The Meaning of Eternal or Everlasting Life

2018-01-07

The Bible clearly tells us that we have eternal life now, and that the words of eternal and everlasting mean forever. Consider the following:

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36). If we believe on Christ now, we have everlasting life now. Everlasting means forever, as the word eternal also means forever. The word for everlasting and eternal is αἰώνιος, which is a time word, not a quality word, in case you do not want to take the English words at face value.

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26). In case you do not take the word everlasting as meaning forever, Jesus tells us that if we believe in Him, we shall never die.

The Bible says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2). God promised us eternal life; if eternal life ends, according to this verse, a lot is at stake!

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Jesus gives us eternal life, and nobody is going to be able to take it away from us.

The fact that Christ gives us eternal life now, not in the future sometime, tells me that the life we have will never end.