God is your soulmate.
A few years ago I went to a men’s clothing store to buy a sport coat. The salesman asked my size, went to the racks, and pulled five coats of various colors and prices. Several looked good before I put them on. Once I had them on, however, they did not feel or look right. They were too big, too small, an unflattering color or style, or priced higher than I wanted to pay. I would put them on, look in the mirror, and know instantly that this jacket was wrong.
After trying a few that failed, I picked up a simple navy coat. I slipped it on, and instantly it felt great. I looked in the mirror, and it fit perfectly. The color was flattering. I knew immediately this was for me. This must be an expensive coat, I thought. I found the price tag and discovered a mid-range figure on sale for lower than I walked in expecting to pay.
I was sold and have never regretted that purchase. When I wear that coat, I am comfortable and confident.
Soulmate
Just as some clothing does or does not fit your body, some people and situations do or do not fit your soul. About this, Jesus said something that may surprise you. As he neared the end of his life, he lifted his eyes to heaven and spoke what is called the high priestly prayer. In it he said to his Father about his disciples,
“This is eternal life,
—John 17:3 (ESV)
that they know you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
When we finally come to be with God after life in this fallen world, our soul will feel just right. We were created by God to live in a love relationship in his presence. Life in this fallen world is worse than wearing a bizarrely-colored coat that is several sizes too small. But when we finally come into his presence, we will immediately know this is what we were created for. Our soul will feel something that before then we have only enjoyed small foretastes. We will immediately know that being with God is eternal life, that knowing God is eternal life, that he is our soulmate.
When Jesus said, “This is eternal life,” he was not talking about the duration of our lives, that is, merely staying alive. Jesus was talking about the kind of life people have in heaven, in the eternal kingdom of God, the highest quality of life possible, with maximum happiness.
Eternal life is found in knowing a person
“This is eternal life, that they know you.” Eternal life is found in a relationship with a person. God designed us for the ultimate purpose of relationship. While he designed us with many abilities, such as legs for the purpose of walking; arms, hands and fingers for the purpose of working and creating and so on; he most importantly designed us with a body, soul, and spirit perfectly suited for communication, togetherness, interaction, love.
Unless painful experiences, human brokenness, or sin have twisted our souls in some way, what most interests people is other persons. We most enjoy knowing other persons, that is, interacting, being close, having trust, feeling affection, communicating, cooperating. The kind of knowledge one gets from a book, from thinking, from physical experiences, adventures, and pleasures is wonderful, but it cannot compare with the happiness that comes from knowing a good person with godly love.
Eternal life is found in knowing the ultimate person
While knowing a good human person is a joyful thing, what surpasses it by far is knowing the only true God. God is the ultimate person, the ultimate soulmate. He is the most joyful, gracious, interesting, creative, intelligent, wise, loving, gentle, caring, compassionate, powerful, important, delightful, good, and pleasurable person there is. And infinitely more. He can do more for you than any other person. He will be more faithful to you than any other person.
Jesus refers to God as “the only true God.” That means we cannot find eternal life in a false god. Jesus knows well that the world is filled with countless supposed deities, idols, religions, and created things that people treat as though they had ultimate importance and power. But Jesus says there is only one true God. Trying to find eternal life through any false God will end in utter disappointment.
Eternal life is found only through a relationship with both God and the Messiah he sent
Jesus did not stop with knowing God, however. He said, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Without the latter you cannot have the former (1 John 5:12). That is confirmed in the identity Jesus ascribed to himself in John 17:3:
Jesus: When the angel announced the conception of the Son of God in Mary’s womb, he also revealed the name given him by God himself: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The name Jesus means he saves. We can only know God if Jesus saves us from our sins. Jesus’ death on the cross fixes the problem that makes life in this age a bad fit.
Christ: That is the Greek term for the Hebrew word Messiah. He is the leader who comes to rescue his people. The Son of God not only saves each of us individually from our sins, but he saves the people of God from their evil. He rescues us from corporate, collective brokenness. We feel the brokenness of humanity, but knowing the Son of God enables us to feel salvation.
Sent from God: Jesus referred to himself as the one “whom you [God] have sent.” Jesus was not doing his own thing. God sent him to earth, and everything he did was at God’s direction. At the Transfiguration of Jesus, God spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). Salvation through faith in Jesus was God’s idea, and we know God through the mediator he sent (John 3:16-18).
This is eternal life in perfect happiness and satisfaction: knowing God and his chosen savior for mankind. A foretaste of that quality of life begins now, with much more to come when we see him face to face. You have much to look forward to. If you believe in Jesus, your soul will someday find its perfect fit in the presence of God. God is your soulmate. Knowing him is eternal life.
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)