God is Life

One of my teachers at Bible School loved to talk about this fact: that God is the essence of life, the explosion of life, the abundance of life.

She reminded us constantly that creation shines forth Christ. That creation shows us who God is because it is a physical image of our invisible God.
So then... what does creation reveal? God is life! (Rom 1:20) The farthest thing from God is death and that is why sin can only ever produce death. Abundant life can only ever be found in Christ (John 6:68). And anyone who does not have the Son of God does not have life (Rom 8:9)

Here is an astounding list of different ways that God is shown as life in the scriptures; God is the: "breath of life" (Gen 2:7) "tree of life" (Gen 2:9); "spirit of life" (Gen 7:22); "assurance of life" (Deut 28:66); "restorer of life" (Rth 4:15); light of life" (Job 33:30); "path of life" (Psa 16:11); "fountain of life" (Psa 36:9); "way of life"(Prov 6:23); "well of life" (Prov 10:11); "resurrection of life" (Jhn 5:29); "bread of life" (Jhn 6:35); "prince of life" (Acts 3:15); "justification of life" (Rom 5:18); "newness of life" (Rom 6:4); "aroma of life" (1 Cor 2:16); "word of life" (Phl 2:16); "book of life" (Phl 4:3); "promise of life" (2 Tim 1:1); "crown of life" (James 1:12); "grace of life" (1 Pet 3:7); "water of life" (Rev 21:6); "river of life" (Rev 22:1); "preserver of life" (Gen 32:30); "blood of life" (Lev 17:11); "life of all flesh" (Lev 17:4); "life and length of days" (Deut 30:20); "faithful through life" (Jos 1:5); "bound in the bundle of the living" (1 Sam 25:29); "sparer of life" (1 Kings 20:31); "life of every living thing & the holder of life" (Job 12:10); "taker of life" (Job 27:8); "deliverer of life" (Psa 22:20); "strength of life" (Psa 27:1); "the one who remembers every life" (Psa 74:19); "life forevermore" (Psa 133:3); "wisdom of life" (Prov 4:13); "the one who will reward the living" (Prov 10:16); "the King's face is life" (Prov 16:15); "the fear of the Lord leads to life" (Prov 19:23); "humility towards the Lord leads to life" (Prov 22:4); "giver of life" (Ecc 8:15); "takes vengeance on life for life" (Jer 51:6); "life brought up from the pit" (Jhn 2:6); "the server and ransom of life" (Mar 10:45); "life is in Him and He is the light of men" (Jhn 1:4); "to believe in the Son is everlasting life" (Jhn 3:36); "life to the world" (Jhn 6:33); "His flesh is life" (Jhn 6:51); "keeper of life" (Jhn 10:28); "eternal word of life" (Jhn 6:68); "His name is life" (Jhn 20:31); "appointer of eternal life" (Acts 13:48); "we are saved by His life" (Rom 5:10); "faith in the Son of God is life" (Gal 2:20); "reaps everlasting life"(Gal 6:8); "He disregarded His own life" (Phl 12:30); "life and immortality brought to light" (2 Tim 1:10); "the soldier fighting for the life to come" (2 Tim 2:4); "hope of life" (Tit 1:2); "power of an endless life" (Heb 7:16); "given us all things pertaining to life" (2 Pet 1:3); "continuing to believe in the Son of God is life" (1 Jhn 5:13); "True God and eternal life" (1 Jhn 5:20); "abiding in God's love & looking to Christ's mercy is eternal life" (Jde 1:20); "the first and last who died and came to life" (Rev 2:8) [many of these points are paraphrased]

Guys, we have access to this life! Christ is the fullness of life! He is the tree of life never out of bloom, the breath of life never gasping for air, the restorer of life never Himself needing restoration. It is His delight to share His life with us;  He will never run short of life.
How is it that this man would come to count His life among the transgressors? That He would come to consider equality with God something not to be grasped? That He would forsake all that we might have all?
How much more- how much more- ought we to consider the vapors that we horde as nothing? It is a privilege to spend our lives for Him.