The Essence of Eternal Life

Disciples of Christ are salesmen. We are called to proclaim Christ as the hope for a dying world. The product we offer is eternal life. But what exactly is this eternal life? How well do we know what we are offering to the world?  

For most believers, eternal life is synonymous with eternal laziness. Heaven is a retirement village. We will sing and play harps and run through meadows and when we are tired we will eat, sleep, wake and do it all over again.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Eternal life is about knowing God, intimately and personally, and because he is so vast and so incomprehensible it will take us eternity and then some to absorb a fraction of his divine nature and power.

And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (Jn.17:3).

While getting to know Father and Son is an endeavor that will last forever we can begin to do so even now for eternal life is both a present and a future reality. It began with conversion and will culminate with our confirmation to the divine image and likeness (Ro.8:28). To this end we must be intentional in setting aside time to develop our relationship with God. The apostles set a good example for us. When the church began to burst at the seams with an influx of new converts who were making demands on their time they had the option to personally undertake the task at the expense of their private time with God, or distribute the work to others so that they can be free to maintain a healthy relationship with the One they serve. They chose the former (Acts 6:4).

Many leaders will say that the delegation of administrative and managerial duties to deacons and other skilled individuals is a no-brainer but in reality many of us love the idea of being busy doing things. It makes us feel useful, valued, and indispensable. But the apostles did not allow such feelings and desires for approbation to deprive them from that which was most important to their lives and ministries and that is to know God by giving themselves “continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” They understood the nature and essence of eternal life.

Let us not allow the work of the ministry to impede our relationship with the Lord else we could find ourselves longing for the very gift that we offer to others – eternal life.