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If "eternal life only refers to duration"
- Thread starter billwald
- Start date
those in hell will live as long as those in heaven, just that saints enjoy presense/fellowship with God all eternity, but sinners do not...
Eternal life, that abundant quality of life with a restored relationship with God through Christ as its pinnacle, does indeed begin during this life.
1Jn 5:10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.
1Jn 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
1Jn 5:12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
1Jn 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (NASB)
1Jn 5:10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.
1Jn 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
1Jn 5:12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
1Jn 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (NASB)
Agreed... Would be experiencing in partial/ a taste/ of the ternal state fellowshipping with God still to come!
If it refers to duration, then yes – but they have “eternal death.”
If it refers to quality, then no – we can’t have it in this life. This life is only a shadow of what is to come.
True - I stand corrected. We do have it. :thumbsup:
It is a marvelous thing, this grace, that saved the elect. Every moment draws us closer and deeper into it and one day we will enjoy in full the presence of all His glory.
Php 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Php 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
A few years ago, I did a study on when does eternal life start according to the scriptures. I found scriptures that support eternal life now; and scriptures that indicate eternal life starts after we die.
Eternal Life Only in the Future:
Scriptures that can be used to support eternal life starting when you die include:
Mark 10:17 - The rich young man asked Jesus what to do to inherit eternal life.
Luke 10:25 - An expert of the law asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:18 - A certain ruler asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Matt. 19:29 - Jesus talks about the blessings of this life and then says “and will inherit eternal life”.
Matt. 25:46 - Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Mark 10:30 - Jesus talks about blessings in this life and then He says “in the age to come, eternal life”.
Luke 18:30 - Jesus talks about blessings in this life and then He says “and, in the age to come, eternal life”.
Romans 2:7 - “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
Romans 2:21 - “….so that grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Titus 1;2 - Here Paul says “hope of eternal life” (Implies future tense).
Titus 3:7 - “so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life”.
1 John 2:25 - “And this is what He promised us---even eternal life.”
Jude 21 - “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
The above scriptures are specific about eternal life referring to the future life and not to the present life.
Eternal Life Now
Scriptures that can be used to support Christians having eternal life now include:
John 3:16, 3:36, 5:39, 6:40, 6:54, 10:28, 12:25, 17;2&3
1 Tim. 1:16
These scriptures talk about Christians having eternal life now.
It is of interest that I did not find any “eternal life only in the future” scriptures in the Book of John, and few “eternal life now” scriptures outside the book of John.
Eternal Life Only in the Future:
Scriptures that can be used to support eternal life starting when you die include:
Mark 10:17 - The rich young man asked Jesus what to do to inherit eternal life.
Luke 10:25 - An expert of the law asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 18:18 - A certain ruler asked Jesus “What must I do to inherit eternal life?
Matt. 19:29 - Jesus talks about the blessings of this life and then says “and will inherit eternal life”.
Matt. 25:46 - Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Mark 10:30 - Jesus talks about blessings in this life and then He says “in the age to come, eternal life”.
Luke 18:30 - Jesus talks about blessings in this life and then He says “and, in the age to come, eternal life”.
Romans 2:7 - “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
Romans 2:21 - “….so that grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Titus 1;2 - Here Paul says “hope of eternal life” (Implies future tense).
Titus 3:7 - “so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life”.
1 John 2:25 - “And this is what He promised us---even eternal life.”
Jude 21 - “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
The above scriptures are specific about eternal life referring to the future life and not to the present life.
Eternal Life Now
Scriptures that can be used to support Christians having eternal life now include:
John 3:16, 3:36, 5:39, 6:40, 6:54, 10:28, 12:25, 17;2&3
1 Tim. 1:16
These scriptures talk about Christians having eternal life now.
It is of interest that I did not find any “eternal life only in the future” scriptures in the Book of John, and few “eternal life now” scriptures outside the book of John.
Life and death are two contrasting conditions of existence. They are not a contrast between existence and non-existence. Life is UNION with God and death is SEPARATION from God.
The term "eternal" refers to duration. Hence, in regard to "eternal" there are two alternatives - eternal union with God or eternal separation from God.
