A Christian Guidebook: What Is Eternal Life? (7)

You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3.17, 18

The gift that keeps on giving
We have seen that eternal life is essentially a relationship with God (Jn. 17.3). It comes to us as a gift from God, Who intends to bring us into fellowship with Himself through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We have eternal life from the moment we first believe in Jesus, when the Spirit empowers us to recognize and cry out to God as our Father (Gal. 4.4-6).

At the same time, we know that a day is coming when we will have eternal life in all its fullness, without sin or death, in the presence of the Triune God, in a new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells—forever.

The wonder, beauty, assurance, hope, power, delight, and joy that come with the gift of eternal life derive from knowing God and Jesus Christ. God has brought us into fellowship with Himself, and He intends for us to know Him—to love, enjoy, and serve Him—all our days. We may sometimes have occasion to pause and think briefly about being so loved by our heavenly Father, indwelt by His Spirit, seated with His Son, and conveyed into His Kingdom. At which times—whether in our daily times with the Lord, during a service of worship, as we’re driving to work, or just when we push back from the desk for a moment of contemplation—at such times we may experience a frisson of joy, a moment of rapture or sheer delight, and a more proximate sense of the Presence of God. Then we know, assuredly and almost unbelievably, that we have eternal life, and we are filled with gratitude to God.

But we have eternal life all the time. We can know this joy, hope, and assurance at any time, and increasingly. And it’s this Peter urged us on in by instructing us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The gift of eternal life is always bigger, grander, nearer, and more wondrous than we have ever experienced. The grace of God is always more exceedingly abundant than we’ve ever known. And the Lord Jesus is more beautiful, more amazing, more powerful, and more loving than we can describe.

Where eternal life is concerned, God wants us to have more of it. Every day. And the way to do so is to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Growing in the grace of Jesus
Grace is a divine disposition of favor toward us which He communicates by His Word and Spirit to empower us for loving Him and our neighbor. Grace is not some squishy feeling we may realize—or hope to realize—through some spiritual activity. Grace is the reality in which all who have eternal life live, walk, and work.

While the grace of God comes to us continuously—indeed, we could not even exist without it—in some mysterious way it is possible for us to grow in grace, even to have more grace; indeed, an abundance of grace—grace upon grace—is ready to be given us as we seek the Lord and walk with Him.

How does this work? Sorry, it’s a mystery.

But we can know a little about how to enter more deeply and consistently into this mystery.

First, acknowledge the grace you have received in thanksgiving. God is always gracious, always favorably disposed toward us, and always seeking to empower us for love. He never rests. Give Him thanks! First thing each day and throughout the day, thank God for His abundant grace upon grace.

Then do what God intends His grace to do in and through you: Deny yourself, take up your cross—your daily calling—and follow Jesus in loving God and others. As you empty yourself to worship and serve, God gives you more grace to do so. Think of the parable of the talents (Matt. 25.14-30). The guy who worked the hardest and made the best investments was given more to work with. That’s how we grow in grace. Thanksgiving, worship, and loving service are what God gives us grace for; do what God intends, and you will grow in more of His grace.

It’s a mystery, yeah; but it’s really pretty simple.

And growing in grace will lead to growing in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Growing in the knowledge of Jesus
You will experience the Presence of Jesus in, by, and through you as you walk in and work by His grace. It is God Who is at work within you, both to will and do of His good pleasure (Phil. 2.13). As you empty yourself in daily worship and loving service you will understand that you cannot do this and are not doing this on your own. Jesus is at work in you! His Spirit is stretching out in you and overflowing, like a refreshing stream of water (Jn. 7.37-39), to spread God’s grace to others (2 Cor. 4.15).

And knowing that, contemplating and meditating on that will lead you to say, “My God, how great Thou art!” And there is no end, no bottom, no limit to what you will learn about Jesus as you follow this pattern of making yourself an agent of grace day by day. Eternal life will be more real to you, more precious to you, and more a source of purpose and joy in all your quotidian tasks as you learn Jesus (Eph. 4.20), see Him more clearly and continuously (Col. 3.1-3), and delight in His matchless beauty and unbounded love.

Having eternal life means that you inhabit another world. You were bought with a price. You are not your own. You have been translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, a Kingdom of power, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. You live in the world both from within and unto this new reality, and every day becomes an adventure of seeing Christ at work in you and unwrapping more of the gift of eternal life you have in Him.

So grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grow in the gift of eternal life.

Search the Scriptures
1. According to 2 Corinthians 4.15, what happens as we are good stewards of the grace God shows toward us each day?

2. When should we give thanks to God? How does Philippians 4.6, 7 guide us in this? What do these verses promise?

3. How would you explain to a non-Christian friend that you “inhabit another world”? Where would you turn in Scripture to explain this?

Next steps—Transformation: What can you do to grow more in the gift of eternal life? Where do you need to improve? Take steps today to accelerate your growth in grace and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

T. M. Moore

Additional Resources
If you have found this study helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.