~Alex Wu

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

We all desire eternal life, but does it start when we see our Lord face to face after death? The Bible uses the present tense for eternal life for the believers, but the future tense for those who have not believed Jesus yet (John 3:36). Every time when I read this verse, I keep thanking my God for His love and mercy. He makes us, the believers, enjoy His eternal life now but withholds His judgment with lifelessness to non-believers until the end of their lives. This mercy sustained me throughout the years of my wandering in wilderness prior to my encounter with Jesus. Praise His name forever more!

Now, how do we enjoy eternal life now? For some believers, believing Jesus means accepting certain facts in mind such as the work of His blood on cross, His resurrection and His final judgment on the world. If believing merely meant accepting these facts, the verse would have used the word “believe the Son”. But every time when eternal life is mentioned, the Bible always uses the word “believe in the Son”, which literally means “believe into the Son” in Greek. Christ is like a treasure chamber. Eternal life is the masterpiece stored in this chamber. If we only think about salvation or talk about salvation outside, eternal life remains a concept. We may truly enjoy eternal life now only after we believed and walked into this treasure chamber, touched the masterpiece and felt its sweet presence. Oh, how wonderful is the journey!

But first, how do we walk into Him? Recently, the Holy Spirit shone a light upon my path. The key is to follow the trail of free gifts. Eternal life is the free gift (Romans 6:23). But it is too broad for us to grasp and too deep to fathom. There are other smaller free gifts such as God’s comforting words, His directions, His healing, miraculous outcome of a situation, etc. that are better perceived. This year, I faced more challenges than before. However, His free gifts were more abundant as well. These free gifts are being woven into a tapestry of His eternal life on earth. I begin to see the key ingredient of eternal life: dependence on Christ every moment in every situation. Let us all enjoy the journey into His eternal life now!