Robert Houk Hitchcock

John 3:16
   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

   The true riches to life are within this one verse.  It tells the story, the real story to life:  God, His Son, and eternal life.  Life is spiritual, and this verse tells the truth, the whole truth of God's redemption of man by His Son, Jesus Christ.
 
John 17:3
   And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

   This is life eternal, and this is the purpose (the end result) of life: that all men might know the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only TRUE God, and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom God sent to the world.

   Man had no choice in being born.  That was his or her parents' choice.  Finding oneself alive in this world, man inherits the condition of all men from Adam:

Ephesians 2:12
   That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

   All men inherit the condition of being without God.  Now I realize that a believer's children are "sanctified" until they reach their age of accountability to believe on their own, but they do reach that age.

   Man without God is not complete.  He is actually totally empty, spiritually speaking.  Now we know that men fashion replacements for the true God in many different ways, but none of these ways can fill men with spirit.  Only by acquiring the new birth by God's Word can ever fill the emptiness spiritually.

Romans 3:22-23
   Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
   For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

   Sin is at the root of man's separation from God, and all have sinned, every one.  Not one has not sinned, and thus, not one can approach salvation on his own.  Man needed a savior, man needed salvation, and God accomplished this through His son, Jesus Christ.  There is just no way to get around needing a savior.  No matter how sharp someone might be, no matter how kind, no matter how generous, no matter how educated, no matter how physically fit, there is no one that could avoid sin, and thus there is no one who doesn't need God's Salvation.

Romans 5:12
   Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

   It was by one man, Adam, that sin entered into the world, and by reason of fact of being born into the world as a man, death has passed upon all men.  That is the condition of all men.  How does a man remedy himself from that?  He can't take a pill.  He can't work two jobs to do that.  He can't volunteer his way to it.  He can't beg for it (well, he could, but that wouldn't acquire salvation.)  He can't do anything about it except one thing: Believe God's Word.
 
Romans 10:17
   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

   Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  A man cannot believe something that he does not know about.  He cannot acquire something that he does not know is available.  Man's starting point for salvation ALWAYS has to be the Word of God.  ALWAYS.  This is the starting point, and this is the contact point for salvation.  How he hears it is not important, but THAT he hears it is all important.  How can he hear the Word of God?

Romans 10:14-15
   How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
   And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

   The answers to the questions are obvious.  They can't call on someone whom they have not believed upon.  They obviously cannot believe in someone of whom they have not heard.  And they clearly cannot hear without someone telling them.  This is the order of salvation, isn't it?  Someone has to SPEAK God's Word, so that someone else may HEAR God's Word, so that they may BELIEVE God's Word, and that they might CALL UPON the name of Jesus Christ for their salvation wholeness.

Romans 10:9-10
   That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

   To confess is to call upon.  We confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead.  How'd we hear about that one?  Someone spoke God's Word.  Maybe it was Mom, maybe it was Dad, maybe it was a minister, maybe it was a friend, but you heard it, and you believed it.

   That's the formula for salvation and eternal life.  With the heart man believes unto righteousness.  Isn't righteousness what all men are LACKING?  Sure.  With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  Isn't salvation what all men NEED?  Absolutely!  It is one thing that man CANNOT DO ON HIS OWN.

Mark 8:36
   For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

   There are a few men throughout time that have gotten a pretty good chunk of the whole world.  Big men, men of the world, and they seem to have it all.  Except they don't, of course.  God never put salvation on sale to men: it is a free gift acquired only by believing.  Man can no more approach God on his own than he can walk to the moon.  He actually has a better chance of the walk because there is no way at all to God except His Way, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:3-4
   For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
   Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

   This should come as no surprise after having read John 3:16.  God so loved the WORLD, (that is all men collective) that He gave His only begotten son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE.  God's Will is salvation for all of man and it is available to all of mankind.  One only needs to believe on God's Son, and they have eternal life!

   Just how long is eternal life?  Those that are natural men just don't see the big picture.

Psalm 49:6-13
   They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
   None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
   (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
   That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
   For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
   Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
   Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
   This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings.  Selah.

   There are many who view this life on earth as the real thing, the only thing.  They are so shortsighted that this earth and this life are all that they can see.  As a matter of fact, their inward thought is that all that they have worked for and acquired is going to somehow live on forever.  They name streets, cities, and even entire nations after themselves.  They think they have got it made and it's going to continue on and on.  They even pass this foolish notion to their posterity: for their children believe this folly, too.  You know plenty of people like this: they live for themselves and they live for today.  What they can get is all they are ever going to get.  They can't get eternal life until they come to God's Word.

   This life is only a moment, really an almost immeasurable amount in the eternal scale of time.  Men seem to measure time on their own clock, the clock of each generation being born and growing up and taking over, and that's about all the further they see.  It's terribly shortsighted.  How many people know who their great great grandparents were and what they accomplished?  Few.  That's only 4 generations and they are already forgotten.  Men's vision is really shortsighted, but we have our sights on ETERNITY.

   That which all men need is God's Salvation.  That salvation was brought to pass over 2,000 years ago by a man from Galilee, the Lord Jesus Christ.  God sent His Son into the world that all men might believe on Him.  God is Love, and God is light, and he sent His salvation to all men.

John 14:6
   Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

   Jesus Christ, alone, is the way to the one True God, His Father.  His birth, his sinless life, his death, his resurrection and his ascension paved the way for all mankind to come to the Father.  Salvation wholeness is totally available to all.  This salvation is complete and there is nothing more for man to do, except to believe.

I John 2:25
   And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

   God's promise is faithful and sure: the end result of our faith was eternal life.  It's something you have, and it's something that you cannot lose.  It's a lot better than having a road named after you.

I John 5:9-13
   If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
   He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
   And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
   He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
   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 made every provision to make available salvation to all men.  It's what all men need and it's up to man to decide what he's going to do about it.  We have believed on the name of the Son of God, and know that we know that we know that we have eternal life.  If someone wishes to argue with God's witness, that is his or her choice, but it's not a wise one.  God's record clearly states that He gave His only begotten Son.  He that hath the Son, hath life.  Eternal life.  It's what all men need.