What does it mean to receive eternal life?
Many do not know that we are comprised of three parts: spirit, soul and body as evidenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
And according to this verse below, we are all born into this world spiritually dead – just as God foretold to Adam in Genesis 2:17. (And despite the devil’s lie in Genesis 3:4.)
“we were dead because of our sins” Ephesians 2:5
So we are all born into this world with a dead spirit that can only be revived by receiving the life of God afforded to us by faith when we believe into Jesus Christ.
Eternal life is not our life continuing on forever. It is the receiving of another kind of Life which is eternal – the eternal Life of God.
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
According to this verse, when we believe and know Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God sent from God the Father, we receive eternal life! That is, the Life of God is joined to our spirit. We are no longer spiritually dead. We have eternal life. NOW.