The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University

Life through Christ Alone

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. John 6:68

The least happiness or the least misery that is eternal is more to be regarded [than] the greatest happiness or the greatest misery that is but temporal and will have an end; so that the smallest additions to our eternal happiness and treasure in heaven is of more value than the greatest additions to our outward prosperity, because there is no proportion at all between the greatest finite and least infinite, the greatest temporal and the least eternal, the one so much exceeds the other.1

Much more is a great and unspeakable happiness that is eternal: of infinitely more value than the little pleasures that last but a few days, and therefore, the grand question should be, "What shall I do to obtain eternal life?" and this life in comparison of it be neglected and overlooked and counted as not worth the taking notice of with it.

It seems as if this was a great question amongst the Jewish rabbis about the time of Christ's coming into the world, what was the condition of eternal life, for all believed [in] a future state of happiness but only the Sadducees. But the question was how it was to be obtained; this they expected the Messiah would plainly tell them when he came into the world.

And accordingly, our blessed Savior fully and clearly resolved this question while he was on earth, for he tells us that he himself is the way, the truth, and the life. It was his prophetical office to teach us the way to eternal life. 'Tis his priestly office to purchase it for us and it is his kingly office, by his almighty power, to bring us to it.

Christ Jesus had been fully instructing his disciples and others in these things in this chapter in an excellent discourse to them and to some of the multitude that he had miraculously fed with five loaves and two fishes, occasioned by their asking him this same grand question about the condition of eternal life, in the twenty-eighth verse, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" That is, "What shall we do that we may do that work which God has appointed in order to everlasting life?"

Christ fully answers them this question in the ensuing excellent discourse. He tells them in it that the work of God was to believe on him; that he that believes on him should [have] everlasting life; that he is the bread of life, and that he that eats this bread should hunger nor thirst no more, and should never die.

But the effect these heavenly instructions had upon them, instead of moving them to come to Jesus and believe on him that they might have this everlasting life, was quite the contrary: their final departure from him, in the sixty-sixth verse, "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve, Will ye also go away?" This is the occasion of these words of Peter in our text, "Lord, to whom should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." We do believe that thou alone canst teach us the way to everlasting life. We believe that it is as thou sayest, that believing in thee is the work which God requires of us, to do [so] that we may receive everlasting [life]. We believe that thou are the bread of life, and if we leave thee, we can find none else by whom we may obtain everlasting life; for we believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, that was to come and teach us and lead us to eternal happiness.

In the words observe a twofold assertion: first, that Christ has the words of eternal life; that is, that he has the dispensing and communication of eternal life, his word being the means of communication. Second, that none else has the words of eternal life, strongly implied in this interrogation, "To whom shall we go?" There is none else we can go to, but to thee alone.

Doctrine.
It is by Christ alone that eternal life is ever communicated to men.
It was by Christ that eternal life has been communicated from the foundation of the world.

It was by Christ that holy men in the old world, before the flood, received life; 'twas by faith in him that Enoch was translated; 'twas by the reception of Christ that Abraham received eternal life; 'twas [by] faith in him Moses received eternal happiness, that faith whereby he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. It was by Christ and him alone that Job, Samuel, David, and the prophets were saved; he is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, in whose blood the godly have been washed and with whose righteousness they have been clothed—never ever have been or ever will be saved any other way to the end of this world. There is none else can communicate eternal life to us, or deliver us from eternal death.

I. We cannot obtain it by ourselves. Our own strength, our own righteousness, our own suffering, are all good for nothing to procure this life we speak of. If we make our ways never so clean, if we worship God never so well, if we sacrifice thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oil, yea, if man should sacrifice the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul, it is nothing.

Abraham's being so freely willing to offer his only son, Isaac, was not sufficient to satisfy God for the least of Abraham's sins, not for the least wrong thought and sinful action; but it was Christ that satisfied for Abraham's sin, and it was through that faith in Him by which he offered him up that he received pardon of sin and eternal life, and it was for His sake that this action of his was accepted and rewarded.

