Wednesday, June 23
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” John 11:25-26
There are two dimensions to eternal life. The present dimension brings to the believer an experience of the abundant life now (John 10:10), which includes the many promises that we have been given for our lives now.
The future dimension is, of course, eternal life — the promise of the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29; John 6:39). Though still in the future, that is the one event that makes everything else worth it, the one event that caps all our hopes as Christians.
Study the verse for today. What is Jesus saying here? Where is eternal life found? How do we understand His words that those who live and believe in Him, even if they die, will never die? (See Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8.)
Of course, we all die, but according to Jesus, this death is only a sleep, a temporary hiatus that — for those who believe in Him — will end in the resurrection of life. When Christ returns, the dead in Christ will rise immortal, and the living followers of Christ will be changed into immortality in the twinkling of an eye. Both the dead and the living who are Christ’s will possess the same kind of resurrection body. Immortality begins at that time for God’s people.
What a great joy to know now that our end is not in the grave but that there is no end, that we will have a new life that lasts forever.
“Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave, — not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.” Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 388.
In what ways can we now enjoy the benefits of eternal life? In other words, what does this promise do for us now? Write down some of the benefits this promise of eternal life gives to you, personally, in your day-to-day life. How could you take this hope and promise and share it with someone who is struggling, perhaps with the death of a loved one?
