John 14:6
… I am the life
…
We
confirm through scripture and enjoy the fact through daily living that Jesus is
the Way and the Truth. Knowing this beyond a doubt might be sufficient. But
there’s more. He said it Himself. I am
the way, the truth, and the life.
The final element in Jesus’
statement to Thomas in the Passover chamber discourse is key to understanding who
we are in Christ Jesus. It is part and particle of the promise, but the extent of that life is almost like a
bonus. “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John
10:10).
To be given the free gift of life is
one thing. To get it in abundance is quite another. God’s words and works are
unfathomable, for he continues to slather his love and mercy upon us to give eternal life. In John 17:1-3, Jesus
said, “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify
thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has
given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
So… if we stop here, we have life
(1) eternal, (2) free, (3) abundant. But it goes much deeper than that. In
Paul’s great paradox of Galatians 2:20, he said: “I am crucified with Christ;
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.” Do you see how dimensional life becomes as Paul takes it to an entirely different level? If we
know Christ in his fullness, we take on His life. “For ye are dead and your
life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). And because we are hid with
Christ in God, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). A splendid conditional promise.
Again, His life brings us so much joy. Someone once said, “All this and heaven,
too.” We enjoy the abundant life here on earth, and our eternal life takes us
into His presence at the appointed time, whether it be by way of the grave or
at his return at the Rapture of the Church.
As we search the scriptures, my sincere
prayer is that we will not skim the surface, but that we will churn the gospel
truths until the cream thickens and rises to the top. God has so much for us,
and his expectations are that we just go ahead and lay claim to those treasures
while we’re here.
Victor W. Baugh, Sr., Th.D., Ph.D.
Pastor,
St. Luke AME Church
Havana,
AL
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