Our Lord Jesus gave us the equation of eternal life in John chapter 17 verse 3. We read: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Meaning eternal life is a function of the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom God has sent. This means that there is no other factor in this equation, any addition make void this equation.
If eternal life is a function of God and of Jesus whom He has sent, we got to start with the question why did God send Jesus and then coming to an understanding of who God is. It is the duty of man to God as it is written: “that they may know You, the only true God.” (John 17: 3).
Our Lord Jesus Himself testified that in Him is eternal life in John 5: 39-40. The scripture that we search and in which we think we have eternal life all testify of Jesus Christ. Anyone or any teaching that does not testify of Jesus Christ and that in Him is eternal life is not of God. The scripture itself affirms this in 1John 4: 1- 3; 1 John 5: 10- 12.
Still on the question why did God give us His only Begotten Son? He gave us His Son that we may no more have the knowledge of sin once that He abolished our sins by His death on the cross and by the blood that He shed for the remission of our sins, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9: 22). God gave us Jesus Christ because of sin and by the knowledge of the law is sin. In Christ Jesus we read, is the fulfilment of the law (Mathew 5: 17; Romans 10: 4). So Christ came that through faith in Him, we might replace the knowledge of the law with the knowledge of Christ. The law does not minister eternal life but is a mirror and a school master till faith came. And Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12: 2). The book of Galatians in chapter 3: 23 -25 says: “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Jesus Christ our Lord was given to replace the knowledge of sin, for by law is knowledge of sin. We now have the knowledge of eternal life which is by faith in Christ. The Just shall live by faith and no more by the law. Are we preaching lawlessness? By no means no, for a man that has the seed of eternal life in him cannot sin because the seed of God is in him even Jesus Christ whom He has sent (1John 3: 9).
Eternal Life is a totally new life not known to man. It is a gift that is of faith. It is a life totally devoid of sin for God is Holy and He has called us to be holy for He is holy. We cannot meet up with this demand of the Spirit by the flesh, hence God gave us His Son, who came in the flesh, so that He who knew no sin could live in us a sinless life (Hebrews 2: 14; Galatians 2: 20). Jesus Christ died in the flesh for our sins. Through faith in Him and our identification with His death through baptism, we were made free from sin, for anyone that is dead is free from sin. On the third day, God raised up Christ Jesus from the dead that through faith in Him, we walk in the newness of life, that is eternal life by the power of resurrection that is in Christ. Our Lord Jesus said in John 11: 25: ” I am the Resurrection and the Life…” For it is God who has given us His Son that through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has given, and through faith also, we might have eternal life. This is affirmed in the epistle of John (1 John 5: 11).
In any equation analysis, there is a balance of both sides of the equation. You cannot have eternal life when you do not know or have Him in whom is eternal life or the Person who gives the One who has eternal life. You cannot do evil that good may result. You cannot kill another man that you may gain heaven for Jesus Christ has been made a sacrifice for all men. He has been given as atonement for the sin of every man so that through faith in Jesus Christ all men might be saved and work out their own salvation in fear and trembling. Not becoming a judge for other men, God alone is the Judge of all men. You cannot be a murderer of men, and hater of others in order to be accepted of God and get a reward. It shows a depraved knowledge of God. The fruit of our actions or faith must reflect the fruit of righteousness which is of God, otherwise we are pursuing our own sinful way of life. Sin is sin, evil is evil, wickedness is wickedness, we cannot colour it or disguise it as God’s injunction. It is time men everywhere stop their hypocrisy and know God. God Himself wants to be our reward and our portion (Isaiah 52: 12; Psalm 119: 57; Lamentations 3: 24), not angels, not virgins but God wants us to be His own. He gave us His Son as a sacrifice for sin in order to reconcile us to Himself cannot give us another reward but Himself so that we will be forever joined with Him. Therefore we live to be like Him in all our actions and exercise of faith. God has committed into our hands the ministry of reconciliation therefore and not of death to bring many to the knowledge of Christ and knowledge of God Himself so that men everywhere might have eternal life.
Some will ask which is the right knowledge? Or how do I know the right knowledge? Such persons should ask themselves also this question; the knowledge they have and walk in hitherto, what fruit does it produce. Does the fruit bear the semblance of God who wants us all to have eternal life through the forbearance of His grace to us in Christ?. Or the fruit of the knowledge that they have and live by is contrary to this? The equation on both sides must balance. Even for those who say that they do not believe in eternal life but in reward for their earthly work, put your knowledge of God on one side of the equation and put yourself and how much of God’s likeness you have in yourself on the other side. Is there a balance, because each of us is measured by how much of God’s likeness we bear, how much of His fruit we bear.
It is evident that there is no way that we can live without faith in our relationship and fellowship with God. The critical function is that God wants to replace our knowledge of sin with the knowledge of Himself through faith in His Son Jesus whom He gave as atonement for our sins. By law shall no flesh be justified before God (Romans 3: 20; Galatians 2: 16), for if you offend in one, you offend all the laws (James 2; 10) and by law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3: 20) not of eternal life which is God’s. If we want to be just before God, we have to live by faith for it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).
To cap up the equation of eternal life, we must have the knowledge of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the God of all creation. If He has given us His Son that we might have eternal life (John 3: 16) that means He Himself is eternal life. Everything ensues from Him. In His Immanent essence, He cannot be anything apart from what He wants us to be or have. He is Holy (Leviticus 19: 2; Leviticus 11: 45) and He has called us to be holy (1 Peter1: 16). He is Eternal Life and therefore He has given us eternal life through faith in Him Son our Lord Jesus (1John 5: 11). He is Loving-kindness, Righteous and Justice that is why He wants us to know that He delights in exercising loving-kindness, justice and righteousness on earth (Jeremiah 9: 24). God is Love that is why He commands us to love Him with our all and to love our fellow man (Mathew 22: 37). He is the God of knowledge (1Samuel 2: 3) that is why He wants us to have knowledge of Him. He is the only True God that is why He wants us to have faith in Him and not in the law or how much we can fulfil the law. To want to live by law is to sign up to live under punishment, but God wants to have fellowship with us and to be partakers of His eternal life as His dear children. Not to have eternal life is to have eternal separation from God which is death. The knowledge of the Holy God is true understanding (Proverbs 9: 10) which is needed to live properly. The book of Proverbs 16 verse 22 sums it up by saying: “Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that has it.” Truly knowledge of the Holy God and of His Christ, His propitiation for our sins, is eternal life.
