As Christians, we are sometimes guilty of saying or claiming things that we don’t really understand. For example, if we think that eternal life is just living forever and ever, we would be leaving out the most important part of that condition. Today’s excerpt from The Kingdom Turn is found on pages 57 and 58:
“[T]he ‘one thing’ that matters most of all in the Christian life, the one passion that should consume all who have made the Kingdom turn, is knowing Jesus Christ and, through Him, God the Father. The more we can focus all the affections of our heart on this, the greater will be our realization of the full and abundant life Jesus came to give us.
“We know Christ by the Spirit of God, Who comes with the proclamation of the Kingdom of God to dwell within us, making us new creatures in Jesus Christ. That same Spirit teaches us the things of God by comparing the words of Scripture with one another until an ever-clearer picture of Jesus Christ and His will for our lives begins to emerge.
“We see the evidence of Jesus upholding the world and all things in it and advancing His Kingdom through the peoples and cultures of the world. Everywhere we look, the glory of God, radiating from the face of Jesus Christ, encounters, engages, and enthralls us, so that, increasingly, we are being transformed into that same image.
“This is exactly what we might have expected, for as Jesus Himself noted, eternal life, life imperishable, incorruptible, full of glory, joy, and love, consists in nothing other than knowing God and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent.”
For reflection or discussion
1. How is it apparent to you that you have eternal life, that is, that you know God and Jesus Christ?
2. How would you explain to a non-Christian friend how they can have eternal life?
The apostle Peter urges us to make our calling and election sure, that is, to be convinced, on the basis of evidence, that we have the gift of eternal life. Nothing could be more important than to know this and to prove to ourselves and everyone the reality of it day by day. Share today’s podcast with a friend, then get together to discuss it. You can subscribe to Read Moore by using the subscriptions button on this page. Your free copy of The Kingdom Turn awaits you in The Ailbe Bookstore. Why not head over and order it up today?
T. M. Moore
