Nothing is more plainly taught in Scripture than that the believer on the Son of God has present possession of eternal life and that he should know it. Let us simply hearken to what God says to us about it. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I-le that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, bath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment]; but is passed From death unto life." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me bath everlasting life" (John 3:36; 5:24; 6:4736He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)
24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)
47Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47)).
And further it says, "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shalt appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:3-43For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3‑4)). The activity of this life which is given us is also spoken of, as for example. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death" (1 John 3:1414We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1 John 3:14)).
Now we ask, Can any language more forcibly convey the truth that the believer on the Son of God already has the present possession of everlasting life? It is not a mending of the old nature, but receiving from God a new nature—eternal life. There is no uncertainty as to this. "God hath given to us eternal life," and we are to know that we have it.
If it be said there are scriptures which contradict this, we cannot for a moment admit the statement. That there may be difficulty in the minds of the uninstructed in divine things, in explaining some other scriptures consistently with this view, is another thing, but Scripture never contradicts itself. It is God's Word, and to those who wait on Him to reveal His own mind by the Spirit through the Scriptures, the apparent contradictions become only the occasions for the Spirit of God to unfold more fully and profitably to our souls "the deep things of God.”
If it be said that eternal life is looked at in Scripture as that for which we hope, no one could contradict it; for we read, "In hope of eternal life," and Timothy is admonished to "lay hold on eternal life," as if our having eternal life was an entirely future thing. And so it is, as to our bodies, when the fullest accomplishment of it is the question. For we are objects of God's grace and salvation as to spirit, soul and body. Now by faith our souls are the sphere of divine and gracious blessing, so that, as to our souls, we have eternal life, present salvation and redemption. But as to our bodies, we wait for the Savior to change our vile bodies and to fashion them like unto His glorious body. We look forward, then, to have "the redemption of our body." It is in this sense we understand our having at "the end everlasting life.
If, then, Christ is your life, you have eternal life. This is not merely being sure of it at some future time, but as to your soul, you are born of God; you have the present possession of everlasting life. Ever- lasting surely does not mean for a day, or a year, but forever. It is Christ in you, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Faith lays hold on eternal life and is conscious of having to do with what is eternal, in contrast with that which is temporal. Timothy was therefore not only enjoined to flee from the love of money and such like, but to "fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:1212Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)).
C. H. Mackintosh