LIFE - PART 1

FRIDAY 26 APRIL 2024

I am introducing a new topic, namely life, which is mainly a creation powered by the illumination and ministry of the Word. 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.

To recognise life, you have to acknowledge who is the incarnate Word. This is exactly what the Gospel of John reminded us when he stated, "In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God" (John 1:1-2 NIV). In the Word made flesh is life, which is the life that was before everything and all time.

This life in Him was life before origination or Genesis or emergence of any creation. Since the life is the light of men, it is of paramount importance that we define man.

Man is tripartite being, and the three dimensions of man are spirit, soul and body. Moreover, how does the Word connect to a man's spirit, soul and body with life? A related illustration is well structured and emphasized in the Hebraic versified expression numbered as Hebrews 4:12, which reads, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It discerns our innermost thoughts and desires" (NLT).

I want us to observe the components of the rendering in this manner:

First segment: For the word of God is alive, powerful and sharp (In the Word is active life).

Second segment: cutting between soul (human soul).

Third segment: and spirit (human spirit).

Fourth segment: Joint and marrow (human body).

Fifth segment: discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (human soul).

The spirit and soul are the two elements of man housed and expressed by the entity known as body, and below is how our body functions with both.

Life of the flesh:

This is referred to life of a person's physical body which deals with the physical realm. The human body has a single structure, made up of billions of smaller structures of four major kinds: cells, tissues, organs and systems. And they all need the flow of life to function. However, this body is subject to death, unlike the human soul and spirit. To that effect, Pauline epistolary expression reads, "...Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day" (2 Corinthians 4:16 NLT).

Life of the Soul:

Your soul is the element of man that transmits and influences the human character through the mental realm and it connects with manifold human experience. The impalpable image bearer of the human spirit is the soul, because it is an intangible realm of conscious zone, where man recognizes emotional, cogitative, intellectual and behavioural attachments to all forms of human experiences and reality. The soul is superior to physical death, in the sense that it does not expire or cease to be, even after death. It is made up of the mind, will and emotion, and the mind can be educated by the human senses, as well as getting renewed through the Word. However, from the evaluated analysis of Hebrews 4:12, we can acknowledge that the soul and the spirit are not the same. 

Life of the spirit:

This is the life of the human spirit, which is the real man. For the born again Christian, the Lord guides him by His Spirit through our spirits. The Bible says, "The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD that sheds light on one's inmost being" (Proverbs 20:27 NIV).

When a man receives Christ as Lord, his spirit is recreated and can be trained by the Word, to live the eternal life, which is only possible and expressive on the ground of our salvation in Christ. Simply put, eternal life is the life of the Spirit. And the life of the Spirit is the highest form of experience in the realm of life, because we embrace and express the perfections of divine nature when we train ourselves to live the Spirit-life. It is a supernatural life which functions beyond the human mind and nature, flesh and blood. Stay tuned for the successive parts of this topic. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 27:19; John 8:12; John 6:35; 1 John 5:12.

Guided Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of physical and spiritual life, accompanied by intense tendency to experience your glory on earth. I'm forever grateful for the nourishment of my soul and spirit through your Word which programmes them with the aptness of being renewed day by day, in Jesus' Name, Amen.