What is Eternal Life?

Short Answer Version

There are two meanings for “eternal life” of which you should be aware. One pertains to longevity, and the other to quality of life.

Jesus offers life that is not only everlasting, but also full of what the Bible calls “spiritual riches”.

When you receive Jesus into your heart and trust Him for your salvation, you obtain the QUALITY of life that is eternal. The quality of eternal life is not measured based on duration. It is measured in characteristics, such as beauty, positive feelings, spirituality, and hope.

We could also note that the quality improves when we experience heaven, and taste things positive beyond our imagination, and other things such as being pain free, worry free, and anxiety free. When it comes to life on earth, by faith we can experience these things more and more by drawing near to God, exercising our faith, and using the tools proclaimed in scriputure for applying abundant life.

We also receive the QUANTITY - forever life, with a beginning and no end. For God it also means having no beginning, if you prefer a dictionary definition. For God it also means having no beginning, if you prefer a dictionary definition.

Long Answer Version

When you ask Jesus into our life, His Holy Spirit ''regenerates'' you from within. That means He makes you spiritually born anew. At that moment you begin to have the quality of eternal life inside your being. It is a better quality of life than before being born again. You might feel something at that time, or you might not feel any different. But, eternal life has begun.

Jesus said that unless you are born again, by the Spirit, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Conversely, by comparing the thought with similar scriptures, you'll see that if we are born again, we can see the kingdom.

Jesus also said ''I am the way, the truth, and the life''. To find Jesus is to find life in its highest form and let that life be planted within us.

If you have a chance to read the book of Ephesians, in the New Testament, it will give you a deeper understanding of the details. Among other striking statements, Ephesians says, ''He has given us [believers] all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ.'' That is a powerful promise, straight from the Bible!

Sometimes the quality aspect is experienced as a ''foretaste'' of heaven. The Bible describes being enlightened, tasting the heavenly gift, sharing in the Holy Spirit, and tasting the goodness of the word of God and of the powers of the age to come. These kinds of verses speak to the quality of eternal life we can experience.

The heavenly quality of life is like a seed that starts small when you first believe in Jesus, and then grows getting better and better. We need to water and nourish the ''seed'', for it to grow and become a beautiful thing to enjoy in our lives.

Before long, we see it is not merely a seed, but a new nature blooming within us. That is the result of being born again.

It is up to us to allow Jesus to enlighten our lives more and more as time goes on and let Him rub off on us as we spend time with Him. This allows the new nature to grow and mature within us.

Having ''the quality of life that is eternal'' in us stems from having the Holy Spirit in us. It comes from the Holy Spirit growing a new nature within us that exudes His eternal quality of life. This not only brings riches that are spiritual, but many emotional, physical, and relational riches we can enjoy.

God gives us the gift of faith if we ask Him. That way we can talk to Him like a friend, get to know Him, grow in Him, and see His resources open up to us. Ask for faith to believe these things about eternal life, and see what happens over time.

Eternal life, is also continuation and growth of that spiritual quality of life after our bodies die, yet without the encumbrances of the body.

In the next life, all the faith we have built remains, along with our consciousness, and good character instilled in us by the Holy Spirit since new birth.

We will leave our physical bodies behind. The apostle Paul, said these things demonstrating the process:

''For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.''

and

''We (believers) are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.''

These things echo an assurance that even though, we stand before Jesus, at ''the judgment seat of Christ'', we will receive good. It will be based on the things we have done on earth, such as believing in Jesus and living in relationship with Him.

We will have built on Jesus as the foundation of our lives. Therefore, we will become victorious and purified like gold, silver, and costly precious gems.

The New Testament says more in many places about eternal life in God's kingdom. For example, it is our ''blessed hope'', and it is ''an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled. It will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.''

Having the quality of life that is eternal does not make believers immune from the negative things happening in the world. Those aspects of life remain. But, the lives of believers contrast with those unbelievers who are in darkness.

Those without God in their hearts do not have the assurance of hope. They have no loving Father, Savior, or Comforter to bring well-being to their hearts and minds. They do not have the practical promises in scripture.

