Believers Already Have Eternal Life
The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. John 3:35, 36, RSV.
"Eternal life" is the phrase that ties together today's reading with yesterday's. Verse 16 declares that whoever believes will have eternal life. And verse 36 claims that those who believe already have that life.
Here we have a theme that runs across the first half of the fourth Gospel. John 5:24 finds Jesus saying "he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life" (RSV) and in John 6:47 He tells His followers that "he who believes has eternal life" (RSV).
The gift is not for the future, but is a present possession of all who believe. What a promise! Every one who truly believes already has eternal life.
But then, you may be wondering, why do genuine Christians die? Here we need to recognize the biblical distinction between eternal life and immorality. The first we already possess, but immortality is something not given to any human until the second coming of Jesus. Paul tells us that at that time "the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immorality." Only then will death ultimately be defeated (1 Cor. 15:51-55, RSV).
The facts of the case are that eternal life is subject to the first death, in which people spend some time sleeping in their graves. On the other hand, immorality means that its possessors are not ever subject to death of any kind. Christians have eternal life now, but will not be immortal until God bestows the gift on them at the end of earthly history. The wicked, of course, will never receive it. Thus, being mortal, they will perish in hell fire rather than suffer throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity at the hand of the God of love (see 2 Thess. 1:9; Mal. 4:1; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:14).
Another important thing to note about John 3:36 is that God's wrath is not the same as uncontrollable anger, but His attitude of love that eventually brings to an end a world in which the innocent suffer, Revelation 6:16 describes it as "the wrath of the Lamb."
The best news in John 6:36 is that each of us has a choice to cast our vote for eternal life.
The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. John 3:35, 36, RSV.
"Eternal life" is the phrase that ties together today's reading with yesterday's. Verse 16 declares that whoever believes will have eternal life. And verse 36 claims that those who believe already have that life.
Here we have a theme that runs across the first half of the fourth Gospel. John 5:24 finds Jesus saying "he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life" (RSV) and in John 6:47 He tells His followers that "he who believes has eternal life" (RSV).
The gift is not for the future, but is a present possession of all who believe. What a promise! Every one who truly believes already has eternal life.
But then, you may be wondering, why do genuine Christians die? Here we need to recognize the biblical distinction between eternal life and immorality. The first we already possess, but immortality is something not given to any human until the second coming of Jesus. Paul tells us that at that time "the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immorality." Only then will death ultimately be defeated (1 Cor. 15:51-55, RSV).
The facts of the case are that eternal life is subject to the first death, in which people spend some time sleeping in their graves. On the other hand, immorality means that its possessors are not ever subject to death of any kind. Christians have eternal life now, but will not be immortal until God bestows the gift on them at the end of earthly history. The wicked, of course, will never receive it. Thus, being mortal, they will perish in hell fire rather than suffer throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity at the hand of the God of love (see 2 Thess. 1:9; Mal. 4:1; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:14).
Another important thing to note about John 3:36 is that God's wrath is not the same as uncontrollable anger, but His attitude of love that eventually brings to an end a world in which the innocent suffer, Revelation 6:16 describes it as "the wrath of the Lamb."
The best news in John 6:36 is that each of us has a choice to cast our vote for eternal life.
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