I have come so that they might have life and might have it abundantly.*
Part 1 of 4, Chapter 4 in FOR HIS GLORY
The Challenge
Yes, when we are born again we are “rescued from the dominion of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son”,** yet we continue to live in this dark world which is ruled by Satan. How does that work?
Well, God had a plan! John 1:4-5 says of Jesus, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” God made a way for us to live in His Light even now!
Zoe-Life
The English word “life” here, and in John 3:16 and over 100 times in the NT, is from the Greek zoe (Strong’s G2222). Zoe speaks to the quality of life; life that is abundant, rich, full and overflowing. It is Life as humans were created to know it! (I use “Life” when speaking of Zoe-Life.)
Zoe-Life begins when we are born again and lasts forever, but to our detriment we often emphasize “eternal” and miss the “now” part.
Life speaks of the wholeness that comes when our spirit is made alive (Eph. 2:5, Rom. 8:10). Our communion with Creator God is restored, and for the first time since the fall of mankind our soul-hunger can be fulfilled.
THAT Life is the inheritance of the Children of Light (Eph. 5:8). It is the Zoe-Life of the Kingdom of God! If you believe that, it will transform you.
We become kingdom citizens by believing in Jesus (John 1:12), but to “believe” means more than mental assent. It implies to entrust oneself to the object of belief in a way that leads to action, and that implies choice. In fact, countless choices!
More to come!
*John 10:10b
** Col. 1:13, Acts 26:18
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
April 12, 2022
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