Romans – God’s Timeline XXXI: Eonian Life, Part 5

 

Eonian Life in Acts

Before we dwell on “life eonian” in Paul’s letters, let us first briefly consider the two uses of “life eonian” in Acts. These are found in Acts 13:46-48–

Being bold, both Paul and Barnabas, say, “To you first was it necessary that the word of God be spoken. Yet, since, in fact, you are thrusting it away, and are judging yourselves not worthy of eonian life, lo! we are turning to the nations. For thus the Lord has directed us: ‘I have appointed Thee for a light of the nations; for Thee to be for salvation as far as the limits of the earth.’” Now on hearing this, the nations rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and they believe, whoever were set for life eonian.

As we considered in part 23 of this series, beginning in chapter 13 of Acts, Paul was severed for the evangel of God spoken of in Romans (Acts 13:1-2, Rom. 1:1, 16-17, 3:21-26.) From Acts 13-19, we have also read that, whenever Paul entered a new place, he would first enter the synagogue where the Jews taught, to proclaim this message, before taking to the streets and heralding to the rest (cf. Rom. 1:16.)

With the prefaced contexts in mind, the above passage is clear and delightful. Paul and Barnabas were speaking to blaspheming Jews in this context (13:45.) They were told of the word of God first. In doing this, they were revealing their perceived lack of self-worth.

No, but seriously – consider this now, for it has been an important point with me, and practically everything I’ve shared from my writings. People mistake humility for lack of worth. People who know of their justification will say, “I am nothing on this planet!” I, too, am guilty of this. While we are, literally, tiny in regards the rest of the universe, this is no reason to doubt our worth. If God has justified us, and provides us with an expectation of life eonian, then we should not be like the Jews in this context! We should not assume that, because God is “big” and “sovereign,” that we are worthless. It is because God is “big” and “sovereign” that we are worth a great deal to Him.

This issue of self-worth is just why many seek to self-justify. They seek to prove their worth instead of finding it through the blessings God offers, deeming them to either be “too good to be true,” or “too much to ‘live up’ to.” At the end of the day, the only reason the Jews would envy Jesus is if they intuitively recognized that He had a righteousness which they had not been able to attain in this flesh. These folk, in seeking their own works for blessings with God, judged themselves unworthy of the blessings God provided, as their channel to attaining them ran completely opposite to His character – nor would He stoop to unrighteous methods to bless them.

Thus, the nations are turned toward, with a greater blessing (to be in the body of Christ, being justified, apart from law,) to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. 11:13-14.) It was determined that some among the nations would be set for life eonian under Paul’s evangel. With that, let us review the two uses of “life eonian” which we have seen in Romans, and see how “life eonian” relates to Paul’s evangel concerning justification, and conciliation.

Eonian Life in Romans

When we first read Romans 2, I actively avoided discussing the first use of “eonian life.” I wanted to wait until now to talk about it in a bit more detail.

Recall that Romans 2:1-16 discusses judgment and its natural effects! Here is the passage again–

[God] will be paying each one in accord with his acts: to those, indeed, who by endurance in good acts are seeking glory and honor and incorruption, life eonian; yet to those of faction and stubborn, indeed, as to the truth, yet persuaded to injustice, indignation and fury, affliction and distress, on every human soul which is effecting evil, both of the Jew first and of the Greek…

Recognizing, now, the weight of what “eonian life” is, we can further apprehend how fair this “just judgment” is. If anyone truly endured – against all coaxing by the desires of this flesh – in good acts, acts in an unconditional love under all circumstances, then life eonian would not be the gift that it has been conveyed as by Jesus. It would instead be the deserved reward for someone as good as He. What could be a greater reward than a proper place in Christ’s kingdom, where the law is written in His subjects’ hearts?

Yet we know the true purpose of this passage, having considered it in its proper place – a building block in Paul’s argument that no one is just; there is not even one (Rom. 3:10-11.) If we were able to effect the good acts with the endurance Paul is describing, then the law would already be written in our hearts. This, of course, would blow Paul’s argument to smithereens, and to this day, has only been shown in One Individual. The eonian life in view, then, is His and His alone to gift to whomever He pleases.

While we cannot easily know whomever at any given point in time, there is far less reason to ask “however” He pleases, for He tells us ‘how’ in Romans. The next time we read of “life eonian,” it appears in Romans 5:21 – the last verse we had considered at this point in the Romans series, which brought on this whole study.

Where sin increases, grace superexceeds, that, even as Sin reigns in death, thus Grace also should be reigning through righteousness, for life eonian, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

When we ended consideration of Romans 5, Grace had been personified as the antithetical ruler to sin. This was through righteousness, in this case, righteousness being considered as the channel through which grace is imparted. This tracks with Paul’s evangel itself, being sourced in grace (Rom. 3:24,) yet channeled through Jesus Christ’s faith, which is a manifestation of the righteousness of God (Rom. 3:22.) It is just for grace to be enthroned – and one does not exist without the other. Grace without righteousness has no evidence of handling sin properly. Righteousness without grace has no evidence of handling the sinner properly. It is these two components working concordantly which give us the whole picture – grace reigns through righteousness.

And, as with the circumcision evangel, this leads into life eonian. Since all believers in Paul’s evangel are reckoned righteous on account of a measure of Jesus Christ’s faith being given to them (Rom. 3:21-22, 12:3,) we are all thus partaking of the eonian life effected through Grace’s newfound reign. The life of Christ is imparted to us, now, and this topic will be elaborated on through Romans 7 and 8.

