Start with Life!

In my last post I said reading the Bible is the first step in becoming a disciple.  I probably should have said it is the next step because the first step is being a believer in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.  Because the truly lasting benefits of discipleship fall to those who have believed in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.  Whatever good you can derive from living as a disciple without everlasting life is lost when you die.  To make the absolute most of being a disciple you must be reborn with the everlasting life Jesus Christ offers everyone who believes in Him for it.  That’s the message of John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Yesterday, I was asked what is everlasting life.  The person asking rightly pointed out that even people in hell are still alive.  Is that not living forever?  It is certainly life in the sense of continuation of existence.  But the Bible also calls it the second death.  That gives us some insight into what God considers life and death.  The Biblical use of death carries the sense of separation.  Physical death is separation from the body and the material world.  Spiritual death is separation from God. 

In John Chapter 3 Jesus Christ referred to receiving everlasting life as being born again, a 2nd birth. He was defining everlasting life as being united with God. It bridges the gulf that separates people from God.  So, in answer to the question of what is everlasting life, it is simply this:  Everlasting life is being forever united with God.  It is living forever in His Eternal Kingdom.   
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The second death defines what awaits people who fail to believe the message of life everlasting promised by Jesus Christ.  They will continue to exist after separation from this world, but will be forever separated from God in Hell.  Death is not annihilation of existence; it is a permanent separation from God.  It is possible that means complete isolation of self.  It is certainly far worse than how it is portrayed in comics and literature.
Jesus Christ’s offer of everlasting life is by far the best option.  He keeps His promises.