For so many of us, it's tempting when we hear of eternal life just for us to only think about the place we go when we die or when Jesus comes back. But just look at this beautiful definition from Jesus of eternal life in John 17:3, which says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” There's no mention of health, prosperity, family, occupation, or something that only kicks in when we die one day or when Jesus comes back.
Instead, it's a picture of a life of full access and intimacy, and relationship with the creator God that's brought about through faith in the saving work of Jesus. Jesus’s work on the cross reconciles us and invites us into transformation. Through the work of the Spirit, we are made more and more into the men and women that we were originally created to be. We become men and women that are loving, joyful, peaceful, and patient, not through our own power, but through the work of the Spirit in us. It just so happens that those men and women live forever with God.
This life to the full with Jesus is not this life of blissful ignorance or a turning of a blind eye to the hardship and pain of this world, and it's not simply just letting pain roll off our shoulders like it's no big deal. It's an understanding that in the midst of our situation, our setbacks, and our failed expectations, we have a relationship with the one who has overcome it all. We have to remind ourselves of this beautiful, abundant life that is available for us in Jesus.
Discussion/Reflection Question: How does John's definition of eternal life compare to what you typically think of?
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