Facets of Salvation #3—Eternal Life

Facets of Salvation #3—Eternal Life

This is the will of my Father, that all those who look on me with respect, and believe in me, will have eternal life, and I myself will raise them up on the last day. John 6:40

Life is more than living, isn’t it? We can exist but not be alive. We can breathe and eat and act, but not really live. What makes the difference? Isn’t the difference in the quality of the life we lead? The better the quality of life, the more alive we feel. But, we must be careful about how we determine quality: According to Jesus, we don’t determine quality by how much, or what kind of, stuff we have. For “life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” “Stuff” includes friends, family, jobs, and church. Having these all makes life better than it would be otherwise. But they don’t make life eternal—full, abundant. What makes life all that it should be? Intimately knowing “the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent” makes life really living. Jesus says this “knowing” is “eternal life.” Having firsthand, experiential, ongoing, unfiltered knowledge of God makes life fully abundant in two ways: First, when God is personally involved with us, the relationship lasts as long as God lasts—eternally; “he is the God of the living, not of the dead.” Second, all of the useful kindness that God extends to us through our fellowship with Jesus is so satisfying that we will not thirst for anything else. We will no longer fear that we will be missing out; nor will we fear loss of any kind.

Lord, again today I joyfully commit my life, body and soul, into your capable and infinitely satisfying hands.