Without Jesus, life is totally meaningless! (Eternal Life)

From the heart of Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible Teacher & Expositor. The gift of eternal life comes to those who believe in Jesus, who is Himself “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). The fact that this life is “eternal” indicates that it is perpetual life—it goes on and on and on, with no end. Eternal life functions outside of and beyond time, as well as within time. For this reason, eternal life can be thought of as something that believers experience now. We don’t have to “wait” for eternal life, because it’s not something that starts when we die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Jesus. It is our current possession. How do we know? We read, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). The emphasis is on the present tense, “has.” We find similar passages in John 5:24 and John 6:47. The focus of eternal life is not on our future, but on our current standing in Christ. Scripture, links eternal life with the Person of Jesus in a way that’s impossible to separate. John 17:3 is an important passage in this regard, as Jesus prays, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Here, Jesus equates “eternal life” with an intimate knowledge of God and of the Son. There is no knowledge of God without the Son, for it is through the Son that the Father reveals Himself to the believer. This life-giving knowledge of the Father and the Son is a true, personal knowledge, not just an academic awareness. According to the testimony of John, it can be said that God has given us eternal life and that this gift is present in His  Son. And since this gift is present in His Son, its only possessor is the person who possesses the Son, since He who has the Son has life: but he who does not have the Son does not have life. Jesus has life and is life, both abundant life (John 10:10) and eternal life (John 3:16). We read, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11–12). Be encouraged!