Real Life Part 3

Part 3 - The Greater Life

We live in a time where everywhere people are looking for a greater life. The religious man wants to live better after death. The mortal man wants to live better now. The rich man wants to be richer and more comfortable and the poor man wants to live the life of the rich man. We all want to live healthier, happier, longer, and more abundantly.

But in John 10:9-10 Jesus says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

In order to know the life Jesus speaks of I have to understand that it began in Genesis but then came death. It was sin that brought death and took the place of the life that was given from God. So, what is sin? In Genesis, sin is disobedience. If sin is disobedience to God, then what is salvation?

Romans 5:19-21 says, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, gracealso might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Note that the greater life is eternal life where grace reigns and righteousness leads through the life of Jesus Christ. For generations we have defined salvation as our escape from the punishment of sin. It thus has taken on a sense of “Entitlement”. I did not ask to be created therefore God owes me. I will do Him a favor and accept His benefit of salvation but leave His sovereign Lordship optional. Well, how does Scripture define it?

Hebrews 5:8, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Philippians 2:8, “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Revelations 12:11, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

So, Jesus defines the abundant life as the obedient life. In Deuteronomy 6:5 God declares the attributes of the abundant or greater life, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (meod מְאֹד – muchness).

John 15:13 defines the greater life as a greater love, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” So many Christians hang on to things and ways, that are contradictory to the righteousness of Christ, because they are afraid of losing something, not realizing that they have already forfeited the greater life by that which they refuse to surrender to His Lordship.

In Mark 12:28-34 Jesus speaks of that greater love: And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Note that Jesus is quoting the shamafrom Deuteronomy 6 and then tells this guy that he is “not far from the Kingdom”. The Hebrew word for “Hear” is shama שמע meaning “obedience. “Hear” or shama(obey) Oh Israel all the Lord has commanded…” In Genesis 1:8 the word “Heavens” or shamayim שָׁמַיִם in the singular “heaven” is from the root shama שָׁמָה meaning that which is spreadout or the dwelling place of God, the place of obedience. Where God is there is obedience to His sovereign will. And where there is obedience to His sovereign will, there the Lord dwells. You cannot separate the saving life of Christ apart from obedience to His Lordship any more than you can separate God from His commands. This is the Kingdom of God. In Mark 12, Jesus is actually referring to and quoting from the shama. His answer to the question of the greatest commandment is “obedience”. In Matthew 22:40Jesus adds, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets”. You cannot say you love God if you do not love your neighbor. Nor can you say you love God or your neighbor but live in disobedience to the commands of God or contrary to His Kingdom.

Romans 14:15-18 tells us, “For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.”

So how do I live the greater life? David declares in Psalms 103:1-5, “Bless the LORD, O my soul (nephesh נֶפֶשׁbreath, life, activity of the will, character), and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (gemul גְּמוּל retribution, recompense, response to my choices and actions) who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crownsyou with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

These are the benefits from God for the one who lives His life surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. The one whose walk (halak הָלַךְ – lifestyle, way of life) pleases the Lord.

A.W. Tozer state, “I have enjoyed already enough of God’s benefits to supply me with matter for constant praise for at least a thousand years to come. If God were to close my account tomorrow and refuse any longer to honor me with His favors, the circumstances of His grace to me so far would require that I should still thank Him unceasingly with tears of honest gratitude.”

I could not agree more with Tozer. My life is blessed. And I recognize that it is not a credit to me. It is all because of the goodness of God. Choose the abundant life. Choose you this day the greater life, the life surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. There is no greater life than this, to deny your life and live His.