Is There Really Life Eternal?

Is There Really Such a Thing as Eternal Life?

We live in a world that loves to focus on the temporary. We plan for next week, save for retirement, and worry about tomorrow, but let’s talk about something we often avoid discussing because it can feel uncomfortable, or even a little morbid: life, death, and what comes next.

It is vital that we face the reality of our condition in the present so we can properly look to our future. Even young children understand that death is a reality. As Christians, how do we process this? Is there truly something beyond the grave?

Before we answer that ultimate question, let's establish four fundamental truths about death.

4 Truths About Death

1. Death is a certainty for everyone. Unless we are alive when Christ returns to rapture His Church, every single one of us will face physical death.
2. Physical death is not humanity's ultimate enemy—sin is. Death is simply the physical result of mankind’s moral failure all the way back in the Garden of Eden.
3. There are only two courses to follow after death. Every person on earth chooses one or the other during their lifetime (except those who pass away in the womb or before the age of accountability).
4. God promises that death will eventually end. Death does not get the final word in God's kingdom.

To find out if eternal life is real, we must turn to the Scriptures. Consider these two powerful statements, one from the Apostle Paul and the other from Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:19 (ESV) "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."

John 3:36 (ESV) "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."

Two things are certain. One, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, our hope is a lie and we have nothing. And two, Christ Jesus states the same with absolute assurance that eternal life exists in Him.

The Built-In Desire for More

Some might say, "Yeah, that’s what the Bible says, but can you point to anything more?" I love how the great author C.S. Lewis put it in his book Mere Christianity:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

God has woven a hope for immortality directly into the fabric of human design. We naturally long for something beyond this broken world because we were made for another world.

Years ago, researchers conducted an experiment to see how hope affects subjects undergoing severe hardship. They placed two sets of laboratory rats into separate tubs of water. The first set was left entirely to themselves, and within an hour, they all drowned.

The second set of rats, however, was periodically lifted out of the water for a brief moment and then returned to the water. Remarkably, this second group swam for over 24 hours! It wasn't because they were given time to rest, but because they suddenly had hope. They believed that if they could just stay afloat a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them.

If a glimmer of hope holds that much power for an unthinking rodent, how much greater should its effect be on our lives? Those who know Christ Jesus possess the greatest, most unshakeable hope of all.

The Foretaste of What’s to Come

In Romans 8:22-23, Paul writes: "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body."

When Paul uses the word “know” here, he uses the Greek word eidō, which means to have seen, perceived, or to know absolutely. We don’t just know this because we read it on a page; we know it absolutely through divine assurance.

Right now, the universe "groans" under the weight of sin, eagerly awaiting restoration. We, too, groan right along with it as we face the sufferings of this present time, but God has given believers the Holy Spirit as a "firstfruits.” In ancient farming, the firstfruits were the initial ripe harvest, serving as a guarantee of a much larger harvest to come. The Holy Spirit indwelling you today is God's down payment, a foretaste ensuring you will enjoy His presence forever.

Present with the Lord

What actually happens when a believer dies? While there are various theological theories out there, from total annihilation to "soul sleep,” the scriptures teach that at the moment of death, we are consciously aware of the spiritual realm.

The Apostle Paul confidently proclaimed:

2 Corinthians 5:8 (KJV) "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

Another translation puts it this way: "...we are not afraid but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord." (TLB)

To be "absent from the body" means to leave this earthly, temporary tent. Right now, our outer selves are outwardly wasting away. We are in a dying state, separated from the immediate, physical presence of God. The Apostle Paul wasn't focused on his current decay; he was focused on his future glory. He knew that this present life is entirely temporary, and God has something far better waiting for those who believe.

That is why he could boldly say in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Jesus proved this conscious reality to the thief beside Him on the cross. When the man asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus replied: "I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Jesus used the word sēmeron ("today"), meaning "this very day." There is no waiting period, no unconscious sleep. The moment a believer leaves this earth, they are in a state of conscious bliss with the Lord.

Closed for Alterations

God not only saves our souls, but He promises every believer a resurrected, glorified body.

One of my favorite commentators from a bygone era, Dr. Harry Ironside, wrote a book called Death and Afterwards. In it, he shares a story about a local butcher shop in his town that suddenly shut down. Driving past it one day, he noticed a sign in the window that read: "Closed for Alterations." The owner had simply suspended business long enough to completely renovate the store, and when it reopened, it had been beautifully transformed.

As Ironsides states, “This is a perfect picture of a believer's death. We temporarily leave this earthly body until it can be repaired, renovated, and perfected. At the resurrection, our inward man will move right back into a beautifully renewed home.”

7 Facts About Your Resurrected Body

Based on the scriptures (including 1 Cor. 15, Luke 24, and John 20), we can look forward to seven amazing facts about our future heavenly bodies:

1. It will be a recognizable body.
2. It will be a body like the one Jesus has (1 John 3:2).
3. It will be a body that permits eating (Jesus ate broiled fish in His resurrected body).
4. It will be a body in which the Spirit predominates.
5. It will be a body unlimited by time, gravity, or space (Jesus appeared instantly inside locked rooms).
6. It will be an eternal body (An imperishable building from God).
7. It will be a glorious body (raised in power, no longer weak or perishable).

There is More Beyond

In Spain, where Christopher Columbus died in 1506, a grand monument stands in his honor. At the center of the memorial is a statue of a lion tearing away one of the Latin words that had been Spain's national motto for centuries.

Before Columbus made his famous voyages, the Spanish people believed they had reached the very edge of the earth. Their motto was Non Plus Ultra, which translates to "No More Beyond," but after Columbus proved there was an entire world across the ocean, their thinking changed. As part of the monument, a lion has been sculpted, tearing away the word "Non" (No), which was permanently changed to "Plus Ultra," meaning "More Beyond."

My friends, Columbus proved it to the world, and Christ proved it to the universe: there is indeed more beyond this life.

The ultimate question we must all face is simple: Are you ready for what lies beyond?
If you want to know more about how you can have the absolute certainty of eternal life through Christ Jesus, please reach out to us at Christ Centered Solutions.