31 Jan 2021

The term “eternal life” appears again and again in the New Testament, For instance, in the synoptic gospels, we see this in Matt. 19:16, Mk 10:17, Luke 10:25: 18:18 and in all these, it has to do with the question asked by an individual “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”, directed at the Lord Jesus. Perhaps, in the fourth gospel, the gospel of John, the richest and fullest teachings regarding “eternal life” are found.
John 3:16, the famous verse, speaks of God the Father ..”gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes…may have eternal life”. The term appears in many other parts of the gospel – Jn. 3:36; 4:14; 5:24; 6:27, 40,47,51,54,58,68; 8:51,52l;10:28l,11:26,12:25,50; 17:2,8.
In other parts of the New Testament, the term also is used: Acts 13:46,48; Rom. 2:7; 5:21; 6:22, 23; 2 Cor. 4:17,18; 5:1; Gal. 6:8 2 Th. 2:16′ 1 Tim 1:16′ 6:12; Tit. 1:2; 3:7; Heb. 5:9; 6:2; 9:12,15; 1 John 1:2; 2:17,25; 3:15; 5:11,13,20 2 John 2; Jude 21; Rev. 14:6; 22:5.

Often, we think of eternal life as a life which is everlasting and unending; however, if we restrict this meaning to eternal life, then the wicked also live eternally and by implication, they too have eternal life. Does the term “eternal life” mean the same thing to the believers and the wicked? We know from the Scripture that the wicked would be thrown into eternal fire (Mt. 18:8) and eternal punishment (Mt. 25:46). The devil, the wicked, the fallen angels, the false teachers will have to endure torture that will not stop, day and night, for ever and ever – they are bound for an eternity of black darkness (Rev. 14:11; 20:10; Jude 6,13). Surely the term “eternal life” used in the New Testament and by Jesus has a completely different meaning. We need to know this and to appreciate what the term truly refers to.

The gospel of John represents Jesus the Logos as the origin and means of all life to the world. As the preincarnate Logos He was the source of life to the universe (Jn.1:4). As the incarnate Logos He said His life had been derived originally from the Father (Jn. 5:26; 6:57; 10:18). He then was the means of life to men (Jn. 3:15,16; 414; 5:21,39,40) and this was the purpose He came into the world (Jn6:33,34,51;10:10). The prevailing reference here to ‘life’ is to the activities which are the expression of fellowship and relationships with God and Jesus Christ. These relationships are called “eternal life”. The nearest approach to the definition of “eternal life” is found in John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent “.

Eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ whom God has sent. This knowledge is more than intellectual perception and understanding. It is moral knowledge, it is personal acquaintance, it is fellowship, a contact of personality with personality, an inner affinity, an experience of similar thoughts, emotions, purposes, motives, desires, an interchange of the heart’s deepest feelings and experiences. It is in fact a bringing of the whole personality of man into right relationship with the personality of God. This relation is ethical, personal, binding the two together with ties which nothing can separate. This is certainly more than a mouthful!

It is into this experience that Jesus came to bring men. Such a life Jesus says is satisfying to all who hunger and thirst for it (Jn. 4:14; 6:35); it is the source of light to all (1:4; 8:12); it is indestructible (Jn 6:58; 14:P26); it is procured by personally partaking of those qualities which belong to Jesus (Jn. 6:53). The ‘life’ is in the Son and for those who believe in Him, the Holy Spirit brings about a UNION with Him that makes us a temple of the living God; we are brought through Christ into a spiritual fellowship with the Father in the Spirit. Jesus shares with us His deepest fellowship and relationship with the Father in the Spirit and we are given the privilege of entering into the fellowship of the triune God; we are invited into this intimate ‘inside’ fellowship which rightly belongs only to Jesus with His Father. The One who came down from heaven now returns to His heavenly abode and He invites all those who are His into this wondrous fellowship of the TRINITY. We know from Scripture that the three Persons of the Godhead dwell in perfect, blissful harmony of love, joy and holiness – indeed such a harmony of fellowship and relationship would only be immersed in fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. It is no wonder that those who are given the privilege of entering into this fellowship and relationship would no longer ‘hunger’ and ‘thirst’, for the fullness of all that is possible in the fellowship of the triune God truly and fully satisfies; this is what it means that Jesus truly satisfies.

This is what Jesus came to give us. But some of us still refuse to open up our fists to receive His wondrous gift; we grasp tightly that which is temporary and fading away; we cling to that which does not satisfy at all. Like what was described by C.S. Lewis, we still play in the mud and think that this is the most important ‘thing’ in life when God is waiting to give us the real thing and that which is majestic and awesome. We still wallow in the mud and still believe that this is the best thing in life; God is offering us eternal life in Christ His beloved Son and we still do not see it. Indeed, he who has the Son has life – specifically eternal life!

Eternal life is a present possession and has also a glorious future fruition. It is a present experience and possession to those who exercise faith in Jesus (Jn. 4:10; 5:24-40). Those who exercised this faith immediately experienced this new power and fellowship and exercised the new activities in this vital relationship with God.
This relationship with God and with Christ is in the spiritual realm and the activities arising from this constitutes real eternal life; it is mediated by Christ (Rom. 5:10) and is in Christ (Rom. 6:11); it is the free gift of God (Rom. 623); it is also mediated or imparted to us through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:2;6:9,10). It comes through obedience to the Word (Rom.7:10; Phil. 2:16) and through faith (1 Tim. 1:16); it gives conquering power over sin and death (Rom.5:17,18,21) and is the end and reward of a sanctified life (Rom 6:22).

In Rev. 2:7,10, the crown of life is promised to those who are faithful unto death and it refers to the realisation of all the glorious possibilities that come through fellowship with God and the Son; it is in fact referring to the glorious possibilities that come through eternal life – it is the reward of the fullness of life’s possibilities hereafter.