Oswald Chambers writes, “Eternal Life has nothing to do with time.”* This is a hard concept for us to digest. We are driven by time, so to imagine that the promise for eternal life has nothing to do with time is . . . well, it’s unimaginable! So, if it is not a reference to time, then what is it? Merriam-Webster’s third definition of the word is this: “characterized by abiding fellowship with God.” Hmm. That puts it into perspective, doesn’t it? Another definition is simply “timeless.” Hmm. And that completes the idea. Eternal life is timeless abiding fellowship with God. Which, by the way, is the life that Jesus lived here on earth.
Therefore, eternal life does not begin after we die! Eternal life begins the moment we give our lives to God. It begins the moment where the Spirit of Christ enters our hearts. Eternal life begins when his power enables us to “be filled with all the fullness of God.”1 Eternal life—timeless abiding fellowship with God—is the act of being filled with God. It is something we can begin to experience now.
The question is Are we? Are we being filled with “the fullness of God”? How do we do that? By tapping into God’s power, the power that lives in us through our faith in Christ. Paul prays: “That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”2 That “inner being,” is our gut feeling. It is our conscience; it is actually where the mind of Christ dwells. We, however, often ignore or forget or rebel against letting the power of God reign. We prefer to run on our own power. And God will rarely push us out of his way. Instead, God waits for us to get out of the way! He “waits to be gracious to you.”3 He actually longs to give us strength if only we would ask. If only we would let go of our pride, our will, our limited way of thinking, and let him lead. And when we do, we see that God’s way is better for “he is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work in us.”4
But here’s the thing. Although God’s power is accessible to us, he is only able to do things “according to the power at work in us.” So, again—the question is How much power are we letting him have? Experiencing the power of God, the timeless abiding fellowship of God, is there for our taking. But it is a process for us—a day by day giving control to God. Chambers concludes that “we have to keep letting go, and slowly and surely the great full life of God will invade us in every part, and men will take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus.”* What a testimony that would be! That people would see “that we have been with Jesus.”
And here’s another thing! Some believers will not experience eternal life (timeless abiding fellowship with God) until they die! Why? Because they never tap into the power of God that abides in them. Which is quite sad.
Life lived by the power of God through Christ is the only true life, which is why Jesus told us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”5 Eternal life for believers has already begun! If we are not experiencing a life “filled with the fullness of God,” it is our own fault.
1Ephesians 3:19 2Ephesians 3:16 3Isaiah 30:18 4Ephesians 3:20 5John 14:6 *”April 12.” My Utmost for His Highest: The Classic Daily Devotional, by Oswald Chambers, Barbour Books, 2015.