In regard to humans, separation from God is initiated spirtually which in turn brings separation within the nature of humans (spiritual from physical) and thus produces physical death of the body or separation of the material aspect of human nature from the non-material aspect. The body returns to the dust while the spirit returns to God (Ecc. 12:7) to be placed in a temporary holding place according to its condition (spiritually dead into hades; spiritually alive into heaven).
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David Lamb
Well-Known Member
I agree. The "two contrasting conditions of existence" are perhaps helpful in our understanding of how God could say to Adam that in the day he ate the forbidden fruit he would surely die, yet his earthly existence continued for hundreds of years. It explains too how, as Ephesians 2 tells us, before our conversion, we were dead in trespasses and sins.
Perhaps we are too ready to take the world's understanding of death, and think of it as ceasing to exist.
Think that Eternal Life per jesus and Apostles refers to the fact that we experience the rebirth righthere and now, and that gives us spiritual life in christ, relationship with God again etc
that is a taste of the fulness to come in heaven, where we fully experience presense/person of God!
jesus living in and with us is eternal life!
that is a taste of the fulness to come in heaven, where we fully experience presense/person of God!
jesus living in and with us is eternal life!
Some will reject what I am about to say. However, there is experiential TEMPORAL death and life that the believer is exposed to. Only when we walk in the Spirit do we EXPERIENCE eternal life here and now. We experience UNION with God. When we are not walking in the Spirit we EXPERIENCE death - separation from God in our temporal feelings and consequences.
This is seen by David repeatedly asking the Lord to "quicken" him in regard to KEEPING the Word of God. It is only as we "walk in the Spirit" do we actually KEEP the Word of God. James speaks of this contrasting EXPERINCE at the close of James 3 where he speaks of those things we experience coming up from hell and those things we experience coming down from heaven and he is talking to Christians.
That happened under the Old Covenant, but we now a surer better Covenant, and always in Grace of God, even IF not in His will always!
My friend, the same gospel, and the only gospel God ever gave to mankind has been preached before and after the cross (see Acts 4:12; 10:43; Heb. 4:2) and it is the good news of the the blood of the "everlasting covenant" (Heb. 12:20) which is always been by grace alone (Rom. 3:24-26) and never by the law. The law was "added" to teach the knowlege of sin (Gal. 3:21) and bring those under the law to Christ by faith.
David as well as Abraham were justified by faith (Rom. 4:6-12) in the coming Christ and saved by grace and born again just as Jesus instructed Nicodemus BEFORE the cross and BEFORE Pentecost (Jn. 3:3-6) while rebuking him as a "teacher" of the scritpures for having not known this truth (Jn. 3:9).
I think the Protestant denominations are missing the boat by emphasizing theoretical benefits in the next life and not selling practical benefits of church attendance in this life. There are more benefits to being in church on Sunday morning than on the golf course, agreed? Especially when it is raining.
2 seperate Covenants here in play!
old to nation of isreal, new to all peoples thru the Cross of Christ, now under age of Grace in the Church!
Old was replaced by the new Covenant, as there were indeed differences between believers in old and new, not to salvation, but as to what that meant to them!
MUCH better promises and inheritance under new as contrasted with the Old!
Fundamental/Evangelical churches do place a major emphasis on not just attending church, but actually getting involved by use of their gifts from God !
As my pastor says, "God gave us all gifts in order to get in the game, not to sit on the sidelines!"
The "new" Covenant was "new" only in the sense of its PUBLIC ratification by blood but was the "blood" of the "everlasting covenant" - Heb. 12:20 - and lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Jn. 1:29; Rev. 13:8) and applied by faith in the coming Christ by promise according to Romans 3:26.
The "old" covenant was "ADDED" long after the gospel or good news of the new covenant had been preached to Adam, Noah, Abraham all before Moses came on the scene. This is the argument developed by Paul in Romans 4:1-22.
The gospel has always been preached long before Moses was born - Acts 10:43 and was preached by Moses - Heb. 4:2.
Look at your own handle "yeshua"! Is that the Hebrew OLD Testament name or Greek NEW Testament name for Christ??????????????