"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"
This Is Eternal Life (17:2-3)
INTRODUCTION
1. In His "High Priestly Prayer" (John 17), Jesus makes mention of eternal life...
a. "that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him." - Jn 17:2
b. "And this is eternal life..." - Jn 17:3
2. Eternal life is a major theme in the gospel of Christ...
a. Jesus was crucified in order to offer eternal life - Jn 3:14-16
b. Eternal life in Christ Jesus is the gift of God - Ro 6:23
3. But what exactly is eternal life...?
a. Is it simply a future blessing, pertaining to life after death?
b. Or is it a present possession, something to enjoy in this life?
[What does the Bible say? Let's see if we can find the answer to the question...]
I. ETERNAL LIFE: PRESENT OR FUTURE?
A. ETERNAL LIFE AS A FUTURE BLESSING...
1. Many scriptures refer to eternal life as a future blessing
a. Jesus spoke of it in this way - cf. Mt 25:46; Mk 10:28-30
b. Paul wrote of it in this way - cf. Tit 1:2; 3:7; Ro 6:22
2. Thus many think of eternal life in this way
a. As a future blessing
b. An everlasting existence in the presence of God, free from
death, sorrow and pain - cf. Re 21:1-7
c. Available in this life as a hope
-- It is certainly scriptural to conceive of eternal life as a hope for the future
B. ETERNAL LIFE AS A PRESENT POSSESSION...
1. John often writes of eternal life as a present possession
a. As that which is abiding in one (or not) - cf. 1Jn 3:14-15
b. That God has given us eternal life, that we have eternal life - 1Jn 5:11-13
2. Might John be using a form of speech known as the futuristic present?
a. "This use of the present tense denotes an event which has
not yet occurred, but which is regarded as so certain that
in thought it may be contemplated as already coming to
pass." - Dana & Mantey, p. 185
b. Examples of such speech can be found in Jn 14:3; 17:24
c. If so, eternal life would still be only a future blessing,
something to be hoped for
3. There is another explanation which I believe highly plausible
a. John chooses to use the phrase "eternal life" in a special sense
1) Describing a quality of life (and not just quantity of
life) which comes by knowing God and His Son Jesus Christ
2) In the manner in which Jesus uses it in His "High Priestly Prayer" - Jn 17:3
a) Jesus says "This is eternal life..."
b) Defining it as "that they may know You, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ..."
b. In these sense, eternal life is a present possession!
1) When we come to 'know' God and Jesus, we experience a
quality of life that surpasses what the world has to offer
2) As a present possession, this quality of life is a
foretaste of the future blessing we shall experience with God
3) As a foretaste, this quality of life can rightly be called eternal life
4) For is not our life with God now really the beginning of
eternity with God?
[Since Jesus spoke of eternal life in both ways, it is both a future
blessing and present possession. As we come to 'know' God and Jesus, we
begin to experience the blessings of eternal life. This naturally
raises the question...]
II. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO 'KNOW' GOD AND JESUS?
A. THE MEANING OF THE WORD 'KNOW'...
1. There are two different words for 'know' in the Greek
a. oida - this word suggests a fulness of knowledge, coming from observation
b. ginosko - this word suggests a progression in knowledge,
frequently implying an active relationship between the
knower and the object known
2. In Jn 17:3, the word is ginosko
a. So to 'know' God and Jesus goes beyond knowledge of facts about them
b. It implies a progressive knowledge and understanding which
comes by having an active relationship with Them
c. "To know the Father and Jesus Christ (for He is the only way
to the Father) refers not to merely abstract knowledge, but
to joyful acknowledgment of his sovereignty, glad acceptance
of his love, and intimate fellowship with his person
(through Scripture, that is, through his Word to us; and
through prayer, that is, through our word to him)."
- Hendriksen
B. WHAT IS INVOLVED IN 'KNOWING GOD'...
1. As suggested by Hendriksen, it involves communication through
the Word and prayer
2. It is also directly related to keeping the commandments of the Lord
a. As emphatically stated by John in his epistle - 1Jn 2:3-4
1) This is how we know that we know (ginosko) Him
2) Otherwise we lie if we say that we know (ginosko) Him
b. As explained by Jesus to His apostles - Jn 14:21,23
1) Keeping His commandments results in being loved by the
Father and the Son
2) Keeping His word results in the Father and Son dwelling in us
c. Thus we will 'know' (ginosko) them: ever progressing in
knowledge because of an active relationship with God and Jesus!
CONCLUSION
1. Eternal life is more than just a hope regarding a future blessing...
a. It is a present possession, an unparalleled quality of life available in this life
b. It is a blessing that comes from 'knowing' God and Jesus in a
personal and progressive way
c. It is enjoyed only by keeping the commandments of God and Jesus!
2. In the course of our short sojourn in this life, 'knowing' God is
most important... - Jer 9:23-24
a. More so than wisdom
b. More so than power
c. More so than riches
Jesus came to show us the only way to truly 'know' God, and to
experience the eternal life that He made possible through His death on
the cross. Are you walking in the commandments of the Lord that you
might truly know God and His Son Jesus, and thereby experience eternal life...?
