Gregg's Rest Stop (The One and Only Life)

Published: Tue, 05/31/11

GREGG'S REST STOP   May 31, 2011


The One and Only Life

Truly Jesus did many other signs
in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book (the Gospel of John).
But these things were written that
you may believe Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God,
and that in believing
you may have LIFE in His name.
(John 20:30-31)
 
 
This past week I shared the key to the Gospel of John with a new friend who came to Journey in Christ seeking hope.  The key is the word LIFE that occurs 36 times in this Gospel.  John wrote in the above verses the reason he wrote this Gospel:  for you and me to have LIFE in Christ.
 
The Greek word for LIFE in the original manuscripts of this Gospel is "zoe" meaning "the one and only true LIFE...the LIFE of Christ." 
 
In contrast, whenever the Greek word "bios" is used in the Bible for the word "life," it is a reference only to physical life.  We get our words "biography" and "biology" from this Greek word "bios." 
 
However, we receive our true life only from Christ who is "zoe."
 
PERSONALIZING JOHN 3:16
I remember when this familiar verse became alive to me.  For years my focus was on the adjective "everlasting" instead of the object (noun) of the verse "LIFE."  As a result, this previous focus was on living forever in heaven later, and not on living in Christ now and forever.
 
The adjective for LIFE in this verse is better interpreted "eternal" rather than "everlasting."  Eternal LIFE encompasses "ever-beginning" and "ever-lasting," which points us to Christ who is eternal LIFE!
 
 
 
It is a blessing for me to insert the phrase "the LIFE of Christ" in the Gospel of John whenever the word "LIFE" is used.  Try this with the following sampling of the 36 LIFE verses in this Gospel.  Note that no one other than Jesus speaks these verses, consistent with the fact that true LIFE can only be entrusted to Him.
 
Whoever drinks of the water I give him will have a fountain of water springing up into eternal LIFE (4:14).
 
He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal LIFE (5:24).
 
For the bread of God is He who come down from heaven and gives LIFE to the world (6:33).
 
Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal LIFE (6:40).
 
He who believes in Me has eternal LIFE (6:47).
 
It is the Spirit who gives eternal LIFE (6:63).
 
He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of LIFE (8:12).
 
I have come that they may have LIFE abundantly (10:10).
 
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal LIFE (10:27).

CLOSING
My new friend came seeking a semblance of hope, and he left focusing on the key that true life and hope is Christ Himself. 
 
May the words of this Rest Stop be from Jesus who said in John 6:63, "The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are LIFE." 
 
May we grow in walking in the reality that LIFE has already been spoken and given to us by the grace of God!  By faith we can live out of this LIFE instead of striving to obtain an imitation of LIFE. 
 
We can grow in expending energy on living this LIFE which becomes a life lived for others...instead of expending energy to obtain a life which is a life lived for self.  We no longer have to get  in order to have LIFE; we can give because we already have LIFE!
Your brother in Christ, the one and only LIFE,
 
    
 
 
  About this ministry
 
Gregg Gibbons is
a missionary with
a non-profit, non-denominational
discipleship counseling
and training ministry.
 
Contact links are below.
I'd love to hear from you!
 
 
 The High Calling
of Discipleship
 
Testimonies by Gregg
and friends including
Bobby Richardson,
former NY Yankee ballplayer.
  
 

 
MY UTMOST
FOR HIS HIGHEST
  
 
Oswald Chambers founded Bible Training College in London in 1911.  In many ways, the training ministry of Journey in Christ is modeled after that college. 
 
From 1915 to 1917, Chambers served as chaplain for Australian and New Zealand troops in in Africa during World War I.  In 1917, he died from a ruptured appendix. 
 
He was only 43 years old when he died, but he left us a heritage of writings on the LIFE of Christ.  Following are 5 excerpts from his book "My Utmost for His Highest."
 
Excerpts
It is not (primarily) a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that "the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."  And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh.
 
The only proper goal of life is that we manifest the Son of God.  When we realize this, He will make us broken bread and poured-out wine with which to feed and nourish others.
 
Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transformed by the indwelling life of the Son of God?
 
Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God.  It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God.
 
The true test of a person's spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times.  In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the life of God Himself.  A person is merged into a personal oneness with God. 
 
 
 

 
 



926 NE Main Street  Suite F-155   Simpsonville, SC 29681
(864) 483-3201 (Gregg cell)   gregg@journeyinChrist.org