Cr

iti
cal
lyd
isc
usst
hei
mpl
icat
ionsoft
heEt
erni
tyofGodi
nChr
ist
ianl
ivi
ng

Eternityist hes ameast hewor dev er ,alltimeandunend i

ngt ime, "t
hei rlov ewass ealedf or
eternity'
.Theol ogicallyet ernityend lesslif
eaf terd eath.Col l
insEngl is
hDi ct i
onar ys ays
Eternityist imewi thoutanendors tateofexi stenc eoutsi
d et ime,es p eciall
yt hestat ewhi c
h
somep eop l
eb eli
evet heywi l
lp as sintoaf tert heyhav ed i
ed.Thet ermet ernityp lay
sakeyr ol
e
indiscussionsab outhowGodofwes ter ntheismr elatedtot ime.Somemi ghts ay, "Eter nalli
fe
isl
ivingf orever",butt hat '
snoti t.Noonec easest oexistwhent heyd i
e.Ev er yonel i
vesf or
everinheav eninsteadofhe' ll."Wel lt hen,et ernallifemustb el ivingf orev eri nheav en
insteadofhel l".That '
snoti tei ther ,John3v 36s ays,"Het hatb elievet hont heSonhat h
everlasti
ngl ifeandhet hatb elievethnott heSons hallnots eel i
f e, butt hewr at hofGod
abidethonhi m.Et er nallifeisknowi ngGod .Onemi ghtb edisap point endwi tht hatd efiniti
on
becaus eyout hinkyouknow Godandyous ti
llaren'ts ati
sfied.

Like,whenJes ussai
det er
nalli
fewasknowi ngGod,hewass p
eakingofhavingandinti
mate,
closepersonalrelat
ionshi
pwithGod .That'
sawes omeJesussaidi
nJohn3v16t hatGod,l
oved
thewor ldsomuc h,hegav ehi
sonlyb egottensonsot hos
ewhob eli
evedinhimwouldn'
tperis
h
buthav eever l
ast
inglif
e.Ifallyouhav edoneisbeli
eveinJesussoyouwon'tgot ohel
lthen
youar emissingoutont heeverlas
tinglif
et he Lordwant stohavewi t
hyour i
ghtnow.

Thec onc eptofet ernall i

f edespiteit
'seminenc einChr isti
anl i
feandf ai
thr emainselusi
v e
andc ont ested.Alt houghet ernalli
feispopularlyas s
umed toconsistinalifeaftertheendof
thep res entlifethi sass ump t
ionhasb eenp erceivedasi ncreasinglyuntenablebymany
Chri
s tiant hinkersi ncl
ud ingmanyt heologi
ansi nt hemor d
enp eriod.TheJohanni newr i
ting
haveb eenr ecogni zedasof feringav isi
onofet ernalli
f easap resentpossessi
onorap res ent
real
ityaqual i
t yofexi s tencet hatbeli
eversinChr isthav e, hereandnow.( Hil
l1967,
p .
194: ,
Guthr i
e1981, ppl.
614, 643;Dod d1968, p
.149)Thei deat hatet ernallifecanbeori spresent l
y
possess edisnotnec essar i
lyi
nc ompatib
lewi t
hi t'
salsob ei
ngs omet hingfuture.

Henc et hisessayexami nesp rospectsforac onc

eptionofet er
nall i
feasanexc lusi
v elypresent
possess i
ont hatisnotasaf ormofl i
feofwhi c
honec anenjoymer el
yap r
olepticf ores
t atein
thep res entb utonthatf ull
yac tuduredi
norast hep r
esentl if
e.Fi r
stinor dert omot i
v ate
theinqui ry.t hewriterout li
nes omer easonsbothc oncep
tualandmor al,whymanys eri
ous
Christiant hi
nkershav eb eent roub l
edb ytheassump ti
onthatet ernallif
ei samat terofl i
ving
alifet hatnev erends.Sec ond l
yd rawinguponthewor kofs everalsi
gnificantt heologiansand
phil
osop herst oil
lus
tr ates omep artial
lyconsti
tutiveoftheid eathatet ernalisanexc l
us i
vely
presentp ossessi
on.
Eternit
yismos tof tent houghtofasexi s
tencef orli
mit l
essamountoft imeal thoughmany
useitt omeani tt omeanat ime.Kar lBar t
hs aystheev entofJesusChr i
stinGod '
slifei
sthe
onlysol
utiontot hep rob l
em oft imear eeternityinev eryloc
usoft heology.Whet herthe
doctri
neofGod, hisc reat i
on,reconcil
iati
onorr ev
elat i
on.JesusChristishimselfGod,
creati
on,r ec
onc i
liati
onandr evel
ation.Hei snoab str
ac tGodb uti
sb otht heelecti
ng,
eternalGodandt heelec ted,temporalmani noned i
vineac tofrappr
ochement .

