Eternal Life

Many people are afraid of death. And I wish I could live as long as possible. I believe that the human desire to live longer has become a major driving force in the development of medicine and other sciences. It is said that the First Emperor of the Qin Empire in China was also eager to find an elixir that would give eternal life.

However, the Bible promises eternal life to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

John 11:25:26

 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26  and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after four days of death, these were the words he spoke to his sister Martha. But Jesus also hears us. Do you believe this?

Jesus said that I am the resurrection and the life. Therefore, those who believe in Jesus are made one with Jesus and receive the life of Jesus.

``He who believes in me, even though he dies, he will live'' means that even though he dies physically, it is not the end, but he continues to live spiritually. and

“And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” means that anyone who believes in Him will never die spiritually. That means he has eternal life.

Today, let's focus on the eternal life that is given to anyone who believes in Jesus.

1. It starts when you believe

Many people think that eternal life begins at death, but the Bible shows us that this is not the case. It begins when you believe.

1 John 5:13

 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

The apostle John wrote this letter because he wanted everyone who believes in Jesus to understand that they already have eternal life.

That's right. Eternal life does not come after death. All who believe will receive eternal life when they believe.

Many people think that if they work hard and live a pure and righteous life in this world, they will be recognized as righteous and go to heaven and live forever.

But that's not the case. Eternal life is not given to us as a reward for being clean, righteous, and alive, but it is given to us through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior from our sins. And it has nothing to do with the good things we do. As I always say...

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Salvation and eternal life are received as a blessing. We receive it as a ``gift of God,'' or a present. It's not something we earned through hard work. The Bible describes what we receive in return for something we do as "wages." And what we receive as a reward is not eternal life, but rather ``death.''

Romans 6:23

 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are all sinners before God. This does not mean that we are criminals, but that we have violated God's standards of righteousness and purity. And the result of that sin is death. What we have a right to receive from God is death. Both physical death and spiritual death came into this world through sin. But when we believe in the Lord Jesus, we receive eternal life through faith. We receive it as a gift, not because we deserve it.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about whether you are right or whether you are truly worthy of eternal life or whether you will truly receive it because of your recent Christian life.

The truth is that no one is suitable. All people are sinners before God, and no one can reach God's standard of righteousness. Therefore, no one is worthy of eternal life. Those who humbly acknowledge this and believe that they need a Savior will be given salvation and eternal life by grace. How wonderful!

Therefore, if you believe, you have already been given eternal life. As we read in 1 John 5:13, God wants us who believe to know that we already have eternal life now.

But what I have to add here is that it doesn't mean that we don't care about our doing the right thing or our maturity. It is God's will and plan for us to do good things, be changed and grow like the Lord Jesus. This is clear. However, this is not a condition for being granted eternal life. Those who have been saved can use their salvation as a foundation to do good things and become like Christ.

2. What is eternal life?

John 17:3

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

This is part of what Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified. Jesus said that eternal life is knowing Jesus and God.

When most people hear the word eternal life, they just think of living forever.

But the Bible's focus is not on length. The focus is on who and where you will spend eternity. When some people hear about eternal life, they think they don't want that. I think there are many people who are unsatisfied with their current lives, live a painful life, and don't want this to continue forever, and want to die after living a certain amount of time. But that's because they don't know the eternal life that the Bible promises.

Eternal life means knowing God the Father and Jesus. What does "know" mean? "Knowing" does not just mean gaining mental knowledge of what kind of person God is. Instead, it's about experiencing it. In other words, it means knowing God, experiencing who God is, and living in a close relationship with God. This is eternal life. There is no greater blessing than knowing the God who created us, who loves us with infinite love, and living forever as His children. As Mike said last week, God is also our King. What a great blessing it is to live forever in the kingdom of God, with the all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving God as our king. Moreover, this king is not far away from us or out of our reach. He is the king, but at the same time he is the father. He is the One who loves each of us with great love, and there is nothing dark about Him. He is the light itself. He has no malice, but is full of love, compassion, and grace. Eternal life is to live forever with that person.

It starts from the moment you believe. And when Jesus returns, we will experience eternal life in its fullest form. Right now, we're just at the prequel.

Ephesians 1:14 

who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (the promised Holy Spirit), 

The Holy Spirit is called the guarantee of our inheritance. Guarantee is a Greek word that means "deposit". It is money that you give away before it is paid in full later. The Holy Spirit lives in those of us who believe. And I learned that the Holy Spirit is the same person as the Lord Jesus. In other words, through the Holy Spirit who lives within us, we are able to taste how wonderful eternal life with God is, even now in this life on earth. Through the Holy Spirit, we can know and experience Jesus, and experience close fellowship. You can experience that God is with you. You can experience how much God loves you and the magnitude of His love. That is wonderful, but it cannot be compared to what we will experience when God's kingdom is completed. That's how wonderful eternal life is promised to all of us who believe. Hallelujah!

Think of a time when you were overwhelmed by God's love. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the presence of God, that God is with you? It's a wonderful experience, but what we eventually experience is an even greater experience and blessing.