The Way of Life

Lk 12:15-21

 

1. In this season of new greens, we thank God who revives everything powerfully. Leafless trees are now full of green leaves, every plant is full of life energy, and every flower is so beautifully abloom. We are in the garden of God, in His amazing grace. We feel life everywhere and so powerful!

2. In this season of life, we ask a question: What is life? What is life, especially human life, our life? Against some popular human misunderstandings, the Bible tells even pessimistically. 

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”(James 4:14)

 “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”(Psalm 103:15-16)

 “For dust you are and to dust you will return.”(Genesis 3:19)

 "Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."(Eccl 1:2)

 However, the true intention of the Bible is to teach the true meaning of life and the Christian salvation is to give and enrich life.

3. Then, what is life? What is the true meaning of our life? What is the living way to live our life? First, out life is God’s temporary loan to us. We humans have tried to discover the origin of life but we cannot fathom it. Scientists have attempted to track the course of life but confronted with the un-crossable limit because life comes only from life. A lifeless thing cannot give life. The Bible clearly teaches that life came from God who is the Life itself. God created man with lifeless thing and then breathed His life, and then man became life (Gen 2:7). Life comes from God as His gift for us. However, it is not a permanent giving away, but a temporary loan. In the parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus said that “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”(20) God may demand His loaned life to you anytime and when he withdraws it your life is gone. It is not your safe possession to control by you. The so-called inherent immortality of human soul theory is wrong. God can withdraw it any time. He has such right and such power. As Job said, “If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust.”(34:14-15) We humans are only passively given and taken life. Therefore, while we are given life, we have to thank God for the extension of life.

4. Second, therefore, our life should be connected to God, or we perish. When we disconnect our life from God, the continuing source of life, we start to die and perish. The Bible distinguishes life into two Greek terms: bios and zoe. While bios means simply biological and animal life, zoe means true and divine life. Even if we are disconnected from God, our animal life will continue for a while, but our true life will die out. What is the difference in result? In the parable of vine, Jesus clarified their difference: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”(John 15:5) As tree is judged by its fruit, human life is judged by its fruit. And the reality of its fruit is judged by eternity. Temporary illegal or unethical success may not be identified as fruit in its true sense. Eternal success is what God recognizes. We humans are limited and temporal, but when we live our life in obedience to God’s guiding commandments, our life would be fruitful in eternal success: “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love… My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”(10-12). For Jesus said that “I am the vine” and “I am the Way, Truth and Life”, our connection to Him is crucial in fruitful life. When we are reconnected to God, the Life-Source, through Jesus Christ, our dying life is revived and we are given eternal life as His greatest grace for us.

5. Third, our life should be free from sin. Even though prisoners and slaves live bios life together, it is not their free and meaningful zoe life. When our children disobey us and want a free life from us, we know that they are enslaved by something, even though they think that they pursue a free life. God says clearly that we are not free when we are trying to be free from Him. In fact, we are enslaved by sinful desires and demonic temptations. Because there are so many prodigal sons in this world, occupying the majority, it seems that such a life is normal. But even we sinners are disgusted by such sinful life styles of selfish desires, cynical pride, and  immoral hedonism. What is your opinion on the life of your children or friends? This rich fool said to himself: “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”(19) We are constantly tempted to live easy life with eating, drinking, and funs, just like this rich fool. He had no idea that his life is God’s loan, that his life is God’s mission, and that his life has the way to live. Therefore, he gravely failed. Maybe, he thought that his life was successful. His life was rich to the world, but “not rich toward God.”(21) Christ came to the world to make our life really rich to God and fellow men. In this season of life, think about your life whether it is rich to God, however the people around you say about your life. In this season of rich life, may your life would be powerfully revived by more intimate relationship with God and obedience to His guideline of life. And God will extend your life more and forever! Amen.