S – And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

John 17:3 ESV

O – Commentary:

Eternal life, as defined here by Jesus, involves the experience of knowing the only true God through His Son (cf. Matt. 11:27). It is a personal relationship of intimacy which is continuous and dynamic. The word know (ginōskōsin) here in the present tense, is often used in the Septuagint and sometimes in the Greek New Testament to describe the intimacy of a sexual relationship (e.g., Gen 4:1, “lay”; Matt. 1:25, “had … union”). Thus a person who knows God has an intimate personal relationship with Him. And that relationship is eternal, not temporal. Eternal life is not simply endless existence. Everyone will exist somewhere forever (cf. Matt. 25:46), but the question is, In what condition or in what relationship will they spend eternity?

 Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 331.

A – This is an amazing truth.  Eternal life is not us sitting on clouds playing harps.  It is defined by how we know God and Jesus.  It goes to relationship with both of them.  Do we know Jesus as our savior and that bridges to knowing God as the only true God.  This allows us to begin our “eternal life” today on on earth.  We don’t start it when we die.  It starts when we accept Christ as Lord.  And the great thing is that we begin to enjoy all the benefits of knowing God now.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the One, True God. Thank you for allowing us to know you through Jesus Christ.  We want to know you more each day.  Empower us to grow in our relationship with you.