Eternal Life
A common myth in Christianity is that the “eternal life” offered by Jesus Christ begins primarily after we leave this earth. Despite the prevalence of this understanding in Christian circles today, its theology is far removed from that of the Bible writers. We must, like them, understand that eternal life is for the here and now.
The word “eternal” in the Bible is used both quantitatively and qualitatively. We tend to be very fixed on the quantitative definition of eternal life: life that goes on forever - perpetual life. We ignore the qualitative definition of eternal life: newness, fullness, wholeness, completion, empowerment, etc. “Eternal” describes the quality of the life. Outside of the English language, it is a rich and multi-layered word.
Throughout the New Testament, the word “eternal” should be mainly understood in the qualitative sense. The idea that the Bible writers primarily intended “eternal life” to refer to existence beyond the temporal is entirely false. The Bible writers were not fixated on escaping their present reality in order to find comfort and solace in the shadowy beyond. Rather, it was quite the opposite: the eternal, heavenly life of God had invaded their reality. Jesus, the eternal life Himself, came to earth. The eternal life made available in Jesus allowed them to live victorious lives in the present, thanks to the empowering reality of the Holy Spirit. Hence, John writes about eternal life as a present reality for believers.
John 3:26 (NIV) “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
John 5:24 (NIV) “‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
John 6:47 (NIV) “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.”
1 John 1:2 (NIV) “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.”
1 John 5:11 (NIV) “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
What is “eternal life?” It is an intimate knowing of the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, as the Lord Himself says in John:
John 17:3 (NIV) “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Eternal life is Jesus Himself, who has the healed separation between God and man. Through the cross, the Lord restored humanity’s ability to experientially access God’s presence. For the Jewish people (and the Bible writers), life is God’s presence. To be absent from God’s presence is to be living in death.
A rejection of God’s presence is what had historically brought death upon humanity. There was no sin (and no death) before Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Sin and death entered the world after their decision to willfully pursue life separated from God. Christ, the second Adam, abolished the mistake of the first Adam. The cross completely destroyed the power of sin and death by restoring humanity’s ability to access the presence of God. The entire earth awaits the subjective experience of the cross’ victory over darkness. Day by day, we step further into the fullness of what Jesus already has accomplished on the cross. The Church is learning, growing, and maturing as a spiritual body. One day, humanity will no longer experience sin, decay, or death. He is presently working in and through His people to usher in this glorious Day.
Eternal life must be interpreted in the context of first-century Jewish expectation. The Jews, per the prophetic promises, were awaiting a ruling king who would topple Roman oppression and establish the kingdom of God on earth. Crippled Israel, still in “exile” under Roman imperial rule and bound to a lifeless religious system, would be restored to its former glory among the nations of the earth, or so they had hoped.
Instead, Jesus Christ came with a spiritual mission. He came to heal spiritual death, which would in turn bring life in all other realms - the physical, emotional, communal, etc. His life, crucifixion, and resurrection healed mankind’s relationship with God, allowing us restored access to His presence. He healed the spiritual death of the Jewish people, whose relationship with the Father had long been overrun by religious pretense, meaningless ritual, and oppressive legalism. The coming of the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, on both Jews and Gentiles, fulfilled God’s promise to the prophet Ezekiel: the dry bones of Israel would rise and live again (See Ezekiel 37:1-14). Death, the consequence of mankind’s sin, had been vanquished on the cross. Life abundant, enabled by restored access to the presence of God, had now become available. The kingdom of heaven had come!
Eternal life, the present reality of heaven, is the core of the gospel message. Paul writes about eternal life as an ever-increasing present reality, which will continue (not begin) in our life beyond this life.
2 Timothy 1:9-10 (NIV) “He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
Galatians 6:8 (NIV) “Whoever sows to please their flesh (pre-Christ nature), from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Eternal life is within us, coursing through our veins. It is the living water of the Holy Spirit, who brings life and God’s power to anything and everything we do.
John 4:13-14 (NIV) “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 7:38-39 (NIV) “‘Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he (Jesus) meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive…”
Jesus is alluding to the fact that the Holy Spirit is the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy concerning a living spiritual water that would later flow in and through the people of God. Just look at some of these promises!
Isaiah 12:3 (NIV) “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
Isaiah 35:6 (NIV) “The lame will leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”
Isaiah 44:3 (NIV) “For I will pour water on the thirsty land (Israel), and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplars by flowing streams.”
Ezekiel 47:9 (NIV) “Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.”
Eternal life is wholeness and completion found in the presence of God. It is His life, which is a current reality for all believers. It is an experience of God’s glory that begins now and will continue forever and ever. Let us lay hold of this eternal life and allow His river of living water to flow freely in and through us.
