The Answer to This Question Will Last Forever, So Let's Get It Right!
The words "Eternity" and "eternal" are concepts that require our imagination to fully understand. Eternity is "eternity," meaning "time" without beginning or end. The word "eternal" suggests "forever," something or someone that has existed and has been around forever and there is no record of a beginning, and it seems as though there will be no end, that "it" will exist forever. Again, "eternity" and "eternal" are concepts. No human was around in the beginning, and no one has lived long enough to see the end. But "eternal life" is the most important topic and the subject of human existence. Because it "lasts so long," there is no bigger or more important subject than "eternal life." So, let's say we all agree that eternal life is extremely important... how do we get it and when does it begin?
John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES in Him shall not perish, but have ETERNAL LIFE.”
Matthew 19:16 - "And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain ETERNAL LIFE?”
Eternal life does not "begin," but we can "join." "Eternal life" will never have a beginning and it won't begin for you, or me, or anyone for that matter. Eternal life is something we receive, it's something we join in on and partake in.
John 10:28 - “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
We all get eternal life and it's something we are all subjected to, we really don't even get a choice. The question important question is, "where do we want to spend eternity, and when does it begin?"
John 17:3 - "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
Eternal life is something we can't control or manipulate, it just is. We have two places we can spend our eternal life; heaven or hell. We will all receive eternal life, we actually have it right now, at least going forward.
Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I believe we will all exist forever, and we all will live forever without end. The real question is, where will you spend your eternity and your eternal life?
John 6:47 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life."
I want to spend eternity with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit along with all His angels and the SAINTS. Don't you?
Matthew 25:46 - "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the RIGHTEOUS into ETERNAL LIFE.”
Strong’s translation and Biblical use of the word “Eternity”: Eternal and everlasting, a realm without beginning or end, a realm which always has been and always will be, never to cease, it's perpetual.
John 6:47 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life."
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, His greatest and most cherished so that WHOEVER BELIEVES in His Son will receive eternal life.
Luke 18:30 - “who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
"Eternal life" means FOREVER. Is there another subject more important to mankind? No, there is not!
1 Thessalonians 5:23 - "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
For our purposes here the term "Eternal life" is connected to the word "salvation." "Salvation" determines where one spends eternity. "Salvation" is receiving complete peace with God through Grace.
1 John 5:11 - “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”
Essentially, God has given to us eternal life through the resurrected Christ as a free gift to receive. He did it all, which includes providing us with total HEALING, complete HEALTH, and full restoration of our entire Spirit, body, and soul!
Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
If our "eternal life" is tied to being "saved," then you should ask, "what is "saved?" What does being "saved" mean, and how is one "saved"?
John 10:10 - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
In the Biblical sense, being "saved" is associated with the word "Salvation," which according to the Bible is the eternal gift of God through Jesus Christ to all those who believe in Jesus.
1 John 2:25 - "This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life."
Strong’s translation of the word “Saved”: To save or make whole, heal, and “be whole.” According to Strong’s, the Biblical usage of the word “saved” is to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment, or to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance.
1 John 5:11 - "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."
“Saved,'' according to Strong's, also means “to save,” keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction, saved from injury or peril.
1 Peter 2:24 - "who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
"Saved" means to save a person from suffering or from perishing from disease, to “make well,” to “heal, and restore to "full health.” It also means to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue.
Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Strong’s translation of the word “Salvation”: Help, deliverance, health, and welfare. According to Strong, the Biblical usage of the word “salvation” is as follows: Something saved, help, aid, victory, deliverance, and prosperity.
Ephesians 3:20 - "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
As we read and study and soak on the word of God and meditate on terms like "eternal life," "eternity," and "salvation," we come to realize how much God loves us. His grace and mercy have no boundaries.
Titus 2:11 - "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,"
God has given us TOTAL HEALTH, TOTAL HEALING, and the FULL RESTORATION of all things INCLUDING ETERNAL LIFE SPENT WITH HIM, in HIS PRESENCE, FOREVER.
Colossians 1:13 - "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son," This is eternal life....
To study, meditate, and soak in all of the "Eternal Life" Scriptures, click on "Next Page" below.
About the Author:
Craig Rogers
Grace Coach
Craig Rogers has been a Christ-centered leader in the...
Craig Rogers has been a Christ-centered leader in the behavioral health industry for the past 25 plus years. Craig Rogers is an...
