God's Will
Doctrine #51: Life
Doctrine #51
Doctrine #51 Read
If you break a bone in your body, when it is repaired it becomes stronger. There must be a spiritual equivalent to the healing process the body goes through. How do we "heal" spiritually, mentally and emotionally?
When a tree loses its leaves in the fall, do we automatically assume that the tree is dead?
What does it mean for something to be "alive?"
Overview
In the Bible, the definition for "life" is "the ability to repair". This ability to repair covers mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical.
Discussion Question
Do you believe you can exist without having "life"?
Scripture
10The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Commentary
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 7-18
Verses 7-18: Jesus' interpretation of the Parable of the Shepherd.
Commentary · verse 10
Doctrine: Jesus came to give life ("life" – "the ability to repair") and that we can have life abundantly: more life. This verse proved that life cannot mean "existence." How can someone exist more abundantly?
Doctrine: The enemy can only steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy cannot create. The enemy does not have life: the ability to repair.
63It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.
63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Commentary
Life is qualitative. The words that Jesus spoke give us the ability to repair, which is God's Righteousness through us. Words can give life and words can bring death. The words that the Holy One, Jesus, spoke were from the Holy Spirit. To think as a man does not profit anything, and the only way for us to be profitable is to follow the way of life...
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 62-63
Doctrine: Words are spiritual. The words that Jesus spoke were spirit and life. Jesus said the physical flesh profited nothing from this discussion. The physical should not have been considered at all. The disciples must have been thinking about the physical.
6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.
6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Commentary
Jesus IS the ability to repair. Living by grace through faith is salvation; it is God's way of Thinking. The Law only allowed us to be on the line or off the line, we could not get stronger if we sinned, we could only get back to zero with God. Now that Jesus has given all of us the ability to repair, we can become profitable even when we sin, by confession and repenting.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 4-6
Triple Doctrine: Jesus is the (one and only) way (journey), the truth (creator), and the life (the ability to repair). The ultimate effect of these three statements is: no man gets to the Father except by Jesus.
- Jesus is the truth: the right WHAT with the right HOW/WHY. Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection was the right action (humility) done with the right HOW (without sin) and for the right WHY (love).
- Jesus is the life: the ability to repair. Repair requires creation, which can only be done with truth. We are sinners. We need Repair in order to spend eternity in fellowship with God.
- Jesus is the way: our journey taking direction from God can only be done because of Jesus being the truth and the life. No one can come to God the Father unless it is done by Jesus and what He had provided.
4But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
4But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
Commentary
God gave a command to not eat blood because it was where the life was. And more specifically in the Law God said...
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 2-4
Life - In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote: "As long as the natural life is in your body, it will do a lot towards repairing that body. Cut it, and up to a point it will heal, as a dead body would not. A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself."
Commentary · verse 4
Life is "the ability to repair." The ability to repair is in the blood.
Acts 15:17-21 recorded that James the Lesser referenced this verse during the council's meeting concerning circumcision.
Leviticus 17:11
ChapterRead the ChapterChanges this passage only. Set your default for every passage.
11For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life.
11For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Commentary
The body's ability to repair comes from the blood. The "life is in the blood." The blood is what made the atonement for the sins of the people. They killed animals and presented the blood on the altar to represent their own blood: their own life.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 1-16
This chapter covered the sanctity of blood.
Commentary · verses 10-12
Verses 10-12: the prohibition against eating blood was pronounced.
Commentary · verse 11
"The life of the flesh is in the blood."; Life was "the ability to repair." The ability to repair is in the blood. Jesus is the Life, our ability to repair, which came from Jesus' ultimate sacrifice of shedding His blood.
Genesis 3:22-24
ChapterRead the ChapterChanges this passage only. Set your default for every passage.
22And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever— 23therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
22And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Commentary
In this passage, Adam and Eve already existed. Some people have a man-made definition of life as "existence". But, the tree gave the ability to repair even though people already existed. It would have been unjust for God to give people the ability to repair eternally, when they deserved death because of their actions. Taking direction from God is life, and the effect of repairing is that you kill your flesh. Like we saw earlier the flesh profiteth nothing from grace, but the spirit works against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 22-24
In the last chapter of the Bible (Revelation 22:2) it stated that in eternity the ability to repair (live) forever is in eating the fruit of the tree of life which produces a different fruit each month, twelve in all. If Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life, they would have been able to remain in their fallen state for as long as they were able to eat of the tree of life. God removed them from paradise and they lost the ability to live on earth forever. This was a Salvation judgment. This was in response to sinning against God. The 1st Dispensation ended with a Reward judgment and a Salvation judgment. In the next chapter, we will see the conditions of the 2nd Dispensation.
