Everlasting Life
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3.16
The first time the word “life” is used in the Bible is in Genesis 1.20. There it speaks of how God gave life to His creations – specifically to sea creatures and to those that fly. The first time “life” is mentioned in connection with humanity is in Genesis 2.7 where the record shows that without life having been given, man would have been nothing more than a handful of dust.
Life is a gift from God. Apart from the Creator, there is no life, for physical life came from God. After the Fall, death entered man’s experience. One of the reasons God gave Moses the law of capital punishment is that life belongs to God. He alone has the authority to give or take life.
That concept flows into the sphere of eternity. Every soul that has breathed with physical breath (breath beginning with the oxygen which flows from a mother into her unborn baby) has received that life and breath from God, the Creator. (Colossians 1.16, 17) Those who have placed their faith and trust in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, have life. The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for “life” and “living” is “chay.” Life, throughout the Old Testament, speaks of the gift of life as an intrinsic good. Even Satan, the Adversary, admits this truth: “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.” (Job 2.4ff) And, the writer of Ecclesiastes heralds: “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.” (Ecclesiastes 9.4)
Life is precious. It is so precious that our Savior God gave His life as a ransom (Matthew 20.28; Mark 10.45) in order to offer life to those who believe – forever. The Greek word for “life” is “zoe” from which we get the term “zoology.” This word is distinct from the word “bios” from which we get our word “biology.” Bios speaks of the act of living – “the period or duration of life.” But, zoe speaks of the duration of living. While death may interrupt the “bios” since it speaks primarily of physical existence, it cannot interrupt the “zoe” because God holds life in His hands. And, He offers life for eternity.
The word “everlasting” translates “aiōnios” which indicates something of a perpetual nature – something that will be repeated without end. Even as physical life is a gift from God, so also is this everlasting life. God is not in the habit of withdrawing His gifts – so, everlasting means just that – everlasting. Should someone be able to “lose” or “forfeit” their everlasting life, it would not be everlasting – it would be temporal. It would be dependent upon the individual to “hold on” to something that God has guaranteed. The fact is, if we are going to be consistent with Scripture, God, the language, we must understand that it is God who holds us and not us. (John 10.27-31; Ephesians 1.13)
There will be evidence of this gift of everlasting life as the new inside will work to change the old inside and that will show in the individual’s living. It is a promise for the future, but also evidence for the present. A. W. Tozer testified: “The Holy Spirit never enters a man and lets him live like the world. You can bet on that.”
Life is a gift from God. Apart from the Creator, there is no life, for physical life came from God. After the Fall, death entered man’s experience. One of the reasons God gave Moses the law of capital punishment is that life belongs to God. He alone has the authority to give or take life.
That concept flows into the sphere of eternity. Every soul that has breathed with physical breath (breath beginning with the oxygen which flows from a mother into her unborn baby) has received that life and breath from God, the Creator. (Colossians 1.16, 17) Those who have placed their faith and trust in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, have life. The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for “life” and “living” is “chay.” Life, throughout the Old Testament, speaks of the gift of life as an intrinsic good. Even Satan, the Adversary, admits this truth: “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.” (Job 2.4ff) And, the writer of Ecclesiastes heralds: “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.” (Ecclesiastes 9.4)
Life is precious. It is so precious that our Savior God gave His life as a ransom (Matthew 20.28; Mark 10.45) in order to offer life to those who believe – forever. The Greek word for “life” is “zoe” from which we get the term “zoology.” This word is distinct from the word “bios” from which we get our word “biology.” Bios speaks of the act of living – “the period or duration of life.” But, zoe speaks of the duration of living. While death may interrupt the “bios” since it speaks primarily of physical existence, it cannot interrupt the “zoe” because God holds life in His hands. And, He offers life for eternity.
The word “everlasting” translates “aiōnios” which indicates something of a perpetual nature – something that will be repeated without end. Even as physical life is a gift from God, so also is this everlasting life. God is not in the habit of withdrawing His gifts – so, everlasting means just that – everlasting. Should someone be able to “lose” or “forfeit” their everlasting life, it would not be everlasting – it would be temporal. It would be dependent upon the individual to “hold on” to something that God has guaranteed. The fact is, if we are going to be consistent with Scripture, God, the language, we must understand that it is God who holds us and not us. (John 10.27-31; Ephesians 1.13)
There will be evidence of this gift of everlasting life as the new inside will work to change the old inside and that will show in the individual’s living. It is a promise for the future, but also evidence for the present. A. W. Tozer testified: “The Holy Spirit never enters a man and lets him live like the world. You can bet on that.”
Copyright © 2023 Dr. John H. Hill, All rights reserved.
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