Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #62 - The Hope of Eternal Life (Part II)

In our last post we looked at the promise of eternal life granted by God's grace to those who have believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Titus1:2; 3:7).  But what exactly does this promise mean?  As John Walvoord states, "Both the terms 'eternal' and 'life' are difficult to define except descriptively" (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology).  The phrase "eternal life" is made up of two Greek words:  "aionios" (eternal) and "zoa" (life).  The Greek word "aionios" according to Thayer's Greek Lexicon may mean: 1) without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be; 2) without beginning; or 3) without end, never to cease, everlasting.  In the first meaning it is used only of God (Romans 16:26).  The second meaning is found in our text in Titus 1:2 and is translated by the KJV as "before the world began".  This speaks of the "eternal promise" of God found in the Gospel which was established in the eternal counsels of God before the beginning of time (or the ages).  It is the third usage that is applied to the life of the believer both presently and after physical death.  John 3:36 states: "He that believeth on the Son hath (as a present possession) everlasting life:  and he that believeth not the Son shall not see (now or in the future) life; but the wrath of God abideth (now and forever) on him."  Those who refuse the gift of eternal life in this world will never experience it after death.  This is the "perishing" that is spoken of in John 3:16 that is only escaped through faith in Christ:  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  There is everlasting life and there is everlasting death:  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14,15).  Death in the Bible never means "to cease to exist" but always refers to a "separation" of some sort.  Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body.  Spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God.  And the second death is the eternal separation of the unsaved from God in hell:  "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (II Thessalonians 1:9).  The Lord Jesus made it very clear that everyone will live forever somewhere, either in heaven or in hell.  No one simply ceases to exist after this life is over:  "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:46).  The words "everlasting" and "eternal" are exactly the same in the Greek text.  You cannot limit the one and not the other.  Both the believer's life in heaven and the unbeliever's punishment in hell are eternal and without end!  Leon Morris wrote:  "In the NT there is no indication that the punishment of sin ever ceases."  And so, at the very least, the promise of eternal life includes the believer's escape from the eternal penalty of hell.  But there is even more in this promise of eternal life that is implied in the very word "life" as it is used in the Bible. Once again we may cite Thayer on the meaning of the Greek word "zoa". While this word may refer to the mere physical life or animation of the body, it is also used in the New Testament to refer to "life real and genuine ... a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon).  It is this expanded definition of "life" that we wish to explore in our next post.