Born Into Life

"The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son."  -- John 5:26

I remember in a biology class spending almost an entire class period talking about how to define "life."  Life is somewhat of a mystery it turns out.  While we know how life is initiated at conception, we do not know exactly at what moment the combination of chromosomes results in "life."  It is almost easier to define life by what it isn't -- as "not dead" -- than to try to define what it is.  The signs of life, e.g. breathing, pulse, motion, etc, also do not explain what the actual animating energy is that causes a person or creature to "start ticking" or to be alive.  We know neither when or from where that "spark" comes, or where it goes after death.


So we read in this verse - God has life.  If defining life is difficult for humans, how much harder is it to define God's life?   Let's leave it at: God has a life.  Jesus, the Beloved one of God, has a life -- at least up until the crucifixion.  Yet, after the cross Jesus is still alive.  God gives Jesus power to continue granting life.  Are we crossing over from talking about physical bodies into spiritual ones?  Obviously.  Life in the physical (biological) sense does not last, but life in the spiritual sense extends indefinitely.

The enlivening energy in the spiritual sense can only be God/Christ itself.  We are enlivened by, through, and in the Ones who possess everlasting life.  We have life and they have life with us, and it is the same life that we all share.  Does this mean that all people are alive spiritually?   No.  In the verse before this it says, "The truth of the matter is, the hour will come and in fact is here already when the dead will hear the voice of God's Only Begotten, and all who hear it will live."  We can be dead in our spirit.  We can be outside of life with God/Christ.  It is troublesome (and sad) to think of people who are physically alive, but spiritually dead.  Yet, it would sound from scripture as though God/Christ decides who to lift to spiritual life (awareness?) and who not to live. The ones who lack life in the spirit, it is my experience, do not seem aware or to mind that they do not have life; and for whatever reason, God/Christ choose not to raise them to life.  Perhaps the turning (or raising) for them comes from a "quickening" moment of interaction with those who are alive?  This moment may be with God/Christ or any one of us alive in them since we are all in the life together as one.  You, therefore, might be the one, who in your "God-life," becomes the midwife to birth the new Christ-life and set them on his/her new path.  How exciting is that?

Prayer:
Abba God, for bringing us life we give you thanks.  Help us in all humility to be an enlivening positive influence to all around us.  Amen.