WHAT ETERNAL LIFE DOES

NO MATTER from what angle you look at Eternal Life as it contacts man's spirit, it is miraculous. Eternal Life is the Nature of God the Father; and when one "becomes a partaker of the Divine Nature he becomes united with the Father. Jesus illustrated this in John 15:5: "I am the vine and ye are the branches." The Vine's life is Divine Life. The life in the branches is a part of the life of the Vine. So we become united with God. This is the phenomena of Christianity. What could it not do to the people if a nation could be founded in which all were partakers of the Divine Nature. How Godlike it would be !
If every member of a family were a partaker of the Divine Nature, what a family it would be!

That would solve every economic problem and every social issue that confronts us as a people. Every home would be a safe place for a baby to be born and reared. It would never hear cursing or witness drunkenness. It would solve the home problem.
There would be no divorces. When a man and woman receive Eternal Life and let that Life dominate them, each one lives for the other's happiness. The most amazing fact is that the old selfish Adamic nature is eliminated and God's Nature takes its place.
1 John 4:7-8: "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Here we see the evidence of the New Birth: that we love one another.

If one does not love, he is not Born Again. This is God's criteria. There should never be the question of whether this person or that person is a child of God. If he walks in love, he is a child of God. If he does not walk in love, he is either out of fellowship and not walking with the Father, or else he has never received Eternal Life. Romans 15:1: "We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves." This makes us Jesus-like. The strong cannot exploit the weak nor take advantage of them. The weak become the burden of the strong. The strong assume their responsibility and bear the burdens. You see, we act like Jesus. Jesus acted like the Father. We are taking Jesus' place in this old struggle.
How deeply important it is that this Eternal Life teaching should have its proper place.

1 John 5:4, 5: "Whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world." The overcomer belongs to the twice-born class. When one knows that lie has God's Nature, knows his privileges in Christ, knows the authority of the Name of Jesus, knows that God's strength is his, and that God's ability and wisdom are his, he cannot be a failure.
No matter what the opposition or the circumstances may be, he rises above them all.
Perhaps one of the most outstanding features of Eternal Life is that it permits us to go into the Father's presence at any time with the same freedom that Jesus had.

Hebrews 4:16: "Draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace. The Throne on which Jesus is seated is a Grace Throne. The word, "grace," here means "love gifts." What a beautiful title: the Throne of Love Gifts! I can come into His presence at any time.
In the morning when I awaken in His presence I whisper, "Good morning Father. Thank you for caring for me and for watching over me during the night. "Good morning, Jesus. It is so beautiful of You to ever live to make intercession for me, and to hold me in the embrace of Your Faith and Love." There is a sweet intimacy between the Father and His children that is shown in Jesus' great High Priestly prayer in John 17:23: "That they may know that thou lovedst them even as thou lovedst me."
The weakest child has love's privilege granted to him. He may hide from the turmoil of the world in the Throne Room with his Father. No more beautiful thing was ever spoken from the lips of Jesus than the words recorded in John 14:23: "If a man love me He will keep my Word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." There is a sweet, Divine intimacy offered to us. No one can overestimate what it could mean to have the Father and Jesus in the home. What an effect it would have on the children! What an effect it would have upon the father and mother! No cross word would ever he spoken. There would be no bitter arguments.

Love would be the first law of the home.
How divinely beautiful is the home life pictured by Jesus. Isaiah 41:10: is a New Testament picture of the believer in his daily life: "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." This scripture is particularly precious. He is whispering to us in our daily walk. In the morning before we go to the office or our place of employment we hear, "Fear thou not, I will go with thee.
"I will go ahead of you. I will prepare everything for your coming. I will watch over you today. My eye of love is upon you. "No circumstance shall imprison or intimidate you today. My grace is all that you need.
"I am the strength of your life. I am your ability at every crisis. I am thy God." I love to think of Him as my Father-God. No Father ever loved his child as He loves you and me. No one ever planned for his child as His love has planned for us. Every one of us has his place in the Father's Love and in the Father's dreams. And when He whispers, "I am thy Father-God," there is fragrance in it sweeter than violets or roses. It is the fragrance of my Father's love. And He wants me to know that He cares for me; that my burdens are His. He wants me to cast every anxiety upon Him. Isn't that beautiful? This is the most attractive feature of this Divine Life. He said, "Be not dismayed, for I am thy Father-God."
Bills may come. Sickness may steal into your home, but you are a master. You and the Father are tied up together. He is greater than disease. He is greater than bills. He is greater than any irritation that can come into the home life. He is your Father-God.

Jesus has become to you His right arm of Righteousness. That is what a mother whispered about her son: "You know, he has become the right arm in our home."
He knew what she meant. He supported her; he watched over her. His son-love for his mother made him a safe-keeper of his mother. Jesus is the right arm of your righteousness. Love grows very bold with the Father in the house. Eternal Life, gaining the ascendancy over our natural human life, swallows it up after a while. We become immersed in it.
Just as the Holy Spirit filled that upper room and immersed the disciples and made their spirits one with God, so now the Holy Spirit overshadows us and immerses us in His Eternal Life. We have the strength of God awaiting us at every issue. We have the Mind of Christ always available. We have the grace of our Lord Jesus, and we have the love of the Father always available. How rich we are! We are led unconsciously into a quiet faith in Him. In Phil. 4:11 one translation reads: "I have learned in whatsoever state I am therein to be independent of circumstances. I know how to live in the midst of wealth or poverty. I am a master in every state." And then he waxes strong in the 13th verse: "I can do all things through Him Who is my enabling power, or ability."
What a victorious, beautiful picture is this! It is what Eternal Life does for us in our daily walk. It gives us God's ability to face every problem of home and business, of social or political life.
The Two Kinds of Life