Exploring Eternal Principles

By Jimmy D. Davis

There are some basic principles of life that have eternal implications. These principles are there for our life and we need only apply them and act on them to experience the strength and peace and joy God wants for each of us. In this writing, the author helps lead you to a discovery of these principles and the practical ways you can apply them to your own life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Apr 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489734709

Jimmy D. Davis

Jimmy D Davis is a retired public school Superintendent and active Pastor and Teacher. He has earned both BS and MEd degrees from Texas State University, with advanced work at The University of Texas and West Texas A&M University. He also holds an earned Doctorate of Theology. He has served as a Bi-vocational Pastor and Minister for over 40 years and is the founder of Healing Gospel Ministries, and has authored and published four books. He and his wife Darlene have been married 51 years are the parents of 2 daughters and a son, and have 6 grandchildren and a great grandson.

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EXPLORING

ETERNAL

PRINCIPLES

JIMMY D. DAVIS

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Copyright © 2021 Jimmy D. Davis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3469-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3470-9 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 03/18/2021

CONTENTS

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Principle of Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing but The Truth

Chapter 2 The Principle of Body and Soul

Chapter 3 The Principle of the Spirit

Chapter 4 The Principle of Being Born Again

Chapter 5 Principles for Spiritual Growth

Chapter 6 The Principle of Reconciliation

Chapter 7 The Principles of Justification, Imputation, Propitiation, Atonement, and Redemption

Chapter 8 Principle of Jesus Christ as Mediator and Advocate

Chapter 9 The Principle of Sanctification

Chapter 10 Principles of The Kingdom of God: The Beatitudes

Chapter 11 Principles of the Kingdom of God: The Similitudes

Chapter 12 Principles of the Kingdom of God – The Law

Chapter 13 Principles of the Kingdom of God – GRACE

Chapter 14 Principles of the Kingdom of God – LOVE

Chapter 15 Principles of the Kingdom of God – FAITH

Chapter 16 Principles of the Kingdom of God – Works

Chapter 17 Principles of the Kingdom of God – Prayer

Chapter 18 The Principles of Predestination and Election and Adoption

Chapter 19 The Principles of Baptism and Communion

Chapter 20 The Principle of The Sovereignty of God

Chapter 21 The Principle of Judgment

Chapter 22 The Principle of Rewards

Chapter 23 The Principle of The Church

Chapter 24 The Principle of The Trinity

Chapter 25 The Principle of Promise

Chapter 26 Principles for Eternity

Closing

Glossary

DEDICATION

I dedicate this work to Darlene, my wonderful Christian wife of 52 years. We’ve been together through life, we’re together in Christ Jesus, and we’ll be together in Heaven for Eternity.

All my Love.

PREFACE

I want to ask you to consider something for just a moment. Please take this moment to seriously consider the fact that you are going to die. Your life will be over on this earth. You will probably not know when or how, but your life will end as you now know it. You know that to be an absolute fact. You are going to die. Well, what happens then? One of the great philosophical questions of all time: What happens when you die?

Everyone who lives long enough and is mentally capable considers this question at some point in life. Actually, this is the most important question you can consider in life. After all, your entire span of life, even if you live to be 100, is a minute fraction of time in relation to ETERNITY.

Where will you exist for all eternity? In what state of existence will you be forever after your death? Just consider the concept of eternity. Eternity is forever, or endless time. Eternity is infinite, or without end. During eternity there will be no concept of ending or beginning. Time, as we know it, will have no meaning.

You can make your belief regarding your existence after death as simple or as complex as you like, but whatever you believe in regard to your existence after your death, you won’t change the absolute truth. There is one Truth and one Truth only regarding existence after death. None of the other beliefs changes that fact. In this writing I share with you the absolute TRUTH. You are free to develop your own beliefs or share the philosophy or religion of someone else, but you will never be able to escape the Truth.

When you stop to consider this critical issue in your life, why not set your mind and your beliefs on the absolute Truth. Why not be absolutely certain of your existence after you die? Why would anyone take the chance of making a horrible mistake that will last for all eternity to come? After all, there are only two things that will absolutely exist forever: God in His perfect form and the human soul. God, in the form of His Holy Trinity will exist forever because He is the Creator of all eternity. The human soul will exist forever because God created it for His eternal purpose.

