Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
When we think of eternal life we might do well to keep it as simple as Jesus does in his prayer. Knowing the only true God is eternal life. We exist if we know the Lord.
In the study of the Holy Trinity, we learn that the Father is the father in relation to the Son; without the son is there is no father. And vice versa, the only begotten Son of God is son because of the relationship with the unbegotten Father. They do not have separate existences; their relationship is consubstantial.
Nor do you and I exist apart from the only true God. Severing our relationship with God, or failing to acknowledge our dependence upon God, we risk nonexistence. We become spirits or ghosts or ideas, without substantial existence. Shakespeare described such a non-creature in The Tempest; without an anchoring relationship to Prospero, Ariel can only drift with the wind. Whatever he might want to do, he effects nothing. Dante also imagined the disembodied adulterers, Paolo and Francesca da Rimini; they float like dandelion fluff in an outer circle of Hell. Where they once indulged their bodies' carnal desires, now their disembodied souls attach to nothing.
Eternal life is knowing the only true God. This knowledge is substantial like the consubstantial relationship of the Father and the Son.
- It entails belonging: "Whether in life or in death, we are the Lord's."
- Love: "You shall the Lord your God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength."
- A reverent awareness of God's presence: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
- And obedience: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.