II. All the world can't procure eternal life for us. If all the men in the world should offer to be crucified for the sake of one man, it would be absolutely to no purpose; instead of satisfying for all our sins, they could not satisfy for one of them; instead of procuring eternal life, they could not procure one drop of water for us in hell: the flames of hell would not be at all the cooler for it. They are not able to pay one farthing of all that ten thousand talents which we owe, but we must have been in hell till we had paid the uttermost farthing, notwithstanding all that they could do or suffer; and so,

III. Neither could angels help us. If the archangel, the chief angel in heaven, with all the rest of those bright, excellent, and glorious spirits, should assume human bodies and all undergo as much disgrace as Christ did, and should hang upon crosses in pain and intolerable torment thousands of years, 'twould be to as little purpose.

[IV.]2 'Tis the Lamb of God alone that can take away the sins of the world, and it is the Lion of the tribe of Judah alone that is strong enough to work our way through to everlasting happiness. The reasons why it is so are:

First. None else is able to endure the wrath of God against sin. God's hatred of sin and his wrath against it are infinite, and no finite person can bear such an infinite weight. No angel or man could have held out to bear what Christ bore, but before the [agony] grew to that height as to cause them to sweat blood as Christ did, their strength would fail, and they would relent. Now, Christ was able to lay down his life, and was able to take it again of himself.

Second. The suffering and righteousness of none but Christ could have been sufficient and satisfactory. The least sin deserves eternal punishment, and the suffering of none but of an infinite person can be equivalent to eternal sufferings. Christ is an infinite person, and he is one that the Father loves with an infinite love; and therefore whatever he doth is accepted upon his own account, upon the account of that love which the Father hath to him.

Third. None other is of power and wisdom and grace enough to fit us for, to bring us to, and make us eternally happy in heaven, but Christ alone. Our old natures must be destroyed, or else heaven, although it be bought for us, cannot be bestowed upon us. We must be sanctified and made holy, and all the men and angels in the universe can't do that; they have not power enough to raze3 out the old image of Satan, nor skills enough to draw the image of God upon our souls. This [is] a work of the almighty power and wisdom of God, which is Christ: 1 Corinthians 1:24, "Christ the power of God, and wisdom of God"; Ephesians 1:19, "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power."

There is none else that can fill our hearts with grace: we must receive of his fullness and grace for grace. 'Tis he alone that has received the Spirit without measure: "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:34). He is an infinite vessel; he has enough for himself and for us too, but it is not so with angels. None else can give us spiritual wisdom, for none know the things of the Spirit; and Christ alone can send into our hearts the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to teach us heavenly things.

There is no other vine that we can [be] ingrafted into, that can communicate vital and spiritual nourishment, and, at last eternal life unto us but Christ alone, by whom and for whom are all things, who is before all things, by whom all things consist. There needs an almighty power to give us our natural life, and less will not suffice to give us our spiritual.

There is no one else can conquer our enemies but Christ alone: that can conquer the world; that can triumph over the devil and make a show of him openly, as Christ did upon the cross; that overcame death and break his bands, that can take away his sting, and that can raise us up at the last day.

Or that [can] make us happy when we get into the other world. Christ Jesus is the only source and fountain of true happiness; 'tis he alone that can fill the soul and satisfy it forever.

Christ Jesus is the only complete Redeemer that has worthiness enough, that has power, wisdom, and an inexhaustible fountain of grace, sufficient for our spiritual life here and our eternal life hereafter.

In these several respects eternal life is communicated by Christ:

1. He has bought it for us. If we had not sinned, God would have given us eternal life upon the account of our obedience. But by our sin we have lost it and Christ alone can redeem it, seeing divine justice must be satisfied and it would not have been just with God to let sin go unpunished. Christ so loved the offender that, rather than he should die, He would pay all that justice demanded, and [that] He has done, so that justice is paid and everlasting life is purchased and is to be received, without any money or price, by those that will come to Christ for it.4

2. By preparing a place for them in heaven. Christ having been here on earth and done all that was necessary towards satisfying and purchasing heaven, he is gone to heaven to prepare for those that come to him: to intercede with the Father and plead his obedience, his passion, for them. John 14:2–3, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."5

