John 17:3
Now This is Eternal Life
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Acts 1:1-5
Jesus Appears to His Disciples Over a Period of Forty Days
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Psalm 147:2-5
God's Understanding Has No Limit
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD and Lean Not on Your Own Understanding
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight
Can happiness, suffering, this life and eternal life be linked?...Is happiness and/or suffering tied to God and a knowledge of knowing more about God?...What does happiness tell us about God, and what does suffering tell us about God?...Can we suffer and be happy in life?...
If one would ask me everyday if I wanted to be happy, I would immediately say yes...And I think God wants us to be happy, but He is all knowledgeable and understands everything about all things...So He knows there is much more to life than happiness...So the question arises, is happiness a chief purpose in our lives from a theological point of view?...And I might say that happiness maybe a purpose, but I want to contemplate on whether it is a or the chief purpose in our lives...
And when we personally suffer from pain, or grief, or for our family and friends -we see that it is a part of life...And suffering is not a happy time, or an easy time for us...But suffering does just happen to be a part of life...At some point in our lives suffering happens...The Classic Book on suffering in the Bible is the Book of Job...And Job suffers tremendously...And as Job's faith endured, he in the end got to feel the Presence of God...
Suffering is often given as a reason for not believing in God...Jesus is God's Son...When I think about Jesus suffering and being on the cross, I believe that God has forever linked suffering to His Son and to Him...So suffering that God allows is linked to Jesus' suffering on the cross...Now when I say that Jesus suffered and died on the cross, this was God's Plan...This was the Plan that God had for the world and His Son...The suffering cross is the symbol for Christianity...And Jesus dying on the suffering cross was God's Way of taking away mankind's sins for those who believe in Him and His Son...And if we believe in both the One True God and His Son, then Jesus says that this is eternal life...And if we believe this, for God to have His Son die on the cross for us is eternally good for us...But when the crucifixion on the cross actually happened, it was not a happy day...Happiness was not on the minds of Jesus' Disciples, followers, and friends...Yet, on the third day, and the days after Jesus resurrected there were happy days to follow...The disciples got to see Jesus for the next forty days, so I believe these forty days were happy days and amazing days after His resurrection...God's understanding has no limits...I do not believe the Disciples understood how Jesus came back, other than their own faith...
William Craig James makes the statement the the chief purpose of life is not happiness, but the knowledge of God...James adds that God’s purpose is not restricted to this life but spills over beyond the grave into eternal life...
So when Jesus said now this is eternal life: that they know You, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent, we might think that happiness, suffering, and eternal life are connected to God and His Son...We might believe that knowing God and Jesus are basic in understanding and living the type of life we need to lead...But our understanding is limited...God's understanding has no limits...And our faith is the best way we understand God...So trust in the LORD and do not depend on your own understanding of Him...
In William Craig James on his website Reasonable Faith wrote:
1. We’re not in a good position to say that it’s improbable that God lacks good reasons for permitting the suffering in the world...
2. Relative to the full scope of the evidence, God’s existence is probable...
3. Christianity entails doctrines that increase the probability of the co-existence of God and suffering, viz.,
(a.) The chief purpose of life is not happiness, but the knowledge of God...
(b.) Mankind is in a state of rebellion against God and His purpose...
(c.) God’s purpose is not restricted to this life but spills over beyond the grave into eternal life...
(d.) The knowledge of God is an incommensurable good...