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The Bible clarifies that the lower, earthly life of fallen mankind is incompatible with the higher, heavenly life of God. Therefore, the fundamental need for fallen humanity is not the legalistic practice of religion. Instead, it is new life suitable for fellowship with the living (zoe) God.
Life is a major theme in the Bible. The word “life” is used 551 times; 339 in the Old Testament and 212 times in the New Testament. Etymology The New Testament contains several Greek words translated into the English word “life.” Two of them are used most frequently; zoe (dzo-ay’) (135 times) and psuche (psoo-khay’) (103 times). Context of usage serves to reveal an interesting relationship between zoe and psuche. The Greek word zoe is often used in the New Testament in reference to life in the absolute sense or life in the fullest. Consequently, it refers to the perfect, eternal, higher life of God. The Greek word psuche is most often translated as “life” and “soul” in the New Testament. When context dictates an interpretation of “life,” psuche generally refers to the temporal, earthly life of mankind that is shared in common with the animals. Psuche is interpreted as “soul” in the New Testament only when its context is more specifically related to the immaterial part of man, the seat of his personality. Regardless of whether interpreted as “life” or “soul,” psuche is commonly used in the New Testament to refer to man’s earthly, temporal, lower life. The Greek words zoe and psuche are sometimes used together in the New Testament in contrast to one another. For example, “He who loves his life (psuche) loses it, and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world will keep it to life (zoe) eternal.” (John 12:25) The contrast between psuche and zoe can be distinguished as follows: |
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Message of Life
The Holy Bible unveils the eternal plan of God to establish His redemptive, living (zoe) presence on the degenerated earth. It is revealed from Genesis to Revelation. The biblical “message of…life (zoe)” is first revealed in Genesis. (cf. Acts 5:19-21) It clarifies that God gave more than just physical, earthly life (psuche) to human beings. He also created man to exist on earth in union with His heavenly life (zoe). “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) When God said, “Let us make man in our image,” He used the Hebrew noun for “man” ('adam) in a collective sense. It provided a clear indication that He made mankind as one collective, covenantal entity. Therefore, it was not just Adam, the covenantal head of humanity, that was made to share life with God but also his covenantal body, the entire human race. Relative to the creation of mankind, Moses did not use the words “image” and “likeness” to communicate two different concepts. Instead, he used them for the sake of emphasis. The English word “image” is translated from the Hebrew word selem (tseh'-lem). It can refer to a copy, model, shadow, or representation. In contrast, the English word “likeness” is translated from the Hebrew word demuwth (dem-ooth'). It generally means shape, figure, form, or pattern. Rather than communicating a different idea, the word “likeness” (demuwth) was intended to amplify the word “image” (selem) and provide specificity of meaning. Being created in the “image” and “likeness” of God indicated that humanity was created as a “vessel” to accommodate the “treasure” of divine life (zoe) on earth. (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7) It is often presumed that the image-likeness of God in Adam was the manifestation of nothing more than some of the specific attributes of the divine nature. Concordant with the biblical “message of…life (zoe)”, however, the image-likeness of God in Adam was not indicative of a select number of divine attributes but the presence of divine life (zoe). Made in the image-likeness of God, Adam was not merely created to serve as a legal representative of God on earth. Accommodative of divine life (zoe), he was also made to be organically representational of God on earth.1 |
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Restoration of Life
The biblical message of life (zoe) not only reveals the need for fallen humanity to be redeemed from sin but also restored to life (zoe). It is communicated in both Old and New Testaments. However, the message of life (zoe) is more specifically disclosed in the New Testament. Therefore, it is unveiled in the Gospels, developed in Acts, and expounded in the Epistles. The Gospel of John unveils the biblical message of life (zoe) more fully than any other New Testament author. For example: |
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The biblical message of life (zoe) is developed in the Book of Acts. It traces the movement of heavenly life (zoe) in and through the early church as follows:
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Providing more significant detail about the opportunity for restoration to shared life, the biblical message of life (zoe) is expounded in the Epistles. For example:
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Fundamental Need
In light of his natural, lifeless (zoe) state, the fundamental need for humanity is not simply to do better. It is the reception of new life (zoe). Therefore, God graciously sacrificed His life (psuche) so that He could share His resurrected life (zoe) with the fallen. It is a wondrous gift. Through the biblical message of life (zoe) God has communicated His desire of God to share His life (zoe) with the undeserving dead. By grace through faith alone, it is found only through instrumentality of the New Testament church. © 2023 James Hiatt |
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