When does our eternal life start?

[Root of Jesse]

Eternal life starts the moment you're conceived.

 

[corinth77777]

So our Lord Jesus has promised to all believers the gift of eternal life but when does that eternal life start? The moment we are born again? After we die and are given our perfect bodies on the last day? Jesus promised believers will live even though they die so does that mean that when our bodies die we still live in spirit? So that would mean that our eternal life starts from when we first come to Jesus. Maybe even from the moment we were born because Christians were chosen by God before he formed the world. But there are verses in the bible that seem to support all views. Like for example on the last day we are given eternal life to reign with Jesus during his 1,000 year reign. I just don't know. Thoughts?

In my opinion...for I'm no scholar...
Eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ who He has sent. Know was said by one scholar to mean an intimate relationship.
If you live now by the Spirit through the son then it seems it begins now. I'm glad you brought up this subject because it reminded me to find out if there is a difference between eternal life and life eternal.
For...there are What seems to me characteristics of eternal life...and that would bea vibrant life, joy and peace.
Jesus said His kingdom was at Hand right?
And falling under His rule would seem to start us off as those who will have acess now and after our death.

 

[JacksBratt]

I believe that the moment we accept Christ, we attain eternal life. We may die an earthly death, however this is just a shedding or our tent. Our conscious self, our soul, will not notice anything but a journey to where our savior is.

As they say.... Born once... die twice, born twice, die once.
Anyone who doesn't have salvation is facing eternal death.

Yes, it may be figuratively, but death has no hold on us "death, where is thy sting"?

 

[JacksBratt]

Eternal life starts the moment you're conceived.

I don't understand.... what about sinners who never accept Christ? Do they lose this eternal life?

Are we not born sinners?

 

[tampasteve]

I don't understand.... what about sinners who never accept Christ? Do they lose this eternal life?

That depends on one's beliefs. Some say that the "non-saved" have eternal damnation and torment, some say we just die, some say we remain asleep until the judgement at which point we would suffer eternal death from fire in annihilation.

 

[Root of Jesse]

I don't understand.... what about sinners who never accept Christ? Do they lose this eternal life?

Are we not born sinners?

No, they finish their eternal life in hell.

 

[WebersHome]

-
Note the grammatical tense of the "have" verb in Jesus' statement below; it's present rather than future indicating that people who correctly imbibe Christ's blood, and correctly dine upon his flesh; have eternal life right now-- no delay, and no waiting period.

● John 6:53-54 . . I tell you the truth; unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life

In other words: if people are lacking eternal life it's because they have yet to correctly imbibe the Lord's blood and correctly dine upon his flesh.

/

 

[JacksBratt]

That depends on one's beliefs. Some say that the "non-saved" have eternal damnation and torment, some say we just die, some say we remain asleep until the judgement at which point we would suffer eternal death from fire in annihilation.

I understand the different beliefs... but, don't Christians believe that all are lost, all have come short?

Thus, all are in need of a savior. If so... we are born sinners and lost.... only an acceptance of Christ brings salvation..

I'm not that interested in different beliefs. Some believe that God is a myth..

I am interested in truth.

 

[JacksBratt]

No, they finish their eternal life in hell.

Ah, OK, I see what you are saying... All souls are eternal... some have eternal life... others eternal death.

 

[tampasteve]

I understand the different beliefs... but, don't Christians believe that all are lost, all have come short?

Yes, we all fall short and sin.

Thus, all are in need of a savior. If so... we are born sinners and lost.... only an acceptance of Christ brings salvation..

Yes, I agree.
But you asked " what about sinners who never accept Christ" therefore they are still lost. Christians that have found Christ and repent are not lost.

I am interested in truth.

I think we all are, hopefully

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

So our soul is eternal with or without God and our bodies are not eternal. They only become eternal after the second coming when Jesus makes our bodies perfect. That makes sense thank you for explaining it.

When we turn to Christ it is our spirit which was dead, has now been made alive. This is the eternal life that we receive. Our physical bodies have the sentence of them in them. This is what Paul meant when he said, "We have the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead." When our life ends, our spirit goes straight into the presence of God. Paul said, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord." At the second coming, when our bodies are resurrected, they are raised not as the corruptible bodies that went into the grave, but as glorified bodies, the same as Jesus' new body with which He walked out of the tomb. Jesus is the first born of many brethren, and just as He was raised from the dead in a glorified body, so shall we.

So in a real sense, our eternal life has started the moment we turned to Christ. There have been testimonies of near death experiences where the person has lifted out of their body, floated around the room and looked down at their dead body, either in the motor accident or on the operating table, and then either went back into their body as the doctors were able to get his heart started again, or has gone through a type of tunnel and ended up in paradise where they saw their loved ones, and then Jesus who told them their time was not up yet, and then they have woken up in hospital. It seems that there is no loss of consciousness at death, and the spirit that leaves the body is still conscious of the surroundings and its journey to paradise. One elderly lady did have a near death experience and was disappointed that she was resuscitated. She asked the next time not to be brought back to life, and a short time later she had another cardiac arrest, and was allowed to die. That was because she knew where she was going and wanted so much to go back there.

