1 John 1:2 (NLT), “This One who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the One who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then He was revealed to us.”

If the goal of receiving salvation through accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour is to avoid an eternity in hell, and an entrance to heaven - it would be enough! Praise God for this wonderful, life-saving gift! Only a fool would turn their nose up at that miraculous offer! However, the gift of eternal life is far more than just escaping eternity in hell. The Bible defines eternal life quite differently to what most of the church has settled to believe. 1 John 1:1-4 tells us that eternal life is a person! It is Jesus Christ Himself, and included in the package of eternal life, is fellowship with Jesus and the Father that results in absolute joy for the one who receives it! Hallelujah! John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Eternal life is not just a ticket to heaven when our physical bodies die, it is the privilege of intimately knowing God and His Son Jesus. Now, when we insert this truth into the most famous of salvation scriptures, John 3:16 - let’s see how our understanding of this verse significantly deepens! “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (NLT). When we take the Biblical definition of eternal life and place it in this scripture, it reads: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have a living, meaningful intimate relationship with the Father and His Son.” Adding to the glorious revelation of this verse is the phrase, “will not perish”. Ephesians 2:12 tells us that before we accepted Christ, we were without hope because we did not know God and we were strangers to His covenant promises. Not knowing God keeps us in a place of perishing - mentally, emotionally, financially and spiritually. That’s because we remain subject to the curse, which is the devil’s domain. Which is why Jesus, in John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Directly after this statement He explains that He is the Good Shepherd and in verse 14 He says, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep and am known by My own.” The heart of salvation is not just the entrance to heaven one day, but a life-long, sincere relationship with the Lord, where we diligently pursue knowing Him more and more. This is what enriches our lives with overflowing hope, peace, prosperity and joy - through intimately knowing the One who is eternal life!