I remember the first time I ever flew in a plane. I cried at the beauty of the world passing below. It gave an amazing sense of perspective as we rushed over the unaware world of miniature proportions. As I look back on that experience, I realize it's a lot like the journey we take when exploring the concept of eternal life.
Throughout my years in ministry, I've noticed that many people, even longtime churchgoers, are confused about what it takes to receive eternal life. It's as if they're viewing it from ground level, missing the big picture that can only be seen from above.
Here's the surprising truth: eternal life is not about what you do, but about what you believe.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes this crystal clear. He says, "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). Notice that Jesus doesn't mention any actions we need to take or rules we need to follow. The only requirement is belief.
But what does it mean to believe? It's not just intellectual assent to a set of facts. To believe in Jesus for eternal life means to be convinced that He can and will give you eternal life the moment you trust Him for it.
Here's another surprising aspect: eternal life begins the moment you believe, not when you die. Jesus says, "He who believes in Me has everlasting life" (John 6:47). It's present tense – you have it now!
And once you have it, you can never lose it. That's why it's called eternal life. If it could be lost, it wouldn't be eternal, would it?
This truth is liberating. It means that your eternal destiny doesn't depend on your performance or your ability to maintain good behavior. It solely depends on Jesus and His promise to give eternal life to all who believe in Him for it.
So, if you've believed in Jesus for eternal life, take heart. You have it, right now, and you'll have it forever. That's a perspective worth soaring over.
This blog is based on "Eternal Life: Believe To Be Alive" by Lucas Kitchen. To see all of Lucas Kitchen's books go here.
I think that believing that Jesus is the Messiah [Christ] the Divine and human Son of God is the gospel message that needs to be believed. Eternal life is the result of believing who Jesus says He is. I'm a free grace guy ,but I sometimes think the message is coming across as 'believe in eternal life and you will be saved. Of course when believing who Jesus says he is ,it's obvious that a person has been convicted [convinced]of their lost and sinful condition [ repentance]and turned to Jesus in saving faith .Acts 26:20.Paul says 'do works fit or in keeping with repentance' he is [Paul]saying 'since you've acknowledged you are a lost sinner and turned To Jesus in faith you SHOULD do works answering to repentance. I don't think it is automatic but should be the goal of the new believer. In salvation verses I believe repentance is just that, an acknowledgement of your lost and sinful condition, not a turning from individual sins or a commitment to do better. My opinion.
Christ is the object and focus for the unbeliever . We don’t believe in eternal life to get that life but believe who Jesus says he is, the Messiah, the Divine and human Son of God. Eternal life is the result of believing who Jesus says He is .
We don’t believe in eternal life to get that life , we believe that Jesus is the Messiah,the Divine and human Son of God. Eternal life is the gift we receive when we believe who he says he is. The object of salvation is the person of Christ not what he promises to those who believe.
Good message. Eternal life is permanent. Otherwise he would not have promised that we would be alive forever.