Examples include, experiencing perfect peace by keeping our minds stayed on God, receiving wisdom from above when we ask God for it, being cleansed from all unrighteousness when we confess our sins to God, and receiving supernatural abilities, giftings, and all the blessings of the heavenly places in Christ.

The concept of everlasting life was first introduced in the Bible by King David in the 23rd Psalm when he said, ''Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.'' This was not just about David, but written for others as well.

Isaiah first used the word ''everlasting'' pertaining to God's people, in chapter 35: ''And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads.''

Perhaps the most famous scripture is found in John 3. I'm quoting from verses 14 to 16 to illustrate the connection between ''everlasting'' and ''eternal'': ''So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.''

Believers ransomed by the Lord, will have eternal life in quantity that is everlasting, as we dwell in the ''house of the Lord'' forever.

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Do I Need to Do Something Extra To Be Saved?

Short Answer Version

The good news is that believing in Jesus will get you saved all by itself. Remember that the work Jesus did on the cross is the thing that saves you, and faith (believing) is the only thing necessary on your part.

It is a common occurrence for an organized group of well-intentioned Jesus followers to add something else to the good news. Don’t get too confused or upset if you are exposed to people like that.

Obviously, if someone tells you that you must believe in Jesus and then do something wacky, like jump up in the air three times, you can probably tell that they are adding something to the free offer Jesus gives.

Sometimes it is not so easy to tell whether to do the extra thing or not. But it IS easy to know that the extra thing someone tells you is not something you must do to become saved.

Long Answer Version

According to the apostle Paul, salvation is a gift we cannot earn, that we access only by faith, and even faith is not from our own ''steam'', it is a also gift from God. An old quote that was eventually turned into a hymn put it this way: Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.

As simple as this message is, many believers find it difficult to accept, because our societies are so full of messages to the contrary. They present religious messages of following Jesus that violate this principle of salvation by grace through faith alone. There are also counterfeit messages of salvation based on fear and works used by groups such as cults. Even certain well-accepted Christian denominations de-emphacise grace through faith, and emphacise long hard work to get into heaven, or to keep from losing one's standing in God's eyes. These teachings are not what God wants people to believe.

Sometimes people who stress works salvation cite scriptures that they fail to interpret correctly. For example, one scripture passage says we will be saved if we believe in Jesus and also confess with our mouths that He is Lord. But the first part of that statement, involving believing, is the one and only requirement for being saved. The rest is just what saved people do. It is not a second requirement for getting into heaven.

When people tell you that in order to be saved, you must do certain good works, it can be an honest mistake. It can be caused by misunderstanding the Bible passage, as well as ignorance of the best ways to know how to interpret Bible passages. While it might not be a condition of being saved, it is likely something that is still good for you to do if it supports believing in Jesus.

When you see a scripture verse that seems to add something to believing in Jesus, you might not know that at least ten other verses say that believing is the only thing is necessary. So the verse should be interpreted in light of the other verses. The best interpretation of a passage is usually the one that does not conflict with other scriptures. In another section, we cover things in the Bible that appear to be contradictions. But avoiding poor interpretation is a very powerful way to rule out many of the seeming contradictions.

The example of seeing believing and confessing Jesus as two conditions is not merely poor interpretation. It is also illogical. In fact it is called an ''association fallacy'' in the field of logic. The mistaken interpretation is illogical, and therefore contrary to the reasonable understanding of the passage. Common sense enters into the picture too. It cannot be true that saying something out loud is an extra thing we must do to be saved. Surely, a person without speech ability is not disqualified from salvation because they cannot confess with their mouth.

Anyone who gets saved is more than likely to inform other people about Jesus as Lord out of sheer enthusiasm. Just keep in mind that if a person believes, they are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross alone.

“Grace” is like giving love or a gift to someone who doesn’t deserve it. God has grace so we receive his love and gifts when we don't deserve them. In the original New Testament language, "grace" and "gift" have the same root word. A further definition of grace, is ''undeserved love'' or ''unmerited favor.'' None of us deserve His gift of salvation. That is what makes it so special. With God, faith is enough. Even faith is not an action that earns our salvation. It is an act of receiving. God gave us as a gift, the ability to receive Him.

