The phrase “eternal life” occurs 42 times in the Bible. What exactly then is eternal life?
Some suggest eternal life is synonymous with heaven. If we believe in Jesus, we will go to heaven when we die. That is eternal life.
That’s a good start to our understanding of eternal life, but that’s not all there is to it; there’s more.
As I read the Bible, I see eternal life beginning now, here in this world. We learn this from the apostle John, whose references to eternal life are often present tense.
When we follow Jesus, eternal life begins immediately, right now, today. Eternal life begins here on earth through Jesus and continues into heaven when our physical bodies die.
If you follow Jesus, you cab enjoy eternal life today.
[See verses about eternal life in the NIV Bible. Also see John 5:24, John 3:14-21, John 5:39-40, and John 3:34-36.]
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
