What is Eternal Life?

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The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
John, the writer of the fourth gospel, also write this letter to the early church toward the end of the 1st century.  The epistle of 1 John starts in a similar way to the gospel of John when he writes about the "Word".  We know from John's gospel that though the Word was with God from the beginning, the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us.  
Another theme for John is the idea of being "eyewitnesses" of the man Jesus. John uses the term "we" as he groups himself with the other disciples and apostles who actually saw Jesus.  They witnessed the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Therefore, those who said he only appeared to be a human by was really only a spirit could be proved wrong. 
Note, he calls Jesus "the eternal life".   Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way the truth and the LIFE".  "Life" is big theme for John. Not just biological life, but life in a wider and deeper sense. In John 10:10 Jesus says, "I have come to give you life and life abundantly."  John ends this passage by encouraging them to experience life in Jesus' name and to join them in fellowship.  Fellowship is different relationships in the world.  It is a deep connection through the Spirit of Christ between two or three gathered in His name.  
Are you experiencing abundant life?  Do you experience the joy of fellowship with other believers in Christian community.  Jesus is the eternal life which begins now continues even after we die because the eternal Christ lives in us.  You might call it the "eternal kind of life", because it starts when we are born again and continues forever even after we die!

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