The Search for Home

Step 72 - Eternal Life John 3:16 “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 οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾿ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Some of the best conversations happen while driving. I don’t know what it is about being on the road, but some of my most significant life conversations have occurred while I’ve been behind the wheel. So on a trip from my parents’ house soon after my wife Kristy and I got married the following conversation ensued . . . “Kristy, I’m so glad God makes promises.” “Promises? What do you mean?” Kristy responds. “You know. Like when God promises to give us eternal life.” “Oh, I don’t like that one,” she says. “What?!” I said in astonishment. (I just about pulled over!) “What could you possibly mean? Would you rather die?” I said. “No, that’s not what I mean. It’s just the thought of living forever scares me. You know . . . on and on and on . . . and on . . . without an end? It frightens me.” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Scared?” I thought. “What’s wrong with this person? I mean, look at the alternative!” I kept thinking. Over time I’ve learned that even some of the best things God gives to His children actually unsettles His children. The classic unnerving gift of God is prayer. We often don’t know what to do with it, but prayer is an incredible gift that brings us into the life and conversation of the Trinity, and perhaps that’s why so many people pray while driving. (Of course, that’s a different conversation.) “Eternal Life,” I thought, “how could it be unnerving?” The more I thought about it the more I realized that living longer is not everyone’s dream. My wife is certainly not like this, but there are some people in our world who are so used to beginnings and endings that it feels unnatural to them to go on forever, and they’re right . . . it is unnatural. Others simply can’t imagine what they would do with all the time. They think of it a little bit like the movie Groundhog Day. Bill Murray learned how to jam on the piano, but he also wanted his time with Punxsutawney Phil to end. So how do we break this kind of thinking? How do we keep our thoughts on the right road? Well, fortunately, God has given us a way, and it’s a way that is surprising to most people. You see, most of us read John 3:16 and think that Jesus is promising that those who believe in Him will live forever. In a sense, that’s true. Eternal Life carries with it the idea that we will live on and on and on, but that way of understanding Eternal Life misses the point. Even those who perish will have an eternal existence. It’s just that their existence will be full of sorrow. Now I hope you’re asking, “What is Eternal Life if its central idea is not living forever?” So here’s the answer: Eternal Life is Jesus’ way of describing our forever relationship within the Trinity. Is it eternal? Yes, but it’s far more than eternal. The words in the Greek are as follows: ζωή αἰώνιοs. Now you’re probably thinking, “Here comes the Greek again! I don’t know Greek.” Please don’t be frustrated. Here are what the two words mean independently: ζωή - life αἰώνιοs - age, eternal When we put them together we get this idea: “life of the age.” “What does that mean?” you ask. It means that God is offering life in the age of the Messiah. Ends up that the Jews were looking for the Messiah to usher in a New Age - a New Time. It was a time of the Messiah’s rule - a time of deliverance. It’s just that when Jesus came He (the Messiah) offered deliverance in a very different way. He offered deliverance from sin. That’s because the main issue in life is not “How do I get more status?” Or “How do I get more material prosperity?” Or “How do we get rid of the Romans?” The main issue in all of life is “How does an unholy person live in the midst of a Holy God?” - as I said in an earlier Step, That’s the crucial issue for all of us. So God sent His Son, not so that we would live on and on and on, but so that we would live on and on and on in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (Messiah). Much, much more can be said regarding John 3:16 and regarding Eternal Life, but I’ll leave you with the following verse so that you have more to think about and in hopes the Jesus Himself will commune with your spirit: John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. See the meaning? He wants to give you Eternal Life, because He wants you to know Him. May God grant you and bless you with an abundant and meaningful relationship.