11/12/2025
Understanding Eternal Life: Assurance, Grace, and Salvation
Life’s most important question is: If you were to die today, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven? The Bible provides clarity in 1 John 5:13, which states, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
God, through His Word, assures us that we can KNOW we have eternal life. You might wonder, “How can you be certain?” The answer is simple: it is all about Him and not about us.
If you are saved, it is due to grace and not by works. The Bible explains in Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.”
If you had to earn your way into Heaven, you would never know if you had done enough. You would constantly wonder if you are truly saved, hoping that one day you will make it to Heaven. However, if you are saved, you are saved by GRACE through FAITH.
Here is an explanation of why salvation must come through grace. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This verse highlights how God defines sin: it is falling short of His glory. No one would be foolish enough to claim, “Look at me, I am just as holy as God.” The Bible further emphasizes this by saying, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” as stated in Isaiah 64:6. Even at our very best, we remain unclean in the eyes of God.
Because all have sinned, we are separated from a holy God. Romans 6:23a states, “For the wages of sin is death.” In this context, death refers to separation. When a person dies physically, their soul separates from their body. However, if someone dies in their sin, they will be eternally separated from God in a place known as “the Lake of Fire” or Hell. Revelation 20:12-15 describes the judgment that will occur: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
It is important to notice that these individuals were judged based on their works. They were attempting to earn their way into Heaven through their good deeds.
Because of God’s great love toward you, He made a way for you to go to Heaven through Christ. The Bible says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. God, through His mercy, sent His Son, Jesus to die your place.
When Jesus died on the cross, every sin mankind has ever committed entered into His This is why the world became dark—because the Light of this world was extinguished. In that moment, He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He became separated from God and died as a mortal man.
However, the good news is that He rose again and is able to “save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Salvation is a gift and cannot be earned. As the Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). This gift of eternal life has been offered by God, but to make it your gift, you must receive Jesus. The Bible states, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
Jesus is a gift offered by God, which is why He must be received in order to have eternal life. But what does it mean to believe in Him? To believe in Christ is to fully trust Him to save your soul. In other words, it is all about Him and none about you.
Are you willing to place your faith in Christ and receive Him into your life? The Bible says you can do this by asking God to save you: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
On July 29, 1981, God saved me. I prayed something like this: “Lord Jesus, I don’t know how to come to you, but I will try. Please help me.” I chose to word my prayer this way because I was carrying a lot of baggage—I had lied, drank, smoked, and stolen, and done all kinds of vile things. I knew I couldn’t approach Him without His assistance. However, He met me where I was and began to help me transform my life.
If you come to Jesus with an honest and sincere heart, He will save you too. Simply say, “Lord Jesus, I don’t know how to come to you, but I am going to try. Please come into my life and help me. Today, I am placing my trust in You to save me.”
If you said this prayer, remember what John wrote: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).
This is just the beginning of your spiritual journey. God expects you to draw near to Him and grow. I have written a workbook to help young believers understand how God works in their lives called “The Ultimate Gift of God.” Simp;y "click" on the link below for a free copy.
"The Ultimate Gift of God, written by Chaplain Athey, explores the concept of God’s “benefit package” for believers, focusing on the abundant life available through faith in Jesus Christ. Drawing from decades of experience as a prison chaplain, the author presents fourteen spiritual gifts or b...
