“What is eternal life?”…Someone once said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but rather spiritual beings having a human experience.” Although the unknown author provides an interesting flip on an old perspective, it rings true in the heart because we know God created us in His image

Genesis 1:26

26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings[a] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[]and the small animals that scurry along the ground."

This duplicity of body and spirit should realign our thinking about who we are and what is really important in life. ……What is important to most people is taking care of Numero Uno (self) before all else. Today is what matters to most, with little thought given to the afterlife. Heaven is for all, and to die is the right-of-passage to heaven. The Bible puts an interesting spin on our eternal situation by saying there are few who will be saved

Matthew 7:13-14

13 "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell (Greek The road that leads to destruction.) is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

These words of Jesus pierce the soul like no other. …The wide-ranging biblical definition of eternal life appears in the Gospel of John wherein the Savior says, “3 And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. “

Jesus defines eternal life to be more than a place we go after this life but a person we come to know now, intimately in this life. Eternal life and Jesus are one and the same, inseparable, and for the believer to possess now while still alive. …

When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it refers to a gift of God that comes only "through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). This gift is in contrast to the "death" that is the natural result of sin.……The gift of eternal life comes to those who believe in Jesus Christ, who is Himself "the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). The fact that this life is "eternal" indicates that it is perpetual life-it goes on and on and on, with no end.…It is a mistake, however, to view eternal life as simply an unending progression of years. A common New Testament word for "eternal" is aiÔö£Ôöénios, which carries the idea of quality as well as quantity. In fact, eternal life is not really associated with "years" at all, as it is independent of time. Eternal life can function outside of and beyond time, as well as within time.……For this reason, eternal life can be thought of as something that Christians experience now. Believers don't have to "wait" for eternal life, because it's not something that starts when they die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Christ.

It is our current possession.

John 3:36

36 And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment."

Note that the believer "has" (present tense) this life (the verb is present tense in the Greek, too).

We find similar present-tense constructions in

John 5:24

24 "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

John 6:47

47 "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.

The focus of eternal life is not on our future, but on our current standing in Christ.……The Bible teaches that it is impossible to unravel or separate eternal life from the Person of Jesus Christ.andJohn 17:3 an important passage in this regard, as Jesus prays,

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Here, Jesus equates "eternal life" with a knowledge of God and of the Son. There is no knowledge of God without the Son, for it is through the Son that the Father reveals Himself to the elect…John 17:6

6 "I have revealed you[a] to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

John 14:9

9 Jesus replied, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?…This life-giving knowledge of the Father and the Son is a true, personal knowledge, not just an academic awareness.

There will be some on Judgment Day who had claimed to be followers of Christ but never really had a relationship with Him.

To those false professors, Jesus will say,

Matthew 7:23

23 But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'"

The apostle Paul made it his goal to know the Lord, and he linked that knowledge to resurrection from the dead:

Philippians 3:10ÔÇô11

10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!"I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead".……In the New Jerusalem, the apostle John sees a river flowing from "the throne of God and of the Lamb," and "on each side of the river stood the tree of life. . . . And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:1├ö├ç├┤2).

In Eden, we rebelled against God and were banished from the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). In the end, God graciously restores our access to the tree of life.

This access is provided through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).……Right now, every sinner is invited to know Christ and to receive eternal life:

Revelation 22:17

"Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life" …How can you know that you have eternal life?

First of all, confess your sin before a holy God. Then, accept God's provision of a Savior on your behalf.

Romans 10:13

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved"

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins, and He rose again the third day.

Believe this good news; trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior, and you will be saved…Acts 16:31

31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household."

Romans 10:9ÔÇô10

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

John puts it so simply: 1 John 5:11├ö├ç├┤13…11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life.

Conclusion

13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life

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