God’s gift, Jesus’, and ours

There’s a gift you won’t find under the Christmas tree yet is freely given to all. The Bible says, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). 

Isn’t that the most bountiful gift we could possibly be given? We grasp that it is when we understand that eternal life is purely spiritual, forever unlimited. If we believe, however, that eternal life endlessly extends our human experience of life and mind, it can seem daunting. This was illustrated in the response of a respected physicist, who’s also a committed Christian, when he was asked a question on eternal life. He said he believed in it but dreaded the thought of it. He feared he would inevitably run out of new things to study and find himself consigned to never-ending boredom.

Through the Science I’ve been led to study, Christian Science, I’ve come to understand that mortal life, including a material intellect, isn’t the life that is eternal. Indeed, it’s not our true life at all. Everyone’s God-given identity is glorious, the ever-fresh Christlikeness that experiences and expresses God’s love. In the language of the psalmist, we are “awesomely and wonderfully made” (Psalms 139:14, New American Standard Bible).