How close are human beings to eliminating death? Despite significance gains in global life expectancy, and the efforts of billionaires in the USA, death remains an inevitable terminus to the human condition. But there is good news.
As Pastor Peter Clothier reminds us, Jesus comes to brings us eternal life - which is so much more than the hope of eternal existence. What’s the difference? Pastor Peter highlights three aspects of what ‘eternal life’ means to those who follow Jesus.
Eternal life is so much more than earthly visions of the good life - health, wealth and happiness. Jesus brings an awareness of God’s love, forgiveness and an incomprehensible peace. In the words of a nurse, commenting on the demeanour of a Christian patient, the patient had “inappropriate joy.” Jesus brings us a joy which we experience in relationship to Him - not determined by our physical circumstances. Eternal life is more than quantity - “how much.” Eternal life is quality “how good!”
Secondly, eternal life is relational. As the apostle John puts it, this life consists in knowing the one true God and the Son whom He sent into the world, not to bring condemnation but salvation. We can have a deep personal experience of Jesus which gives us a whole new perspective on, and attitude to, both life and death. As the Apostle Paul put it - to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Thirdly, the eternal life Jesus offers is a gift. Death, as Paul again puts it, is what we earn through sin, which is a rejection of all that God commands in order for us to live full and flourishing lives. We can’t earn salvation, and even if salvation could be earned, how would we ever know we had done enough to get it? The good news is that salvation is offered to us as a free gift. The gift itself is valuable not only in the benefits it brings to us, but also in what it cost Jesus to be able to give it. We can accept what we have earned - death, because of our sin - or gratefully receive the gift that Jesus offers us.
Pastor Peter shares some of his own story about the impact on him of receiving Jesus’ gift of eternal life.
How will you respond to the gift that Jesus is offering you?
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