Episode 2224 - Lesson 9 - Monday Nov. 25 - The Words of Eternal Life

Read John 6:61–68. When Jesus asked the disciples if they would leave Him, what was the meaning of Peter’s answer? Peter’s words about “eternal life” tap into a theme that runs throughout the Gospel of John. A concentration of phraseology about eternal life appears in John 6, in the context of the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68). Jesus says that He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35), meaning that His life, His death, and His resurrection are the source of eternal salvation. The phrase everlasting life or its equivalent occurs at least 17 times in the Gospel of John. This term does not refer to a spirit existence, or to becoming part of an eternal being, or to some other ethereal concept. Rather, it refers to that life-giving power that brings salvation and meaning to our existence now and to life without end when our Lord returns. Just as Jesus became flesh, so the resurrection that Jesus talks about takes place in time and space and in a physical body. It is a resurrection from the dead, a renewal of the life that we once had in Eden. How do we receive eternal life? John 3:15, 16; John 5:24; John 6:40, 47; John 8:31; John 12:46; John 20:31. By faith alone we believe that Jesus Christ came to live and to die on our behalf. This faith comes to us as a gift, but we must consciously choose to surrender ourselves to Jesus, to repent, and to claim His blood for the forgiveness and cleansing of sin. When Jesus asked Peter if he, too, was going to leave, Peter’s answer, “ ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’ ” (John 6:68, NKJV), encapsulates the essence of salvation and how we attain it. It doesn’t come from philosophy, history, or science—all human disciplines. It comes from Jesus, who—possessing in Himself eternal life—offers it freely to all who, responding to the Holy Spirit, will accept it. How does the promise of having eternal life impact how we view our temporal life here? How should it impact how we view it?