Living with Tozer's God

Blogpost #19

Chapter 7: The Eternity of God . . .  Eternal vs. Everlasting

He has set eternity in their hearts.
 (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

A moment's reflection and all of us can testify to the truth of this statement. No one wants to die. The will to live is about the most powerful human reaction we know. There is something in us that instinctively tells us death is wrong; we should not die, and life should never end.

But it does; life ends for all of us at some point. But it wasn't always this way. I think this fact is often forgotten by many Christians. The truth is that when God created this world and put us in it, death was not a part of it. Creation was all about life; from its beginning to its finish it was all about fruitfulness, prospering, delight, joy and peace. Death was the judgment that put an end to this "life in Paradise" experience; it was a penalty for rebellion against the Creator, the One who was the source of life and had given life to all things.

We really should stop periodically and spend a few moments imagining what it was like for Adam. What was it like to live in a world without death? In a world where fear, especially the ultimate fear of death, is nonexistent? It is not wasted time. Scripture says that day will come again . . . maybe soon. Life is meant to last forever. You have to kill life; death is not natural to life.

Biblically, if you take away death, you have life . . . endless life. Life, by its very nature, must come from somewhere. The Bible tells us that the Father has "life in Himself" (John 5:26). He is the source of life. Since God is eternal (He has no beginning and no end), He is the "I am"; His life is eternal. Therefore, whatever He gives us of Himself must have the same quality. If He gives us of His own life, it must be eternal. Our experience of it may only be "everlasting," that is, it begins at a point in time and continues forever, but it is our entry into God's life, eternal life.

Is Eternal Life More Than Everlasting Life?

Most people naturally think of eternity as an infinite extension of time. They view it as almost entirely interchangeable with everlasting, that eternal life and everlasting life are the same thing. Depending on the context, this can be true; sometimes the Bible uses them interchangeably. But sometimes there is more to this. You begin to see the distinction in their particular usage in the Old and New Testaments.

Interestingly, the word "eternal" is rarely used in the Old Testament, though it is used more than 70 times in the New Testament. By contrast, the word "everlasting" is never used in the New Testament, but it is used well over 100 times in the Old Testament! Only twice in the Old Testament is the word "eternal" used in relation to God (once in Deuteronomy when Moses says, "The eternal God is a dwelling place . . ." and once in the famous Isaiah 9:6 verse where the Christ is described as "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace . . . " [translations will vary here].

The Psalmists use one phrase to try to describe this concept when they say, ". . . from everlasting to everlasting . . . ." So while we wouldn't want to say that the idea of eternal was unknown in the Old Testament, it was not the concept they were most comfortable with. But the New Testament almost seems to abandon the idea of everlasting in favor of eternal. The obvious question is, why? Why the distinction? What is the difference? What has changed?

. . . all things become new.

The answer lies in the simple word "new." Everything changes in the "New" Testament, and, as the Book of Hebrews reminds us, it is all for the better! The importance of this word cannot be overemphasized. The Greek language is quite specific in its usage. There are two words used to describe newness. One was to identify something which was new in the sense that it was unused or the latest model of something.  Another way the word was used was to describe something that was new in the sense that it had never existed before; it was unique. Every year "new" cars come out. They are not new in the sense that they never existed before; they are just the latest model.

But there was a day when the automobile was first debuted and it was "new" in the sense that this kind of transportation had never existed before; it was uniquely "new" and of a different kind than anything else before it. We would say the same thing of the telegraph as a means of communication or the telephone of voice communication or email of electronic communication. These were not just the latest model or an improvement of something which already existed, they were "new" and of a different kind than had ever existed. Christianity was a "new" thing . . . and its centerpiece was the gift of eternal life. But, how?

. . . by a [uniquely] new and living way.

This is the idea of this word "new" in the New Testament. The book of Hebrews presents it as a "new" way to have a relationship with God, a "new and living way" which had never existed before. It was based on a "new" covenant which made the old Mosaic covenant (of law) obsolete. This new covenant was between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. It promised eternal life to those who became partakers of the eternal covenant of which Jesus Christ was the Mediator. They enter that covenant by faith, and as a result, they are baptized into Christ and become partakers of all the many blessings of this new covenant. One of the great blessings of that covenant is the gift of eternal life. But what does that mean?

You may say, as many do, that our sins are forgiven and we get to go to Heaven and live forever. That is essentially true. But is that all? Are we missing something here? Did God give His only Son over to be crucified simply so that our sins could be forgiven? Doesn't the Bible say that "for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame" and now sits at the right hand of the throne of God? What was the joy that motivated Him to endure the shame? The answer is that the Father had granted to the Son the authority to give eternal life to those He had given Him. There was a prize for His suffering.

And lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said,"Father, 

the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 

even as You gave Him authority over all flesh,

that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life" 

 (John 17:2 NASU).

This all sounds wonderful (and it is!), but is it just saying that Jesus can give us everlasting life? Is that the joy which motivated the Son? Not according to the next verse in John 17. This next verse gives us a whole new dimension to the phrase "eternal life."

This is eternal life , that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 

 (John 17:3 NASU)

This is the only place in Scripture which defines eternal life, and it does not include a time element. How can this be? Simple. When you truly enter eternal life, you leave the time element behind. Time is not a variable in the eternal realms where God dwells. What is the focal point? It is the relationship you have with the Father and the Son. This is eternal life. You don't have eternal life until you have entered this relationship. Not until you know who God is experientially do you have eternal life. The Holy Spirit will be your witness. Not until you know who the Son is and can put your whole-hearted faith and trust in Him do you have eternal life. John plainly says, "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life." How do we get this saving knowledge of the Son?

This knowledge only comes by revelation and then a faith experience. The Holy Spirit must open our eyes to this truth. It is not a matter of the quantity of knowledge. Jesus only put one description on this knowledge. It is the knowledge that the Father is the only true God. Once this knowledge is grasped and accepted, all kinds of things fall into place. He is separated from all the other competing gods. His sovereign power and authority are understood, and His right to rule our lives becomes clear. His commands are the guideposts of our lives, and pleasing Him and glorifying Him is the goal of our lives. It is then that the value of the ministry of the Son becomes clear. He is the Savior, the Shepherd, the High Priest, the Mediator who leads us back to God.

The truth of Scripture is that there is no way to enter this relationship with God . . . apart from the Son. Even when we know the truth about God, we are helpless to enter this relationship. But that is what the Son has done. He has made a way. He said it plainly, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6 NASU).

To know the Lord is to know God the Father . . . and this is the beginning of the experience of eternal life. We do not get all the knowledge of God all at once . . . it is a life-long learning experience. But the more we seek Him, the more we learn to live with Him in the heavenlies, the more we understand that eternal life is more than just entering a timeless existence. It is the beginning of an experience of the life which the Father and the Son have enjoyed together . . . from all eternity.

And we know that the Son of God has come, 

and has given us understanding 
so that we may know Him who is true; 
and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.

This is the true God and eternal life. 

(1 John 5:20 NASU)