Is Eternal Life a Present, Actual Possession?

by Robert Waters

Introduction

I. I intend to discuss a question that has long been a point of controversy
among Bible students.
A. It may be that some of us are not agreed on it.
B. If we are not after the end of this lesson I would be happy to further
discuss this in a private study.

II. There are passages that seem to indicate that we can have eternal life in
this life, but then there are others that seem to indicate that it is
something that we HOPE for and therefore cannot have until we reach
heaven.

III. Since scholars and commentators are divided over this question,
quotations from one well respected scholar would just be contradicted by
another and we would prove nothing.
A. Quotations from scholars can be of help on many matters, but there are
times when we have to learn the meaning of a word or passage by
determining what thought best harmonizes with the scriptures.
B. We shall quote from a few commentators, but only for the purpose of
setting forth thoughts for you to ponder.

Body
I. The eternal life that Adam and Eve Had.

A. In the book of Genesis we read of the creation of man and of his
home which was the garden of Eden.
1. Man had life without end so long as he did not eat of the
forbidden fruit.
2. God said, "In the day you eat thereof you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:17) a. However, man disobeyed God and he kept His promise.
b. Those who think that the word "die" in the above passage,
means "absence of life" will not see the true picture.
c. They would likely conclude that since they continued to live
God must have decided not to carry out His threat.
d. But the word "death" usually means "separation", and the day
they disobeyed God they were separated.
1) The separation was man being driven from the "tree of life"
which was in the garden of Eden.
2) Their death was of a spiritual nature.

B. Did Adam and Eve have eternal life?
1. If we answer in the affirmative someone might think, "How could
they since they lost it?".
a. But if we say "No", someone might reply, "What then did they
lose as a result of their sin?".
b. Fellowship with God was what they lost.
1) They lost the highest quality of life, which had no end so
long as they kept God's favor.
2) Apparently the "tree of life", of which Adam and Eve was
permitted to eat, was of great significance.
a) Although the scriptures do not say that they had to eat of
this tree ..... there is no reason to think otherwise.
b) Who would question that Jesus alluded to the "tree of life"
in John the sixth chapter?
i That which many of His disciples took as a "hard
saying" (John 6:60) was merely an allusion to the
"life" that Adam an Eve had as they were privileged to
eat of the "tree of life" (John 6:53-58).

C. Our main concern though, is with whether the child of God today has
eternal life.
1. Just as one must understand the meaning of the word death to
see the true picture of what happened when Adam sinned, one must
understand the meaning of eternal life to know if it is a present reality
or just simply something Christians hope to obtain.
2. Incidentally, eternal life is not the Christian hope.
a. Eternal life is included in the promise, but no matter what
the meaning we ascribe to it, it is not the Christian hope.
b. Our hope is to meet Christ at the resurrection and to be changed
as unto his glorious body and to live with Him in heaven
eternally (Acts 24:15).

II. If the meaning of the words "eternal" and "life" were easily determined
we would have no difficulty with the question understood.

A. But it is apparent that there is a problem in defining these words
because respectable scholars differ.
1. There is a doctrine called "once saved always saved" that has no
doubt influenced some in their defining terms and giving their
exegesis.
2. The argument for the doctrine just mentioned is that since the
Christian HAS eternal life (Jn. 3:36; 5:24; 6:54; 1 Jn. 5:11,13),
and since their definition of eternal is life without end: then when
one is saved he will always be saved.
a. Their problem is that they have accepted the definition that we
give to the English word "eternal" and have not searched the
scriptures to determine how the word is used in the Bible.
b. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
1) One preacher, in dealing with the same question that we are
discussing wrote: "Since life is relationship with God,
and eternal means never to cease, then we must conclude
that eternal life is a relationship that never ceases".
2) Of course he doesn't believe the "once saved always saved"
doctrine (and neither do I), and therefore went on to try
to explain how that Christians don't really have eternal life
presently.

III. The word "zoe", translated "life" in our English Bible, has a
wide variety of meanings.

A. For our present discussion "life" is that which is given by God to
those who please Him by their faith and obedience.
1. "This life is a present possession and has also a glorious future
fruition" (International Standard Bible Ency.)
a. This definition is in harmony with the inspired definition of
eternal life.
b. Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee
the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (Jn. 17:3) 1) Our Lord clearly teaches that those who know God have life
(zoe), and that this "life" is "eternal".
2) In the above passage eternal is used as an adjective
describing the quality and character of "life".
2. Our English word eternal is a translation of the Greek word aionios.
Just as the word death and the word life have more than one
meaning, so the word aionios has more than one meaning.
a. The only way to determine the true meaning is by studying the
context in which it is used.
b. The word aionios may mean never ceasing, etc, or it may have
to do with quality rather than duration.
(International Stand. Bible Ency.)
1) "In the use of aion and aionios there is evidenced a certain
enlarging or advancing import till they come so to express
the high and complex fact of the Divine life in man...Our
lord decisively set the element of time in abeyance, and took
His stand upon the fact and quality of life - life endless
by its own nature. Of that eternal life He is Himself the
guarantee - 'Because I live, ye shall life also' (Jn. 14:19).
Therefore said Augustine, 'Join thyself to the eternal God,
and thou wilt be eternal "
2) "The essence of the Christian life is eternal life. What,
then, is eternal life, and what are its gifts and
characteristics?....The word for eternal is aionios. It
means far more than simply lasting forever. A life which
lasted forever might well be a curse and not a blessing.
There is only one person to whom the word aionios may
properly be applied, and that one is God. In the real sense
of the term it is God alone who possesses and inhabits eternity.
Eternal life is, therefore, nothing other than the life of God
Himself. What we are promised is that here and now there
can be given to us a share in the very life of God" (The
Scheme of Redemption, by Warton: Quotation from
William Barclay).

