Christ is not speaking here of some kind of magic formula or incantation. There is no doctrine to which we can adhere and be excluded from the Kingdom laws of sowing and reaping, of judgment and recompense.

Rather, Christ is stating if we will come to Him, He shall breathe into us the Life of God so we will not be abiding in death but in life.

Can you understand what Christ is saying? He is not speaking of dying and going to Paradise. He is referring to the Divine transformation now of what we are and what we do. His atoning blood keeps us without condemnation while that Kingdom transformation, the "new creation," is taking place.

Another important factor is that the initial gift of eternal life is not a once-for-all-time happening that never can be altered. As we stated previously, salvation is always now, always dynamic, always growing and developing. One cannot hear Jesus' Word and believe in God yesterday and have eternal life today. Hearing Jesus' Word and believing in God is always now, and the moment we cease hearing Jesus' Word and believing in God we come under judgment, and the forces of death begin to make headway against the Life of God that is abiding in us.

Let us take another look at John 5:24:

"Heareth my word" means hearing the voice of Jesus through the Holy Spirit at all times.

"Believeth on him that sent me" means placing all of our trust and hope in God in every aspect of daily living.

"Everlasting life" means the incorruptible Life of Jesus is beginning to replace our soulish bodily life. We are coming to experience the power of His resurrection. In this power and fellowship with God we shall live from now through eternity.

"Shall not come unto condemnation" means we ourselves, our spirit and soul, shall not abide under the wrath of God. It does not signify we will not be judged and chastened concerning every element of our body, soul, and spirit that is not perfectly in God's will and pleasing to Him. As many as Jesus loves He rebukes and chastens. We Christians, along with everyone else, will be given the fruit of our behavior when the Lord returns. To deny this fact is to lead ourselves and our followers to destruction. Numerous believers are being led astray in our time.

"Is passed from death to life" indicates that at one time we were separate from the Life and Presence of God but through receiving Jesus we now have been restored to the Life and Presence of God, no longer being cut off from Him.

Eternal life is not perpetual existence in the spirit realm. The demons exist perpetually in the spirit realm. But no demon can inherit the eternal Life that is in God and is God.

Eternal Life is the substance and force of Christ in us. The Divine Life of Christ transforms what we are.

To be continued.