DEFINING ETERNAL LIFE

Eternal life is not merely endless existence. Eternal life is knowing God. Jesus said This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3). To know God is the essence of eternal life. Here is the simplest definition of life forever.

The ινα introduces a clause in apposition to eternal life (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1078). Eternal life is explained by what follows ινα in the verse. It is not that the knowledge of God gives life or is the way to have eternal life. When I know God my life is transformed into eternal life for life is found in God and death, by definition, is separation from God (Morris, John, p. 720).

Knowing God is a present tense verb (γινωσκωσιν) indicating that our knowledge starts now. We have eternal life right now as we live on earth because we know God now. We are not merely awaiting eternal life in the age to come. We enjoy it now. The aspect of the present tense indicates a continuous, ongoing knowledge, even increasing knowledge. Certainly our knowledge of God is growing until it culminates in perfect knowledge in the age to come, but we are still living eternally right now because we know God right now.

The contents of our knowledge are laid out in almost a confessional form (Meyer, John, p. 461). The substance of our knowledge is the knowledge of two persons - God and (και) Jesus Christ. One must know both to live eternally. To know a person we must know certain propositions about that person before we can know the person relationally.

God is the only (μονον) God. He is solitary, unique. There are no other gods to know if you want eternal life. God is the true (αληθινον) God (1 John 5:20). He is trustworthy, genuine, authentic and real. He is not spurious or fake like the gods (idols) of this world. To know those gods is not to enjoy eternal life for those gods do not live forever.

John 17:3 is the only place where Jesus calls Himself by His compound name - Jesus Christ. Some suggest that  the verse is an editorial comment by John rather than part of Jesus' prayer. However, the second person verb "whom you sent" (απεστειλας) and the personal pronoun "you" (σε) both prove that Jesus is praying these words. He is Jesus (God saves) and Christ (The Anointed One) who was sent by God so we could know God.

Eternal life is knowing God now and forever!

THREE GIFTS AND THREE GROUPS

Jesus uses the verb "to give" (διδωμι) 3 times with respect to 3 distinct groups of people in the opening words of His great prayer (John 17:2). The order of the groups is significant despite the fact that some English translations reverse the order of the final 2 groups. Each group is a subset of the previous group in the sequence (Blass/Debrunner, Grammar, p. 77).

Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you, since you gave to Him authority over all flesh, in order that the ones you have given to Him, He may give to them eternal life.

The first group is "all flesh" (πασης σαρκος). The Father gave (εδωκας) to Jesus authority over all flesh. The genitive is best understood as an objective genitive so "all flesh" is the object of authority (Robertson, Grammar, p. 500). The noun "flesh" (σαρκος) is used to stress the weakness of humanity. All (πασης) humans in fleshly weakness are given to the Son to be under His authority.

The second group of people is the Father's gift to the Son.This group is a subset of all flesh. "You have given" (δεδωκας) them to Me, Jesus prays. The verb is from the same root (διδωμι), but it is a perfect active indicative. The Father gave these people to the Son in the past with ongoing results. The disciples were already given to the Son by the Father. The group is identified by the neuter, singular construction "the ones whom" (παν ο).  The neuter singular construction is used for a group of people characterized by some defining quality (Turner, Grammar, 3:21). The quality that defines this group is that they are a gift from the Father to the Son.

The same construction is used by Jesus in John 6:37 where He says: All that (πας ο) the Father gives (διδωσιν) Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. Everyone given by the Father will come to the Son. It is sufficient for anyone coming to Christ that they be given by the Father.

The Son gives (δωση) eternal life to the ones (αυτοις) who have been given to Him by the Father. The pronoun (αυτοις) views the collective group (πας ο) individually. Jesus gives eternal life individually to each one who has been given to Him as part of the collective group. Eternal life is our personal gift from Jesus.

Jesus' words are, perhaps, the strongest statement about sovereign election in Scripture. There is no way to escape the grammatical argument of the passage. All who have been given at some time in the past to the Son receive the gift of eternal life from the Son.

Thank you, Jesus, that I am doubly gifted! I am the Father's gift to you, as incomprehensible as that may be, and I receive your gift of eternal life with joy. Secure forever as the Father's gift to you, I appreciate with joy your gift to me.

PEACE UNDER PRESSURE

Jesus draws 3 contrasts between our 2 spheres of life followed by 1 command built on 1 reality that clarifies our perspective. He concludes his instruction in the upper room with the familiar refrain, "These things I have spoken to you" (John 16:33; cf. 14:25; 15:11; 16:1,4,6,25,33). This expression (ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν) is not used elsewhere in John (Morris, John, p. 656).

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

There are 3 contrasts in this verse.

In Me  vs.  In the world

Peace  vs. Pressure

Might have  vs.  Have

We simultaneously experience 2 spheres of life. The "in Me" (εν εμοι) sphere of life should be the dominant reality. The expression is emphatic both in position and form. The "in the world" (εν τω κοσμω) sphere of life, while seemingly the dominant reality, should actually be secondary not primary.

The 2 spheres of life are characterized by 2 contrasting experiences. In Christ we have peace (ειρηνην) while in the world we have pressure (θλιψιν). We can experience peace and pressure at the same time because we live in both spheres simultaneously. Peace and pressure co-exist in the life of every Christian. Peace is not the absence of pressure. We can have peace in the middle of our troubles.

Pressure in the world is a given while peace is a possibility. Jesus says, "you have" (εχετε) pressure in this world. The present tense indicative verb implies an ongoing reality. Jesus says, "you might have" (εχητε) peace in Him. The present tense verb is subjunctive in mood which is the mood of probability or possibility. Peace is not guaranteed unless the following command is obeyed.

The command is to "take courage" (θαρσειτε) which follows a strong adversative "but" (αλλα). Peace under pressure comes from courage under fire. We can have courage because Jesus has established a new reality for us. "I have overcome the world." The "I" (εγω) is not only emphatic but contrastive as well. "I" contrasts strongly with "you" (Robertson, Grammar, p. 677). We might have expected Jesus to say, "Take courage. You have overcome the world." He doesn't say that, of course, because the victory is not in us but in Him.

John 16:33 is the only time John uses the verb νικαω in the Gospel, but he uses it 6 times in 1 John (cf. 1 John 5:4) and 17 times in Revelation (Morris, John, p. 714, fn 82). Here in John 16:33 the verb is a perfect active indicative form (νενικηκα) indicating that Jesus has already won the the victory with ongoing results for us. He states this before the cross so certain is He of the results of the looming battle. Jesus faced the cross with assurance of total victory. He goes to the cross with confidence that He will conquer the enemy despite the horror He faces in battle.

We must take courage in His victory. We have victory because He has victory. We are conquerors because He is conqueror (Romans 8:37). We can have peace under pressure because we take courage that He is the conqueror.