It may be asked: when is Grace reigning over all men? In truth, it is already beginning to unseat Sin. This Grace is reigning now over us, and, as we have considered in the “purpose of the eons” portion of the study, will eventually reign over all. It will be more apparent in the restoration of this earth, but crystal clear during the fifth and final eon in this story, in which Grace dwells among its subjects (Rev. 22:3-4,) while its subjects, being new creations entirely, become constituted just.

There are two more uses of “eonian life” in Romans – Rom. 6:22-23. These are the only two uses of “eonian” which I will not be considering quite yet. These verses will appear in our Romans study soon, so we may consider “eonian life” in relation to Paul’s arguments there. If you wish for a discussion of these verses, simply explore the corresponding portions of this Romans study.

Eonian Life in Galatians

There is only one use of “eonian life” in Galatians. It appears at the end of the epistle, 6:8–

Be not deceived; God is not to be sneered at, for whatsoever a man may be sowing, this shall he be reaping also, for he who is sowing for his own flesh, from the flesh shall be reaping corruption, yet he who is sowing for the spirit, from the spirit shall be reaping life eonian.

This passage has proven a stumbling block to many – both in and out of Christ. “Life eonian” is treated, upon this verse, as a universal “reward” for the believer in Christ, which will be imparted at the future “dais” of Christ (more on this in Romans 14.) While it is indeed true that life eonian will clearly be realized at the resurrection of Christ’s own, it is foolhardy to call “life eonian” a reward, as if our strength merits “life eonian” in any way.

Life eonian is a gift, as we have been studying, effectually brought about by the evangel Paul presented, and the secret of the evangel, being the conciliation. Neither the evangel or its secret were achieved by us, but gifted to us. The same is true, then, of life eonian. Even one who actively persists in sin will inevitably be granted “life eonian” (Rom. 5:21-6:1.)

As the earlier facts are clear, we should not be taking this later point in Galatians as some repeal of Romans, but treating it for what it is: a figure. This is most obvious in relation to “reaping” and “sowing,” which is a metaphor in itself, but the actual use of “life eonian” here is called metonymy, or when you say one thing that represents another thing. In this case, life eonian represents the relationship which is crafted between man and God (the “reaping” man does is prepared by God – thus also its effect.) We know this from our Head, Christ, Who expressed clearly in John 17:3 that we come to know God by the gift of eonian life. In sowing into the spirit, out of the spirit we reap knowing God (note, also, that this is one of the last statements of Galatians before God presents to the modern reader the highest unfoldings in this present secret administration, being Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, in which we are given a spirit of wisdom in realization of Him – Eph. 1:17.)

It is impossible to do this if the quality of the soil you sow is this dying flesh. Death and God do not cooperate in tandem. The relationship, then, which is only cultivated by a living spirit, is only provided by God.

Eonian Life in Timothy

This is what Paul means when he tells Timothy the following in 1 Tim. 6:12–

Contend the ideal contest of the faith. Get hold of eonian life, into which you were called, and you avow the ideal avowal in the sight of many witnesses.

Paul does not tell Timothy to “achieve” or “accept” or “find” eonian life. We know this evidently from the following clause, where Paul literally notes that Timothy was called into eonian life. This means that “getting hold” of eonian life is not a literal action (for one cannot literally grab an abstract concept,) but another metonymical figure for learning the ideal, as Paul intimates in the prior clause, and has been pushing through the entire epistle (1:18, 2:3, 3:1-13, 4:6, 5:9-10, 17, 25.) In striving for the ideal, which is studying the word of God, we get hold of the gift we have been given, recognizing the One Who is giving it.

And what a One He is! This One has been so patient in our misgivings, our misunderstandings, and even our biased disdain against His revelations. Here He is in 1 Tim. 1:16–

But therefore was I, [Paul,] shown mercy, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian.

Here the pattern is once again affirmed – belief into life eonian. Yet the thought is not stressing the life eonian itself, but the proper conduct of Jesus Christ, Who patiently suffers along with us as we are matured. This is a beautiful and necessary disposition on His end, as it is indeed the pattern which pushes us into empathy with those who do not yet recognize the stated truths here – even in their active ignorance to the text. May all who are believing on Him recognize this pattern, and strive for this ideal, knowing that a righteous conduct is being crafted within us.

Our Expectation

“Eonian life,” then, is our expectation. We are to learn of God through its promise, getting hold of it through devoutness. This is intimated for us in Tit. 1:1-2–

Paul, a slave of God, yet an apostle of Jesus Christ, in accord with the faith of God’s chosen, and a realization of the truth, which accords with devoutness, in expectation of life eonian, which God, Who does not lie, promises before times eonian…

The train of thought at the beginning of Titus should, for the careful student of the text, be crystal clear. Faith and a realization of the truth accords with devoutness. This identifies us with an ever-growing expectation of life eonian. As our grasp of faith and a realization of the truth is deepened, so also our expectation. It is our gift from this One – that we will be living for the coming eons, seated at His right hand among the celestials (Eph. 2:7.) This expectation was introduced for us in Romans 5:2 as “the esteem of God.” Hopefully, having studied each use of “eonian life” in the book (save three uses, one of which we will consider soon,) you further recognize the strength and nature of such a gift as “life eonian.” This is a powerful, overwhelming gift. May it continually shift us into matters of the spirit, that we may set aside the problems of this flesh, and realize the One Who has everyone’s best interests at heart – especially believers.

- GerudoKing