This Is Eternal Life

Lesson #274

Imagine the following conversation between the Father and his Son.

Father: As part of creation humans will be created in our image and given free will to decide whether to love and obey us. They will decide they want to live apart from us and will experience death. I am asking you to become a human like them and die to purchase their salvation.

Son: How do I know that any will choose to love and obey me if I make this sacrifice for them. (We know from Romans 3:11 - 12 that no one seeks God, they are worthless, and not even one does good. Jesus has good reason to question the plan of salvation.)

Father: I will make a list of names of those I will choose and I will cause them to be born again and those I will give to you and you will give to them eternal life and will keep them and love them as your own forever. (These are called lost sheep until they are born again. As believers, we have been assigned the task of sharing the gospel with everyone in searching for these loss sheep. The Father chooses and we must find. Be assured, the Father will not allow any to be missed in the search and also be assured that anyone who seeks salvation will not be denied.)

Son: You will give these to me as my bride to love and cherish and they will love and desire me!

Father: Yes.

Son: Father, with joy I will go to earth and take on the flesh of a human, suffer great shame, and die for them under your curse for their sin.

With this conversation in our minds, we will consider the phrase: “to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.” Since Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and since all authority has been given to him, he is able to give eternal life to all the Father gives to him. At the moment the Father causes them to be born again (1 Peter 1:3) and gives them to Jesus, Jesus gives to them eternal life, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them. This is an event that involves the trinity. It is a moment in my life that I will never, ever, forget.

Jesus continues praying: “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3 ESV). It is interesting that “him” in verse 2 is praying to the Father and referring to himself as Jesus Christ. In this way he can point out the importance of knowing the Father and Jesus Christ. In this way he can reference the name Jesus Christ, not me. The connection in knowing both for salvation is obtained from John 14:6 (ESV): “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Any other way that man can think up as a way to God will end in death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). To obtain eternal life you must come to Jesus because no one else has it to give and to receive it we must be given as a gift to Jesus.

Prayer

Father, I am eternally thankful that you chose me from among those lost and on their way to eternal destruction and caused me to be born again and gave me as a gift to Jesus who gave me eternal life and promised to love and care for me forever. I am so thankful that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was willing to suffer such shame and die to purchase my salvation. Have mercy on me and forgive me for my lack of love, thankfulness, obedience, and worship.