Three Phases of Eternal Life
Bob Yandian
Eternal life begins the moment a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is one eternal life, but the believer experiences it in three different time periods. The phases around us change, our surroundings change, and even the body we occupy will change. We live on earth, we may go to heaven after physical death, and one day we will live in a resurrection body. Through every phase, however, the salvation placed inside us remains the same.
Natural life is given at birth, but no one has eternal life from birth. Every person who enters this world has natural life, whether born into a rich family or a poor family, an educated family or an uneducated family. Yet all human beings are born spiritually dead. This came through Adam. God intended Adam to live forever, but when Adam and Eve sinned, death came upon them, and every child born after them entered the world in spiritual death.
This is why Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be born again. The new birth is not another physical birth, it is a spiritual birth. Physical birth introduces us to natural life and, because of Adam's sin, to physical death. Every day brings the natural body closer to the end of its earthly life. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, however, God's eternal life enters us. Even when we leave the physical body, we will live with God and with Jesus forever.
There is a time early in life when a child is not held accountable because that child is not yet able to understand and make a choice. Babies who die go into the presence of God. Romans chapter one teaches that accountability comes when a person becomes able to see and understand the things around him. From that point on, each person must make a choice concerning Jesus Christ.
God is faithful to bring the gospel to those who truly desire to know Him. A person may live in a remote place, look at creation, and realize there must be a God. When that person sincerely wants to know Him, God can arrange for someone to bring the gospel. The greatest thing a believer can do is lead someone else to Jesus Christ. This is one of the main reasons God leaves us on earth after we are born again.
Eternal Life Must Be Received
Eternal life is a gift, but like any gift, it must be received. God holds out the gift, and we take it by believing in His Son. John 3:36 says, "He that believeth on the Son has eternal life, but he who does not believe on the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Our attitude toward Jesus Christ determines whether we receive God's eternal life.
Jesus is called the last Adam. He came to undo what happened through the first Adam. We were born connected to Adam and forced into the spiritual death that came through him. When we are born again, we are disconnected from Adam and joined to Jesus Christ. Eternal life is placed into our dead human spirit, the Holy Spirit brings regeneration, and that regeneration lasts forever.
The word has in John 3:36 is in the present tense. A person is given eternal life the moment he believes, and he continues to possess it eternally from that time forward. It goes with him from this life into heaven, and one day back to earth again. God's eternal life has no beginning and no ending. The everlasting life He gives us has a beginning, the moment we believe, but it has no ending. We simply join ourselves to the eternal life of God.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." A person is given everlasting life the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. It is received by faith in Jesus Christ.
Eternal Life on Earth
The first phase is eternal life while living on earth. During this time, the believer has natural, temporary human life in the body and eternal life in the spirit. The body is still a body of corruption. Even though we are born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and children of God, we still possess the nature of the flesh handed down through Adam. At the same time, we have another nature inside us. When we walk according to that new nature, we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Being born again makes a person a convert and a member of God's family, but God also wants that believer to become a disciple. A disciple studies the Word of God, understands it, attends church faithfully, and becomes involved in the work of the local church. God tells believers not to forsake assembling together. A broadcast can help, but it is only part of what strengthens the Christian life. Believers also need fellowship with one another.
Church is a little taste of heaven on earth. During the week, believers are surrounded by the world, but in church they gather with other believers and receive a time of refreshing. They discover that others have faced the same kinds of problems and have found answers in the same Word of God. Fellowship encourages us, and faithful involvement helps us mature.
The local church also opens our eyes to the many ways God uses people. A believer may begin by helping in a class, serving as an usher, working with children, or ministering to others. Through attending and serving, many discover the call of God on their lives. Some become teachers, counselors, pastors, or missionaries. God does not want us only to be born again, He wants us to grow strong and mature in the things of God.
Eternal Life in Heaven
The second phase begins when a believer dies before the rapture of the church. At physical death, the natural body and the nature of the flesh are both left behind. The real person on the inside, the spirit that has been born again, goes into heaven. The believer continues to possess the same eternal life while waiting for the resurrection body that will be received at the rapture.
