Last week, we discussed what it means to be born again. That it isn’t just about being saved, and it isn’t just about going to Heaven. But it is also about being adopted into a new family, as a child of God. The same discussion can be had when it comes to eternal life.

When I think of eternal life, I think of Heaven, like I would assume most of us would. I think of worshipping God in the clouds and flying around with wings in white robes. Sometimes, I even think about meeting the Old Testament legends like Abraham, Moses, and David. And of course, I think of seeing Jesus face to face, and getting to thank him for all that he did for us.

Whether everything I imagine is really going to happen or not (we may not have wings), there is one thing I am certain of. It will be perfect.

But we don’t have to wait until we die and go to Heaven to experience life, or even eternal life.

We can have it right here. Right now.

What is Eternal Life?

Eternal life is a great thing. It is often misunderstood though. Many understand it to be limited to Heaven. But scripture would tell us otherwise.

““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Jesus was sacrificed for our sins so that we could have eternal life, and not perish. To perish would mean that we suffer complete destruction and die, though we know that everyone lives forever. They go to either Heaven or Hell. Which means that the verse could not be equating eternal life only to Heaven, as it would then be equating perishing only to Hell.

Jesus tells us again later in the book of John, that he came that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Certainly, Jesus did not only mean Heaven when he made this declaration. If there is a “life” and “abundant life”, there cannot certainly be a “Heaven” and a “better Heaven”. The Lord must be referencing something else when He speaks of eternal life.

Once again, the book of John gives us insight.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

Jesus didn’t come so that we could only be saved and brought to Heaven after death. He came so that we could experience eternal life, that is, to know God, and to know Jesus.

“For God So Loved the World”

I think it’s important to backtrack from here. To fully understand and greater know God, we must understand first, how we were able to receive this gift of eternal life.

As John 3:16 explains, ““for God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”.

The reason that we received it, and the how we received it are very different things. We tend to understand the how, and if you read last week’s post you certainly understand it. But many don’t understand that why or the reason that we received it.

It wasn’t because God just wanted to be nice, or because we did anything to earn it. It was simply because he loved us. “For God so loved the world”.

A Relational God

As the church is changing and growing, one thing is becoming more apparent. Everything when it comes to God, is about relationship.

God created man, for relationship (Genesis 1:27).

He formed a people, for relationship (Genesis 15:5 and Jeremiah 7:23).

A Temple was built, for relationship (Exodus 40).

I even heard a teacher explain recently how the Law for formed, for relationship.

At the very end of the book of Exodus, the Israelites were unable to enter the tabernacle that was built, even Moses. Then, the law was given in Leviticus, that eventually enabled the Holy Place to be visited once a year by the High Priest.

Even the Law was made for relationship.

It only makes sense that the Messiah would be brought down for relationship with us, but it makes the sacrifice that Jesus made, a much greater one.

The Sacrifice

When the High Priest would come into the tabernacle on the day of atonement, he would bring a sacrifice. This atoned for the sins of the Israelites, though it clearly never erased the debt. That is why they could never really experience the presence of the Lord, and why they had to follow the law so closely.

Jesus was made a sacrifice for our sins. Only, he didn’t just atone for our sins, he completely erased them.

Sin offends God. He hates it and can’t stand it. He is all good, and anything that is not of him, is not good.

This is why he had to kick Adam and Eve out of the Garden. They had become stained by their sin and had chosen that which offends God. In doing so, they had fallen out of right standing with God.

This is also why the Israelites had to keep the law. Their sin kept them from God, and as his chosen people, they needed to drop the sin, to grow closer to God as his people. Although the law could not be kept completely, when their heart was right with God and they chose him over sin, they were in right standing with them.

Because Jesus came, we don’t have to worry about the law, or worry about offending God. We don’t need to worry about becoming sinless in our flesh in order to win the approval of God. Scripture tells us that we have been crucified with Christ, in that, we are in right standing with him, and can draw near whenever we like. How great is that!

God made relationship with us, not only possible, but easy. Eternal life isn’t something we have to try and try for. We can rest knowing that we have already received it, and we only need to pursue knowing God better every day.

Relationship with God

Eternal Life is already on the inside of you. If you’ve made the decision to ask Jesus in your heart, no question, eternal life is inside of you already. But if you want to experience that eternal life on Earth, before you die and you make it to Heaven, then you need to experience true relationship with God.

But you may be asking, how do I grow in my relationship with God? How do I come to know him?

This is the really fun part! Lean in and learn a few things that you can do to grow in your relationship with your Heavenly father!

Understand Who He Is

The first major breakthrough I had with my relationship with God, was the moment I realized that he was my friend. I had always heard that God was our father, our lord, our helper, but it helped me so much to hear that he was my friend.

This changed our relationship entirely, and it made me realize that he wanted relationship. He wanted to commune with me like a friend. Only, he loved me like a father. This revelation truly changed my life.

For you, it may be helpful to think of him as your father. Maybe your helper. However, you think of the Lord, whichever role he fills in your life, he should always be the Lord of your life.

Learn His Voice

The Lord speaks to us, a lot. Even though it doesn’t always feel that way, he definitely does.

There are many ways that God can speak to us. That makes it very important to learn his voice.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

As the Lord’s sheep, we hear his voice, and we follow him. Try to think back on things that you’ve heard recently. He doesn’t often speak through an audible voice, so think of an inner voice that you’ve been hearing. Maybe you’ve been having lots of dreams recently. There are many ways that he speaks to us, we just have to be still and listen.

For more information on this, read our post here!

Read His Word

One of the biggest ways that the Lord speaks to us, and we can clearly hear him, is through his word.

This is where we get to know the heart of God, and where we meet Jesus. To study scripture, is to study the living, breathing word of God.

This is also where many of us will find the most growth. The word of God changes us and helps renew our mind. These are all great and necessary things for the Christian to do!

It’s safe to say that we should all be getting into the scriptures and into the word of God. Not just so that we can be blessed and become transformed into the image of God, but so that we can experience eternal life in learning more about the Lord!

Final Thoughts

Eternal life is a great gift, in fact, it may be the greatest gift of all! That is, because relationship with God, and getting to know and understand him, is such a huge blessing.

We were made for relationship with him, and he has made it so easy for us to come and draw near. So, dive into relationship with him. Start practicing some of the things we’ve discussed here today!

Don’t believe the lies of the enemy when they tell you that “you can’t be friends with God when you’re just a sinner” or “God won’t love you till you’re perfect”. I can assure you, those are lies, and the Lord has already paid your debt for you. All that you need to do is draw near to him, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).

Eternal life is already inside of you, but walking in that eternal life while here on this earth is up to you.

Receive it and start experiencing true relationship with the Lord today!