As we consider God’s Principles for Eternity, I encourage you to seriously consider just where you are in your life in regard to your relationship to the One Who is in control of eternity: GOD. Do you know that you can be absolutely certain of where your soul will reside for all eternity? Do you know also that you are literally in control of your eternal existence for your own life? You actually make the decision yourself as to where you will spend eternity. God gives you the absolute Truth and then offers His free gift of eternal life with Him following your physical death. All you have to do is accept it. All you have to do is apply God’s Eternal Principles to your life.

Eternal simply means forever, or time without end. Principles are fundamental rules or laws. A principle is a basic truth, law, or doctrine that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior (dictionary definition). So, Eternal Principles are fundamental rules or laws that serve as the foundation for eternal existence. Eternal Principles are God’s laws and rules that are the very foundation for the eternal existence of any man or woman. If you want to know how to live forever in perfect peace and comfort and joy, then pay very close attention to the writing in this book.

And, make no mistake, you must absolutely and certainly apply God’s Principles. You simply will not get by with applying your own principles or the principles of the world. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re OK with God when you’re not. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re OK just because you’re a good person, or because you grew up going to church or had Christian parents. Your eternal existence is based solely and totally on what you do with God and His offer of eternal life to you. No one can do it for you, nor can you do it for anyone else.

INTRODUCTION

There are some basic principles of life that have eternal implications. The principles that govern your life and mine are there, just like the Truth. Denying these principles, or the truth, does not change them. Ignoring them will not make them go away. These principles are really pretty simple, and should be evident to everyone, but the fact is, many people in our world today have either had the truth and basic principles distorted and perverted, or they have distorted them and lied to themselves. For example, not too many years ago, the vast majority of people living in America sincerely believed in God and the principles given by God to mankind. Today, a very large percentage of American people have abandoned their belief in God, or to a great extent, ignore God and His principles altogether.

Consider this possibility for just a moment. Let’s say you are not feeling well, and you go to your doctor. Your doctor examines you and then tells you that you have cancer. If not treated, the cancer will spread and you will die within a short time. Let’s say your doctor tells you that he knows an absolute cure for the cancer and he can administer it with a simple shot, and your cancer will disappear. Can you imagine anyone saying, No thanks, Doc, I think I’ll just let the cancer kill me. I don’t think you would find anyone in his right mind that would respond that way. Well, consider this great Truth: You have a terminal illness right now, for which there is a simple and absolute cure. Every person in this world has the same terminal illness. This illness is the sin of humanity. It is going to kill you, and every other person living. There is no escape. But there is an absolute cure. Do you realize that millions of people in this world are saying, No thanks, I think I’ll just let the sin kill me. Millions of people are rejecting the healing and cure for sin that God is offering. God is offering immediate cleansing of the disease of sin, and eternal life for the future. God is offering the perfect healing. The cure is simple to apply, but literally millions of people are rejecting it right now.

From the very beginning of God’s creation of the universe, the earth, and mankind, people have naturally considered the existence of God and the unknown aspects of our own existence. Is there really a true God and did He really create the entire universe, the earth, and everything on it? What happens to me after I die? Will I be conscious of my afterlife? Will I know where I am and what my eternal existence will be? These are the questions every living person should ask, and then find the right answer. Every person deserves to hear the truth, and then be able to decide what to do with it.

Many people, with no particular set of religious convictions, believe that nothing happens after you die. They believe that there is simply an eternal oblivion. When you die, you simply cease to exist and are never aware of anything from that point forward.

Some people believe that there really is a kind of life after death and that each person comes back to life in another form of some kind. This belief is known as reincarnation.

Some sects, such as the Universalists, believe in universalism: that all souls will ultimately be saved and that there is no such actual place as hell, or state of existence in which there will be torment and suffering.

I’ve met many people in my life who don’t even seem to think about it at all. They just seem to accept whatever may come, without making any type of commitment as to their belief while living their life.

Where are you in your life? Do you have any sort of strong belief as to what will happen to you after you die? Do you think you already know the truth? What if you’re wrong? What if you’ve been mislead during your life and you’ve been believing lies? You deserve to hear the real Truth. After all, there is only one real Truth. Everything else is a lie. There is only one source for the absolute Truth. If what you believe does not come from the one true source of Truth, then you are believing lies.

