What is eternal life? People want to live forever. They have an innate desire to live. We don't want to die. Most people fear death so eternal life is quite compelling. But, enteral life, according to Christ, is something much more than living forever. Christ had a completely different definition of eternal life:
John 17:3
This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Christ came to provide eternal life and He describes that eternal life as "knowing God." It is clear that in order to live forever you must Know God, but the point of eternal life is not the living forever but the knowing of God. Everyone will live forever. That is a given in God's Word. The only thing to determine is where and how you live forever. Those who don't know God will live forever in eternal damnation and torment. Those who have faith in Christ will come into a relationship of knowing God and live with Him. In Luke 13:27 we read that God will have many coming to Him in their death and claim to have done great things for God. But, His words to them will be, "... depart from Me, I never knew you." Paul tells us in Phillipians 3:10 we read that his goal is to "know Him" (speaking of Christ). In Genesis 3 we see that Adam knew God and walked with God and fellowshiped with God. But, when Adam sinned he lost that relationship to God and became and alien and hostile to God (Romans 8). Our goal in the gospel is to believe in Christ's work so that we have our relationship with God restored. Christ came that we might have life and have life in abundance ... but that abundant life is the knowledge and relationship we have with God through Christ by faith. Get to know Him more today. That is eternal life.
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