… in the hope of eternal life …
Summary: How we think about when eternal life begins affects the decisions we make. Choosing to see it as Paul does helps to keep us on the road home.
A dear brother in the faith sent me a link to a video the other day. It was a Bible study presentation being given by a gentleman who has a Ph.D. behind his name. In his video, he taught that the minute a person accepts Christ as savior, they have acquired eternal life.
Is that true?
If it is true, does it further our faith and lead to godliness?
I am not going to enter into a debate about whether the guy with the Ph.D. is right. Some of you reading this might believe the same way he does. Others might believe, as Peter seems to, that eternal life is something we hope for. Obviously, if we already have something, there is no need to hope for it.
But putting aside the issue of when the believer receives eternal life, let’s look at how our belief about when that happens affects our behavior.
In verse one, Peter explains that his mission is to further the faith of God’s elect, those destined to receive eternal life. Specifically, he is providing “knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.”
Godliness is both an attitude of mind and a standard of behavior. Godliness is the opposite of sinfulness. Sin is defined in Genesis 3 as a spiritual death and eyes that see both good and evil. Godliness, then, is living like the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32) after he returned home. He was reunited with his father and shunned his prior evil attitude.
The story of the prodigal son ends with a party in his honor. Personally, I take the party as a metaphor for eternal life with God. The prodigal is you and me. We were born in the distant country where the young son squandered his wealth. When times get hard, we, like the prodigal, realize that we belong at home, and so we set our eyes on the land of our origin and head there. This turning away from the land of “wild living” is repentance. But there is still the long journey to get home.
The young son had determined in his heart to ask for a job. He knew that he no longer had any claim to sonship in his father’s family. This is humility. All pride and arrogance were gone. In their place was a recognition of his own need and the realization that being home would fill that need.
Verse twenty says, “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
Notice how the father comes to him before he is home. The father meets him on the road and gives him a robe, a ring, and sandals. It is important to note that they are still not home. Before they arrive at the party, they have to complete the journey.
Now we have to ask a question that the story does not deal with. Having been greeted by his father on the road and accepted back into the family, one might assume that he goes straight home. In fact, the story assumes this is true. But what if the young son looked into his father’s eyes, felt the texture of the fine robe on his skin and the weight of the gold ring on his finger, and thought, “This is great! I’m back in!” And then suppose that he suddenly remembered some unfinished business back in the land of “Wild Living.”
He says, “Thanks, dad! Hey, I just remembered something I need to do. I’ll be right back.” And he turns back to his old ways. Is this possible? Have you ever seen someone who claims to be a child of the Living God who is still living in the land of Wild Living?
PS – I do not want to be misunderstood. Never question the power of our Lord Jesus to save us from the fires of hell. That is why he died on the cross. This essay does not argue that our eternal salvation depends on how well we adhere to the road home. The question is about how our attitude towards the journey affects our behavior. Scripture says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Application: Use the hope of eternal life as an incentive to keep to the road home.
Food for Thought: How does hope differ from knowledge?
I think it can be the difference between knowing something and experiencing something.
If a young adult who is 18 and is poor receives a trust fund from his wealthy uncle that matures when he is 21, is he poor or wealthy? He knows he has millions of dollars, but he does not currently experience that millions of dollars. His hope will be realized soon.
We have the hope of an eternal inheritance, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will realize this in the future (Ephesians 1: 13 – 14).
In the same way, I think that while we have knowledge of a glorious eternal future, that hope will not be experienced until we see Jesus (1 Peter 1: 3 – 5; 1 John 5: 11 – 13).
Thank you, Rich!
That is a really excellent example!
I don’t know why this makes me think of the thief on the cross next to Jesus. Jesus tells the thief he going to see heaven. The thief is going to go through a period of intense pain and torture despite his newly declared faith in Jesus. The knowledge of what he is experiencing is nothing like the hope he has in the Savior.
My comparison here is kind of rough, but the struggles of my earthly experience should be overwhelmed the hope of spiritual external life thanks to Jesus.
Rob,
Thank you for chiming in today. The portrait you paint is very appropriate and very touching.
I guess for me first I would have to know what hope meant before I had any knowledge of what hope is. So it is different because I would need to know first what hope means before I can hope in something I have knowledge of what to hope for,..if that makes any sense
If I know where I am going I may hope to get there quicker,..but in this case that’s God’s job to decide when I get there,..He has given me the knowledge of what to hope for,..and my hope can be found with my knowledge of Jesus coming to die on the cross for my sin, being buried for three days and resurrecting from the grave and then ascending back to heaven to gaurantee me a spot next to Him,..after knowing this,..what’s not to hope for in Christ?
Thank you, John!
I like the contrast between the hope we have for being with Jesus and the knowledge that he came to die on the cross for us.
How does hope differ from knowledge?
HOPE is defined as: “to wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.”
KNOWLEDGE is defined as: “A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact.
“Christian hope” and “worldly hope” are functionally the same. They both have an expectation of a positive result, however other than this, there is absolutely no basis for comparing the two.
Worldly hope (HOPE WITH NO KNOWLEDGE) has all the value attempting to swim from New York to France and hoping you make it. At the very best, worldly hope is based on something fallible like buying 50 lottery tickets and hoping you will win. Worldly hope for a particular outcome is no assurance of the outcome and often leads to fearful apprehension.
Hebrews 11:1 tells us, Faith is the substance of things hoped for. The word substance in this verse literally means “The Foundation.” A believers faith from God is the foundation for our hope.
The foundation for christian hope (HOPE WITH KNOWLEDGE) is our living foundation. The word of God, Jesus Christ who gives all believers life and provides growth as we are transformed from babies into adults. As our faith grows we receive a hope from God. This hope is confident assurance of His promise being fulfilled in His time. This hope brings peace and contentment in all circumstances as we wait knowing our Lord will fulfill His promises to us.
Ron,
You make a very interesting comparison between Christian hope and worldly hope. Thank you!
The difference in my mind is that the Christian has a sure hope based on God’s promises to fulfill his giving eternal life to the believer. The degree that you believe that your salvation is dependent upon you is the degree you will believe you can do something to lose it. If salvation is based on Christ’s finished work then our salvation is sure. Christians have been born again, transfer from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s dear Son. The requirement of faith gives one entrance into the relationship with the Father. No one including ourselves can separate genuine believers from Christ. The chain of perfect tense verbs in Romans 8:28-30 is compelling. All who have been predestined, called, justified will absolutely be glorified. This is an action taken by God which being begun at point in time, i.e. the moment of salvation, is seen as fully completed and continuing indefinitely without end into the future.
So the only questions would be: Was the conversion genuine? Is the relationship real? If so, then there should be the fruit of a changed life and an ongoing growing transformation into a greater likeness of Christ and desire to be like Him. Either we are miserable living in sin which in contrary to our new nature and if doing so are a prodigal, a wandering sheep who needs to be restored to the fold by our shepherd. But if we know Him we are always His even if sometimes our words, actions and lives do not always, or sometimes even for somewhat extended periods are not in conformity with God’s will for our lives.
Only God knows who are truly His, but there is a great deal more assurance and confidence in our hearts when we are trusting Him, His Word, praying consistently, and endeavoring to obey and follow hard after Jesus and pursue His will and His best for each of us, the good of fellow believers, and the magnification of His name and Kingdom.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful devotionals.