Wouldn’t it be convenient to have a transporter like the one on the Starship Enterprise? It might be the ultimate time saving device, beaming your dematerialized self almost instantaneously to wherever you need to be, and then rematerializing you just in time for your appointment. It could whiz you past rush hour traffic or save you the tedium of an intercontinental flight. Skip the lines at the post office—deliver the package yourself. It would be nice to get those dangerous pizza delivery drivers off the road too.
Star Trek style teleportation is as radical as the amazing transformation that happens when we take Jesus at His word and believe in Him.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (John 5:24-25)
Just before Jesus spoke those words, He had angered the Jewish religious leaders by calling God His Father.1 That implied Jesus was the Son of God and therefore equal with God. In these verses, Jesus focuses our attention on the fact that God the Father sent His Son Jesus on a mission.
If we believe Jesus, the benefits are amazing. We immediately move from death to eternal life, bypassing judgment. Jesus was not just talking about physical resurrection in the future; He said it is true in the spirit now. Some people might object, “Hey, wait a minute, I’m happily alive now. This doesn’t make sense.” Looked at through ordinary eyes, it does sound illogical. However, when we realize how wonderful our new life is, then everyday existence pales in comparison. Jesus called our recreated life eternal life. It has heavenly quality and quantity.
Elsewhere, Jesus defined eternal life as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent.2 Eternal life is life in a heavenly dimension, in relationship with our Father and Jesus forever. It is fulfilling beyond imagination and it begins the moment we believe. The tense of the verb “has passed” indicates a completed action with continued results.3 By faith in Jesus, we are instantly transported from our decrepit and limited existence to life in that new dimension.
What can we say to such a life except, “Beam me up.”
If you would like to receive these posts by e-mail, please sign up (we will not spam, or share your information).