What Does Scripture Tell Us about Eternal Life?
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- Published Aug 04, 2023
Facing our own mortality is daunting. Being keenly aware that this human form we have been given is finite and flawed is weighty knowledge. Caution colors our actions because when we are careless, death is all too eager to swallow us up.
Death is hard to live at peace with. It feels like we were made for more than the few short years we are given here on Earth. The curse of death is ever present in the way our world works. We all are worried at times that we may not have another day to live. Finding peace with the fact we were born to die is a quest we all are forced to take.
The tension we experience as we grapple with the limits of our human form is explained in the Bible. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts.” Our awareness of the fact that things are not as they should be is a clue that we were made for more than this life.
We were made for eternity. An eternity that God made a way for us to spend with Him. The truth that sin has separated us from God and we need him to bring us back into his family in order to spend eternity in Heaven is really the only way to come to peace with death. Know that God brings meaning to our short lives and offers us hope for the future.
What Is Eternal Life?
In John 17:3 Jesus says, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Eternal life begins here and now. Until the moment we pray the prayer of faith we are dead, lost to sin and doomed to eternal separation from God. Living in light of a Heaven-bound eternity begins with our conversion. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior by praying the prayer of faith, we are promised life that extends past our physical death with him in Heaven.
The reality that eternity starts in the land of the living gives us purpose for the now. Without the invitation to “let your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) then living here past our acceptance of Jesus would be unnecessary. Thankfully God has given us access to the “fruits of the spirit” now and tells us to share his good news with others. We can embrace everyday with Jesus with joy because we have access to his power, and he has given us a mission for our lives.
What Does the Bible Say about Eternal Life?
Jesus knew that eternity was on our minds and graciously shared glimpses into what we can expect the day he calls us home. John 14:2-3 says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
We know through Jesus’ words that he has created a real, tangible place for us to exist alongside him. He promises to be with us, which is comforting as we all face the great unknown when we pass on from this Earth. Having Jesus at our side when we get acquainted with our new home takes the sting out of death.
Revelations 21:1-27 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also, he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”
The imagery John uses to record what is revealed to him in the book of Revelation gives us insight into what is to come. New Jerusalem is a destination that God has prepared for us to live together with God. God assures us that this is a place where mourning, crying, and pain are not welcome. We do not have to be afraid of what is to come!
There is a flip side to what we know about life beyond the grave. Revelation 21:8 says, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Our choices now are profoundly important. We are eternal beings and who we choose to follow in this life has implications that live on long past our days on Earth. God warns us that we must make wise choices. Those who reject God are separated from him for eternity.
How Does Eternity Impact Our Now?
Knowing we are made for more than this life can help settle the tension we feel when we face all the ways this world feels lost and broken. There is hope past what we see in the news today. God is the ultimate executor of justice. We can trust His plan that includes more than what meets the eye.
Psalm 23:4 states, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The knowledge that we have hope beyond the grave can give us courage! Fear of death informs so much of how this world operates. Those who know Jesus can live at peace knowing that the last moments they have here, God will be with them ready to walk them into a new place where the journey continues.
Jesus also charges us with a great commission (Matthew 28:16-20) that tells us to include as many as we can in this great Heaven-bound family. God desires that none of us miss out on the chance to be a part of his forever Kingdom. Jesus followers can live at peace with a mission to share God’s radical love story with everyone we meet. Eternity is for now and for forever.
What a gift it is to find Jesus! If you haven’t met him, it’s time to settle the question of your mortality. He is the answer you are looking for. He made you for more than this life. Follow him on the narrow path and you will find a peace-filled life that goes on well past your last day here in the land of the living.
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