Paul writes to Timothy:

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

and

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. – 1 Tim 6

I do not think “laying hold on eternal life” is referring to salvation, as the latter quote shows that it’s tied to good works (I’m sure Catholics would disagree!). What I’ve come to view this as is the capacity of a Christian to get a grip on the New Life, the zoe. Possessing it is one thing, but being able to fully embody and radiate it out from within is another.

Indeed, think of any carnal Christian who says all the “right things” in accordance with your tradition or denomination. They can mouth them perfectly, and probably “believe” in them as well, but they are profane, discordant, enthralled by hatred, engaged in sexual immorality, and so on. Their capacity to transition from theory to practice is woefully anemic.

It would be perfectly reasonable for us to say that such people do not lay hold of eternal life, even if we think that they are truly saved.

It’s like the phrase “catching your breath”. Imagine the following exchange with someone who doesn’t know the metaphor. Let’s call him Drax:

Me: Whew. Okay, hold on, I gotta catch my breath. Can’t believe I ran for that long! And in that blistering heat too!

Drax: Catch your breath? How exactly does one catch their breath? Can you not breath anymore? Do your lungs not work?

Me: Well, err…no. What I mean is that I ran for so long that my breathing is labored and my heart is beating like crazy. I need to rest for like 5 minutes and get my breathing back to a nice pace or else I’ll pass out!

Drax: I understand calming your breathing down to manageable levels, but this phrase of ‘catching’ your ‘breath’ just doesn’t sound right! You’re not catching anything!

Me: (in abject silence sans labored breathing)

In a race we must have a handle on our breathing and be able to catch our breathe. So too in the Grand Race we must have a handle on eternal life and be able to “catch” our spirit.

And God knows my stamina could use a lot of work.