Revelation 22:1-2
ChapterRead the ChapterChanges this passage only. Set your default for every passage.
1And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Commentary
The tree of life is for healing/repair even though these people exist. This is a huge point. Everyone will exist forever, which is why hell exists. Even though people will exist forever, not everyone will be able to repair.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 1
The last chapter of the Bible began with a reference to grace: The water of life that proceeds from God and the Lamb.
Commentary · verse 2
The tree of life will have twelve fruits which will be yielded every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Two points:
- First, time does not cease in eternity. At the very least, it is measured in months.
- Second, we currently sleep in order to repair as much as possible. In eternity, we will not sleep because it is always day, however, we will still have the need to repair which will occur through the fruits from the tree of life.
Remember, Adam and Eve were prevented from eating from this tree by angels. If they had eaten of this tree they would have had eternal life. In fact, notice what we have here at the end of the Bible in eternity: a Husband, a Wife, a river, a tree of life - paradise: the new Eden. The Bible ended the way it began. God's initial Will was for Adam and Eve to exist forever in the Garden of Eden. They lost this ability when they justified themselves. They expressed their will to act according to their own nature. The way to exist forever in the new Eden will be to express your will to act according to God's Nature (and in opposition to your own nature), which is grace.
1Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.
2And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.
6And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.
7So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.
1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
2And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
Commentary
Satan didn't want to kill Job, otherwise he couldn't win in his challenge of God. If Satan could touch anything on Job as long as Job still existed, why didn't Satan touch his internal organs, especially Job's brain? Instead, Satan covered Job's top layer of skin which was dead. Satan cannot create, and therefore he is Evil. The only area that Satan could attack was the part of his flesh that was already dead. God never gave Satan the opportunity to take Job's ability to repair while he was being tormented by Satan.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verse 1
Introduction: The "sons of God" (angels) and Satan presented themselves before God, again.
Commentary · verses 2-3
God asked Satan if he had considered Job. This time, God added more to His description of Job: he still held fast to his integrity although Satan moved Him against Job to destroy him without cause. God was Right!
Huge point to remember: Job DID not cause his suffering.
Another point: Satan moved GOD TO destroy Job without cause.
Job 2:3 was a hard verse. Satan caused God to do this, so this was ultimately Satan's fault. God cannot initiate an injustice. Notice, Satan cannot make God wrong. God is Right and Just. God cannot act apart from His Nature because there were no causes within Him that were wrong and/or unjust. So, God can be made to respond, however, it will always be in a fashion that is Right and Just in the long term. There were several instances in the Bible where God did something He did not want to do and it was not wrong and not unjust. For example, 2 Kings 20 showed how God honored Hezekiah's prayer even though it was against God's Will.
Commentary · verses 4-5
Satan said that if God struck Job's body in order to limit what he could DO, Job would renounce God to His Face.
Second Conflict:
- God believed Job was good and the effect was Job did good things.
- Satan believed Job was able to DO good things and the effect was Job acted good.
Commentary · verse 6
Resolution: Again, God allowed Satan to do his plan. God put all of Job into Satan's hands except for his "life". Life was "the ability to repair." Job still had the ability to repair. Life could not have meant "existence" because there would have been no way for Satan to be right if Job's existence was ended.
Commentary · verse 7
Satan struck Job with boils from his feet to his head. These boils would be on the upper layer of Job's skin. This skin was not really "alive." The upper layer of Job's skin would have eventually fallen off. Satan must not have been allowed to affect Job's brain or his internal organs because that would have been a better way to get Job to curse God to His Face.
Commentary · verse 8
Job was in so much pain that he took a potsherd (shard of pottery) and scraped himself and sat down among the ashes. Job's ability to work, his DO, was taken away. He was in so much pain he was unable to DO anything but sit.
Proverbs 12:28
ChapterRead the ChapterChanges this passage only. Set your default for every passage.
28In the way of righteousness is life; And in the pathway thereof there is no death.
28In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.
Commentary
Clearly the way of life is not through our works or our righteousness. Clearly, the way of life is not by gaining reward. The way of God's Righteousness comes from grace and leads to eternal life and good. The path of good cannot destroy. A good path cannot lead to death, it would be contradictory if it did.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 27-28
The way of righteousness was life: the ability to repair.
Commentary · verse 28
Proverbs 10-12 covered proverbs that focused on the interaction between people. Again, a measure for excellence was the person's response to correction.
Proverbs 13:13-14
ChapterRead the ChapterChanges this passage only. Set your default for every passage.
13Whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself; But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.
14The law of the wise is a fountain of life, That one may depart from the snares of death.
13Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.
