Daily D – John 17:3

by David Bowman | Sep 21, 2024 | Daily D | 0 comments

John 17:3 “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent — Jesus Christ.” (CSB)

—

F. F. Bruce is one of my favorite theologians. In his commentary on this Gospel, and this verse in particular, he writes

Eternal life, then, consists in the knowledge of God. Since the knowledge of God is mediated through the revealer whom God has sent, and is indeed embodied in that revealer, the knowledge of the revealer is one with the knowledge of the God who is revealed. Nor is this knowledge a matter simply of intellectual apprehension: it involves a personal relationship. The Father and the Son know each other in a mutuality of love, and by the knowledge of God, men and women are admitted to the mystery of this divine love, being loved by God and loving him – and one another – in return. This is the basis of the unity for which Jesus prays in verses 20-23 below.

The center sentence of the paragraph is the heart of the message:

Nor is this knowledge a matter simply of intellectual, apprehension: it involves a personal relationship.

Eternal life, what we mean when we talk about salvation, is a real and deepening relationship with the God who loves us and sent his Son to draw us into relationship with himself. It is so much more than agreeing that this is a good intellectual standard. It is a commitment to knowing and experiencing this life now and not merely awaiting the Sweet By and By.

Eternal life is less about “prolonged duration” (NET translator’s note) than it is about a “quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God,” (NET translator’s note). As John Ortberg titled one of his books, Eternity is Now in Session. The Sweet By and By begins when we enter into a relationship with God our Father through Jesus his Son.

Even if your favorite team loses today or tomorrow, you can join Forever’s winning team by saying Yes to Jesus and his offer of eternal life.

This is good stuff! This is worth pondering, appreciating, and committing your life to. Feel free to enter eternal life by saying Yes to Jesus now.

—

I will live a life of deepening relationship with God through Jesus his Son.

—

Our Father, thank you for drawing us to yourself. Thank you for what Jesus did to make it possible for us to come to you as our Father in Heaven. Thank you that we don’t have to wait until someday to begin enjoying the fruit of eternity. Amen.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Isaiah 65:1-2

Isaiah 65:1, 2
The Lord says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.
I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’
to a nation that did not call on my name.
All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people.
But they follow their own evil paths
and their own crooked schemes.”

Daily D – Psalm 131

Psalm 131
Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—
now and always.

Daily D – Isaiah 55:8-13

Isaiah 55:8-13
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the LORD’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

Daily D – Isaiah 50:4-5

Isaiah 50:4, 5 “The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
and opens my understanding to his will.
The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,
and I have listened.
I have not rebelled or turned away.”

Daily D – Isaiah 48:17-18

Isaiah 48:17, 18 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.”

Previous Next