Life Matters

The Bible is completely unambiguous as to where life comes from.

Col 1:16,17 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (NIV)

Everything that we can see or perceive and even things we can’t see were created and are now sustained by God. Notice carefully the wording of the final sentence. And in Him all things hold together. The text clearly tells us that the life force that comes forth from God holds the whole universe together. This clearly indicates that the life is not simply gifted to us as a package but is streamed to us in a constant stream. The following Bible texts state this:

Psa 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Rev 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

The Bible presents us a picture of a river that flows out of the throne of God. This river is a living river and everything that comes in contact with it receives life. This principle is illustrated in the natural world over and over by the fact that most towns and cities only survive because they are located near a river. If you have ever visited a desolate region and then come across a river, all the trees grow on or near its banks. The concept of life is connected to the concept of a river.

The psalmist David illustrates this when he says:

Psa 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Once again this principle is illustrated in the book of Ezekiel:

Ezek 47:1-9 The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple towards the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. … 6 He asked me, Son of man, do you see this? Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. (NIV)

Notice the last phrase – “so where the river flows everything will live.” Life is in the flow of the river. The concept of the river flowing is that water moves from its source point down the river to the living creature in a direct line. There is a direct line from the source to the recipient and it is always moving. The water does not stagnate, it keeps moving. The Bible adds to this concept when it says:

Acts 17:24-28 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth … From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring’ (NIV)

Notice, how it says that “in Him we live and move and have our being”. The Bible is presenting another illustration of how the life of God flows to us. We see here a God who is intimately involved with our lives. Paul begins with the big picture and then zeros down to the personal and intimate level:

1. He has determined the times and places of every nation.

2. He is not far from each one of us.

3. …and finally Paul goes straight to the heart of the issue and says that in Him we live and move and have our being.

If we live in Him or live by a direct stream from Him it is obvious that we can’t live without Him. The Bible says:

John 15:5 …apart from me you can do nothing.

Please understand that this means we can’t do anything physically, mentally or spiritually without Him. We are totally and utterly dependent on God for everything, just like a little baby depends on its parents. Notice the following verses:

1Chron 29:14 For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.

1Cor 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Up until this point we have been focusing on the sheer physicality of life. But when the Bible states all things come from Him, this means all things spiritual, mental and physical.

Consider the following texts:

Col 2:2,3 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge...

Exod 31:1-5 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.

The Bible reveals God as the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2,3 challenges the concept that we as human beings can originate wisdom and knowledge. All wisdom and all knowledge come from God. An example of this is shown in Exodus 31:1-5 where we see God giving a man wisdom and skill in craftsmanship.

What about the concept of spiritual life? If we come to a verse I just mentioned, Psalms 1:3,

Psa 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

It states that the fruit of the tree depends upon the water that streams to it. When talking about fruit the Bible says:

Gal 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The implications of this text are important. All of these attributes come from having the Spirit of God. This simply means that without the Spirit of God you cannot have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and so on. I was thinking about this Biblical truth one day while I was walking in a park by a lake. It was calm and peaceful. I suddenly noticed a mother pushing her daughter on a swing. They were both laughing together and obviously enjoying each other’s company. The love that this mother was experiencing for her daughter was inspired by God. The thought to be loving, kind and gentle to her daughter did not originate within the heart of the mother but in the heart of God and was given to that mother through the stream of life who then chose to express it and it became a mother’s love. The source of the mother’s love comes from the heart of God. That love became a part of the mother because she responded to the Spirit of God and expressed it.

The Bible presents a view that is very much in harmony with the third model of life source we looked at in the previous chapter. We are vitally dependent on God for life, every moment of every day, not just physical life, but mental and spiritual life.

The beauty of this Biblical system is that it is relationally vital. Relationships are central to its survival. The next chapter will consider the issues of relationship in a life flow model and the chapter after that will consider the issues of value.