In this writing, I am going to attempt to help lead you to a discovery of the absolute Truth: the only real Truth that comes from God Almighty. I sincerely hope that you will be willing to listen. You may be very comfortable in your current life and are not eager to make any changes. After all, if you’re not broken, why try to fix yourself; right? Well, it is my strong desire that this writing will help you to realize that you may really be broken and not be aware of it. Just because you’re comfortable in the world, doesn’t mean that you are OK for eternity. You, along with every other person living today, are in the grips of a fatal and terminal disease: SIN. You’re going to die. I’m going to die. Every person living is going to die. But there is a cure for the terminal illness. There is a cure for the eternal fatality of the disease of sin. God is offering the cure and the healing for your life. I am cured. God has healed me through my faith in Jesus Christ. It was a very simple cure, but it will last forever. God offers it to you too.

Where ever you are in your life, it is time to face the Truth! Just think about this: if you face the Truth and discover that you really do know it and have applied it to your life, you will only reinforce your eternal security. But, if you face the Truth and find out that you have not really known it or applied it to your life, then you will find yourself confronted with the opportunity to make the one crucial decision that will give you eternal life after you die. Now doesn’t that sound like it’s worth the reading?

CHAPTER ONE

THE PRINCIPLE OF TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Jesus said: "And you shall know the Truth,

and the Truth shall make you free"

(John 8:32)

The Wikipedia Encyclopedia states that: In philosophy, religion, mythology, and fiction, the afterlife (also referred to as life after death or the Hereafter) is the concept of the existence of the individual in some form or another within a realm or eternal place of existence. Whether this place in the Hereafter is physical or transcendental, it is the place for the existence of an essential part of an individual’s identity or consciousness, to continue to reside after the death of the physical body.

Those people who believe in God (theists) generally believe that some sort of afterlife awaits people when they die. People who are generally non-theistic (don’t believe in the One True God) tend to believe in some sort of afterlife, but without reference to a god. Some other people generally believe that there is a God, but no afterlife, while others do not believe in God or an afterlife. The point is: there are many variations of belief regarding life after death. Well, doesn’t it just make sense that all of these beliefs can’t be true at the same time. There can be only one Truth. Apart from the real Truth, everything else is a lie and not true. Truth is defined as: Being in accordance with fact or reality, conformity with fact or reality, or being in accordance with real or actual things and events. Truth is fact. Truth is reality. Truth is actual or real events and things.

Just how do you go about finding the real Truth? I think it is best to start at the beginning. The basis for the real Truth of life must either come from God as the true Creator of all life, or it must come from some source other than God. The very basis for understanding the absolute Truth is your belief in God as the eternal and omnipotent Creator of the entire universe, the world, and all life, including human life. Just for a moment let’s compare the two opposing beliefs: Belief in God (Theism) and belief that there is no God (atheism).

The atheist does not believe in the existence of God and believes that all life, including human life, resulted from a chance occurrence within the universe where the earth simply came to exist as the result of a big bang. Additionally, by chance occurrence, the atmosphere on the earth simply came to exist in a form that supported life. The basic components of life simply came about by chance occurrence. These basic components came into a chance combination that created a living cell of some type. This living cell then began to divide simply by chance occurrence and then developed into a multi-celled organism that lived in warm water.

From this organism, a higher order of living organism developed over millions of years until it eventually became a sort of fish, then a sort of reptile, and then a sort of insect, then a sort of bird, eventually becoming a sort of mammal, which gradually developed (evolved) into an ape-like creature, which evolved into the human being. Humans then evolved into the people we are today. I even saw a program recently that claimed that the proof of the human relation to the lowly tadpole is shown by the fact that tadpoles sometimes hiccup. Humans also sometimes hiccup and so humans must have developed or evolved from the tadpole. Now isn’t that some brilliant thinking? I submit that it is simply an effort to deny God. Atheists grasp at anything to get their point across and have others believe their lies.

Now, there are many seemingly intelligent people living today who actually believe this. As absolutely ridiculous and impossible as this theory is, it has found a place in the minds of people that has come to be known as the Theory of Evolution. Many people who call themselves scholars and various other titles of scientists now refer to this simply as Evolution, refusing to concede that it is simply a theory and has never been proven, nor can ever be proven, because it is not true. Yet, it has come to be accepted as truth in our current society in the world by many people. This theory is even being taught to our young people as truth in our public schools in America and around the world.

