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)

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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.

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

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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.

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