Eternal life is a gift only in the sense that God has made it possible for us to attain life. The initial portion of God's Life given to us when we first receive Jesus Christ is intended to enable us to gain more life, and more life, and yet more life, until our inward nature is filled with the fullness of God's Life in preparation for the redemption of our body.

We must fight the good fight of faith. We must lay hold of eternal life.

The goal of the Apostle Paul was eternal life. As you read the following verses you can see that the aged apostle was single-mindedly pressing toward attaining the resurrection that is out from among the dead. Paul understood it was not the fact that his flesh and bone would be raised at the coming of the Lord. Rather Paul was intent on what would take place afterward, that is the clothing of his flesh and bones with a glorious robe and crown of eternal life.

Can you see in the following that pursuing eternal life is a fight to the finish?

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8—NIV)

The fact that Paul, toward the end of one of the most fruitful of all Christian lives, was laying all aside that he might "gain Christ" is an overwhelming indictment of the way the Gospel is preached in our day. Many of us are not preaching the Gospel at all. The Christian message in America in some instances is a Hollywood, Disneyland, frothy, superficial tea party compared to the message and life of the Apostle Paul.

Paul was losing all things that he might gain Christ. That he might gain Christ!

Where does this leave us? Think of it!

And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (Philippians 3:9—NIV)

From the context of verse nine we see what the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith really means. It is not just the light mental assent that we of today refer to as saving faith. It is a life sold out to God in every detail. The righteous live by this total reliance on God.

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (Philippians 3:10—NIV)

Paul was pressing forward to gain a full knowledge of God, of the power of the resurrection of Christ, and to share in the sufferings of Christ, living in conformity with the death of Christ on the cross.

Again we see that the true Christian salvation is a lifelong pressing toward Christ, especially toward experiencing the power of Christ's resurrection and experiencing Christ's sufferings and the death of the cross.

To be continued.