Let's say I handed you a check for my life savings, which I earned through decades of hard work, and you simply reached out your hand and took it. Would that act of accepting the gift be the work that earned the money? Obviously not.

Some people, even whole religions, believe we get into heaven by doing good works, thereby earning our way. The great news is we don’t do good works to get saved, but we do them because we ARE saved. We are so thankful for His salvation that good works just naturally flow out of us.

It is a privilege to do good works. If someone says, ''unless you do good works, along with believing, you won’t be saved.'' Don’t listen to them. But do lots of good works anyway because it makes God happy when we do. (And, by the way, it does not make God unhappy when we don't do good works.) So, when we have opportunities to do good works, we should do so with delight. If we really understand the free gift of faith, we will see that with it comes the free gift of wanting to do good works out of love in this world.

If you can’t get to Heaven by working, neither can you prevent yourself from getting to Heaven by not working. This is a sensible concept. There is nothing extra we must do to be saved. Thereby failing to do something extra cannot disqualify us from salvation once we believe.

Some well-intentioned believers will tell you it is not enough to believe in Jesus as your Savior to receive entrance to heaven, you must also believe in Him as your Lord. Those people are a little off base. But they are telling you to do something that is very worthwhile.

When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, it means you let Him be the pilot of the ''airplane'' you call your life. You admit He is higher than you, and you trust Him to lead you. It is in every way good to accept Jesus as not only your Savior, but also your Lord. Everyone would benefit from it. There is never a downside to doing it.

Believing in and treating Him as your Lord, is the appropriate thing to do and will bring much blessing to you. So, do it even if making Him your Lord is not required. It is not a good work that saves you. The good work of Jesus your Lord saves you. He is called ''the author and finisher'' of our faith and salvation.

He starts your salvation by giving you new birth spiritually. Then He finishes it throughout your life by developing a rich friendship with you making you a better, more spiritually in-tune person. The more you recognize Him as your Lord, the better your life will be.

There are many other variations of the error that adds something to the good news. Some are pretty wild, more so than jumping up and down, which is not really a thing. It was a joke. You are excused from all kinds of weird gyrations people say will make you saved. Just believe in Jesus and don’t accept any counterfeits.

For new believers, it is common to wonder if they could disqualify themselves from salvation by sinning too much, avoiding good works, lacking faith, being angry at God, or even turning their backs on Him. My response is always ''Why would you want to?'' I went through this fear when I was a new believer. I didn't know all the reassuring scriptures that would have calmed my worries.

If you believe in Jesus for salvation, understand that a part of the package is His ability to save us from our own unwise or self-destructive thinking. He is always there working in us who believe in Him, even if we are trying to work out our own salvation and seemingly failing to do so.

Jesus gave us the Parable of the Sower. In it He compares three types of people that hear the good news of salvation in Jesus. He does this with the illustration of a ''sower'' (a person trying to grow crops by scattering seeds). Three types of ground represent the three types of people who hear the gospel. The seeds on hard, rocky ground do not grow because the ground is bad. The seeds that fell among thorns and thistles grew quickly, but the plants were choked out by the weeds right away. The weeds represented the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. But the seeds that fell into fertile ''good ground'' grew and fluorished producing a harvest. The point is it is not the works we do, but the kind of ground we are that determines our reception to the good news. I think Jesus was getting people to want to be ''good ground'' for the seed of the gospel, so the seed would take root, grow deep, and provide much abundance in our lives. It is very wise to apply our hard work before we are saved, by preparing our ground to be fertile and nourishing to the seed of the gospel. Even that is not work that earns our salvation, but if there is any most important work to be done, it is the work of wanting and preparing ourselves to become good ground.

A person preparing themself to be good ground for the seed of the gospel, should try to be a willing follower. Jesus said we must first count the cost. A person who exemplifies good ground may someday experience suffering, loss, or death for their faith. It is best to be willing from the beginning to face these things for Jesus. None of us really know what we would do if such a time comes, but maybe we can be mentally prepared from the start.

