Eternal life

“Who is the only person whose life had no beginning? Then if you have eternal life, whose life do you possess? Eternal life doesn’t primarily involve heaven, church services, or even the Bible. Eternal life is not merely a better life or a better purpose for life. It’s an altogether different life. It’s God’s life. Here we don’t reference religious notions. Instead, we’re discussing Eden matters.

“If there were no church buildings, no Bible studies, and no other saints on the planet, you’d still need eternal life. If you were stranded on a deserted island, you’d still need eternal life. The essence of the gospel meets that basic need. The fundamental promise within the New is divine life restored within humanity.”—The Naked Gospel, page 174

“Eternal life is Jesus’ life. Jesus declared himself to be “the resurrection and the life” and “the way and the truth and the life” (John 11:25; 14:6). He also stated, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). Clearly, our eternal life is tied up in him. Our new spiritual life is actually his life.

“So we don’t have a spiritual gift package awaiting us in heaven. We have Jesus Christ in us right now. In fact, it’s his life that saves us. We recognize the importance of Jesus’ blood for our forgiveness. But Jesus’ death alone isn’t sufficient to save us! His death on the cross doesn’t provide the life we need. It is actually Jesus’ resurrection that saves us...

“The life we possess within us is not Jesus the Man who lived, taught, and died after thirty-three years on earth. Sure, that’s part of his track record. But the life housed within us is the risen Christ, who now sits right beside God. Hence, we’re not being asked to imitate the recorded actions of Jesus of Nazareth. Instead, we’re invited to allow Jesus to do what he has always done — be himself. The risen Christ wants to do this through our unique personalities in every moment of every day.”—The Naked Gospel, pages 177, 178

<idle musings>
I like that; it is very freeing. Just let Jesus live through you; forget the guilt trips, the performance based stuff, all the σκυβαλα, as Paul called it. Just hang on to Jesus and let him live through you.
</idle musings>