📖 Biblical Definition
Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3). "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36) — present tense, possessed now. It is a gift, not earned: "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). It begins at saving faith and extends unbroken into the age to come.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Life without end; in theology, the life of the blessed in glory, given freely by God through faith in Christ.
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ETERNAL LIFE: The unending, blessed existence of the redeemed in fellowship with God — beginning with regeneration and reaching fullness in the resurrection.
📖 Key Scripture
• John 17:3 — "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
• John 3:36 — "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."
• Romans 6:23 — "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
• 1 John 5:11-12 — "God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Eternal life has been reduced to a future afterlife reward rather than a present relationship with God.
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The modern corruption reduces eternal life to fire insurance — a ticket to heaven rather than a living relationship with God. Another corruption is universalism, teaching that eternal life is the inevitable destiny of all regardless of faith.
Usage
• "Eternal life is not a prize waiting in heaven; it is a Person dwelling in you now — 'He that hath the Son hath life.'"
• "The tragedy of modern evangelism is selling eternal life as a future benefit while neglecting it is a present reality of knowing God."