Eternal

John 3:36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”


The depth of the meaning of this verse is like a vein of gold that extends deep into the earth. It is a treasure that will be mined forever, but it is one that has serious implications in this immediate time. Tomorrow on earth is not guaranteed to anyone. The veil between our natural existence and eternity is thin, and is crossed easily and often. Generally, crossing that veil only happens in one direct: life > death > life eternal.


When the Bible talks about eternal life, it is easy to think about eternity "linearly." Time unending. This is one aspect of eternal life. Once created, a man or woman will, in fact, live forever. God is a giver. For real. When He gives something, He does not take it away. I.e., When God gave the earth to mankind to have dominion over, He meant it. It was man's for real...so much so that Adam was able to hand it over to satan for a time, until Jesus won it back, as a man...when God gives something, He MEANS it.


When God gave you and I life, it was for keeps. He gave me life with "eternal life" in mind. Life unending. But eternal life isn't just linear... time unending is the starting point, but not the fullness of the invitation. There is much more available than time.


Everyone, whether they know Jesus or not, will, in fact, exist forever. This is the great and terrifying truth of being called into creation:


Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”


These are the two extremes available for every person called into existence by God. Between eternal punishment and eternal life, there is one huge standing invitation. Most have no idea that this invitation is not only available, but extremely weighty in its implications. Basically, the specifics of this invitation were summed up by Jesus like this: The more I agree in my words and actions with the Author of life, the more I will experience the fullness of life forever. The less I agree with the Author of Life about living, the more I agree with the enemy of life, and the less life I will experience forever:


John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.


Jesus is the gate to eternal life. Not only living forever, but the fullness of life available. The fullness of every good thing. The choices I make on this side of the veil of eternity will determine the extent to which I enter into the fullness of life available to me now, but also forever. This starts with salvation...redemption...but this is just the beginning.


Entering into "eternal" life is up to me, and the degree to which I experience eternal life is up to me too! Because of love, God doesn't force anyone into the fullness of what is available to them. Just like I won't force my kids into something I know they will like. Love requires free will...it does not demand it's own way, even if that way is good.


The choices I make on this side of eternity are my choices for the fullness of life I will enter into forever. Many people have no idea that eternal life will have varying measures of experience, but that doesn't change the fact that the Bible describes this truth in great detail. Some will live close to the physical presence of Jesus and some will live farther away. Everyone will have access to God through the indwelling Spirit, but Jesus is a man in eternity! He won't be walking in the park in one place with you and also walking in the park in another place with me. In fact, the Bible is clear that most of the time Jesus will be in one place...He will be in Jerusalem, on His throne, ruling over all of creation!


Matthew 20:23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”


Many who have spent their lives reaching for greater agreement with Jesus on this side of eternity will be very near to Him on the other side of eternity. Many who have approached Him casually, or worse yet, searched for Bible verses to make them feel comfortable casting off His leadership, on this side of eternity, will have a much more distant place from Him on the other side. For real. There is grace to reach for more and more agreement with Jesus, but many who claim to be His want grace to keep Him at arm's length. This is taking the grace of God in vain:


II Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.


But it isn't just proximity to Jesus that is determined by my response to Him now. The measure of grace and my energy which I use to reach for agreement with Jesus now will determine the measure of His glory that I will reflect forever. The brightness of my garments, and the colors that I will wear are determined by my response to Him now. It is the brightness and radiance of my actual body that will reflect how well I loved Him while He was invisible to me. My actual wealth will be determined by my heart response...my agreement with His instructions....while it required a risk to follow them. Jesus rewards His people for their response to Him.


I Corinthians 15:40-42 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.


The measure I declare my fidelity to Jesus with my words and choices on His earth, is the measure He will declare me before all of creation when He brings heaven to earth. In this next passage, white is also interpreted to be "bright" imaging bright shining clothes:


Revelation 3:4-5 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.


Living the Sermon on the Mount is how I agree with Jesus in a practical way. I sum up the Sermon on the Mount like this: taking personal inventory of what God says is available and comparing it to where I am really at, mourning (crying out to God about) the difference between the two, and then fueling my reach for more of God by secretly giving my time, money, emotion to what He says is in agreement with Him, resisting offense, and blessing those who use or resist me (Matthew 5,6, and 7)...these choices will determine the amount of eternal life experience forever. The less I agree with this during my 70 or 80 years (at best) on earth, the less life I will experience forever! :


Matthew 25:29-30 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’


Revelation 21:23-24 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.


Revelation 22:12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Jesus, help me see my life the way you see it. I want to hunger and thirst for obedience and holiness. I want to agree with you about what life is really about, so I can enter in to the fullness of life close to you forever!