Eternal Life

For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:34-36)

I noticed something more here this morning. A pattern of sorts is emerging yet again. There is a list here of things or privileges or abilities that describe the Son.

He speaks the words of God

He has the Spirit without measure

He enjoys the love of the Father

He has all things in His hand so He lacks no resources

Now here is the stunning truth that most of us struggle to believe.

If we believe (abide and obey), then in Christ we have all of this ourselves.

This is called eternal life.

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3)

In the Hebrew way of thinking, both the word believe and obey were all wrapped up into one concept. Even though the Pharisees were becoming experts at professing religion without having it change their hearts, the original word that in this text is translated one time as believe and the next time is used as obey, is actually the same word. This is the kind of belief that is so rooted in the heart that the actions, choices and life that flows out is consistent with what we really believe and is congruent with it.

Eternal life is often confused to be the life that the saved will live in the future for all ages. But in Jesus' mind eternal life was something very different than that. He viewed eternal life as a vital relationship with the Source of life, not a time period with no end. That is why He repeatedly talked about having eternal life right now. Because any of us can begin to enjoy the eternal life that God is eager for us to experience right now if we will just allow our hearts to believe and embrace the real truth about how He feels toward us and accept the work of the Spirit in us to transform us into becoming like Him.

The New Testament is full of unappreciated expositions on what it really means to be in Christ. Many of them are so stunning that we usually tend to discount them or try to explain them into meaning something different. But when we begin to really grasp and take hold of this seriously and personally we will discover to our utter amazement that we too will speak the words of God, that we will have the Spirit without measure, that the Father is lavishing His love on us personally and that all things are now in our hands because Christ is living within us. This is the very essence and description of what eternal life is all about right here and now.

To not participate in this eternal life is to turn away from life itself. So instead of having the life of Jesus as a living spring welling up inside of us as Jesus talks about in the next chapter, we will find that inside we are containers of wrath as referred to in Romans 2. It all hinges on our personal choice as to what we will do with the offer of real salvation and grace that has been provided for us through Jesus. It is vital that we search and hunger to experience the real thing, that we are not content with the often mistaken descriptions of grace and salvation promoted by popular religions today but that we dig to find out the real truth as it is in Jesus and as revealed in the Word of God.

If we are willing to open our hearts in total honesty before God and ask Him to teach us and heal us, He is faithful to respond to that prayer and to arrange circumstances and employ all of heaven to bring us into a saving and secure relationship with Him. Everything hinges on our choices, how we respond to the offers of mercy, love and reconciliation that are offered to us by Jesus. God wants more than anything to bring us into close fellowship with Himself and His heart. The free choice remains ours to make each day. He never forces us because that would eliminate our ability to love Him.

I will not send away anyone who comes to me. (John 6:37 BBE)