Eternal Life Defined
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3
What is eternal life? Some would say it means living forever. While that is true Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God. Us knowing God is at His very heart. Jesus did not come to hand out rules and principles to live by or show us how to get to heaven. Nor was Jesus some great teacher. He came to give so much more. He came to restore something to us that was lost at the very beginning when man disobeyed God.
When Jesus came to earth He came from the heart of the Father. Everything Jesus said, did, and was completly reflected the heart of the Father. One day Philip a disciple of Jesus asked Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus said in response, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not come to know me, Philip?” John 14:8 Jesus was not saying to Philip that He was the Father but that he so reflected the Father that if you saw Jesus you would also see the Father. Jesus said that He only did those things which He saw the Father doing. Jesus did not operate seperate from the Father but in unity with Him.
In John 17 we find Jesus praying first for His disciples and second for those who would believe later down the road. In that prayer Jesus states that eternal life is knowing them. Read through the prayer and you will see that it’s his heart that we share in the same relationship that Jesus had with his Father. Jesus prayed that we would be one with He and the Father.
This relationship Jesus desires is much more than going to church attendance once or twice a week. This relationship should touch everyday of our lives. Jesus wants us to learn to hear his voice… yes, God does want to talk to you and relate to you on a personal level.