Life

Life

Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10.

Moses says, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” Deut. 30:15, 19.

Here we can see that life is the same as good, and death is the same as evil. Doing good is the same as coming under the blessing, and doing evil is the same as coming under the curse. We must be watchful so that we do not end up first under the one and then under the other. We are not a good tree if we do that, because it cannot bear bad fruit, and vice versa. When we do the good, it does not mean that everything we do is perfect, but it does mean that we do it the best we know how, with all our heart and all our mind, and we never become evil.

We are called to have an abundant life. This means that we requite with good whatever evil we meet or is done to us. The evil does not taint our life. “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isa. 48:18. When we abide in the good, we have peace like a river. This is a point on which we can easily test ourselves. When we live in the Spirit, our righteousness will be like the waves of the sea. We will not become restless when we are backbitten as an evildoer, because we know that God will reveal it. We simply wait on the Lord and abide in rest. Rom. 12:19-21. Soon our life—our righteousness—will pour over the backbiting like the mighty waves of the sea.

Jesus came with eternal life, the life that was with the Father. The disciples could see, hear, and touch it. They received the Word of life, and they partook of the same life. Thus they had fellowship with the Father and His Son. They partook of the gospel of God concerning His Son, Jesus. Rom. 1:1-5. Then they could preach the gospel—the life—that is with the Father. Those who received it partook of the same life, and thus they partook of fellowship with those who preached it, as well as with the Father and the Son. John 17:20-21.

There is only one life, the eternal life that is with the Father. Everything outside it is death. Jesus came that we might have an abundance of life. To be born again means that one has passed over from darkness to light. Then we are babes and, like newborn babies, long for that spiritual, pure milk so that by it we can grow with regards to salvation. 1 Pet. 2:2.

Then we walk in the light and have fellowship with each other. We grow in the good, and we exercise our senses to discern between good and evil. As the light increases and we need to separate the evil and the good, we will also partake of the cleansing in the blood of Jesus. On this walk in the light the attitude of our heart and mind is always to do the good. This is why all those who have passed over from death to life have fellowship with each other, and as they continue to grow and cleanse themselves, this fellowship also deepens, and their joy increases and becomes full. Heb. 5:14.