Fur thermor ef orBar tht her ei snonot i

onofr evelat i
onb utJesusChr istisbot ht heet ernal
reveal edandt emp or alr ec eiv erofr evelat ioni nad i
vineactofr appr ochement .Godc reation,
reconc il
iat i
onandr ev elat ionar et heet er nalac tofGodi nJes usChr istinwhom andb ywhom
timei set ernityandet er nit yi st i
me p r ec iselyb ecaus eandi ns ofarashehasb ecomet ime.
Thisac t
ual i
sticandt emp or alwayofr elat inget er nityandt i
mei sasmonument alasi ti s
revolut i
onar y.Ianat t emp tt ob ri
dget hei nf ini
t egapb etweenet er ni
tyandt ime.Bar t
h
bringsGodandc reat iont oget herinat hirdt imes p herehist heologyi sthreed imens ional.He
affirmst het heologi calexi s tenc eoft hreet i
mes, God '
St i
me,ourt i
meandt het imeofJes us
Chr ist..I nhimt imei set er nalwi thoutc eas ingt ob etime,Thi sisar el
ationac tt hatt akes
placei nt heev entofGod 'sl ifet hati sJes usChr isti tdoesnotoc cuinourt i
me.Ourt i
mei s
fallent imeandi st her ef or ei ncapab l
eofc ont ai
ningGod.I tisnotGod 'st i
me,whi chexi sts
inar arefiedofet er nit y.Thet imeofJes usChr i
stwhousGodhi mselfandass uc hisal sot he
actofc reat i
on,r ec onc i
liat ionandr evelat ion.Hehasal waysb eent het heet ernalGod
withoutc easingt ob et emp or alman.Hei sat imeb oundmanwi thceas ingtob eet ernalGod .

ThusChr i
stiant heologymaynev ers peakab outGodorman. Creatororc r
eat i
on,s avi
ouror
saved,revelationgi venorr ecei
v edint heab stract.Thechurchmus talwayss peakabout
eterni
tyandt i
meast hedial
ecti
c alrealityoft heeventofGod '
slifewhoi sJEsusChr i
st.I n
thiswayBar thp roposesanap ologet i
c alChr i
stiananswertot heproblemoft her el
ationshi
p
betweenet ernityandt i
me.Bar t htheologys tandsatt wojunctureoft het woc onver
ging
concept
st hef i
r stist heideaoft hreed i
mens i
onalstructure,qualif
iedint ermsoft i
me.The
secondisthes olutiont othetimeet er nit
yp roblemsfoundinat ranscendentac tofGod .

Barthp osit
edt hisNewb eginni ngi nt hewor dofGod,t het hreefoldoccur r
enc eofwhi chis
ground edup onGodandt hust hed octrineofGod .God '
sb eingintheTr inityisbeingi nac tand
thet emporalc or relateoft hisf und ament alreal i
tyist hed octri
neofet ernity.Thed octrineof
God'st i
me( eter nity)positst heac t i
vet ri
ump hi fGod 'sdynami cfreedomi nhisuns eparated
past,presentandf utureov ert hed i
visi
onandl ossofb efor eandaf t
eri ntime.Thet heologi
cal
impulseofBar th'st houghti sexp r essedint hei ntegr ationifGod '
sbeingandhi sper fecti
ons .
Thec entrald octrineofGod 'st imei sexploitedt hroughoutt hechur chDogmat icsint he
doctrinesofGod ,el ecti
on,i nc ar nat i
on,Chr is
t ology,c r eati
onandofmani nhi st i
me.Bar th'
s
defi
ni ti
vest atementont i
mei si nf actmer elytheov ertc onsumptionofat heologicalt heory
oftimewhi c hhasb eenus edext ens i
vely.Bar th'sd octrinei sacreatived evel
op mentofmany
s
trand
stob
efoundChr
ist
iant
rad
iti
on.

Inc oncl
usioneternit
yi smos toftent houghtofasexi stenc eforal i
mitlessamountoft ime
althoughmanyus eitt omeanat imel
es sexi
s t
enc ealtoget heranexi s
tenc eoutsideoft i
me
its
elf.I thasrecentlyb eens uggestedthatt hereareac tuall
ytwoor thogonalisr egarding
God '
srelati
onshi
pt otime.Whet herGodi sl
ocat edinours p aceti
met hes pacet i
me
investi
gatedbymod ernp hy
sicsandwhet herGodi seternalorev erlasti
ngt hisisterminology.
Godc ouldbeeternalwithal ifethat'
snotmar kedb ytemp oralsuccessi
onwhi l
eb ei
ngl ocated
atev eryspacetimepoint, conversel
y,Godc ouldbeev erl
as tingwhi l
enotl ocatedinp hysical
spacet i
meatal l
.(Mur rayandRea2008: ch.
2).
REFERENCE

Bart
h,K1965a.
Chur
chDogmat
ics
1/2:
Thedoctr
ineofthewordofGod.Edi
tedb
yGWBromi
ley
andTFTorranc
e.Trans
lat
edbyHKnightandGTThompson.Ed
inb
urgh:T&TCl
ark.

Bos
ch,DJ1980.Wi
tnes
stothewor
ld:
TheChr
ist
ianMi
ssi
oni
nTheol
ogi
calp
ers
pec
tiv
e.Lond
on;
Marshal
l,Mor
gan&Scott

Cros
s,FL(ed)
1974.TheOxf
ordDi
cti
onar
yoft
heChr
ist
ianc
hur
ch.Oxf
ord:Oxf
ordUni
ver
sit
y
Pr
ess,1135

Dur
rwel
l,
F,X,TheRes
urr
ect
ion:
ABi
bli
cals
tud
y.Lond
on:Shr
edandWar
d,1960

Sykes
,SW(
ed)1989.Kar
lBar
th:Cent
enar
yEs
says
.Camb
rid
ge:
Camb
rid
geUni
ver
sit
yPr
ess
.