What is Eternal Life?
What is Eternal Life? |
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Short Answer Version There are two meanings for “eternal life” of which you should be aware. One pertains to longevity, and the other to quality of life. Jesus offers life that is not only everlasting, but also full of what the Bible calls “spiritual riches”. When you receive Jesus into your heart and trust Him for your salvation, you obtain the QUALITY of life that is eternal. The quality of eternal life is not measured based on duration. It is measured in characteristics, such as beauty, positive feelings, spirituality, and hope. We could also note that the quality improves when we experience heaven, and taste things positive beyond our imagination, and other things such as being pain free, worry free, and anxiety free. When it comes to life on earth, by faith we can experience these things more and more by drawing near to God, exercising our faith, and using the tools proclaimed in scriputure for applying abundant life. We also receive the QUANTITY - forever life, with a beginning and no end. For God it also means having no beginning, if you prefer a dictionary definition. For God it also means having no beginning, if you prefer a dictionary definition. Long Answer Version When you ask Jesus into our life, His Holy Spirit "regenerates" you from within. That means He makes you spiritually born anew. At that moment you begin to have the quality of eternal life inside your being. It is a better quality of life than before being born again. You might feel something at that time, or you might not feel any different. But, eternal life has begun. Jesus said that unless you are born again, by the Spirit, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Conversely, by comparing the thought with similar scriptures, you'll see that if we are born again, we can see the kingdom. Jesus also said ''I am the way, the truth, and the life''. To find Jesus is to find life in its highest form and let that life be planted within us. If you have a chance to read the book of Ephesians, in the New Testament, it will give you a deeper understanding of the details. Among other striking statements, Ephesians says, ''He has given us [believers] all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ.'' That is a powerful promise, straight from the Bible! Sometimes the quality aspect is experienced as a ''foretaste'' of heaven. The Bible describes being enlightened, tasting the heavenly gift, sharing in the Holy Spirit, and tasting the goodness of the word of God and of the powers of the age to come. These kinds of verses speak to the quality of eternal life we can experience. The heavenly quality of life is like a seed that starts small when you first believe in Jesus, and then grows getting better and better. We need to water and nourish the ''seed'', for it to grow and become a beautiful thing to enjoy in our lives. Before long, we see it is not merely a seed, but a new nature blooming within us. That is the result of being born again. It is up to us to allow Jesus to enlighten our lives more and more as time goes on and let Him rub off on us as we spend time with Him. This allows the new nature to grow and mature within us. Having ''the quality of life that is eternal'' in us stems from having the Holy Spirit in us. It comes from the Holy Spirit growing a new nature within us that exudes His eternal quality of life. This not only brings riches that are spiritual, but many emotional, physical, and relational riches we can enjoy. God gives us the gift of faith if we ask Him. That way we can talk to Him like a friend, get to know Him, grow in Him, and see His resources open up to us. Ask for faith to believe these things about eternal life, and see what happens over time. Eternal life, is also continuation and growth of that spiritual quality of life after our bodies die, yet without the encumbrances of the body. In the next life, all the faith we have built remains, along with our consciousness, and good character instilled in us by the Holy Spirit since new birth. We will leave our physical bodies behind. The apostle Paul, said these things demonstrating the process: "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." and "We (believers) are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him." These things echo an assurance that even though, we stand before Jesus, at "the judgment seat of Christ", we will receive good. It will be based on the things we have done on earth, such as believing in Jesus and living in relationship with Him. We will have built on Jesus as the foundation of our lives. Therefore, we will become victorious and purified like gold, silver, and costly precious gems. The New Testament says more in many places about eternal life in God's kingdom. For example, it is our "blessed hope", and it is "an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled. It will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Having the quality of life that is eternal does not make believers immune from the negative things happening in the world. Those aspects of life remain. But, the lives of believers contrast with those unbelievers who are in darkness. Those without God in their hearts do not have the assurance of hope. They have no loving Father, Savior, or Comforter to bring well-being to their hearts and minds. They do not have the practical promises in scripture. Examples include, experiencing perfect peace by keeping our minds stayed on God, receiving wisdom from above when we ask God for it, being cleansed from all unrighteousness when we confess our sins to God, and receiving supernatural abilities, giftings, and all the blessings of the heavenly places in Christ. The concept of everlasting life was first introduced in the Bible by King David in the 23rd Psalm when he said, ''Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.'' This was not just about David, but written for others as well. Isaiah first used the word ''everlasting'' pertaining to God's people, in chapter 35: ''And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads.'' Perhaps the most famous scripture is found in John 3. I'm quoting from verses 14 to 16 to illustrate the connection between ''everlasting'' and ''eternal'': ''So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.'' Believers ransomed by the Lord, will have eternal life in quantity that is everlasting, as we dwell in the ''house of the Lord'' forever.
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