LIFE
A Barrie Brown
Genesis 1: 11-23; 2: 7
John 10: 10
1 Timothy 6: 17-19
In the reading on Lord's day we had the thought brought before us that the Holy Spirit is the power to live in another sphere, in heavenly places. Further to that, I have been thinking of the matter of life and our first hymn made reference to 'the world of life' (Hymn 288). I simply draw on these scriptures that we have read together to say a few words as to the matter of life. Firstly I would say it is a matter of primary importance, and it has many features attaching to it.
Where we have read in Genesis we get beginnings. God is the author of life, natural life. There are other views advanced regarding how life originated, and where it came from. These things are taught at school, but we can simply rest on the authority of scripture that God is the Author. Scripture says that the Lord Jesus is “the originator of life” (Acts 3: 15); that is a particular glory of His. In Exodus the scribes tried to create life, to bring forth gnats but they could not, chap 8: 18. We can rest our souls in the fact that God is the Author of life. Natural life, the life that we see around us on earth, was created by God. We know that sin and dislocation have come in. It touches on that in Genesis 2: 1: “the earth was waste and empty”. God did not create it like that; He created it to be inhabited, Isa 45: 18. The verses read in Genesis show that one of the features of life is that there is variety attached to it. We are often impressed by it; how many species of animals and plants there are; there are probably many that have not even been found. Sometimes you hear about a particular animal or plant that only grows in one single place on earth. We may wonder why God ordered it so, but I think you see something of His love of variety in life.
And if natural life is so wonderful, how much more so spiritual life, life according to God. So think of the variety that there is in natural life, but in spiritual life all is patterned after the Lord Jesus. What we need in the gospel is life. I trust that each one here is a believer: for each one of us in our natural life, if the Lord Jesus does not come for us, there will be an end to our natural life, and that is sobering. That is a sobering matter, but the gospel is preached because we do need life; there is such a thing as moral death. The Scriptures speak about those who are “dead while living”, 1 Tim 5: 6. People may be naturally alive, and may think that they are having a good time, but as far as God is concerned they are dead. The gospel is preached that such persons should hear the life-giving sound of the glad tidings. And if God saw these natural things were good, how good it is also for the gospel to be preached. And there may be some allusion to that here: “And there was evening, and there was morning – a third day”.
Life according to God all hinges on the blessed life, and then the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a One, who we spoke about as the Originator of life. Life was in the Lord Jesus inherently. Each one of us has our natural lives. Our brother in the preaching here referred to “man, whose breath is in his nostrils”, Isa 2: 22. I was impressed by that, which illustrates the fragility of life and the shortness of time and how we need to respond to the glad tidings urgently. In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher says in chapter 12, “before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain … and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it”, v 6, 7. But then at the beginning of chapter 12 it says, “remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth”. That is important. When we are younger we may see life as stretching away ahead of us and we do not perhaps think there is a bound to it. One thing I would mention in relation to life is our faculties; our memory and our physical fitness start to deteriorate, but it is good to devote what is of our natural life to the things of God. One simple thing I wish as to when I was younger was that I had read the Scriptures more because our memories are much more retentive when we are younger. It is not just to remember; we need the spirit of Scripture, but I pass that on in relation to the matter of life; we can use our natural life for God's things.
Where we read in chapter 2, I wanted to touch on again because we speak about man, Adam, as the top-stone of God's creation. Earlier on it speaks about the beasts and the fish and all these things; and God has interest in them. Scripture says, “the cattle upon a thousand hills” are God's, Ps 50: 10. God is interested in His creation and feels for it. Where we read in Jonah there is reference to the cattle; so, as to natural life, we respect it and treat it well. We would not be cruel to animals; but how much greater are God's feelings for mankind. There is some touch of that where we read. “Jehovah Elohim”, that name of relationship, has formed man; it shows great care went into it. Think of the wisdom and the skill of forming man; He “formed Man, dust of the ground”. Then -, He did not do this to any other creature, He “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”. How fine that is to consider. That is our origin, in God Himself, “and Man became a living soul”. I think the word “soul” conveys something of the matter of affections. That is one of the great things that is bound up with life, the affections, and the intelligence too. Later on Adam had the intelligence to name these animals, and I think God was pleased with that. And then God made the helpmate, Eve; it would remind us of the blessed matter of Christ and the assembly. That is life abundant, what is really life. I just wanted to draw on this scripture to reinforce how precious life is in the sight of God.
In the World Wars, believers were conscientious objectors to taking up lethal arms, and suffered for that. We would respect life because it is God's: people are God's creatures. In Acts 17 it says, “in him we live and move and exist”, v 28. The people there had a shrine to the unknown God (v 23), but we know God as the Creator of life and the One who has given glorious life. That is, it cannot be imitated. That would be another feature of life: it cannot be gainsaid or imitated.
