ETERNAL LIFE MADE SIMPLE
Eternal life is not a riddle reserved for scholars, nor a prize hidden behind religious achievement; it is a gift placed plainly in the hands of sinners who come to Christ. Our Lord Himself defined it with disarming simplicity: eternal life is knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3). Not knowing about Him merely, nor admiring His teaching from a distance, but knowing Him personally, as one knows a shepherd, a physician, a friend. Heaven does not begin when the believer dies; it begins when Christ is trusted.
The Gospel teaches that eternal life is not earned by effort, but received by faith. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). A wage is paid for labor, but a gift is given freely, and only pride refuses what grace delights to bestow. Many stumble here, imagining that God requires improvement before acceptance. Yet Christ came not to reward the strong, but to rescue the helpless. Eternal life is not found in climbing upward, but in leaning fully upon the Savior.
This life is grounded not in human faithfulness, but in Christ’s finished work. The Son of God bore sin in His own body, satisfied divine justice, and rose again in victory, so that all who believe might live through Him (1 Peter 2:24; Romans 4:25). The believer does not hold eternal life by gripping tightly, but by being held securely. Jesus Himself promised that those who hear His voice and follow Him shall never perish, and no power can snatch them from His hand (John 10:27-28). Eternal life rests where it belongs, in the strength of Christ, not the resolve of man.
Eternal life also transforms the present, not merely the future. The one who believes has passed from death into life already, no longer condemned, but welcomed into peace with God (John 5:24; Romans 5:1). This life reshapes the heart, softens the will, and teaches the soul to love righteousness not out of fear, but gratitude. Holiness becomes fruit, not currency. Obedience becomes response, not requirement.
Let no one imagine eternal life to be complicated, distant, or fragile. It is simple because Christ is sufficient. It is near because He has drawn near to us. It is secure because it is anchored in His eternal priesthood and unchanging promise (Hebrews 7:24-25). To look to Christ is to live. To trust Him is to possess life that death itself cannot diminish.
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Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for life freely given and firmly kept by Your grace. Teach us to rest in Your finished work, to rejoice in Your promises, and to live now in the life You have already secured for us. Amen.
BDD
