death, resurrection, and ascension, and exactly as He said, those things happened (Mk. 8:31, Lk. 24:6-7, Acts 1:9–11). In doing this, He proved beyond doubt that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6).
So when He tells me that He has gone to prepare a place for me and that He will return to take me home, I believe Him completely—hook, line, sinker, fisherman, and boat. That is why I can boldly declare that believers are not clueless about their destination. Jesus gives us confidence, assurance, and hope that after this life, we know exactly where we are going, and that is to be with Him forever (1 Th. 4:16–17, Php. 3:20–21).
And this is what he promised us—eternal life.
1 John 2:25 ESV
Because of what Jesus did
Sin was the very reason humanity lost the hope of eternal life. Scripture makes it clear that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), and without God’s intervention, we would all have had to receive the inevitable “compensation”, if not fully in this life, then certainly in the life to come. Yet, like every story where light breaks through darkness, a “but” enters. The turning point is this: Jesus stepped in and received that compensation on our behalf.
At the cross, He bore public shame and suffering, taking upon Himself not just the punishment for our sins, but becoming sin itself, and in exchange, He gave us His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus’ creating of that pathway to righteousness gave us access to eternal life.
And because of this divine exchange, we can now rejoice with confidence at the thought of eternity—knowing that Christ paid the full price for our salvation. He died so that we may live…eternally (2 Cor. 5:15).
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Matthew 25:46 ESV
Because of what Jesus gave
As if it weren’t enough, Jesus went ahead to give us a gift. The grace of God that saved us was already the best gift ever, and still He gave us more. He gave us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our inner witness that testifies to our reconciliation to God and our hope of eternal life.
It is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life].
2 Corinthians 1:22 AMP
It reminds me of that video of the Pastor who said if you get to heaven and you don’t find me there, you have gone to hell. There are two implications of this statement: pride and self-righteousness, or the bold confidence of a believer who understands scripture. I choose the latter. This is the type of confidence the seal of the Holy Spirit gives you. A confidence that you will inherit the promise of eternal life. The Holy Spirit testifies that we are God’s children, and where else will God’s children be if not with Him (Rom. 8:16-17).
Altar call:
If you would love to have this same assurance every believer has, please say (and mean) this prayer. “Dear Jesus, I thank you for all you have done for me. Today, I believe in your sacrifice and ask that you wash away my sins and make me whole. From this moment, I want to live with the assurance of eternal life. Amen”.
If you just said this prayer, congratulations 🥳, you now have access to eternal life in Christ Jesus.
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