14The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
Commentary
If you despise the Word you are bringing destruction, or evil, onto yourself; you will not be able to repair. If we have respect for God and His commandments, we are humble and are looking to take direction from Him. The revelatory Word of God that brings wisdom is Rhema. Rhema is the revelatory and powerful spoken word that flows like a fountain. Rhema is the divine Word of God that flows through our actions. Sound familiar? It's grace! Remember, we saw the definition for the Hebrew word law was "guidance from the outside...like being sprinkled upon with water". Grace provides much more guidance and it is from the inside.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 12-13
Despising the "word" brought destruction on yourself. "Despiseth" meant to "hold as insignificant." However, if you saw the commandment (word) as something to be respected and lived by, you would be rewarded.
Commentary · verses 14-15
Good understanding, or understanding that was Right and Just, gave favor.
Proverbs 18:21
ChapterRead the ChapterChanges this passage only. Set your default for every passage.
21Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
21Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Commentary
The causes for life and death are in the words you believe. If you have the causes (HOW/WHY) of life you will have the fruit or effects or WHAT's of life. This passage did not mean that you will exist or not in regards to the fruit you eat. This referenced a process of repairing or a process of destroying.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 20-21
"Death and life were in the power of the tongue" - Our beliefs are made up of words and sentences. Knowing the definitions of the words you use is crucial to understanding WHAT you believe and WHY you believe it.
Proverbs 19:23
ChapterRead the ChapterChanges this passage only. Set your default for every passage.
23The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life; And he that hath it shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil.
23The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
Commentary
Proverbs 1 stated that fearing, or respecting, God was the beginning of wisdom. If we abide in God, or think like God, using His definitions, the effect will be the ability to repair. Whoever does not Think like God, whoever thinks as a man or an animal, shall be visited with destruction.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 22-25
Showing those with understanding where they were wrong would give them more understanding.
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Commentary
Jesus said to the woman that if she drank the physical water she would thirst again. Then Jesus transitioned into the spiritual. The water that Jesus spoke of was the word of life that He would give us by the Holy Spirit which is rhema. This water caused a well of water to be inside of Him, that would fill Him with eternal life: the eternal ability to repair. It is our free will to choose to drink the water that Jesus invited us to drink. He does not choose who drinks it and who doesn't. This water will affect our actions and decisions and it will be evident because we do not thirst again: we do not lust after the flesh, we do not think as a man. Remember, grace is like water. It is given to us by God, and allows us to align our HOW/WHY with God's, which then causes us to take direction from God towards fellowship with other people who have the same causes as God, all the while giving without expecting and growing more and more profitable. Isn't it amazing how God's chords (Doctrines) harmonize together?
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 11-14
The "living water" Jesus spoke of is grace/Holy Spirit. This water is in believers and it springs up into eternal life. Salvation is by grace through faith: Ephesians 2:8.
53Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.
53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Commentary
Jesus talked about life: the ability to repair. God commanded the children of Israel not to drink blood because the blood of an animal could only get someone back to zero. The blood of an animal is only a WHAT. In the Law the blood of a man called for the blood of another man, which was Just. God's plan was for us to drink the blood of God's Son that we would be able to repair, which would be beyond zero!
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 52-53
The Jews continued to think physically instead of spiritually. Jesus made a statement that must have made people cringe, if they were focused on the physical, drink His blood and eat His flesh?!?!
10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.
10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Commentary
Again, if you are walking by the Spirit you cannot be in the flesh, if you could that would be a contradiction. If the spirit of life is in you, the ability to repair is in you, it would be God's Righteousness through you, which is grace! Sin can only kill, steal, and destroy. Sin's only objective is to look short term and survive. The flesh is only focused on the WHAT, on facts: it does not want the spirit to grow neither be profitable nor uncomfortable.
Swokowski Bible Commentary on this passage
Commentary · verses 1-39
Remember, context was crucial. Paul continued to speak about believers who, even though they do evil because of the sin within themselves (body/flesh/brain), chose to serve God with their being (Mind/Soul) through Biblical Grace.
Commentary · verse 10
Doctrine: Righteousness brings life. This verse was stated with an "if". This verse was spoken only to those who chose to follow Biblical Grace.
Closing Thoughts
The water that God has given us through His Holy Spirit causes us to repair more and more often, and better and more completely than we ever have before. The atonement that Jesus made for us, and the grace He has allowed us to get access to is something that we ought to share with others. We ought to love others by helping them repair by the grace of God.
What does this process of repair look like?
Life is quantitative. Jesus said that we could have "life abundantly," meaning we could have more of it. We can grow in the amount in which we are able to repair. The more we learn about Jesus the more we are able to understand what it looks like to repair different areas of our lives.