Eternal Life

Dear Sons,

Do you have "eternal life"? How can a person know that he has "eternal life"?  How would you describe "eternal life"? Many people have their own idea of what "eternal life" is. A lot of people think "eternal life" is going to heaven someday. I want you to understand what "eternal life" is according to what Jesus said and His disciples wrote.

Let's break the phrase down into its two parts "eternal" and "life". "Eternal" comes from the Greek word meaning "forever". That's the easy part; forever means never ending. The bible says that men will always be somewhere forever; a few in heaven and many many in hell. Everyone will be somewhere forever, never ending; but not everyone will have "life" never ending, forever.

Most people do not even have "life" now.  Even your mother and I
did not always have "life" because just like the bible says, we were

"dead" in tresspasses and sin. We thought we were "alive", we looked "alive" to men, but from God's perspective we were "dead".

The apostle Paul wrote "a widow who lives for pleasure is "dead while she lives."  How can a person be dead and alive at the same time? God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  This is what God considers "life" - KNOWING HIM! Only those who have a personal relationship with God who is life - have life. This is what it means to "KNOW HIM". Only those who truly "KNOW HIM" have life - because Jesus said "This is eternal life - that they may KNOW You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." When Jesus tells the many people who will say to Him on the day of judgment "Lord, Lord"- "Depart from me you workers of iniquity - I NEVER KNEW YOU!" - He will be telling them - you never had eternal life - you were always dead in your tresspasses and sin - you never really knew me. Being religious is not the same as "KNOWING GOD" and having your own personal relationship with Him. Only those who know God so well that He is their very best friend have "eternal life". Do you know God in this way? Do you enjoy Him? Do you talk with Him? Does He talk with you? God designed salvation to fix the problem that sin first caused.

When sin entered the world, men lost their personal relationship with God. Adam was driven out of the garden and could no longer walk with God in the cool of the evening. Men were driven from the place where they were "walking with God" in a close, personal way.

God has designed His salvation in a way that restores this close relationship with Him. God is not just interested in men going to

heaven. God is interested in men being restored to really KNOWING HIM.

Men have invented a false salvation that leaves really knowing God

out. Everyone wants to go to some kind of heaven. One of the greatest lies that has ever been told is still being believed by most men. This lie was the very first lie men were told - that they could choose their own way and "not die." The devil's aim then was what it still is today; he wanted to break men's fellowship with God. Satan wanted to separate God and men through sin. I want to make sure the devil doesn't deceive you by making you think that you can have "eternal life" without having your own personal relationship with God Himself. Only those who really "KNOW" Him have life because that is what life is - LIFE IS KNOWING HIM!

Alan wrote the above letter to our son's several years ago.  It was during a season of seeking to lay down again, the foundations of faith in their lives.  I'm posting, little by little, most of these letters in the section To Our Sons.