Return on Relationship

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  John 17:3

Know – Jesus defines eternal life solely in terms of relationships.  Is that the way you define it?  There is not a single mention of heaven, salvation, forgiveness, blessings, victory, power, purpose or possession.  The entire summation of eternal life is found in knowing God, not knowing about Him, not being assisted by Him, not claiming acquaintance with Him.  Eternal life is found exclusively and entirely in relationship with Him – and not just any kind of relationship, but the kind that requires the Greek verb ginosko, in the present, active, subjunctive tense. 

So, first ginosko.  The Greek verb covers the ground from “to come to know,” “to perceive, to learn, to gain knowledge” to “to have knowledge in a completed sense,” “to acquire a complete understanding of.”  Jesus’ definition puts all this in the present tense.  It is an on-going, immediate experience of full relationship.  It is active.  I am thoroughly engaged and involved in the process, not merely the recipient of disseminated information.  It is vital to me.  And finally, it is subjunctive.  This is a description of the mood of the verb.  For us it means that this verb pushes us toward continuous action.  There is also a kind of tentativeness about the subjunctive.  We might suggest that this kind of knowing is quite special, requiring active participation, not found in every situation.

But never forget that Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Greek.  The Greek phrase is an attempt to capture what He said in Aramaic.  So, that means we must look to Aramaic and Hebrew roots to understand the full impact of this definition.  We would not be surprised to find that the word yada, in all of its range of meanings, comes into play.  To know God is to fully embrace Him as intimate companion, dearest friend, lover of my soul, sage of my life, provider and protector.  It is a lot more than conversation and a lot more than acknowledgment of His title.

When I have this kind of penetrating, personal relationship with God, I am experiencing eternal life.  Think about that.  Eternal life is not some thing that I am given, as though I can wrap it up and store it away for a rainy day.  It is not an entry pass.  It has no substance, anymore than my love for my wife has physical substance.  It is found only in the interaction and relationship between persons.  As I share in that relationship, I experience eternal life as a present reality.  It manifests itself in all kinds of tangible ways, but none of those tangible by-products are what it really is.

Try this little exercise.  Make a list of those tangible by-products of your relationship with God that you might at one time have labeled “eternal life.”  Then, one-by-one, remove them from the list by asking yourself the question, “If this were not part of my definition of eternal life, would I still enjoy the present reality of a full relationship with God?”  You might be surprised at what you have added to the definition.