What is eternal life?

Eternal life therefore consists in the knowledge of the only true God, that is of God fully revealed as Father in the Person of the Son, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ as the Sent One of the Father. This divine life is evidently connected with the Christian revelation, as far as this world is concerned, and could not be known apart from the incarnation of Jesus.

Eternal life is the ability to know the Father as the only true God, and to know His Son, Jesus Christ, as His sent One. It is connected with the knowledge of the Father and the Son. Eternal life therefore belongs to the New Testament condition of things, and it belongs to every saint today.

This leads to the explanation of "the eternal life" in question. Life for evermore, life to eternity, is the blessing commanded by Jehovah on the mountains of Zion (Ps. 133); and of the many Jews that sleep in the dust of the earth, some shall wake to everlasting life, as others to shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12). But both these Scriptures contemplate that great turning-point for the earth, the kingdom when it comes in manifest power and glory. The Lord speaks of life as given in Himself to faith now. "And this is the eternal life, that they know Thee, the only true God, and Him Whom Thou didst send, Jesus Christ." If it be distinguished from that which is to be enjoyed in the displayed kingdom by-and-by, it stands as to its character in the knowledge not of the Most High Possessor of heaven and earth, with the true Melchisedec a Priest on His throne, but of the Father and of His sent One, the only true God now plainly revealed in the Son, the one Mediator between God and man. If distinguished from the past, it is no longer the Creator-God giving promises to the fathers protected and lodging as under the shadow of the Almighty; nor yet the sons of Israel in relationship with the name of Jehovah, the moral governor of that chosen nation. But the children of God now possess the revelation of the Father and of Jesus Christ Whom He sent; and this knowledge is identified, not with promises nor government, but with "eternal life," as a present thing in Christ, the portion of every believer. A deeper blessing it is impossible for God to bestow or for man to receive; for it is exactly what characterised the Lord Himself, Who is the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us. Only Christ could be said to be that life; we as believers are not, but we have it in Him; and as by faith alone it is received, so in faith it is exercised, sustained, and strengthened.

In John 17, verse 3, we read: "And this is the eternal life, that they should know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." This Scripture shows that the ability to know of the Son of God and the One who sent Him is the central feature of eternal life. 'Knowledge' in Scripture is the enjoyment of an existing relationship. This is what we will enjoy in eternity; but already now the present possession of this life enables us to have that communion with Divine Persons, with the Father and the Son. This shows the quality of this life ('eternal' life is not just a matter of duration, see the introduction and the section on 'Why is it called 'eternal' life?').

First, we have "life;" and this in the next chapter (v. 23) is expanded into "eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." It is not merely life from another source, but life of an entirely new character and quality; not a restoration of the failed and forfeited life, but a life infinitely higher — a divine life. There is but one life which is eternal, and "in Christ Jesus our Lord" declares its source to be in a divine Person, and now become man. Nor only so, for the force of the expression is precise. It is not correctly given in our common version, but in the revised it is, as I have quoted it. It is "in," not, as the common version, "through;" and "Christ Jesus," not "Jesus Christ." Such differences, minute as they may seem, are in Scripture never without significance. "Jesus Christ" is the Lord's personal name emphasized; "Christ Jesus" emphasizes His official title. It speaks of a place now taken through His work accomplished. In the eleventh verse it should read similarly, "alive to God in Christ Jesus." Again we have it in the eighth chapter, "no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus;" and in the second verse, "life in Christ Jesus." Elsewhere we have "sanctified" and "saints in Christ Jesus," "created in Christ Jesus," "of Him are ye in Christ Jesus," and so repeatedly. Except once — Peter (1 Peter 5:10), no inspired writer uses this order of words, but only Paul. "In Jesus," or "in Jesus the Christ," we are never said to be, but only "in Christ," or "in Christ Jesus." The special force ought to be therefore clear.

You may remark here, that "This is the witness, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." This is the thing witnessed. This is the record (or testimony) that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. It is not in the first Adam, but in His Son; not in man, nor by his works, nor by any means whatever, but it is God's gift. "He hath given," and though we possess the life, it is not properly and intrinsically in us, but IN HIS SON. When we are quickened, the life is not looked at as in us; for Christ says, "Because I live, ye shall live also." It is therefore immutable. If Christ's life, indeed, can in any way be annulled or set aside, then can the life in us be so likewise, and not otherwise. If Christ can die, so can we; but if death has no more dominion over Him, no more has it over us. And this it is that gives the amazing value and most blessed character of this life, namely, that its spring and source is in Christ. It is given to the Son to have life in Himself; John 5:26. And thus He becomes, through grace, our life. For example, my finger has life, my natural life, flowing through it; but the seat of life is not there. My finger may be cut off, though I am not here supposing that a member of Christ can be cut off (which is impossible); but if my finger be cut off, the life still remains in my body, the seat of life not being in my finger. My finger was as much alive as the rest of my body, but the seat of life was not there. The seat of life is in Christ. "Our life is hid with Christ in God." Hence all the character of the life and all the communion flows from the blessed truth - "in his Son." The character of this life is nearness to God. Christ Himself is my life. It is of the last importance for the strength and comfort of our souls, and for all blessed delight in God, clearly to understand what our life is; for our thoughts on regeneration are necessarily altogether imperfect until we apprehend that it is a real life which we have, a life associating us with God's Son, a life not possessed before, and in virtue of which we get communion with the Father, who has given us eternal life - not in us, but "in his Son."