I was attracted to these words of the Lord Jesus, where we read in John 10. We have spoken of Him already as the One who came into this earth and lived a perfect life. It says too, in John 12, “Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bears much fruit”, v 24. Think of the greatness and power and majesty of resurrection, the Lord Jesus giving up His life and going into death, but then breaking its power by doing so. That is why the believer has the triumph over death in his heart, because of what the Lord Jesus has done. The only One whose life was not forfeit on account of sin, because He was the sinless One, laid down His life for you and for me, dear brethren.
Well, you get something of the world and the devil at the beginning of verse 10, stealing and killing and destroying. That is the world's system that would seek to steal from you and would seek to take your life and destroy anything that is for God. It is sobering. At the present time I think there is a redoubling of the efforts of the enemy to rob what is of life and vitality for God. But then see how much greater the Lord Jesus is. He says, “I am come that they might have life”; and I would ask you, 'Are you proving it?'. Do you know what it is to find your life in the Lord Jesus and have your life bound up with Him? We might when we first come to seek the relief of our sins and trust in the Lord Jesus and seek to be covered by His precious blood; but are you continuing to prove this blessed matter?
In Romans much comes in as to life. It tells us there, “justified in the power of his blood, we shall be saved by him from wrath”, chap 5: 9. But then it says, “we shall be saved in the power of his life”, chap 5: 10. That is His risen life, something to be proved and something to be enjoyed. We have spoken about the variety of life and of intelligence; I think another feature of life is enjoyment; life is to be enjoyed. There are natural relationships as ordained by God which we enjoy, but much greater than that are God's things, that are to be enjoyed. In His goodness and in the power of the Holy Spirit, He has given us the wherewithal to enjoy the things that He has freely given to us; it is for me and for each one of us to prove it.
I think there is some touch of that in the last few words of this verse: “I am come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” I think that was looking forward to the incoming of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus says that they had Him as a Comforter, and then another Comforter was to come in the Holy Spirit. Much of what comes out in chapters 13 and onwards in John relates to how we are to have this life abundantly. Abundance is a characteristic word in connection with Christianity. There is nothing stinting or lacking from God's side; everything has been provided. Those who first came to trust in the Lord Jesus are as much sons as the most advanced believer, but it takes us time to understand and appreciate and grow in our knowledge of God, and the good things He has given to us. I think there is some suggestion here that we might have it abundantly.
Another thought of life is power, power to overcome, power to rise above our circumstances, power to enjoy, and power to respond to God. There is no response from a dead person, but where life is there is response, response for all the good things God has given, and also response as we come to know Him because He is the living God. Where there is reference to the living God in Scripture it is often over against contrary circumstances. In a world which is marked by moral deadness it would be good for each one of us to prove what it is to have life abundantly and enter into the sphere of things where the Lord Jesus is, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
It speaks where we read in Timothy at the end of verse 19 of what is “really life”. These enjoinders about not trusting in the uncertainty of riches are very important, very practical. People have their lives in their riches, and have their lives in their businesses and sport. We have to make our way through this world righteously, and we can make our way through with the help of the Spirit. The woman in 2
Kings had the power to discharge all obligations; it says there, “live thou and thy sons on the rest”, chap 4: 7. In type, she did not really appreciate the Holy Spirit initially, but then, think of all the resources that were brought in. As we enter into divine things, and live in them and enjoy them and are rich towards God, there is the opportunity “to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal in distributing”. I think that would be characteristic of a believer; the outflow from a believer's life for the blessing of others.
It is interesting that at the end it says, “laying by for themselves a good foundation for the future”. And it says, “that they may lay hold of what is really life”. It is an accentuation of what life is; it is “really life”, life according to God. God would also seek to have us, “Lay hold of eternal life”, v 12. I suppose it is a similar thought to the thought of life, but it is life over against death. It is the way we are able to overcome and be connected with that unseen world where the Lord Jesus is the Head and Centre. It is a great gift of God, eternal life in a scene of death, but here it is that we “may lay hold of what is really life”. I think that too is proved in the power of the blessed Holy Spirit; to rise above circumstances, yes, but also to enter in and to respond and to know something of the power and the enjoyment of what is connected with life according to God.
May these thoughts be for our encouragement – how plenteous the thoughts are in Scripture in relation to life. What a fine thought it is, and how pleasing it is to God to see us here in life, life according to Him as opposed to the general deadness that there is around. I am sure we do not keep these things to ourselves; we are to speak to others that they may come into the enjoyment of life too.
Well, may these things be for our encouragement for His
Name's sake.
Word in Ministry Meeting in Linlithgow
5th May 2022