Eternal Life

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal Life. 

This is one of the most famous verses in the Bible. A lot of Christians however read this verse as: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him should not perish. They all stop at perish. The Christian experience for the majority of believers ends at the the fact that they will not got to hell but heaven. That is good, but after 50 years of being a Christian, if that is all you know you are missing out on a whole bunch. God has prepared a big buffet but you are settling for rice and sambar. (Ephesians 1:3) (2 Peter 1:3-4)

On the other hand, some Christians believe that eternal life is something we receive in the sweet by and by and not in the rough now and now. They believe eternal life becomes ours only after we die. It surprises me when Christians after years of being in the church, know just one thing, that when they die they will go to heaven.

There is more to salvation that deliverance from God's wrath (hell). (Romans 5:9)

John 3:36

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:

The above verse makes it very clear that if you believe on the Son, you have ever-lasting life right now. It does not say - you will have - but it is says you have everlasting life. So what is ever-lasting life? A dictionary would give you meaning for the phrase but Jesus Christ also gives us his definition in John 17:3... And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God , and Jesus Christ, who thou hast sent. 

The word know in the above verse is the same word know seen in Genesis 4:1... And Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived,

The word know in John 17:3, is really speaking about an intimate knowing between God and Man, just like a husband knows his wife. There is vast difference between how I know you and how your husband or wife knows you. God want to have an intimate and personal relationship with you. And this intimate personal relationship with God is what the bible calls eternal Life.

YOU COULD EITHER SPEND YOUR ENTIRE LIFE WAITING FOR HEAVEN OR YOU COULD ENJOY AN INTIMATE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD TODAY. YOU DECIDE...