Eternity Begins Now
Mathew 6:10
Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 12:50
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Eternal life can be thought of as something that Christians experience now. Believers don’t have to “wait” for eternal life, because it’s not something that starts when they die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Christ. It is our current possession.
John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” In John 5:24 and John 6:47, explained that the focus of eternal life is not on our future, but on our current standing in Christ. The Bible inextricably links eternal life with the Person of Jesus Christ.
John 17:3 is an important passage in this regard, as Jesus prays, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Here, Jesus equates “eternal life” with knowledge of God and of the Son. There is no knowledge of God without the Son, for it is through the Son that the Father reveals Himself to the elect
(John 17:6; 14:9).
This life-giving knowledge of the Father and the Son is true, personal knowledge, not just an academic awareness. There will be some on Judgment Day who had claimed to be followers of Christ but never really had a relationship with Him. To those false professors, Jesus will say, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23).
The apostle Paul made it his goal to know the Lord, and he linked that knowledge to the resurrection from the dead: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10–11).
In the gospel book of John 3:16, seems like everybody knows that verse from a young age, yet I believe it has really been the bedrock of our knowledge of salvation. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
As true as this is, this verse is saying that the real purpose of Jesus coming to this earth and dying for us was so that we could have everlasting life. It just so happened that our sins were a barrier that stood between us and this everlasting life.
It is true that Jesus did die for our sins, and it is true that if we believe in Jesus, we will not perish, but there is much more to the Gospel than that. The real message of the Gospel is that God wants to give you everlasting life. Now let me explain that.
The night before His crucifixion, Jesus was praying, and He said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ” (John 17:3).
This says that everlasting life is knowing the Father, the only true God, and knowing Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. That’s what everlasting life is. Many people think that everlasting life is living forever. Well, every person lives forever. It’s a misconception to think that when a person dies they cease to exist. The spirit and the soul go back to God. The body decays in the grave. The truth is, every person who has ever lived on the face of the earth will continue to live in spirit form. So, to say that eternal life is living forever is not the whole truth—everybody lives forever. This verse makes it very clear that eternal life with God is not automatically given to everyone.
Some people would say, “Eternal life is living forever in heaven versus living forever in hell.” But eternal life is just what Jesus said in John 17:3—to know God and Jesus Christ. It’s more than intellectual knowledge. The word “know” is used throughout Scripture to describe the most intimate, personal relationship that you can have.
The real purpose of salvation is not living forever in heaven, as great as that will be. The real purpose of salvation is to have intimacy—a personal relationship with the Lord God. There are multitudes of people who have cried out to God for the forgiveness of their sins but have never had intimacy with God as a goal.
By not explaining the real purpose of salvation, we are doing a disservice to the Gospel. When we present salvation as something that deals with just spiritual things that will only benefit us in the future, in eternity, we are not helping people. There are some people who are living in such a literal hell right now on earth. Many are depressed, living in poverty, dealing with strife, rejection, hurt, and failed marriages. People are just trying to survive day today. They are just trying to keep their heads above water. By making salvation something that deals only with the future, many people put off that decision because they are too busy just trying to survive today.
The truth is that Jesus not only came to affect our eternal destinies so that we can live forever in heaven in blessing instead of the punishment and curse of hell, but Jesus also came to deliver us from this present evil world (Gal. 1:4).
Jesus came to give you intimacy and a personal relationship with God the Father today. Jesus came to bring you back into a close, personal relationship with Him. Jesus loves you. Jesus wants to know you personally. Jesus wants to give you a quality of life that is greater than anything you could obtain through any other source.
Jesus put it this way in John 10:10: “The thief [speaking of Satan] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” (brackets mine). God wants to give you eternal life. God wants to give you abundant life, and I believe that you need that today—that you want that. Christ died not only to forgive your sins but to bring you close to him. If you don’t know the Lord, you need to know Him for that purpose. If you’ve already been born again, you need to go beyond just getting your sins forgiven and enter into everlasting life with the Father.
One of the most assuring truths from God is that He has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Eternal life is a gift Jesus offers everyone. It is a gift that allows us to experience abundant life in the now, while we’re on earth, and in the future when we’re in heaven. Here are three things the Bible says about eternal life:
1. Eternity begins at salvation
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.
Eternal life is the unending, indestructible life of God. It begins when we profess our faith in Jesus and is to be abundantly experienced and enjoyed in this life and in heaven.
2. You can experience the hope of eternity in your daily life
John 4:14 – but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
Eternal life is not just a feeling or a thought, it is the person of Jesus. Truly beholding Jesus means putting your faith and trust in Him every day. Life can be hard, but the Word of God is always right and is meant to give you peace and hope in the midst of difficulty.
3. You have the promise of living with God forever
1 John 5:11-13 – And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in the Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Everywhere the river of life goes it brings healing and restoration. There is always hope when we are connected to Jesus. Regardless of our present circumstances, we can rest in the fact that eternal life is a promise from God.
FACTS ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE
A. The purpose of the Gospel is eternal life (John 3:16).
B. Eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3).
C. Knowing God is an intimate relationship (1 Cor. 6:16-17).
D. Eternal life is available now (1 John 5:12).
E. God wants a personal relationship with you (Rev. 3:20).
1. Read John 3:16. What was the purpose of God sending Jesus into the world? JOHN 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
2. The biblical usage of the word “know” means to have an intimate, personal relationship with a person (Gen. 4:1). What kind of relationship does God want from us? GENESIS 4:1 – And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD
Read John 17:3. What is eternal/everlasting life, according to this verse? JOHN 17:3 – And this is life eternal [eternal life], that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ .
3. Read 1 John 5:11-12. According to these verses, when does eternal, or everlasting, life begin?
1 JOHN 5:11-12 – And this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
4. Read John 10:10. What kind of life did Jesus come to give us? JOHN 10:10 – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
1. John 3:16. What was the purpose of God sending Jesus into the world? To save the world, giving all who believe on Jesus everlasting life by removing sin’s penalty
2. The biblical usage of the word “know” means to have an intimate, personal relationship with a person (Gen. 4:1). Read John 17:3. What is eternal/everlasting life, according to this verse? Eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ (not physically but intimately)
3. 1 John 5:11-12. According to these verses, when does eternal/everlasting life begin? When we receive the Son (Jesus Christ) into our lives
4. John 10:10. What kind of life did Jesus come to give us? Abundant life!
How can you know that you have eternal life?
Repentance
One needs to turn away from wickedness, and worldly pursuit of vainglory.
Genuine repentance comes from the heart that sorrows for sin. Who is not delighted to live in sin, the person who loathes sin and live in truth and righteousness. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11
Baptized
Then accept God’s provision of a Savior on your behalf. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). And whoever believed and is baptized is will be saved
Baptism is a process of accepting Jesus died and resurrected for our sins so we have to be part of this process by passing through the water as a symbol of his death and resurrection Mark 16:16
Faith in the Lord Jesus.
We need to put our faith in Jesus for our daily provision and protection not following the world process of livelihood and way of life. But following the way of life Jesus has provided to us.
But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Acts 3:6
And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction. Romans 3:22
Confession of Jesus
You must become a witness to Christ proclaiming his good works to people and inviting people to accept Jesus in the lives. Bringing the gospel to the people, teaching them to observe what Christ taught us. Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9 –10
Self Assurance
Anyone who followed these processes will have the assurance of salvation which can bring peace to his life and allowed him to partake of the heavenly provision that brings peace to the heart and makes one to ready for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:19-21