But with some the greatness of this gift, and its blessed reality, are obscured by the teaching that the believer on Christ has not everlasting life _now_, but only the _promise_ of it. When God's word tells us that the redeemed one, the believer on Christ, is not under the law (Rom. 6:14), is a child of God (Gal. 3:26), _has been_ saved (Eph. 2:8, 9, 1911 Bible and R. V.), not _will be_ saved, it would be strange that, after all, the believer should have only a promise for the beyond and no reality here and now. But God's word goes further and says, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ _is born of God_."--1 John 5:1. _There cannot be birth without new life._ It is not the old life; that would mean no birth. If, then, the new life is not _eternal_ life, _what life is it_? If language can be made to mean anything, God's word makes it plain that every redeemed man, every believer on Christ, has _here and now_, eternal life; for God's word tells us, not only that "by grace _have ye been saved_" (Eph. 2:8, 9, 1911 Bible and R. V.), but it states plainly, "he that believeth on the Son _hath_ everlasting life" (John 3:36); "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, _hath_ everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life."--John 5:24. That God's word does not mean that the believer on Christ has simply the _promise_ of everlasting life, but that he really has the everlasting life, notice John 5:24, "_Hath_ everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but _is passed_ [here and now] from death unto life." The Revised Version (the more exact translation) makes it much stronger,--"_hath passed_ out of death _into life_." What life, if not eternal life? Before this plain, positive statement of God's word, the mere promise of eternal life theory cannot stand. But the fact that the believer on Christ really has now eternal life, is made plain by other Scriptures. "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life _abiding in him_."--1 John 3:15. Here we are shown that when one "hath eternal life" it is "eternal life _abiding in him_"; for there would be no meaning to the language if no one has eternal life abiding in him. Again, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life."--John 6:53, 54. The Saviour had just taught in verse 35 what eating His flesh and drinking His blood meant: "I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." Here in verses 53, 54, the Saviour shows clearly that the eternal life that the believer on Him "_hath_" is "_in_" you--here and now.