Eternal life and immortality are distinct from each other. Every human being has an immortal soul, and is destined to exist for ever; those, and those only, who are the children of God have eternal life. It is a grievous error to confound immortality with eternal life, and the error ends in denying the real character of both the one and the other. We receive our immortality together with our natural life; we receive the eternal life when we are born again. The one is derived through Adam, and is part of our humanity; the other comes to us from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Everlasting life is here viewed as the end of the wonderful story. In the writings of the Apostle John we find it presented as a present possession of the believer. There is no conflict between these two views of it. That which is ours now in its essence, will be ours in its full expanse when eternity is reached.

"In Him was life." He is the Author of all life, from the highest to the lowest, and in all its forms and phases; but this is no assertion either of the identity of life in all cases, or of the Pantheistic denial of a distinct personality, separate from the Deity, though not independent of Him. The mere brute has an animal soul, — a soul the existence of which depends upon the blood of the animal, and upon the air which the animal breathes. Man also has an animal soul, but he has a rational soul too, in virtue of God's inbreathing into his nostrils the breath of life. Man's soul therefore is immortal, his spirit is imperishable. Indeed all rational beings whether angels or men have an imperishable spirit, i.e. have immortality in this defined sense. Yet scripture does not call this "eternal life." The full import of this term goes far beyond the mere assertion of an endless life. It is a mode and phase of life in us, as we see it absolutely in the Incarnate, but now glorified, Son of God; and for which the only suitable and proper abode is His own immediate presence in heaven. In fact the character of life in men and angels differs. Again, as fallen, men need redemption and regeneration; and surely it will not be denied that the character of life, in virtue of which a man is regenerate, differs from that which our first parents had when first created. Life is not characterised as "eternal life," till manifested in the Son, and eternal life is, in scripture, predicated only of those who are sons, — only of those of whom it can be said that Christ is the "firstborn amongst many brethren." Again, life as given by Christ in resurrection w hen He breathed on His disciples, — a life which has passed through and is triumphant over death, was there in this, nothing new, nothing special and specific, nothing in advance of every spiritual privilege or condition which had gone before? Was there no difference in the spiritual condition of the apostles before and after our Lord breathed on them? Conversion and the remission of sins they undoubtedly had before. Was there no difference in the condition of the believers in Acts 10 before and after receiving the Holy Ghost? Our Lord's baptism by the Holy Ghost was quite distinct from His conception by the Holy Ghost, and so the gift of the Spirit to believers is quite distinct from the operations of the Spirit, whether in quickening souls, prophecy, etc. So little was the latter for their own personal benefit, that we read in 1 Peter 1:12 it was revealed to the Old Testament prophets that their predictions as regards our Lord, were for us, and not for themselves. But spiritual condition, privilege, etc. are dependent on the revelation which God gives, and according to which the faith is formed; it is this which gives distinctive character to the life. As Creator, God is the Father of angels and of men, — in this sense they are His sons; but is there no difference between this and the being made "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4)? or, between this and our being "the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26)? Difference between the Old Testament, saints, as being partakers of the divine nature, and our being the "sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus," is categorically stated in Gal. 4:1-7.

Nothing connected with the eternal life is temporary; very much was done by our blessed Lord in infinite grace for our redemption, and all He did was of course always perfect, but eternal life is connected with the life, which He had with the Father before the world was, which He manifested here according to the writings of the Apostle John. He died, rose and went to the Father and sent down the Holy Spirit that we might have and know eternal life as a present possession. (John 17:1-3; 1 John 5:13.) While in all other writings eternal life is looked on as future, in the writings of John it is shewn as a present possession to be known and enjoyed now. Eternal life is in the Son (not in Christ, though the Son and Christ are the same Person, yet Scripture carefully distinguishes the eternal relationship of Son from the official title Christ), and if we may use very homely language without irreverence, it may be said that eternal life is for us the home life of the Father and the Son, which is now ours since we are children of the Father, and this home life can now be known and enjoyed as a present blessing by the power of the Spirit of God. This life is necessarily outside the things of time and sense, the communion of the Father and Son are all in all there. It must be experienced to be known, no explanation will convey any meaning to the soul, who has not experienced a glimpse of it for himself.