Heaven is filled with believers, including saints who have been there for thousands of years. It is a place of wonderful fellowship. Born again family members who have gone before us are there, and we will see them again. This gives great comfort to those who remain on earth. Physical death separates us temporarily, but it does not end the eternal life God gave us or the relationship we have with other members of His family.
Eternal Life in a Resurrection Body
The third phase is eternal life in a resurrection body. When Jesus comes for the church, believers who have died will return with Him and receive resurrection bodies. Those believers who are alive and remain will also receive resurrection bodies. All will go to heaven together.
The resurrection body will experience no more pain, tears, sorrow, lusts, or sickness. We will still be recognizable, but we will no longer occupy a natural body of corruption. The eternal life that began on earth and continued in heaven will now be experienced in a resurrection body forever.
Believers who die before the rapture experience all three phases, eternal life on earth in a natural body, eternal life in heaven after physical death, and eternal life in a resurrection body. Those who are alive when the rapture occurs experience two phases. They possess temporary natural life and eternal life on earth, then immediately receive a resurrection body and continue in eternal life. The time periods differ, but the eternal life within every believer is the same.
Today Is the Day of Salvation
Eternal life can be received only while we live on earth. Jesus said in John 11:26, "Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die." A person cannot wait until after physical death to accept Jesus. The decision must be made during this life.
Second Corinthians 6:2 says, "Behold, now is the accepted time, behold, today is the day of salvation." We are not guaranteed tomorrow or even another hour. People do not plan to die in an accident or expect some sudden event to end their lives. A person can put off salvation, but he is gambling with his life. That is why the Bible points to today and to now.
All people will exist forever, but there is only one way to receive God's eternal life and live forever in His presence. That way is Jesus Christ. The whole Christian life begins with accepting Him as personal Lord and Savior. From that moment, God becomes your heavenly Father, Jesus becomes your elder brother, and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ provide eternal life for you.
If you have never received Jesus Christ, you can accept Him right now. Admit that you are a sinner and that you have not been born again. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. The moment you believe, eternal life enters your spirit. You become a child of God, and the life He gives you will carry you from earth to heaven and, one day, into a resurrection body. It has a beginning, but it will never have an end.
A Practical Guide to Foundational Biblical Truths
Basic doctrines are not difficult but easy to understand. They often come disguised as complicated or deep-sounding words, but the definitions are simple.
Pastor, author, and renowned Bible teacher Bob Yandian explains the deep truths of Scripture in ways anyone can understand. Using straightforward vocabulary and down-to-earth examples, Pastor Bob makes complex theological concepts clear and practical.
Theology Simplified demystifies eight crucial doctrines of the Christian faith:
Redemption * Justification * Sanctification * Reconciliation
Predestination * Election * Propitiation * Glorification
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160 Pages
Paperback
Whether you’ve just accepted Jesus or want to revisit the core truths of your faith, Starting Strong will help you lay a foundation that lasts. In this easy-to-follow guide, Bob Yandian unpacks seven powerful truths every believer needs to know—and live by.
Straight from the Word of God, this book covers:
• What it really means to be born again
• How to be filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in tongues
• Why water baptism and communion matter today
• The power of laying on of hands for healing, blessing, and impartation
• How praise and worship open the door to God’s presence
• And why the Word of God is your anchor in every season.
These are more than just doctrines—they're the fundamentals of the faith. And when you know them, practice them, and build your life on them, you'll walk in stability, confidence, and purpose—no matter what life throws your way. Start your walk with God on the right foot. Start strong—and keep going strong.
(69 Pages - Paperback)
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Previously published as: Ephesians Blueprint for Maturity
Although the city of Ephesus is famous for its reckless living and idol worship, the Ephesian church is deeply spiritual. And so Ephesians, unlike other epistles written to correct doctrinal error, reveals to mature believers the positional truth of who they are in Christ. It also expounds on practical applications of this positional revelation to marriage, family, and everyday life.
By tying together Greek word studies and outside scriptural references, Bob Yandian teaches, verse-by-verse, God’s empowering grace and the believer’s unprecedented authority. Like Paul, Yandian’s focus is not only the revelation, but the application of these amazing truths. Yandian exhorts believers not only to learn but to live as the body of Christ in the earth.
143 Pages