The Zoe Life of God in the Person of Jesus

Years ago, in St. Louis, someone stole the doll representing the baby Jesus from the manger scene outside the city hall. The next morning, a newscaster announced, “Last night, someone stole the baby Jesus from the manger scene. If anybody has any information about where Jesus might be found, please contact this station immediately.” The message is clear. Many people who look at contemporary Christianity and see what we have done with the Biblical Jesus are asking the question, “Who stole Jesus? Does anyone know how we can recover and restore Him to the place where He belongs?” Often, the real compassionate Jesus has been stolen and replaced with a harsh condemning Jesus.¹ In today’s podcast, we continue our series on John’s gospel as we look at the Life of God in the person of Jesus.

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Just Who Is Jesus to You?

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You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.

Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This weeks call is:

Eternal life is the life Jesus came to bring. That life, that ‘zoe’ life is available to tap into right now. That life will affect your entire being, spirit soul and body, Learn to work in the realm of life.

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believers life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question: How have you tapped into the ‘zoe’ eternal life that is already inside of you?

Episode Resources

You can find more information on the subject of ‘Who Jesus Is’ by clicking on the links above.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 42 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 37 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com

Podcast Notes

In Him Was Life

John 1:1–4 (KJV) — 1 IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

The first eighteen verses of John’s gospel are called the Prologue that is an introduction to who Jesus is.
We learn several things about Jesus in the first three verses.
- First, we learn that He was at the beginning, that is, that Jesus preexisted with the God the Father.
- Second, we also come to understand that He is the Logos of God, the very Word of God.
- Third, we understand that Jesus is God by Himself along with the Father.
- Fourth, we learn that He is the Creator of all things.
When we drop down to verse four, we find another important fact about Jesus: that in Him was life.

Light and Life: Bible Twins

But that’s not all the scripture says here in verse four.
It says something else.
In him was life and the life was the light of men.
Light and life are integrally connected in scripture.
Where you have one, you often have the other.

Genesis 1:2–3 (KJV) — 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

The first thing to come out of the ‘moving of the Spirit upon the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2 was light.
Light was born on first day of creation.
On the fifth day, there was life.

Genesis 1:20–21 (KJV) — 20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Light and life are connected.
They are Bible Siamese twins of spiritual development.

Adam and Eve: Life and Death

I say spiritual development because it’s obvious that spiritual life is what Jesus came to bring.
It wasn’t natural human life that Jesus came to bring because that was already set in motion on the sixth day of creation.

Genesis 1:26 (KJV) — 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:7 (KJV) — 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Now, you know the story.
You’ve heard it many times.
Adam sinned in the Garden along with his wife Eve.
The scripture tells us that they died twice, spiritually and physically.

Genesis 2:17 (KJV) — 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The words ‘surely die’ literally mean ‘in dying you shall die’.
The words reference two deaths.
When Adam sinned, he immediately died spiritually, about 900 years later he died physically.

Romans 5:12 (KJV) — 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

So after Adams sin and spiritual execution, life, natural human life that is, continued to propagate on planet earth.
It is to that people that Jesus came to give life.
They were already living physically, but they were dead spiritually.
So, the life that Jesus came to give is the life that we need to understand.
What is that life?

Zoe: The Life of God

The Greek word life in John 1:4 is the word zoe.
Zoe is not natural human life.
Man already had that before Jesus came.
What is that life that He came to bring?
Well first, it was in Him.
That’s what the scripture says, ‘In Him was life’; it was in Him, inside of Him.
He had this life as a possession.
He came to give it.
You can’t give something you don’t have.
Now, the question is where did he get it from?
He was born into the earth by the way of the earth.
There is only one way to legally gain entrance into the earth and that’s by human conception.
Those who have authority in the earth are those who come by the door into the earth.
Satan tried to gain entrance into the earth but he doesn’t legally have a leg to stand on because he wasn’t born into the earth.
He just slithered in.
That’s one reason, maybe not the only reason, why he covenanted with the snake.
He did it to gain a way into the earth.
That’s the reason why God judged the snake.

Genesis 3:14 (KJV) — 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

That’s the reason why Jesus couldn’t just appear on the earth, he had to be born into the earth.
When He was born, He had that life, that ‘zoe’ life in Him.
In Him was life.

Where Did Jesus Get This Life?

