The doctrine of the three categories of eternal life

1. John 3:36 — “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he who does not believe on the Son shall not see [eternal] life, but the wrath of God abides in him”. Attitude toward Christ determines whether we have eternal life or not. To believe in Christ is eternal life. “Believeth [pisteuw]” is in the present tense. You have eternal life at the very moment that you believe in Christ.

2. Obviously then the believer has eternal life the very moment he puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. For the believer who experiences physical death, the person who dies physically in time, prior to resurrection, there are three categories of eternal life.

a. The believer has eternal life while living on the earth — temporal life-eternal life.

b. The believer has eternal life after death while living in heaven and waiting for his pertinent resurrection — interim life-eternal life.

c. The believer continues to have eternal life forever and ever in a resurrection body — resurrection body-eternal life.

4. For the believer who does not experience physical death but comes under the category of the mortal taking on immortality there are two categories of eternal life: category #1, temporal life-eternal life during the time that he lives on this earth; category #3, resurrection life-eternal life. This is because he doesn’t die physically. That would be the Rapture generation.

5. For each stage of eternal life there is a body. Category #1, temporal life-eternal life: the believer occupies the physical body of corruption with the old sin nature. Category #2, the interim life-eternal life: the believer has an interim body, a body which is perfect; no old sin nature, not subject to ailments, residing in heaven, in perfect happiness, and waiting for his resurrection body. Category #3, the resurrection life-eternal life. The believer occupies a resurrection body forever and ever.

6. Therefore eternal life exists in two or more categories of life. For the person who doesn’t die, two; for the person who dies, three.

7. Eternal life can only be possessed while the person lives on earth in temporal life. You cannot receive eternal life once you die. If you die an unbeliever, that is the last chance you have of getting eternal life. The only opportunity for salvation exists now, therefore eternal life always begins in time.

8. Therefore these categories do not apply to unbelievers, to the person who rejects Christ as saviour, John 3:18.

9. Eternal life belongs to the believer only and is never without a body.

10. Each category of eternal life reveals a new aspect of God’s perfect integrity and God’s perfect plan.

11. Only the interim life-eternal life, category #2, makes no distinction between winners and losers in the Christian life, and provides sublime happiness for every category of believer involved. In other words, there is no excuse for offering anything but the greatest of comfort to loved ones at a funeral.