“ETERNAL LIFE”. . .
Are we jubilant about the Kingdom life that Jesus offers when our communion with the Father is restored; our spirit is made alive;* and for the first time our soul-hunger can be fully met?
Many Christians are not because we severely misunderstand “Eternal life” in three ways.
1) ETERNAL Life
First is that we emphasize the future aspect of Eternal life (in heaven) and miss the “now” part. Eternal life begins when we are born again and are transferred into the Kingdom of God.
Don’t our evangelistic messages (rare as they are nowadays) often focus on escaping a future hell but leave out an invitation into the wonderful life of the Kingdom of God while on earth?
2) Eternal LIFE
Secondly, “life” in John 3:16 and over 100 times in the NT speaks of a supernatural quality of life, not just eternal existence. The Greek word Zoe, translated “life” (Strong’s G2222), means life that is rich, full, and overflowing.
Zoe is the God-loving, at-peace, overcoming and “like a bird out of a cage” Life that humans were created to enjoy in uninhibited fellowship with Creator God even in the troubles of life. (I use Life when speaking of Zoe.)
The eternal Zoe-Life of John 3:16, and abundant Zoe-Life of John 10:10 are for now. We don’t need to wait for the “Thousand-Year Reign of Christ” to experience the wonders of His Life in us! You can study Zoe at: https://biblehub.com/greek/2222.htm
3) THE ENTRANCE
Thirdly, contrary to popular belief, eternal Zoe-Life cannot be had by “confessing our sins and accepting Christ,” believing the doctrines and obeying the rules of an institutional church under the authority of men, and then trying to avoid bad sins.
We must repent of our rebellion against God and enter His kingdom through the narrow gate where we receive Abundant Life from Jesus; actively live under His authority; are instructed by His Word; are led by His Holy Spirit as we serve Him and pursue righteousness in fellowship with others in the Church that is without walls. Nothing less will sustain us in the Day to come.
Do we portray this wonderful Life of the Kingdom of God in a way that draws the lost to our glorious Lord Jesus who provides it?
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
July 22, 2021
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