B. If we "walk in the light" we have "fellowship with God" (1 Jn. 1:6-7).
1. Fellowship means, basically, to share, or communion.
a. This is the idea that Paul had when he said, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph. 5:11) b. When we, through faith, obey Him and thus "walk in the light"
He shares with us His life which is of an eternal quality.
c. "...When we have fellowship with the life of God we participate
in the eternal life which he shares with all those who are in
Christ Jesus the Lord."
1) "All others are dead! Separated from the life of God. This
is spiritual death" (Ibid).
2. If we argue that we do not have eternal life as a present
possession, in essence we are arguing that we do not have "the gift
of God"!
a. Paul wrote, "The wages of sins is death but the gift of God is eternal life..." (Rom. 3:23) b. Peter promised the "gift of the Holy Spirit" to those that would
repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38; compare 3:19).
1) The gift of the Holy Spirit is simply the "gift of God"
(Rom. 6:23).
2) So if we do not have aionios zoe in this life we have not
received "the gift of God" which is given to those who obey.

IV. One brother, from whom we have quoted already, gave three
examples in an effort to show that the passages that say that
the Christian has eternal life, have reference to future.

A. His basic argument is that, "Eternal life is so certain, it is spoken
of as already come to pass".8

B. Let's look now at the passages he uses:
Josh. 6:2 - God made the statement to Joshua, "I have given into thine
hand Jericho..."
Matt. 26:2 - "...The Son of man is betrayed to be crucified"
Lk. 3:9 - The judgment against Israel by John the Baptist, "And now
also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees..." 1. The argument is made that in these examples the things spoken of
as present are not really present but future.
2. These things, it is said, were so certain that they were spoken of
as already come to pass.
3. Then the application is made: "Eternal life is already as good as
present because of an unalterable law". 9

C. What is wrong with these arguments?
1. First of all, this reasoning does not help one's effort to expose
the "impossibility of apostasy doctrine."
a. If eternal life is something that you can't lose, meaning
without end and having no reference to quality or the life of
God, then to simply argue that, "it is so certain that it is as
good as present", leaves the impossibility of apostasy doctrine
standing.
b. Thus, not only has he missed the truth he has failed to
properly expose a false doctrine.
2. Second, it isn't certain that the things spoken of as having been
given (present), were not really speaking of the present.
3. Let's take a closer look at the three examples our brother gave.
a. When God said that He had given Jericho to Joshua it may just
be that that was when it was Joshua's.
1) Suppose you needed a chain saw and you told a good friend
that you needed one, and he said, "I've got a chain saw over
there in my pickup that I don't need - it's yours".
2) When would it be yours? Of course you would have to go get
it to be able to use it, but it would be yours when he said
it was yours, if you accepted it.
b. The second example had to do with Jesus' betrayal.
1) There is some difficulty with the translation of this passage.
a) The NKJB, NASB, RV, and others do not have "is
betrayed" but have "will be betrayed".
b) The context makes it apparent how it should read: "You
know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of
Man will be betrayed to be crucified" (NKJB).
i. Note the comments of Albert Barnes: "Will be betrayed. He did
not mean to say that they then knew that he would be betrayed;
for it does not appear that they had been informed of the precise
time, but they knew that the Passover was at hand, and he then
informed them that he would be betrayed".
2) So, if this explanation by Barnes is correct then this
argument to try to teach that eternal life is simply
something we hope for, is erroneous.
c. The third example, which had to do with John the Baptist's
statement about future destruction of the Jewish nation, proves
nothing.
1) Albert Barnes makes the thought crystal clear: "Laying the axe
at the root of a tree is intended to denote that the tree is intended
to be cut down. ..". "This is a beautiful and very striking figure
of speech, and a very direct threatening of future wrath".
2) According to the reasoning of my brother the statement of
John was supposed to be a future event so definite that it
was spoken of as already taken place.
i. Really though, isn't that trying to make too much out of
what was said?

V. It is argued that one cannot hope for something that he already has.

A. That is true, but aionios zoe, as used in Tit. 12: 3:7; and 1 Jn. 2:25
has a different meaning than the life of God.
1. It is clear that in these passages there is reference to duration
rather than just quality.
2. It is not unusual for a word to have more than one meaning.
a. When such is the case the student must determine the meaning by
the context.
b. This is exactly what we must do in our study of eternal life.

Conclusion
I. We hope to live forever but no one will enter heaven who does not already
have eternal life.
A. Eternal life is a present possession of those who are in
fellowship with God.
B. It, however, is to be understood that that which God shares with us in
this world is conditioned upon our walking in the light, and that God
withdraws his life or fellowship from those who cease to so walk.

II. Those who have eternal life watch and pray lest they "become a castaway".

III. Christians are motivated to a life of service by love and the hope of
continuing to share the life given of God on through the ages in heaven.

Resources:
1. Acts 24:15; 1 Cor. 15:49; Phi. 3:21; Col. 1:5
2. Jn. 3:36; 5:24; 6:54; 1 Jn. 5:11, 13
3. Guardian of Truth, Vol. XXVf. No. 17, p. 259
4. The international standard Bible encyclopedia, Vol. III. p. 1889
5. Ibid. Vol. II. p. 1011
6. The Scheme of Redemption, by Warton;
7. Ibid. p. 16
8. Guardian of Truth, Vol. XXV. No. 17, p. 259
9. Ibid.

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