As believers in the Lord, what do we most look forward to?

Gaining everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven.

How do we gain everlasting life?

You really don't know that?

The Bible says,

That's certainly right.

But how do you understand these words?

"The Son" means the Lord Jesus.

By believing in the Lord Jesus we gain everlasting life,

and those who don't believe won't gain it.

Well, my aunt has a very different understanding of it all.

Oh?

She says we can't gain eternal life simply by believing in the Lord Jesus.

Please, the entire religious world, pastors and believers,

all think we gain eternal life by believing in the Lord.

Right.

But your aunt doesn't think we gain eternal life that way?

That's right.

Does your aunt believe in the Lord?

She has for 5 years.

That's nothing! She just lacks faith.

You should fellowship with her so she'll understand.

Of course I tried!

Oh.

After patiently persuading her, fellowshiping,

providing guidance, and explaining everything to her.

Oh wow! Look at how hard she tried!

I was completely convinced by her.

You were completely …

Huh? But …

do you mean to tell me your aunt was fellowshiping to you?

So?

What did she say to you?

How did she make you doubt that believing in the Lord gains you everlasting life?

It's not doubt.

Oh?

It's a better, clearer understanding of the idea

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

what's going on here?

You're making me very confused.

- Alright, let's do a scene reenactment. - Fine.

I'll be your aunt, and I promise—

Huh? Whose aunt are you?

Oh, oops! I'll play my own aunt.

I'll turn your confusion into understanding,

and completely convince you.

There's no way.

Let's try and see.

Alright then,

I want to hear what your aunt had to say anyways.

- Then let's go to my aunt's house. - Sure.

Give me a beat.

What do you need a beat for?

My aunt was singing along to music.

How are we going to reenact the scene without music?

Alright.

Aunty! What's making you so happy?

- Oh! Hi, Ling! - Hi!

- It's good you came. - Oh?

I've got some really good news.

What good news?

The Lord Jesus has finally returned!

He has returned?

He is the incarnate Almighty God, who has expressed the truth and—

Wait! You accepted Almighty God?

That's right.

Almighty God has expressed the truth and begun the work of judgment beginning with God's house,

and only by accepting His work in the last days can we finally gain everlasting life.

No way! That's not right.

What do you mean?

The Bible says,

If we believe in the Lord Jesus,

we already have everlasting life.

How can you say that it only happens if we accept Almighty God?

"He that believes on the Son has everlasting life,"

but what does "the Son" refer to here?

Of course it means the Lord Jesus.

That's only half-right!

Half-right?

What do you mean?

Belief in the Son means believing in the Son of man sent by God,

which means believing in the incarnate Christ.

Exactly. The Lord Jesus is Christ.

Yes, but the Lord Jesus already ascended to heaven.

Yeah.

What you believe in is actually the ascended Lord Jesus.

Right.

The Lord Jesus prophesied that in the last days,

He would come incarnate as the Son of man.

Huh?

So, have you received that "Son" yet?

You don't believe in the Son of man in the last days,

which means you only believe in half of the Son,

which isn't really believing in the Son.

Just a minute.

Huh?

- You say the Lord will return incarnate… - Yeah.

…but there's no biblical basis.

There is!

Really?

She's looking.

It was said in Luke 12:40,

And there's more,

Luke 17:24–25.

- So let me ask you. - What?

Doesn't it sound like these prophecies say the Lord will return as the Son of man?

Yes.

Then isn't the Son of man someone born of man,

someone with normal humanity?

Right.

And doesn't that mean the incarnate God?

Right.

If it was God's Spirit, could we call Him the Son of man?

Jehovah God is a Spirit, and we don't call Him the Son of man.

So that means when the Lord returns, it will be in the flesh?

You got it!

You know your aunt's fellowship raises a good point.

Belief in the Son of man doesn't just mean belief in the Lord Jesus,

it also means belief in the Son of man in the last days,

which means Almighty God!

If you don't accept Almighty God,

and only believe in the Lord Jesus,

then you've stopped believing in the Son of man half-way.

It's all for nothing since you have given up.

Hoping to gain everlasting life like that is like hoping to stand on the roof

and pluck a star right out of the sky,

it's hopeless!

Your aunt's fellowship has really opened my eyes.

Good.

But, there's a problem I still find part of it very confusing.

