How to live forever

It seems a bit strange that John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” would begin his letter by referring to Jesus as “that which.” Yet as he continues it becomes clear that the “that” of whom he speaks is a person not a thing. And that’s because it had been “heard, seen, looked at, and touched.” John’s readers would probably have been familiar with the way he opened his gospel – “In the beginning was the Word.” It was an obvious reference to the man he knew so intimately as Jesus. I can see the elderly patriarch sitting there on the Isle of Patmos, reflecting on his time with Jesus. In just the first verse of his letter John stresses four ways that describe the relationship that had existed “from the beginning” (not of time but of the Christian movement). Let’s look at them.
       John writes that he had been one of the Jesus’ disciples and therefore had actually “heard” him, not only as he taught the crowds, but as he clarified to his disciples what he had said to larger groups. John’s information about Jesus was not something that had been passed on to him, but he himself had been right there and heard the very words that came from the mouth of Jesus. Not only had he “heard” Jesus, but he had “seen” him with his own eyes. There was no question about the relationship, it was man to man. John “looked” at him as well. The Greek theaomai, (“to look at intently”) is different than the earlier verb, horao (which means “to catch sight of” or “to notice”) and emphasizes the careful way in which John looked at his Lord. [Sorry about the technical details; I can’t seem to get away from my earlier career.] And finally, John had been right there with him, even “touched” him with his hands. What the elderly disciple is doing is showing how well qualified he is to pass on the teachings of Jesus. He was there with Jesus all during the time of his ministry.
       And what did John mean by the phrase “the Word of Life“? It could be a message about life, a message that creates life, or as The Message has it, “The infinite Life of God himself that took shape before us.” My tendency is to steer clear of the extremes in translation; that is: leaving a text somewhat vague, or adjusting it so completely that there is little resemblance to the original. So I would settle for the “Word that brings life.” And that’s exactly what Jesus, who is the “Word,” does.
       There is one thing about physical life and that is that we never get out of it alive (except for the Rapture of course). It is a very limited commodity and lasts for only a relatively short period of time. But the life that Jesus brings is spiritual. That life never dies. It is eternal and every believer has already entered it. But wait! Wouldn’t that mean that the Christian wont really die? Right! Only the body dies. Doesn’t God say that the believer “has crossed over (past tense) from death to life” (John 5:24)? Right again! The amazing truth is that when people turn from the old life and accept Jesus Christ as Savior they are “born again,” this time into a new life, a spiritual life that never ends. That is what scripture teaches, and while our body will die, who we really are will continue forever.  And that’s a long long “time!”