Bible glossary
What Does ‘Eternal Life’ Mean in the Bible?
Eternal life is the unending, abundant life of God shared with His people, which begins now in knowing Him and continues forever.
In short
Eternal life is the unending, abundant life of God shared with His people, which begins now in knowing Him and continues forever.
Eternal life is more than living without end; it is a quality of life as much as a quantity. The Bible defines it as knowing God and Jesus Christ, a living relationship that death cannot break. It begins the moment a person comes to Christ, not only after they die.
This life is a gift, not a wage. God gives it freely to those who trust His Son, and He promises they will never be snatched out of His hand. It is the healing of everything death and sin have broken.
Key verses
“This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 17:3
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
John 10:28
“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.”
John 3:16
Eternal Life and Jesus
Eternal life is found in a Person, not a formula. To know Jesus is to have it, because He is the life. He does not merely promise a good afterlife; He gives Himself, and in Him even now the life that death cannot end begins.