In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
John writes about eternal life more than any other Apostle in his gospel and the Epistles. We will glean from the scriptures and look at what it says about the eternal life.
Eternal life is the very life of God. This life has no beginning and no ending and is called indissoluble or endless life (Heb 7:16). All other lives are created lives which means these lives have a beginning and an ending.
Man has a physical life by which his body functions, and the vital organs work to keep him alive. There is a soulical life or psychic life within every man and by which he expresses his emotions, intelligence, or reasoning, and will.
Hence, Man lives and expresses himself in this world by using his psychic life and physical life. Since these lives have a beginning and an ending, it shows that man has no control over these lives, and it can end at any time because the control of these lives is in the hand of the Creator.
Lord Jesus said “Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgement but hath passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24.)
God who according to His richness in showing grace to the fallen mankind, He sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to save us from death. In scriptures, there is a physical death that is where this body cease to exist in this world and there is another death which separates the unbelievers eternally from God and living in His presence forever. This is called second death in Bible.”
And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death even the lake of fire. And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14-15).
The second death is also called as lake of fire. The Lord gives unconditional promise to those who believe in Him and God the Father, that they will never be put into lake of fire or hell. This is passing from death and entering life, to be with God forever.
Angels are spiritual beings (Heb 1:14), which makes them compatible to live in the spiritual realm which pertains to God’s dwelling. But still, they do not have eternal life that is to live forever and ever.
They were created beings and have life only as long as creator wants them to have just like mankind. Some of the disobedient spirits will be put into lake of fire which is second death (Rev 20:10, 2 Pet 2:4) because they were not bestowed with eternal life though they live in the spiritual realm.
It is God’s amazing grace shown towards to fallen man offering him the eternal life as gift to all those who believe in Him and His Son Jesus Christ. This is to experience the eternal joy now and spending eternity in the presence of God.
Otherwise, to those who have rejected HIM, they will be eternally separated to spend time in lake of fire which is second death for eternity.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:15)
Eternal life is an expression of God’s life, and it is given as a gift unto those who believe in God. If anybody believes in Him (Jn 3:16), the One and Only True God and Jesus Christ whom He sent (Jn 17:4), he will receive eternal life as a gift from God (Ro 6:23).
The eternal life which is the very life of God, that HE shows forth His character and nature through this life. And when a man receives the eternal life as a gift from God, he is enabled to express himself through this life rather than through his psychic life.
God is love (1 Jn 4:16) and He shows forth His characters of grace and mercy towards us because of the eternal life. Anybody who has received the gift of eternal life can also function and show forth the same character and nature of God in and through his life.
The origin of eternal life is heavenly. Thus, whosoever have received this gift of eternal life will be able to function very naturally as if they belong to the heavens, as this life in operation in the earth is from the heaven.
As heavens rule the earth (Da 4:26, Job 38:33), similarly the eternal life has overcoming nature over physical and psychic lives on earth. Eternal life can revitalise the physical life of a man and can be prepared to be useful to the creator. Eternal life can subdue all natural faculties of a man to live a life pleasing unto God who is our Creator.
Apostle Paul writes to the Galatian church his own experience – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”. (Gal 2:20)
Apostle John writes in his epistle – “And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life”. (1 John 5:11-12)
God has promised this life eternal to those who will believe in HIM and receive His Son Jesus Christ as their Saviour. “In Him (Jesus Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
Whosoever has this life eternal will have the light of God working in them. And this life will steer the lives of all men in the darkened world to walk in the ways of God.
“And the life was manifested , and we have seen it, and bear witness, and declare unto you that life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us : yea, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:2-3)”.
All humans have same kind of life that is why they have fellowship with one another. Animals have different kind of life because of which humans cannot have fellowship with them.
Without the eternal life it is not possible for Man to have fellowship with God. Our communion in offering worship and prayer is only possible if the eternal life is in us.
God the Father and his Son has eternal life. Man does not have eternal life unless he believes in the One and Only True God and His Son. When this gift of eternal life, the very life of God is received it enables the Man to have fellowship with God and his Son.
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