THE ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

[This article originally published here:  Wild Boar Issue #1 - January 1996 ]

The Eternal Perspective is the basis for a comprehensive Christian world view

Theologians love to use Latin words and phrases. Though not always obvious to the novice, there is a good reason for this. Latin has a grand propensity for capturing and communicating deep, meaningful truths in short, pithy expressions. One Latin phrase in particular would make a wonderful life motto for any Christian. Here it is: sub specie aeternatatis (pronounced sub spee-cee ay-ter-na-tah-tis). Literally, it means "under the species of the eternal." A more memorable translation, though, would be "from the eternal perspective."

The eternal perspective has to do with wiewing life from the vantage point of eternity. It is the idea that what happens in this world, what we think and do, has eternal significance. The eternal perspective is the perspective of God, who sees the "big picture" of reality. For Him, the mundane circumstances of our lives are part of a larger whole which has pupose and meaning beyond the here and now.

For Christians, the eternal perspective is crucial because all of life is supposed to be lived coram deo (another Latin phrase!). To live coram deo is to live "before the face of God." That is, all that we do, say, and think is to take place with the awareness of God's presence and directed toward His glory. We need the eternal perspective in order to live before God, to know how to glorify Him in all of life. The eternal perspective will impact the way we worship, the way we pray, the way we relate to others, how we handle possesions, and much more. The eternal perspective is the basis for a comprehensive Christian world view.


How do we gain this eternal vantage point on life? Paul, in First Corinthians 2:16-19, declares that Christians have "the mind of Christ," by which they have access to the "deep things of God" revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit discloses these deep things in the Scriptures. By studying the Bible and relying upon the spiritual guidance the Spirit gives us, we can have the eternal perspective.