Eternal Life: A Present Tense Reality or a Future Hope?

One of the most famous Bible verses in the world and the one that is usually used to present the gospel is….

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

If you were to ask the majority of people who have been saved over the last 100 years how this verse was explained to them, they would say that God loved me so much that he sent Jesus to forgive their sins so they can go to heaven someday.

That is a beautiful truth, that we will spend eternity in the presence of God, it is just not the whole truth. 

In Jesus’ high priestly prayer, he gave us a very clear definition of eternal life.

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3 NIV

The key to understanding what Jesus is saying is in how we interpret the word know, in the Greek this word has two distinct meanings.

1) The attainment of knowledge.

Think of how an anthropologist studies the origin of the Egyptians. They study historic documents, unearth ancient ruins in an effort to discover any kind of fact or data that might help their search. 

2) Experiential knowledge.

Think of a young couple in love, they are on a different kind of discovery because the goal is not facts but intimacy.

God describes his nature as love and love can only be expressed through the context of an intimate relationship.

One of the best ways to study the Bible is to simply see how a word is used in other scriptures. So, let’s look at how the Bible interprets the word know.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” Genesis 4:1 NKJV

In the NIV the word knew is translated “made love”, it is describing an intimate relationship where two people become one.

In Luke chapter one when the angel Gabriel tells Mary she is going to give birth to the son of God she did not doubt the possibility, she just wanted to know how it would happen.

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” Luke 1:34 NKJV

Again, if you look at the NIV the word know is translated as being “a virgin”.

It’s not that Mary didn’t know facts about her betrothed Joseph, like his birthday or his father’s name, no, what she was saying is that she had never been intimate with a man.

When Jesus is describing eternal life, he is describing what happens in the new birth where your spirit and his spirit become ONE. Inseparable for all eternity.

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. John 17:22-23 NKJV

Just take a minute to look at this through the lens of God’s nature. Since his nature is love and love can only be expressed through an intimate relationship, why would he make you wait until you die to be one with him?

Satan understands that the key to receiving from God is abiding.

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

The root word for abide is to be one with. Jesus’ blood was shed to take away the barrier that   came between God and man and restore his original design for intimacy. Because of Jesus, you are forgiven, restored and made new, all so that you can abide (be one with) and experience the abundant life that God planned all along.