Thoughts on Eternal Life

September 8, 2011

Since we were wee lads and lasses we’ve possessed the capacity to quote from memory John 3:16. Perhaps not until a little later did we understand more fully what the verse is saying. We know God loved the world and sent his son and whoever believes in him will have eternal life. The more you revisit the passage from your memory you, perhaps, realize new things each time you read it, at least I hope you do. You’ve reached a point in your life where you’re able to more fully understand the meaning of this verse. As you’ve developed mentally whether it’s from age or studies, you’ve become more capable of grasping the verse more fully.

Maybe I’m just speaking for myself. For so long I had viewed this verse as saying “those who believe in God will one day live in heaven with God forever”, but this…well, this isn’t what John (the author) had in mind when he wrote it.

Like any human being taking up precious room in space and time, we are limited to what we have experienced for ourselves. Because of this, we will read and interpret things through our tiny lens. This is natural. And it’s normal, but it isn’t always the best.

In order for us to understand anything that we see, and more specifically what we read we must first come to a better understanding of what the author intended to say. When we read about early American settlers traveling over to the New World from England in boats, we must not assume they’re talking about the sort of boat you’d see docked in a harbor today. This could lead to further misunderstanding about the settlers’ journey over to America and the evolution of boats in America and around the world. In other words, there’s a chance you will not have an accurate understanding of the settlers’ journey and of boats. You might be thinking “Duh, Daniel! This is simple!”, and that is my point. The concept is simple. But it is sadly and often overlooked when reading things not from 400 years ago, but from more than 2,000 years ago.

When we read a scripture passage like John 3:16, we must not carry our preconceptions about what John is saying into the reading of the text. Grant it, it is impossible to rid your mind completely of assumptions before reading. We make assumptions as a way to protect ourselves and keep things consistent in our minds. I digress. Assumptions can often be a hindrance and it is possible to be mindful of any false assumption we may have.

The word “eternal” itself refers to that which has no beginning and no end. “Eternal” is the adjective describing the “life”. I hate get grammatically technical, but it this very important. The life itself is eternal. The life possesses the quality of eternality. So, in reference to John 3:16 (and many other passages with this same expression), eternal life refers to the life that is given to all who believe. To the audience John was writing to, the term “eternal” was understood as to refer not to the life they looked forward to once they were dead and in paradise, but to the life that was available to them presently through. The life that a person may possess is eternal in that it is the life given through Christ who was “the lamb slain before the foundation of the world”.

What does this mean for the Christian? It means that the life that God gives is a life that will never fade away. This life has the quality of eternity. It is a life that begins now and is not something far off to be hoped for. You have entered into participation with the very nature of God, who is eternal. There is great importance in knowing that it is not a life to look forward, but it is a life you now possess and should take seriously. The grace God offers through His son’s death on the cross is not to be shrugged off. It is not to be cheapened nor overlooked. Dietrich Bonhoeffer had plenty to say about this way of thinking in His book The Cost of Discipleship.

The statement has been made in defense of a commonly held teaching called eternal security or once saved, always saved, “Once you are saved you are eternally secure and saved because God gives us ‘eternal life’”. This is a very important topic to consider. If we apply the Biblical understanding of eternal life – how the audience understood it and how the phrase is used – I don’t believe we find that John 3:16 is a good defense of these doctrines. The reason I say this is because our possession of eternal life is not itself “eternal”, but it is the life which we possess that is eternal. The focus should not be on our possession, since the passages does not describe it as being “eternal”. The focus should be on the life of Christ as being eternal. The phrase is not “eternal (possession of) life” it is plainly “eternal life” – the life that comes from the Lamb which was slain before the foundation of the world. After repeating the same idea three or four different ways, I’m sure you get the point. And I think it’s an important point.

If it is still difficult for you to understand the application of this understanding to John 3:16, and you’re still saying that when a person has “eternal life” it means we are eternally secure and can never fall away from God, I say this reduction ad absurdum: in light of man’s freedom and God’s grace, eternal life is not irresistible. When we "believe", we are not eternally glued to God’s life. If God gives eternal life for us to possess, it does not make our possession of it eternal as well. God’s grace is not an unbreakable adhesive to eternal life, forcing us to love him. If this is a person’s idea of love, he must corrected and shown that this 'love' is actually rape - the forcing of one’s self onto another in the sexual context. If this is eternal life we are much like love bugs during mating season (or whatever). So, when a person is saved by God he has become free, even more free than when he was lost. And, in this freedom, he is not glued and stuck in relationship with God, for he wouldn't be free at all. It is in man's freedom that he is enabled to love God fully. Our possession of God’s life is not eternal; God’s life is what is eternal. Let's try to be a little less anthropocentric and a little more theocentric.

My paradigm shifted. And it continues to shift. My understanding of certain things in the Bible is being refined the more I learn about God and the Bible. No matter how many times you might have read a particular passage you may still fail to understand it correctly and fully. I believe that in seeking to interpret scripture accurately we must possess the correct tools. As in any context, scripture is no different. It is not magic, nor is it always easy to understand.

On with eternity!

D