Eternal life is one of the distinctives of Christianity. It, eternal life, is one of the unique features of Christianity: God bestows life eternal on all who believe in Jesus, the Son of God (John 3:16, 36). It would however be incorrect to think of eternal life as the primary result of belief in Jesus. Instead, eternal life arises out of right relationship with the source of life, the Lord.
Much of the apostle John's writings deal with the theology of eternal life. In his Gospel, he defines eternal life: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3)." John's clear and divinely-inspired definition of life eternal is straight-forward and wholly reliant on relationship.
In this sense, eternal life is the result of relationship with the Lord, of truly knowing God. God is the source and giver of all life. Therefore, when we are in right relationship with Him, meaning that we live in Him, then naturally it follows that we will be living life eternal. In reality, eternal life is not a future, post-death state but begins at the moment of conversion and continues throughout our fleshly lives carrying us into eternity with Him.
Contrasting eternal life is eternal death. If eternal life is defined as knowing God, eternal death would be defined as the antithesis, not knowing God. This supreme lack of life that is based on the lack of knowing God is the result of separation from the Lord, characterized by a life of unrepentant sin. More direct would be to refer to this separation as eternal damnation. Hell.
Hell, then being understood as eternal death by separation from eternal life, is a matter of relationship in knowing the eternal Lord. Thus hell should not be thought of solely as punishment for a life of sin, rather, hell is the culmination of a life that refuses relationship with the Lord. Making the choice to refuse the Lord is the cost of love.
If we were not able to choose against God, then we would be unable to choose to love Him. But since God so loves us, He gave us the ability to choose or neglect Him. He loves us enough to let us deny Him or neglect His affection. Hell then is God's ultimate show of love. Why would an all-good loving God pull sinners kicking and screaming into His presence when they refuse it? Instead, the Lord gives humans the freedom to refuse His love and to deny any relationship, resulting in eternal death.
Ultimately, eternal life comes as a result of a right relationship to the Lord. Thus, when we believe unto Jesus as the Son of God, we are blessed to enter into relationship with God. As result of this relationship we are given eternal life. Eternal life is a gift based on our knowledge of God. Let us then press forward to know the Lord and be blessed by eternal life in Him!
No comments:
Post a Comment