Have you ever thought, “What is the essence of life?” This is an important question to consider. Jesus stated, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). What does he mean?
In order to understand what the essence of life is, I believe a good place to begin is by understanding what it is not. When a person has no “physical life”, he/she is dead. They are inoperative and cannot make a contribution to the physical world in any capacity. Moreover, what comes along with death is decay. When there is “no life” in a physical body, decay is inevitable. Decay is the rotting away of the physical body. In short, death is antithetical to life.
What is interesting is that one can have physical life; yet, but be spiritually dead (literally). Indeed, when it comes to spiritual life, there seems to be two biblical dynamics:
1. Every person who has not become born-again is spiritually dead. (Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13; 2 Cor. 4:3)
2. Believers who choose to live in unbelief or in a rebellious state may be walking in spiritual death. Hence, Jesus called the church in Sardis “dead”. (Rev. 3:1; Rom. 8:5-6)
The essence of spiritual life is rooted and founded in God (John 3:6). As Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). However, Paul gives us an insight into what this “life” consists.
“If Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Rom. 8:10-11)
According to Paul, there is a link between the Spirit, life, and righteousness.
1. Our physical body is subject to death due to the presence of sin within us.
2. The Spirit (Holy) gives life. That life consist of righteousness.
3. As a result, the righteousness of Christ that has been deposited by the Spirit is indeed the “life” of the believer.
4. This is further illustrated when Paul juxtaposes walking in the Spirit is life, while walking in the flesh is death (Rom.8:5-6).
Through the rebirth of the Holy Spirit–He “recreates life” within a dead vessel which is rooted in New Covenant promises (Eze. 36:26-27; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:10). This re-creating of life thrives off God’s presence since He is the source of “the Life.” Within this essence of life is a joy that is supernatural in substance that goes into eternity (Psa. 51:12; John 17:3). In short, “true life” is fixed on the joy of the Lord and His righteousness. Without the righteousness of Christ working in one’s life, he/she has no life.
To the contrary, spiritual death has it roots in sin and rebellion (Rom. 6:23). The nature of sin is death (Rom. 8:6); hence, this is why Jesus calls the believer to crucify the flesh (Gal. 5:24). If we do not put our flesh to death by walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25)–our flesh will put us to death spiritually and eventually, physically. Sin will destroy any intimacy with God because the essence of it brings death. In short, when we “will” ourselves to participate in the deeds of darkness (Rom. 13:12: Eph. 5:8-11)–we are literally living in a spiritual graveyard.
Why live in a spiritual cemetery? Choose life. Life in God. Life in Christ. Life by the Spirit.