The question now is, ‘Where did He get it from?’
John five gives us the answer to that.

John 5:26 (KJV) 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

The word ‘life’ in John 5:26 is the same word zoe, the same life that Jesus had.
That’s where Jesus got it from.
He got it from His Father.
So, the Father had zoe life first and He gave it to His Son who now has that same life in himself.
Now, watch this.
Watch John 10:10.

John 10:10 (KJV) – 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

That word ‘life’ in John 10:10 is the same word ‘zoe’ life in John 1:4 that Jesus came to bring and is the same word ‘zoe life’ in John 5:26 that the Father had and gave to His Son.
Now, notice the progression.
- The Father had zoe life.
- He gave it to His Son, now He has that life.
- And the Son turned around and gave it to you.
- Now, you have that life.
Again, remember this is not natural human life that’s spoken of here.
Everybody already has that, both sinner and saint.
Jesus came into the earth to bring a new kind of life, the life of God.

John 6:33 (KJV) — 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Eternal Life: A New Kind of Life

Now, what we need to wrap our heads around is this question: What is this life that Jesus came to bring?
We already know that it’s not natural life.
1 John 5 helps us here to understand.

1 John 5:11 (KJV) — 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

This ‘Zoe life’ is eternal life.
Now, here is where we need to think in line with the Bible.
When people hear the Word ‘eternal’, they immediately think of living forever.
If you look up the Greek word for ‘eternal’ and check it’s definition, that’s exactly what you find: you find the word everlasting, you find the words continuing forever or indefinitely.
So when people hear ‘eternal life’ they think Jesus came to give us a condition whereby we live in heaven forever.’

What Some Think Eternal Life Is

A gentleman named Mr. Bausum was traveling through China before the days of Communism. He saw in a very odd sign that attracted his attention. It read, “Eternal Life For Sale.” Looking into the building he saw row upon row of massive black caskets. It was a coffin factory.²
That’s what people think eternal life is, something you get when you die.
But living forever can’t be what eternal life is.
Why?
Because sinners live forever without this kind of life Jesus came to bring.
This zoe life that, you have to believe in order to receive it.

John 3:14–16 (KJV) — 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

You Have to Believe Your Way to the Life of Jesus

You have to believe your way into receiving this ‘zoe’ kind of life.
Sinners don’t believe nothing, excuse the poor English, that’s why they are sinners.
No this new kind of zoe life is eternal life, it’s life Jesus came to give you right now, not when you die.
It’s life that you receive when you believe on Jesus for salvation.
When you hear the gospel… you know what the gospel is?

1 Corinthians 15:1,3–5 (KJV) — 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand… 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve…

When you believe that Jesus died for you sins, and he was buried, and that He was resurrected on the third day, that’s believing on Jesus and that’s the door to eternal life.
When you believed the gospel, you became a new creature in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) — 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The Life of Jesus Is In Your Spirit

Your spirit was reborn.
How was it reborn, how did it happen?
The life that the Father had in himself, He gave to the Son to have in Himself, He then gives to you to have in yourself.
That life hit your dead spirit and quickened you and made you alive.

Ephesians 2:1,4–6 (KJV) — 1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins… 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

That word ‘quickened’ means to supernaturally make alive together.
So now, you said yes to Jesus, you are a possessor of eternal life.
Now, right now, not when you die, right now.
This eternal life is a new kind life.
It’s the same life that is in God.
It’s the same life that He lives.
Eternal life, zoe life, the life Jesus came to give us is life as God lives it.
The Father lives life from the inside out.
That’s how you live it.
That’s how you access this life.
It is inside you right now, in your spirit.

What is the Value of This Life in My Everyday Life?

What I want to know is what is the value of this life that Jesus came to bring?
Is it something that we can understand?
Is it something that we can access and put to use?
How does it help us to fulfill His purpose for us on planet earth.
There has to be a purpose for it.
He came to give it.
He died that you might have it.

Renewal

One benefit of this life is renewal.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (KJV) 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

One of the values of this life in your spirit man is that it renews you day by day.
Your outward man is perishing.
The Greek word ‘perishing’ means to undergo the physical process of breaking down and wearing out.
According to a tradition current among the natives of Puerto Rico, there was an island in the Bahamas which had a marvelous fountain, whose waters produced perpetual youth. For this elixir of eternal life, Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish navigator, sought long and hard, yet in vain.³
People have been looking for the Fountain of Youth for years, man, whole movies have been made of trying to find this fountain.
The Bible says plainly, your outward man perishes, but that inside man with the life of God in it is renewed everyday.
The Greek word ‘renewed’ means to make new.
It means to be reestablished in a like-new and often improved manner.
So the outside is decaying, the inside is improving everyday.
That’s one benefit of eternal life.
Here is another one.

