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Life in the Bible Club
Maple Woods College

Bible Study Outlines

January 17, 2007

The Three Kinds of Life in the Bible

  1. The coming of Jesus heralded the coming of the divine life. By the offense of Adam death reigned. The "much more" life in our Lord Jesus changes the experience of men not only in an eternal way, but is meant to change our living day by day.
    1. Romans 5:8-10 - 8 But God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified in His blood, we will be saved through Him from the wrath. 10 For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled
    2. Romans 5:17 - 17 For if by the offense of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
  2. The original language that the New Testament was written in (Greek) indicate three different meanings for the word "life" in the English translation (this includes the King James Version).The physical (created) life is defined in the Greek language by the word "bios, where we get our word today for "biology". See Luke 8:14 below.
    1. Luke 8:14 - And that which fell into the thorns, these are those who heard and, going away, are utterly choked by anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and do not bring any fruit to maturity.
  3. The second life, the soul life (created by God's breath in Genesis chapter 2 in the Old Testament of the Bible), in Greek is psuche. Psuche is where we get our present day word psychology. See Matthew 16:25-26 and John 12:25 below.
    1. Matthew 16:25-26 - 25 For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it. 26 For what shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul-life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul-life?
    2. John 12:25 - He who loves his soul-life loses it; and he who hates his soul-life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life.
  4. Finally, God's life (uncreated, divine and eternal in nature) is indicated by the Greek word zoe. This is the life which God the Father sent "in and with" His son and which we "believe into" (See footnote on John 3:16 on the word "into" in the Recovery Version New Testament and again confirmed by the origional Greek language). See Romans 5:10 above, and Romans 5:18, 21 below. Also see below Romans 6:4 and 8:2,6,10.
    1. John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.
    2. Romans 5:18 - So then as it was through one offense unto condemnation to all men, so also it was through one righteous act unto justification of life to all men.
    3. Romans 5:21 - In order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
    4. Romans 6:4 - 4 We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life.
    5. Romans 8:2, 6, 10
      2 For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.
      6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.
      10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
  5. A daily practice to experience the "Zoe" life.
    1. Find a quiet place and open up your heart to the Lord.
    2. Confessing to deal with unrighteousness.
      1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
    3. Forgive others and forget the things in the past - Forgiving is forgetting by God's own example in the Old Testament.
      Isaiah 43:25 - I, even I am He who wipes away your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
    4. Pray one or more of the verses above asking the Lord for the supply of His divine life during this day.
    5. Thank the Lord for everything He has supplied to you this week.

 

NOTE: The footnotes referenced in the outlines are from the The Holy Bible, Recovery Version © 2003 Living Stream Ministry. An online Recovery Version may be searched for verses and footnotes at: The Holy Bible, Online Recovery Version. You may also obtain a free Recovery Version New Testament by filling out a request form on the Bibles for America website.