Okay, she's still confused.

- Ling. - Huh?

What are you confused about? Please tell me.

She's still performing.

Aunty.

Yes.

That proves that the Lord Jesus is the way of eternal life.

Believing in Him gains us everlasting life.

How could you say we have to accept the incarnate Son of man in the last days to gain everlasting life?

- This is the truth. - That's right.

This is because the Lord Jesus is the incarnate God,

and He has God's identity and essence.

Right.

The Lord's words are testimony that He is God's appearance,

that He is everlasting life…

Right.

…and only He can give people everlasting life.

And that's all there is to it.

Yes, the Lord Jesus promised those who believe in Him everlasting life…

Right.

…but, in the Age of Grace,

the Lord Jesus did not give man the way of eternal life—

- What? Wait a minute. - Huh?

You're contradicting yourself.

What do you mean?

Your aunt said the Lord Jesus is everlasting life,

so doesn't that mean what He expressed was the way of eternal life?

And she says the Lord didn't give man the way of eternal life?

Then let me ask you,

what work did the Lord Jesus do?

He was nailed to the cross to redeem mankind.

And what truth did the Lord Jesus express?

He also asked that we love God with all our heart, mind, and soul,

and we love others as ourselves.

He taught us to be humble, patient, tolerant,

and to forgive others seventy times seven, and so on.

Hey! She knows it well!

Of course.

These truths expressed by the Lord Jesus

all had to do with the work of redemption.

Right.

They taught people not to sin and to confess their sins and repent.

Right.

So, what He expressed was the way of repentance,

which allows people's sins to be forgiven.

That's right!

Isn't the way of repentance the way of eternal life?

They're different, very very very very—

What's wrong with you? Did you short-circuit?

That's ridiculous,

I'm just trying to emphasize my point.

Then please tell me how they're different.

The way of eternal life is the truth that allows people to live forever.

That's true.

That means it allows people to escape the bondage of their sinful natures,

gain the truth as life, become compatible with God,

achieve absolute obedience, never again sin, resist or betray God.

Only the path that can accomplish all these things is the way of eternal life.

She's right.

The only reason people die is because they sin.

If they could resolve the problem of sin, people wouldn't die?

Right, right, right.

After we believe in the Lord, our sins are forgiven,

we enjoy the Lord's bountiful grace.

Yeah.

We practice the Lord's words,

and outwardly, we can do some good deeds.

Yes.

But, you can't deny that we still often resist God.

Don't you think that's a fact?

- You don't even need to tell me. - Huh?

Of course … it's true.

And we continue to sin so much much much—

Again?

Just making my point.

Keep going.

- Listen up. - 'Kay.

We believe in the Lord but for our own interests,

we still lie, deceive,

and want fame and fortune and crave wealth.

Right, right, right.

We believe in God to gain blessings,

and when trials come, we just blame God.

We sin, confess, and don't repent. We don't practice the Lord's words.

Our outward good deeds mean nothing.

- They're actually … - Actually…?

Actually …

What?

Hypocrisy!

For status, we try to win others over,

we form cliques and exclude other opinions.

Our dispositions are arrogant, self-important, selfish, crooked, evil and greedy.

We are filled with satanic dispositions!

We barely resemble humans.

We live in the image of Satan!

This really is the truth.

Well, then tell me,

if we believe and our sins are forgiven…

Yeah?

…why do we still sin and resist God?

Why are we never able to practice the Lord's words or achieve repentance?

Right, why can't we genuinely repent?

Right, tell me why that is.

Everyone sins. Who could explain that?

Well my aunt had an explanation.

Oh?

- Ling. - Yeah?

Even though our sins are forgiven when we believe in the Lord,

the satanic dispositions within us and our sinful natures remain,

so we can still involuntarily resist God.

It's just like chives in the ground.

No matter how many times you cut them down,

they always grow back.

Why?

Because of the roots.

Right! This is to say,

the Lord did the work of redemption,

but not the work of completely purifying people.

He expressed the way of repentance which forgives our sins,

but not the way of eternal life, which is what allows us to be purified.

That means only belief in the Lord Jesus won't gain us everlasting life.

Right. The Lord Jesus prophesied He would come again,

and He told us,

So, when the Lord Jesus returns,

He will guide us into all truth?