Bible Studies

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John 14:6 – Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Thesaurus Fun:

Life – existence, being, animation, energy, vibrancy, sparkle, enthusiasm, passion

Through – by means of, via, in, with, because of, as a result of


The Life:

There are two ways in which we use the word “life”. The first and most common use is to denote the persisting existence of some growing thing. For example: there is plant life, animal life, and human life. For something to have life in this first sense it must first exist and then continue to exist: this is the original and sustaining principle. Second, it must have an animating principle within it that causes it to grow. There must be activity going on within the organism in keeping with its nature. For a plant, there must be a moving of nutrients inside of it. Does it have green leaves? Then photosynthesis should be taking place. Is it planted? Then its roots should be drawing on the soil and absorbing water and other nutrients that it needs. If there is no activity going to in the plant and it is not growing, then it is dead. For an animal or a human the standard is clearer and more immediate; there must be a heartbeat. If the heart has ceased to beat altogether and will not start again then the person or animal is considered dead. Things may continue moving and growing in the body for a short period but without the movement of blood pumped by the heart, all activity will soon cease.

When Jesus claims to be the life, we can be certain that this includes physical life. As Scripture says, “for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things made (Romans 11:36)”. And again, “in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17)”. Not only was He the initial source of life as the creator but He is also the sustainer of all life and indeed all existence of matter, space, and time altogether. As Scripture says, “He upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3)”. There can be nothing without God.

The second way we use the word “life” applies only to humans who have a higher form of life which we call the soul. This includes some level of consciousness and free will. In a normal human being there must be within us a motivating and operating principle for us to be alive in more than a physical sense. Many people adopt all sorts of motivating principles: wealth, comfort, power, sex, fame, family, and achievement. When these things let us down as they are bound to do, most people simply switch to another of the motivating principles. Some people however, will not choose another one and having been betrayed by what once motivated them, they refuse to be motivated further. Many of these people commit suicide and those that don’t are still dead even thought they live, for they are dead on the inside beyond the physical. Their lives are static and empty. They are cold and purposeless.

God is the only motivating principle that will sustain and will not disappoint. Anything else ends in death to the heart and the soul. This is why Scripture says, “this is eternal life; that they may know You the only true God and to know Jesus Christ whom You sent (John 17:3).” Relationship with God is the only real purpose in life and it was for this very purpose that we were made. To be without God, that is; without relationship with Him, cannot be anything but dearth. This does not mean that you will be annihilated and cease to exist. You will continue to exist and continue to be you with all that that means, for no spirit God has made will ever be destroyed. The Bible talks about “the second death” (see Revelation 2:11 & 20:6, 14 & 21:8) and “eternal death” (Acts 20:26), this kind of death is not the opposite of the first kind of life mentioned – that of existence and in our case consciousness – but eternal death is the antithesis of eternal life. So if eternal life is knowing God intimately and relationally, then the essence of eternal death is separation and exclusion from God’s presence in a relational way, that is; positive and close relationship. This also means then instead of being the object of God’s love, you have chosen to be an object of God’s wrath and just punishment. This is the very essence of hell. But this need not be the destination of anyone. For Scripture says, “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23)”. Again, “for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23)”.

A Point to ponder:

So ask yourself: “What am I living for? What is it that motivates me?” Are you motivated by comfort, money, power, sex, or security? Have these things not already let you down many times? Do they not leave you feeling empty? If God has no place in your life right now, what do you think will happen when you die? You will die. Don’t you think that you should be prepared?

Pray:

If you are willing, then pray this prayer, “Great God of heaven and earth, we confess to You that we have sinned. We have not lived the way that we should and we have not lived for You. We recognize that we have fallen short of Your standard and are in need of Your forgiveness. Forgive us and cleanse us, oh God, by the blood of Jesus Christ which was shed to make us clean (1 Peter 1:2, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 1:5). Be life to us now, Lord, and restore us into relationship with You; lead us into ever deepening and intimate fellowship with You. May You alone be the only motivation in our lives, that all that we do might be because of You, through You, and for You - not in any kind of legalistic way, but out of gratitude and love because You first loved us (1 John 4:10) and gave Yourself to be crucified for us when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). We thank You for everything that You’ve done for us and for what You do in us. Help us to live for You every day. By the power, privilege, and provision that You have provided through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.”

See these songs: Creator Redeemer, When I’m With You

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