After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”
John 17:1-5
In His final hours just before the cross, Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and prayed.
It is an important prayer filled with love, rich theology, and truth.
Including, in the beginning of the prayer, where Jesus gave us the clearest definition of eternal life ever spoken. He says:
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
We often think of eternal life as something that begins after we die—spending forever in heaven with God.
And that is absolutely true. Eternal life does include a glorious future where we will be with Him forever, free from sin, sorrow, and death.
We receive that promise the moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. And just to avoid any confusion, Jesus is the only name given under heaven by which we may be saved.
But notice carefully how Jesus defines eternal life here.
He doesn’t define eternal life only as a future destination that begins when we die. He defines it as knowing God today and knowing Jesus Christ, whom He sent.
And knowing God is something that can begin right now.
Eternal life isn’t something we wait for; it’s something we can experience today!
When we open our Bibles to read His Word, when we quiet our hearts in prayer to speak with Him, when we sit in stillness to listen for His voice, when we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit—these are not just spiritual disciplines.
This is the very practice of eternal life: knowing God and knowing Christ.
Don’t wait to experience eternal life. Begin living it today by focusing on your faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of eternal life through faith in Your Son. Thank You that we can experience that today. Help me make it a priority now and always. Amen.