If you are around a church for long, you will hear someone talk about eternal life. If you are new to church this might bring to mind Ponce de Leon and his search for the fountain of youth. History is filled with people fighting to extend the length of their lives. Advances in medicine and nutrition in our day has allowed the average life expectancy to be extended. Everyone wants to live, and most of us hate the thought of dying. So, when Christians talk about eternal life it’s intriguing, if not a little strange.
Background: This language of eternal life can be found throughout the New Testament, most notably in John 3:16. The Evangelical movement of the 20th century has highlighted this saying of Jesus more than any other. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, ESV)
The Twist: The idea of eternal life is twisted when it is dangled like a carrot in front of people who are fearing for their lives. The idea of living forever is appealing to almost everyone (even if it means that you have to be in heaven). So, many people are led to believe that if they pray a prayer and give assent to a set of truths that after they die, they will live forever in heaven. The twist comes in the form of this thought: the most important thing that God offers me is the chance to live forever.
The Truth: The truth of eternal life is that it is first and foremost about depth of live and only then about duration. In Luke’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry, he tells of a lawyer who comes to Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus goes on to tell a story about a man who overcame racial barriers and stereotypes to offer mercy to someone in need. Jesus was teaching that we need to love God and love others in order to be truly alive. When we embrace this love as the call for our lives, we are able to become alive to and aware of those in need all around us. Eternal life is a depth and fullness of live that’s impossible without God.
The Way Forward: Eternal life does involve living forever with God and others after we die. It is only an extension, however, of a full life of loving others and giving a voice to the powerless and those in need. Those with eternal life will always be found with their hands dirty and hearts broken, yet filled with hope. If eternal life is presented or understood to be a way of taking care of yourself, then it is at least partially broken and misunderstood. Being fully alive, eternally alive, will always mean caring about the lives of those around us.