So, knowing that we have eternal life and that death is just a transition between this life and the presence of the Lord in paradise to await the final day of the Lord, then we have no fear of death. "Death, where is your sting, and grave, where is your victory?"

 

[Thomas1987]

If you believe that Jesus is LORD and God the Father raised him from the dead you are saved and have eternal life . Your body will be born again at rapture .

 

[Simon_Templar]

So our Lord Jesus has promised to all believers the gift of eternal life but when does that eternal life start? The moment we are born again? After we die and are given our perfect bodies on the last day? Jesus promised believers will live even though they die so does that mean that when our bodies die we still live in spirit? So that would mean that our eternal life starts from when we first come to Jesus. Maybe even from the moment we were born because Christians were chosen by God before he formed the world. But there are verses in the bible that seem to support all views. Like for example on the last day we are given eternal life to reign with Jesus during his 1,000 year reign. I just don't know. Thoughts?

People often think of this the wrong way.

Your natural life will never be eternal. That is impossible. Eternal means without beginning and without end. So even if you are immortal, you will never be eternal.

Only God has eternal life by nature.

So it is not a matter of your life becoming eternal. Your life will never be eternal. What we receive from God is not that we become eternal but that we get to participate in his eternal nature.

So, Eternal life is always God's life. When we are given eternal life, this means we are literally being given the opportunity to participate in and experience the life of God.

When you think about it that way, you will begin to realize that we can 'have eternal life' now to the degree that we are able to participate in God's divine nature. The more you grow in love and in holiness (which is to say the more you grow in relationship with God) the more you will experience eternal life, because the more you will experience God.

 

[Charlie24]

The apostle John said "he who believes on the Son has everlasting life..." John 3:36.

I would agree with those who say eternal life begins the moment we trust Christ for our salvation.

 

[JacksBratt]

-
Note the grammatical tense of the "have" verb in Jesus' statement below; it's present rather than future indicating that people who correctly imbibe Christ's blood, and correctly dine upon his flesh; have eternal life right now-- no delay, and no waiting period.

● John 6:53-54 . . I tell you the truth; unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life

In other words: if people are lacking eternal life it's because they have yet to correctly imbibe the Lord's blood and correctly dine upon his flesh.

/

I don't think it has anything to do with "imbibing" Jesus blood or "dining" on His flesh..

You can be saved and not observe communion. Nowhere is that ever a prerequisite for salvation. Ever.

 

[dqhall]

So our Lord Jesus has promised to all believers the gift of eternal life but when does that eternal life start? The moment we are born again? After we die and are given our perfect bodies on the last day? Jesus promised believers will live even though they die so does that mean that when our bodies die we still live in spirit? So that would mean that our eternal life starts from when we first come to Jesus. Maybe even from the moment we were born because Christians were chosen by God before he formed the world. But there are verses in the bible that seem to support all views. Like for example on the last day we are given eternal life to reign with Jesus during his 1,000 year reign. I just don't know. Thoughts?

I think living life today should be sufficient. Today should be my primary concern. If I do well today, perhaps God will grant me a tomorrow.

Jesus was riding a donkey from the Mount of Olives to the temple precinct in Jerusalem.
John 12:23 (Geneva Bible 1599)

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man must be glorified.
24 Verily, verily I say unto you, Except the wheat corn fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 He that loveth his life, shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me: for where I am, there shall my servant be: and if any man serve me, him will my father honor.
27 Now is my soul troubled: and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but therefore came I unto this hour.
28 Father, glorify thy Name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

 

[Rescued One]

Right. Most Christians believe that we go to be with Jesus when we die and that our bodily resurrection is a separate event. So that would mean that we are born with eternal life. Since God foreknew those who would come to believe and who wouldn't.

I don't think we're born with it. I became a Mormon; if I already had the Holy Spirit I wouldn't have done that.

 

[Rescued One]

I don't think it has anything to do with "imbibing" Jesus blood or "dining" on His flesh..

You can be saved and not observe communion. Nowhere is that ever a prerequisite for salvation. Ever.

If you are saved, you love and obey Him. Communion is important!

 

[Rescued One]

Yeah Eternal means lasting forever. So eternal life would be life without a beginning or end. Its life that lasts past physical death into an eternity. Its the way Adam and Eve and all the human race could have been. But the human race disobeyed God and they have to suffer physical death as punishment. But those chosen by God will have eternal life again.

Our eternal lives have a beginning. I didn't always exist.

 

[The Times]

So our Lord Jesus has promised to all believers the gift of eternal life but when does that eternal life start? The moment we are born again? After we die and are given our perfect bodies on the last day? Jesus promised believers will live even though they die so does that mean that when our bodies die we still live in spirit? So that would mean that our eternal life starts from when we first come to Jesus. Maybe even from the moment we were born because Christians were chosen by God before he formed the world. But there are verses in the bible that seem to support all views. Like for example on the last day we are given eternal life to reign with Jesus during his 1,000 year reign. I just don't know. Thoughts?

The book of Hebrews is what the Apostolic Church in Jerusalem believed. So, please read Hebrews 9 and it willgive you the answer in detail.