Liberation

Romans 8:1–2 (KJV) — 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

The law of the spirit of Life, listen to that.
That ‘life law, that ‘zoe life law’ sets you free from the law of sin and death.
You are not subject to the law of sin in your spirit.
You were dead in trespasses and sins.
Your nature was wrong.
You were of your father the devil.

Ephesians 2:1–3 (KJV) — 1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Lusts of the flesh, desires of the flesh, wrong nature, subject to the whim of devils, demons and evil spirits that’s what your life apart from Zoe life was like.
You are free from that.
Sin is no longer your master.
You are the master.
You are in control.
The imparted life of God made you free from that.
Here is yet another benefit.

Outer Man is Quickened

Romans 8:11 (KJV) — 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

So here you are, you’re born again, born from above, the life of God is in you, the Spirit of God is in your spirit.
What is a by-product of that?
Read it, the quickening of your mortal body.
The life of God, the same life that is in the Father and in Jesus and now in you will quicken, we’ve already looked up that word, it means to make alive, and what will it make alive?
Your mortal dead doomed decaying body.
What is that?
It is a snapshot of healing and bodily wholeness.
It is a picture of divine health.
And it makes good Bible sense, doesn’t it?
Just think about it.
If Zoe life is life as God lives it, does that life which is in the Father and in Jesus have any sickness in it?
I mean this is God that we are talking about.

The Life of Jesus is Free from Sickness

Is God sick?
Of course not, it’s even silly to say that.
The life that God lives is free from sickness and disease.
There is no part of that in God.
There is no part of that in His life.
And that life is in you and if you yield to it and tap into that life that’s already inside of you, that zoe eternal life will quicken you, that is, give life to your mortal body.
This is just some of the benefits of the Life of God in the person of Jesus.

https://www.emeryhorvath.com/s4-038-why-rebuking-darkness-directly-is-greater-faith-in-god-podcast/

__________

References:

Tony Campolo, Stories That Feed Your Soul (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010). ↩
—Selected Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 378–379. ↩
—Foster. Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 377. ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

The Zoe Life of God in the Person of Jesus

Podcast: Light on Life Season Five Episode Eleven

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Eternal life is the life Jesus came to bring. That life, that ‘zoe’ life is available to tap into right now. That life will affect your entire being, spirit soul and body, Learn to work in the realm of life.

Join the Conversation

Question: How have you tapped into the ‘zoe’ eternal life that is already inside of you?

Episode Resources

You can find more information on the subject of ‘Who Jesus Is’ by clicking on the links above.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes

In Him Was Life

Light and Life: Bible Twins

Adam and Eve: Life and Death

Zoe: The Life of God

Where Did Jesus Get This Life?

Eternal Life: A New Kind of Life

What Some Think Eternal Life Is

You Have to Believe Your Way to the Life of Jesus

The Life of Jesus Is In Your Spirit

What is the Value of This Life in My Everyday Life?

Renewal

Liberation

Outer Man is Quickened

The Life of Jesus is Free from Sickness

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download | Subscribe in Stitcher Radio

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Eternal life is the life Jesus came to bring. That life, that ‘zoe’ life is available to tap into right now. That life will affect your entire being, spirit soul and body, Learn to work in the realm of life.

Join the Conversation

Question: How have you tapped into the ‘zoe’ eternal life that is already inside of you?

Episode Resources

You can find more information on the subject of ‘Who Jesus Is’ by clicking on the links above.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Podcast Notes

In Him Was Life

Light and Life: Bible Twins

Adam and Eve: Life and Death

Zoe: The Life of God

Where Did Jesus Get This Life?

Eternal Life: A New Kind of Life

What Some Think Eternal Life Is

You Have to Believe Your Way to the Life of Jesus

The Life of Jesus Is In Your Spirit

What is the Value of This Life in My Everyday Life?

Renewal

Liberation

Outer Man is Quickened

The Life of Jesus is Free from Sickness

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