Gospel Minute 7: Everlasting Life
2024-08-22
Consider the most famous verse in the Bible: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The one who trusts in Christ receives everlasting life. “Everlasting” and “eternal” mean the same thing; they last forever. We do not see anything about good deeds or some manner of performance on our part; we trust that Jesus Christ accomplished everything we need to be saved and have eternal life.
Later in the same chapter, we read, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Note the verb tenses: He that believes has eternal life now. If you trust in Christ now, then you have eternal life now, and it lasts forever. Therefore, if you truly trust in Christ now, you will never see the second death in the lake of fire. This is why it is called the rebirth; you are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). If you receive eternal life now, that means you only need to receive it once, since this new life lasts forever.