Eternal Life

Some time ago, I wrote a blog in Macedonian about how to obtain eternal life according to the Bible and it seems to have attracted significant attention particularly in the Ukraine. I have no idea if a Ukrainian can understand much Macedonian, but perhaps there are enough similarities in the language to grasp the gist. As I write, my thoughts will come to me in English, but I will also refer to some of the material from that previous blog.

The past few weeks have witnessed the exit of several renowned 'players' who have graced this earthly stage. I am sure you have seen the famous quote of David Bowie circulating the net: I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring. Time and time again people claim we cannot know what is on the other side as no one has ever returned from there. That is not strictly true. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, came from there, eternity, to tell us how it is and what is required of us to enter. Yet we happily ignore His words and insist we cannot know. Or, as others claim, death is the end; eat, drink and be merry while we are alive! It is quite a gamble to throw this question to the wind and hope for the best at the end. Countless theologians and intellectuals have skillfully argued for the existence of eternity and I have always enjoyed following their line of thought, but my personal conclusion for the immortality of the soul is simply this: we know too much!

C.S. Lewis, a writer who influenced me greatly as a young Christian, astutely points out in his Reflections on the Psalms how we appear to have been made for another world:

We are so little reconciled to time that we are even astonished at it. “How he’s grown!” we exclaim, “How time flies!” as though the universal form of our experience were again and again a novelty. It is as strange as if a fish were repeatedly surprised at the wetness of water. And that would be strange indeed; unless of course the fish were destined to become, one day, a land animal.

One little illustration from the life of a fish may not convince many, but it illustrates the principle of the human knowing too much. Deep down we know there has to be something better. Why do we long for it if doesn't exist in another place? The Bible tells us that God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The way to eternity starts with God. Those who seek Him wholeheartedly will surely find Him, as Jeremiah the prophet writes. 

The God who created us for eternal existence sent Christ to the world as the 'express image' (Greek charakter, German Ebenbild) of His being/substance to bring us redemption and enlighten our darkened minds. His words are the highest authority on the subject of eternal life. The following list of verses is by no means complete, but will shed some light on what the Lord actually said about eternal/everlasting life in John's Gospel:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:24

And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. John 6:47

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

These are tall claims I hear you say. Why should we believe in this Jesus? Who is He?

That could be the topic of another blog, but I will borrow ex-Muslim Hazem Farraj's words from his book Mohammed, Jesus and Me where he describes who Jesus is:

All the authors of the Earth can’t write enough about Him. All the paper on the earth can’t hold everything written about Him. All the ink in this world wouldn’t be enough to explain Him. His words are forever established. His throne is forever immovable. His kingdom is forever eternal.

This is my Lord.

He loves patiently. He loves gently. He does not envy. He does not boast. He is not proud. He is not rude. He is not self-seeking. He is not easily angered. He keeps no record of wrongs for us who know him. He does not delight in evil. He rejoices with the truth. He always protects. He’s always trustworthy. He never, ever fails. His love is indescribable, and His grace is always sufficient.

This is my God.

He is a good God. He is a good Father. He is a good Savior. In Him, we live, in Him we move, in Him, we have our being. There is no religious leader like him. There was never anyone close to being like Him, and never will there be anyone to the likes of Him. He didn’t appoint any successors: He only appointed sons and called upon friends. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is omnipotent. He is omniscient. He is omnipresent. He is the only one who has loved us and loosed us from our sins by His blood. He alone is worthy of our worship. He is the great Lion and the gentle Lamb. He is the humble servant and the victorious King who triumphs over all. The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. For His is the kingdom; and His is the power; and his is the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

He turned water into wine. With a little boy’s lunch, He fed the five thousand. He turned darkness into light. He turned disease into health, and He brought the dead back to life; for He is the resurrection and the life. He is the mediator between God and Man. He is the only worthy High Priest. He is the image of the invisible God. He is Prince of peace. He is the light of the world. He swallowed up death forever and brought shame to shame itself. I love Him because He... He first loved me.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. The subject of who Jesus is cannot be contained in any library or even in this world. When we come to know Him through faith, it becomes crystal clear that eternal life is in no other person or thing!

The Apostle John assured his readers that eternal life is a promise to those who believe in the Lord:

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:11-13

Eternal life, then, is obtained through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Faith is the belief that He died to redeem us and restore our broken relationship to God. Only He can give eternal life because He has defeated death and is risen from the dead. If you feel far from God, repent of your sins, draw near to Him in faith and receive eternal life.