The Theory of Evolution is a belief held by people who do not believe in God. I once had a person come to me after I had made this bold statement during a class that I was teaching. This person stated that she knew people who believed in the Theory of Evolution and also believed in God and that she really thought that Christian people could also support the Theory of Evolution. How deluded this young lady was. The Theory of Evolution has no place for God and His Truth in it. The very theory itself screams a denial of God, since all life is supposed to have developed without any creation being considered. Another philosophical person came to me and stated that evolution took place in spite of God and not due to God’s creation. He stated that he believed in the existence of God, but that he did not believe in God’s creation. My goodness, it is amazing just how deceived intelligent people can be. None of this is the Truth.

Consider now, if you would, that God is the great designer of the universe and life, and that His intelligent design has accounted for all of life as we know it. After all, can any reasonably intelligent person deny the wonder and amazing intricacies of our universe, our earth, and all of life; especially human life. It simply makes sense to realize that only Divine design can be responsible for the otherwise impossible existence of our earth and all of life. Even in the face of issues and questions that atheistic evolutionists present, God’s creation is the only truth that makes any sense at all.

Evolutionists will say that our earth is billions of years old and that the rocks and geographical structures of our universe such as other planets, stars, the sun, moon, etc., are too old to have been created. Well, did it ever occur to their intelligence that God, as the only God powerful and intelligent enough to create all of this, created it all with age. Just consider the fact that God spoke the universe into existence, and it well may have exploded into His existence by the power of His Word.

When God created the earth, it was with the mountains, oceans, rivers, plains, and all other geographical elements in place. The sun, the moon, and the stars were placed so strategically in relationship with our earth, that they actually give us life, just as God designed it. When God created the plant life on the earth, it was complete with mature trees and plants, divinely created with the capability of re-creation from seed. When God created the animal life on earth, He created adult animals of all species, from fish to reptiles, to insects, to birds, to mammals, and all in between. He created the adult animals with the divine gift of propagation, so that the animal species would be able to survive for as long as He has intended.

Has there been the extinction of some of the animal species? Certainly, there has. Have there been changes in some of the animal species over the years due to environmental conditions? Absolutely! God has designed the animal world to be able to adapt and even mutate to some degree for His divine purpose of survival. When adaptation or mutation or migration does not take place in an animal species, that species dies. That is God’s Principle for Nature.

Even human beings were created by God with age. They were created on this earth as adults, not fetuses, or even infants. Man and woman were created as adults, with age and maturity, just as the universe, the earth, and all other life was created with age. You know the old philosophical question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? Well, that’s an easy one. The chicken came first. God created the mature animals so that they could multiply and provide food and clothing for His creation of humans. This is just another example of the amazing creation of God. As the writer of Psalm 19:1 reminds us; The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork!

I appeal to your reasonable intelligence: can you actually believe that the intricate and miraculous conception, embryonic development, birth, and maturational growth of you and me were by nothing more than chance occurrence? Let’s be reasonable.

Do you really want to know the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth? Believe the one who is the actual Truth: GOD. It really doesn’t matter what others believe. What you believe is what counts. It really doesn’t matter if people who are considered the smartest people on the planet believe in lies. What matters is whether or not you believe the Truth. Don’t be deceived and don’t be confused. There is only one Truth, and it comes from God and His Word. There can be no compromise when it comes to the real Truth.

The first truth you must realize and believe is the absolute existence of God and in His creation of the world and all life. Here is a true statement: It is not possible to truly believe in God and also believe in the Theory of Evolution. God did not just stand by and allow something as sacred as His creation of the universe, the earth, plants and animals, and mankind to simply occur by chance. There is Truth, as in the Truth of God, and there are lies, as in the Theory of Evolution, and other lies that Satan spreads throughout the world, such as Humanism and mankind’s ability to make himself whole and well for eternity without any Divine intervention or influence.

The first Truth for you to absolutely believe is in the existence of God as the Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent Creator of all things. The second Truth for you to hold in your life is that of God’s creation, along with His continual guidance and plan for His creation for all of eternity.

