Eternal Life—Now!

When you think of eternal life, do you think of something far in the future? Something we will only have once we are in heaven? I think most of us think this way.

But did you know that is not how Jesus talks about it?

He said:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

John 5:24

“Hath” is the old-fashioned way of saying has. It talks about a present possession. We see this also in the last half of the verse where Jesus said such people have already passed from death to life.

Who has this happened to? Who already has eternal life?

Are they the super good people? Or ones who progressed so rapidly that they have obtained eternal life now? No. Jesus described them as those who hear his word and believe in him. That’s it. Everyone who takes Jesus at his word and trusts that he gave his life as a ransom for them has eternal life right now!

Jesus doesn’t add any other requirements. He doesn’t say only those who keep his commandments will have eternal life. Or those who better themselves. Or whatever. He talks about believing in his saving work. Period.

Eternal life, according to Scripture, is living with God.

Through faith, we can live with God right now. Right now, you can have his wonderful presence. Right now, you can be assured that God is well-pleased with you and won’t reject you. You can have all this because Jesus reconciled us to God. Right now, you can have a wonderful life with God. By raising Jesus from the dead, God was, in a sense, notarizing the fact that Jesus accomplished everything he set out to do.

Jesus didn’t just conquer death to bring us back into God’s presence to be judged. He conquered death so we could live in God’s presence now and for all eternity. Through Christ, you can have eternal life RIGHT NOW!