3. By leading and conducting of them to eternal life, by his Word and Spirit and mighty power. The Scriptures, which are our rule to go to heaven by, are the word of Christ;6 the ministers of the gospel speak nothing otherwise than representing their great master, Jesus Christ. That Holy Spirit by which Christians are led, and guided to heaven, is the Spirit of Christ: he dwells with them and in them by his Spirit. That power by which they, when they have believed, are brought on in the way to eternal life, through all obstacles and oppositions, in spite of all the powers of darkness, is the power of Christ. John 10:28, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand."7

4. By communicating and infusing grace and holiness, which is the principle of eternal life. The spiritual life [through] which the souls of the saints are alive unto God, and do live to him, is the beginning of life eternal. 'Tis the same life, but only in a far less degree. Holiness, love to God, and the love of the saints is the very life of a Christian in this world, and the same is his life forever, but only in its perfection.

Grace and holiness is the same in this world as in the next: but only in this life it is like a spark, but there shall be like a flame; here mixed with much sin, which is the death of the soul, which quenches the exercises of grace as water quenches the fire, but there they shall be pure and undefiled, perfectly free from the least stain of sin. They shall be all life and vigor in the exercises of divine love; there shall be no darkness or dullness, which the best complain of in this world. They shall be active as angels; their souls shall be full and overflowing with an active, sprightly holiness, love and joy.

5. By raising from the dead. The resurrection is four times mentioned in the chapter of our text as a means whereby he will bestow eternal life on those that believe: in the thirty-ninth verse, "And this is my Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." In the fortieth verse, "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." In the forty-fourth, "No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day." In the fifty-fourth verse, "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

The wicked shall be raised, too, but not to life; but theirs shall be the resurrection of damnation. But the true Christian shall rise to life and eternal joy: their bodies also shall partake of eternal life, for it is sown a natural but shall be raised a spiritual; sown in corruption but raised in incorruption; sown in weakness but raised in power; sown in dishonor but raised in glory [1 Corinthians 15:42–44].

6. Christ is the eternal life of the believer. He is the life of the soul in this world, and will be the life of it to all eternity. Christ is all the life that a believer desires or hopes for. When Christ is present the soul is alive, but when absent, it is dead; and when the soul is present with Christ, then the soul enjoys eternal life: Colossians 3:4, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear"; 1 John 5:20, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."

This sermon has been published in Jonathan Edwards, Sermons and Discourses 1720-1723 (WJE Online Vol. 10) , Ed. Wilson H. Kimnach
1. For a later preaching of the sermon, JE formulated a new introductory sentence to be inserted at the head of the textual exegesis: "Our eternal condition is that which infinitely more deserves our care and concern than anything else." ↩
2. The MS originally had neither head number nor indentation at this point; however, JE perceived that it was a division of significance and drew a heavy line before it in the text. Here the inserted number indicates the head's actual place in the structure of the sermon, including the subheads under it. ↩
3. MS: "race." The word "raze" (or arch. "race") suggests scraping as with the blade of a knife, a method of erasure sometimes employed by JE in his manuscripts. ↩
4. In this and the two succeeding heads JE later added amplifications of the material in blank spaces left at the time of composition. The following passage was added at this point:
Eternal life was not bought by silver and gold, and such corruptible things, but by the precious blood of the Son of God (1 Peter 1:18). Christ's life went for ours. So great a thing as eternal life, so infinite [a] blessing, was not purchased by anything but that which in God's sight was of infinite value: even the blood and obedience of his own and only Son. ↩
5. At this point the following passage was later inserted:
Though Christ is in heaven and we on earth yet, and so he is at a great distance as to place, yet he is not unmindful of us but is continually doing for us. He is as it were making ready for those friends of his he expects home to his Father's house. He is preparing things for the reception of his spouse. ↩
6. MS: "and they are the word of Christ." ↩
7. At this point the third of the amplifications was added:
God the Father has committed the care of all the church, of all the redeemed, unto our ascended Redeemer; and it is his care that preserves his people in all changes. He watches over them night and day; he restrains the power of Satan in all his attempts against them; he directs them in difficulties and finds out their way for them; he fights against all their enemies and carries them through all the opposition they make in their way to eternal life.
After this insert, about one third of a page remains blank. ↩