For many years, I’ve driven past one billboard outside Dallas that always makes me wonder, “What did Jesus really mean by ‘eternal life’?”

“Where are you going: heaven or hell?” The “gospel” billboard is funded by a company who says their goal is to show people, “whoever believes in Jesus and repents from their sins, can have eternal life (John 3:16).”

Strangely enough, the placarded challenge to consider “eternal life” is entirely focused on life AFTER death.

So, if Jesus’ “gospel”—his “good news” about His Kingdom—is only about securing a “get-out-of-hell-free card,” what are we supposed to do in THIS life?

When you read the New Testament, you quickly find out it’s NOT just wealthy Westerners with TikTok accounts and shelves full of self-help books who ask about “the good life.”

The First-Century Jewish people living in Roman-occupied Palestine also discussed this topic, only they often called it “eternal life” (Matthew 19:16, Mark 10:17).

​Search for the term, “Eternal life,” in the New Testament and you’ll find it described by Jesus and his followers in the following ways:

· Accessed through faith/trust in Jesus

· For the present and future “ages”

· Essential (like water or food)

· Received + given away (i.e., not only for one’s self)

· Lasting beyond death

· Evidenced by a transformed life

What’s the upshot of all this?

Jesus’ vision and embodiment of “the good life” (i.e., eternal life) can be lived in the following ways:

1. SURRENDER – it starts with acknowledging we are not ‘gods,’ we are human, and our efforts to play ‘god’ have often caused death (or “sin”). And, to paraphrase the late Tim Keller, Jesus lives the life we should’ve lived, dies the death we deserved to die, and rises again to give hope for a transformed life—now and into eternity. Surrendering, or trusting, in Jesus and taking him at his word is where “eternal life” begins.

2. START NOW – even the most well-known verse on the topic (John 3:16) points out that “eternal life” begins when we believe that Jesus is who He says He is. Then, we are daily refined and pushed forward by partnering with the very Spirit of Jesus for our transformation. In other words, we start to look and act like HEAVEN today.

3. SHARE – Jesus says we have “fountains of water springing up to eternal life” when we believe and start following him, which means we don’t gain this “good life” for ourselves only! How can you share the words of life Jesus so often shared? How can you, empowered by his Spirit, embody the life of Jesus to your coworkers, neighbors, or family today? What is bubbling forth from within you when you hear of other’s needs? Share the life you’ve been given and you’ll live “eternal life” today.

Living this “eternal life” is NOT reserved for life after death alone. We want to challenge you to SURRENDER, START NOW, and SHARE the “good life” Jesus offers. And when you do this, you’ll see heaven breaking through into your world; and the words of Jesus will become more than just ink on a billboard – they will become LIFE itself.