Another crucial Truth for you to grasp and believe is that of God’s eternal existence and His creation of the eternally existent soul in every human being (see Chapter 2). Here is a Truth from God, found in His Word, the Holy Bible. In Genesis 2:7 we read: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. When God created human man, He created him separate from the animals, and gave him a very special gift; the gift of the soul. Throughout God’s Word and throughout God’s relationship with mankind, we find that the human soul is the special factor that binds mankind to God. The soul is the God-consciousness" of all mankind. Every living human being becomes aware of God at some point in his or her life simply because God created each of us with an individual and unique soul. Our soul is eternal, and will exist forever: even after our physical death. But don’t misunderstand this Truth. While the soul of each person will continue to exist for all eternity, the soul will not necessarily exist in Heaven and the eternal peace of God, in His presence. The soul of the person who does not believe in God and who rejects the gift of God’s eternal life through repentance of sin and trust in Jesus Christ, will continue to exist, but in eternal suffering and anguish, apart from God and forever out of His presence. Every human soul will exist forever in one place or the other: Heaven or Hell.

The truth is that God fully intended mankind to live forever when He created the first man and woman. But God did not create these first humans as robots. He created them with a free will and the ability to make individual decisions. After all, what good would it have done for God to simply create another, more highly advanced animal? God created humans for the express purpose of being in His image. God desired to have an intimate and loving relationship with His creation, so it was critical that humans be able to decide to love God individually and of each person’s own free will. God does not force us to love Him. He simply loves each of us in spite of our rebellion and sin against Him. Let’s examine this relationship from the beginning.

Adam and Eve were the first created man and woman. God gave them the perfect life where all of their needs were met and they would be able to live forever under God’s eternal care. But their lives had conditions placed on them, in order for them to be able to make their decisions of their own free will. Adam and Eve needed only to obey God and love Him for His gift of love and grace to them. But, as we see the Truth in God’s Word, the first humans disobeyed God, thus creating sin in the world for all of mankind thereafter. Adam and Eve actually brought sin into the world with their disobedience to God and their believing the lies of Satan and his evil. We can study the entire account of God’s creation of man and woman, their original lives in the perfect earthly environment, their fall from God’s eternal gift of physical life by their sin of disobedience, and their subsequent banishment from the perfect life in the Garden of Eden in God’s Word, the Holy Bible (Genesis, Chapters 2 and 3).

They were sentenced to Spiritual and physical death because of their disobedience to God. They had been told from the beginning that they must not eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As we will discuss in a later chapter, this tree was not magical; it was a point of decision and testing for Adam and Eve. It was a way God provided for them to actually have the choice of obeying Him or disobeying Him. It was within God’s Permissive Will for Adam and Eve to eat of this tree if they chose to do so. God did not want them to eat, just as he commanded, but He did give them the choice. When they did eat, disobeying God’s conditions, they gave up their eternal physical life, and their Spirit died. But their souls were not destroyed. Instead, the souls of men and women are born within each person, to exist for all eternity in either Heaven or Hell, depending on the decisions made by each person during their lifetime. The Spirit and physical body of each human being is not eternal any longer. The physical body is going to die. The Spirit must be born in order to come into existence. You see, the Spirit is the only means by which any person can worship, communicate, and have a relationship with God. This is the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth.

The first sin by Adam and Eve brought about the moral ruin of the entire human race. This Truth is evident in the fact that death is universal. All people die – little children, moral people, religious people, and evil, depraved people. All die equally. For this universal effect of death, there must have been a universal cause. There was: the state of universal sin against God. The consequence of Adam’s sin was that the many were made sinners (Romans 5:19). Therefore, through one man’s (Adam) offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one man’s righteous act (Jesus Christ) the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life (Romans 5:18).

In Scripture, Adam is a contrasting type of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:45-47 and Romans 5:14-19). The first man, Adam, became a living soul. He was given life by God. The last Adam was a life-giving Spirit, being far above obtaining life, Jesus Christ was the very fountain of life, and He gives that life to others who would trust in Him. (See John 1:4, John 5:21, John 10:10, John 12:24, 1 John 5:12). The first man, Adam, was of the earth. The second man, Jesus Christ, is the Lord from Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:47). Each man, Adam and Jesus Christ, is the head of a creation and these creations are also in contrast with each other. In Adam all die. In Christ shall all be made alive. The creation with Adam is of the flesh while the new creation with Jesus Christ is of the Spirit (John 3:6).

Perhaps the greatest Truth is the fact that God is willing to forgive each and every person and restore the eternal life that He originally intended each of us to have. God is willing to forgive each of us, but there are conditions to His perfect forgiveness and His gift of eternal life in Heaven with Him.

Let’s continue to examine God’s Eternal Principles.

CHAPTER TWO

THE PRINCIPLE OF BODY AND SOUL

The greatest factor that separates humans from the highest order of