The apostle Peter said: ''brothers and sisters, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.'' In a sense this means that even if we believe we were called and elected by God to be saved, we should do the work of making sure in our inner selves to walk in our calling and our new identities as saved believers.

Similarly, the apostle Paul said, ''Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? With these things in mind, every believer should strive not to ''neglect so great a salvation''. This appreciation of their salvation is a healthy practice as believers. In the same passage, the point is made that we ''must give more earnest heed to the things we have heard.'' This is good advice, no matter what else happens.

Two Covenants

We should not be confused with the Old Testament passages that show believers as having to work their way into God's favor. Those messages were given to show that no matter how hard a person tries, they cannot fulfill the Old Testament laws. Prior to the first coming of Jesus, God stressed to His people in Israel that they were being held to a very high standard to live in righteous ways. This was part of the Old Covenant that God made with Moses and his followers. When Jesus came God initiated a new covenant with us, one of grace, not laws.

Jesus brought light to this plan of God when He said, ''Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill them.'' That means He did the work to fulfill all the requirements of the Old Testament law, and He substituted His righteousness to replace our unrighteousness in the Father's eyes. In Ephesians 2:14-18 of the Bible, the apostle Paul attributes this to Jesus' work on the cross. In all these things and more Jesus fulfilled the predictions and teaching of the Old Testament prophets.

The Old Covenant focused on overcoming in life by increasing in righteousness by devotion to following the Law of Moses. The New Covenant teaches salvation by grace, through faith. Before Jesus, the scriptures taught living holy lives and obeying the law. It was a different covenant that God had made with people long ago. It was true that dedication to living a life of good works produces blessing, love, good character, and happy lives on earth. But God knew people would repeatedly choose to reject the principle, and fail to remain faithful to Him. It was because the law pointed out their sin and they rebelled by sinning.

The New Testament backs this up, in many passages. For instance Romans 3:20 says ''because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law a righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe''. It is amazing that faith in Jesus Christ results in God's righteousness being put inside us who believe.

Jesus proclaimed at the Last Supper that the new covenant, was based on His blood (a word picture synonymous with His atoning death that earned our salvation). Jesus announced this new covenant just days before He died for our sins.

After taking the step of believing in Jesus, if you notice you are not perfect in this area of loving others and wanting to good things for them, know it is a common experience, but ask God for His help by the Holy Spirit to give you more love and motivation to do good. Ask Him to energize you to grow into that kind of a person by His transforming new life in you.

''Blessed Assurance''

An old hymn says ''Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.'' Some denominations believe in having what they call ''assurance'' from the Holy Spirit that you are saved. The Bible says ''The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God''

We can know by the assurance of the Holy Spirit that we are born again. But even if we don't feel anything, it is by faith, not feeling that we are saved. If you ever wonder if you are truly saved, just remember that you believe in Jesus, and that it is the only thing necessary. Believe in Jesus. Love Him and do things pleasing to Him. Jesus loves you too much to let you down.

Just a reminder, even though you can tell Jesus every day that you believe in Him, you only have to make the decision once and then you are saved. You don't need to worry that you will lose your faith, or your belief is waning. You don't need to be concerned that you must exercise saving faith over and over. These are not healthy thought patterns. Jesus taught us not to fear about our salvation after we believe.

The time when a person probably should be seriously afraid of missing salvation is in the beginning, before they decide to Believe in Jesus. But, after they receive Jesus as their Savior, they have good reasons to stop fearing for their eternal life.

Remember God is FOR you. He always gives us the gift of faith as we go to Him for it, even the gift to believe in Jesus for the first time. Thereafter, we can never truly lose our faith, or run out of faith, no matter how we feel. He can easily grant us more faith, and restore faith we think we might have lost, when we ask Him.

Be at peace in knowing that God is loving, patient, helping, and in control. Look to Him for spiritual assurance that your salvation is real and permanent. Trust in Him to deliver on His promises.

Believe in Jesus as your Savior, and you WILL be saved. Then start living thankfully knowing the goodness of Heaven awaits you.

Here is a menu with lots of great information that might help you decide to become a follower of Jesus.

If, as a result of viewing this website, you decided to believe in Jesus as your Savior, please click here for next steps.

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