"But thou, O man of God,… lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim. 6:12). This inspired exhortation by
Paul to the young preacher Timothy is for us likewise; but if we would lay hold on life eternal,
it is important that we understand the teaching of Scripture regarding it.

The Gospel of John presents the Lord Jesus as the Eternal Life which was with the Father, and
was manifested here for a time on earth. The First Epistle of John presents that same life now
manifested in the children of God. In both Gospel and Epistle, again and again it is insisted on that
this everlasting life is the present portion of all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He gives
eternal life to all His sheep and assures us that they shall never perish. Indeed, they could not, or
else the life would not be eternal but simply probationary.

If there is any doubt or difficulty as to this in the Christian’s mind, then there can scarcely be any
true, unselfish service for the Lord Jesus Christ. If I have any lingering fear of possibly being lost
in the end, or if I suppose that I maintain my salvation by my faithfulness, genuine faithfulness
there cannot be. For I shall ever have before me_not purely the glory of Christ_but the selfish
thought of making my own soul secure.

But all this is rebuked wherever life eternal is taught in Scripture. By new birth_divine
generation_the believer in Christ becomes the possessor of eternal, inalienable, nonforfeitable
life. It is thus we are enabled to apprehend divine things and have fellowship with divine persons.
"This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou
hast sent" (John 17:3).

Now, let us return to Paul’s exhortation to Timothy. We lay hold on eternal life as we realize in
our souls that we do not belong to this sphere; that everything for us is connected with the scene
to which we are going. Hence we learn to look very differently upon the things of this life from
what we once did. We realize that the true life is life in fellowship with God, and so we are
enabled, in the Spirit’s power, to use this world without abusing it, walking as Christ walked, who
alone fully manifested eternal life in this scene of death. This is, for us, to lay hold on eternal life.

It is most sorrowful to hear people glibly talking of having eternal life and being forever saved,
when they are really trying to "make the best of this life" like men of the world who make no
profession. If I have eternal life, I am to make it known by living it out and acting now in the light
of the coming day of the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

(From Sailing with Paul.)