LIFE - PART 2

SATURDAY 26 APRIL 2024

The mind of the "Gospel of John" regarding this topic, namely life, goes far beyond the large expanse of time and space. Life is the spiritual presence of Christ, and it is something unknown to the people of God in previous history based on the Old Testament because He was hidden for ages, according to Pauline epistolary expressions. Indeed, in Him is life unspeakable, which has been made manifest in the Church at large and in the Christian's heart. More below!

Reference: John 1:4 Amplified Bible (AMP)

In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men.

Did you notice that the above versified statement was written as a past tense? This implies a tense expressing an action that has happened in the past. Why in past tense? The Scripture enlightens us of what the Word did; it gave life to everything that was created in the beginning. Got it?

Let's revisit and explicate the context of this truth markedly, patently and sufficiently, so we can thoroughly grasp the setting through which it can be fully perceived:

John 1:1-4 (NIV)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."

Notice the rendering in verse three, "Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." This reveals that the Word twined round the possibility of creation in the measure of bringing it to reality, and then, it made the entire creation happen. So in the Word (Christ) was the life that invented the "existing creation" which was not existing before the beginning.

In addition, the Amplified translation stated: "In Him was life [and the power to bestow life] .." Here,  the parenthesis: [the power to bestow life] is an interpolation or a significant remark inserted to denote "the influence of Spirit." To instantiate this verity, Genesis 1:2 reads, "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (NIV). In the process of bringing creation into existence, the Spirit of God hovered over the water, which is particularly expressive of the power to bestow life. Notably, there was no absence of the Spirit's visible presence during creation, because it was the power activated to bestow life on the formless and empty earth. Got it?

The Spirit behind the Word is immensely potent, effectual and infinite; a high-powered feature of life. With this cognizance, we can categorise the AMP rendering, "In Him was life [and the power to bestow life]" in this manner:

In Him was life - The Word is alive and active.

[and the power to bestow life] - The influence of the Spirit.

Beloved, the Word and the Spirit are the light of men. Indeed, when Jesus said in the 21st Century King James Version of Matthew 28:20,  "...And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world", He commensurably meant that the Word and the Spirit, which are the light of men, shall remain with us till the end of age. For those of us who have gained this superior authoritative understanding that as long as the earth remains, His presence shall never be withdrawn from us for a single moment, we should equally bear in mind that the Word and the Spirit are the active components or elements of His abiding presence.

Zero wonder, Jesus said, "The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life (John 6:63 NIV), a versified statement, which effectively conveys the timeless notion that "In Him (Logos) was life [and the power to bestow life]." Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - John 3:16; Romans 5:10; John 10:10; Romans 6:23.

Exuberant Declaration:

I have the life of Christ in me without measure, and the power of God exceedingly works within me, because God has set the invisible seal of the Holy Spirit upon me. Praise God!