Death or Life - 22 April 2008

Paul uses some interesting examples of the things that we might think will separate us from God. First of all he uses death or life.

Many people have a fear of physical death, but interestingly Paul here uses a Greek word (thanatos) which can have a more spiritual interpretation meaning the death of the soul. Jesus used this word when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane,
"My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." Matthew 26:38

This is the death that Jesus conquered and overcame on the cross.
So although Paul is telling us not to fear physical death which will release us into eternal life, he is also reassuring us that neither are we in danger of spiritual death, that our Father in Heaven will just not allow the forces of evil to snatch us from His hands.

And the word that Paul uses in this passage for ‘life’ (zoe) is also a spiritual word; it is not the word which is used to mean everyday life, or biological life or even birth. It means new life, life in all its fullness. It is the word Jesus used to describe himself as the ‘Way, the Truth and the Life’ and the word that John used to describe Jesus in the first chapter of his Gospel ‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men’. Paul is encouraging us here to partake of that life because if we are living with the Spirit and life of Jesus within us then we will never ever be separated from His love.

Yesterday we looked at the way that we might think that life events separate us from God. Could they have that effect? Not if we allow that new life to permeate all of our lives. That means turning all those ordinary things over to God and asking Him to live through us in those circumstances.

Here is Jesus using these two words.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:24

Tomorrow as you go through your day, practice the presence of God; think about His love being present in the ordinary events of your day.