“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, CSB)
Christ’s promise of eternal life is the core of Christian faith. Everyone wants an afterlife. That there is something after we die. And Jesus promises eternal life to everyone who believes in Him. Eternal life is not granted for being a good person or doing good things. Nor is it earned by doing more good things than bad things. Eternal life is not earned; it is given.
Paul put it this way in Romans, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, CSB) No one deserves eternal life; it is a gift of grace from God through Jesus Christ and His blood.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27–28, CSB) Eternal life isn’t some ticket we present at Heaven’s Gate. Neither is it just some insurance policy to avoid hell. Everlasting life in Christ is not the afterlife but the continuation of life with Him.
We can only imagine what eternal life will look like. Paul poetically wrote, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12, CSB) Eternal life is like a Christmas gift that we cannot unwrap until the appointed day. We know it is there, but we don’t fully know what is inside.
Christ’s promise of eternal life gives us hope, purpose, and direction for our lives. YOLO (You Only Live Once), which is often used as an inducement for sin, doesn’t apply to those in Christ. We don’t live once; we never stop living. Every day of walking with Jesus is a step of eternal life.
Other verses for this promise
(Compiled by David Wilkerson)
- John 6:47
- Romans 6:23
- John 5:24
- John 17:3
- 1 John 2:25
- John 6:58
- John 10:27-28
- 1 John 5:11
- 1 John 5:13
- Titus 1:2
- Psalm 49:15
- Romans 8:11
- John 11:25
- 2 Corinthians 4:14
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14
- 2 Timothy 1:10
- Romans 5:10,17
- Hebrews 9:15
- Galatians 6:8
- Titus 3:7
- 1 Corinthians 15:55,57
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