Eternal Life

I’ve been pondering eternal life lately. I came across John 17 where Jesus gives us the definition of eternal life. For everyone who calls themselves Christians and expects to enter into eternal life, I want to examine the scripture and see what eternal life is and how one actually receives it. 

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:3 NIV

After reading this definition we can see that eternal life is about knowing God and knowing Jesus Christ. If that is the case, then this is something that we are to begin to obtain in our lives now. We are to start living in this promise on this earth, not after we die. In 1 John 2 we are told how to walk this out in our lives. 

 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

1 John 2:24-25 ESV

In 1 John it says let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. Here is a question for you, what did you hear from the beginning? Personally, I didn’t hear the true Gospel, the one Jesus preached. I heard a different version, not that there is more than one version of the gospel. There are people who preach watered-down gospel messages to motivate the masses to respond in the way they want them to respond, not necessarily the way God wants them to respond. Those deceived by watered-down messages do not learn that they must abide in Him and that abiding in Him is a choice one must make each and every day. This is where I challenge you to dig into the Word and find out if you are really abiding in His truth or in man’s opinions of His truth. 

10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:10-12 ESV

How do you know that you believe?

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:1-5 ESV

23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

John 14:23-24 ESV

We see a lot in these 2 sets of scripture. In 1 John 5 we see that if we truly believe the Gospel Jesus preached then we will love God and obey his commandments. In John 14 we see God will make His home with us. When He makes His home in us it is because we have willingly chosen to obey His word. He will then produce His love in our lives. We will love Him and His children the way He wants us to love Him and His children. Our ultimate goal is to learn how to love in the way He says to love and not the way that culture, society, or man says we are to love. When we love in the manner in which He shows us to love, we are abiding in Him. So, we need to examine how God wants us to love each person, because His way of loving others is not the world’s way nor it is our culture’s way of loving others. It is HIS way of loving others. The way we learn to love is by reading the Bible everyday and learning how He loved His children. Then asking Holy Spirit what each person in our lives needs and how we should love them according to His instructions.

I want to look at one more thing in 1 John 5:1-5

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:1-5 ESV 

I want to look at verse four. This word overcome is something that we can accomplish only through the grace of God. Our flesh alone is not able to overcome the world, we need God’s grace. In Titus 2 it says God gives us grace to say, “No” to sin. 

11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Titus 2:11-14 NIV

Jesus talks about the people who will enter into the kingdom of heaven being conquerors in Revelation 2 and 3. We need to examine the scripture on becoming overcomers of the world and the way Jesus’ puts it, conquerors. In Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus rebukes, corrects, and encourages the churches by giving them promises for whoever has ears to hear the truth and whoever conquers the deceptions of the world. The deceptions of the world cause us to choose sin, which is disobedience to God. Below are 4 of the encouragements Jesus gives to the churches in Revelation. 

The word conquer means - to successfully overcome (a problem or weakness)

The word overcome means - succeed in dealing with (a problem or difficulty).

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Revelation 2:7 ESV

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

Revelation 2:10-11 ESV

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Revelation 2:17 ESV

26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Revelation 2:26-29 ESV

We can see clearly it is important to learn to conquer, to be overcomers, so that we can enter into eternal life. We must learn how to conquer with His help. As you dive into scripture you will see that it is sin you must conquer and that you can’t abide in Him and continue to sin. If you do not learn to conquer sin you will not enter into eternal life. 

2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:2-10 ESV

You may be like me, I didn’t know how to stop sinning in certain areas of my life.  I was desperate to stop but couldn’t. An example of this in my life is that I couldn’t control my mouth. I was so desperate that I finally asked the Holy Spirit to help me. I had to be obedient to what He told me to do. Obedience to what He told me to do is where I received freedom. By His power and His grace and my obedience to Him I have learned to conquer what comes out my mouth!

In conclusion: Eternal life is the ability to know God, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. We are to live this life on earth right now if we call ourselves believers in Jesus. The way we know we are abiding in Him is by obeying His commandments:  loving God and loving people.  

During this process, we are to overcome this world and become sin conquerors.  

To see more on living this life check out Repentance, Obedience, and Grace