God’s Image Study • God of the Living—Christ as Lord of the Dead and the Living
Our previous post examined people described as dead while physically living, and the change Scripture calls being made alive.
Now we follow the relationship through which that life is received. Jesus repeatedly directs attention to the Father who sent him. His words also explain his own role and the Spirit’s work.
Each part matters.
The Father draws people to the Son
John 6:44 makes the Father’s drawing necessary for coming to Jesus. Verse 45 connects that coming with hearing and learning from the Father.
The Father actively teaches and draws; the Son receives those coming to him. Jesus also promises not to cast out the person who comes. Read John 6:37–45.
This asks us to examine our approach. Have I given careful attention to the Father’s instruction? Am I willing to learn from Him, including when that challenges what I already believe?
The Son gives life
In John 5:21, Jesus says that, as the Father raises the dead and gives life, the Son also gives life to whom he wishes.
The surrounding explanation preserves the relationship. The Son acts in accordance with what he sees the Father doing. The Father loves the Son, shows him His works, and entrusts judgment to him.
Jesus then connects hearing his word and believing the One who sent him with passing from death into life. Read John 5:19–24.
The authority of the Son belongs within the relationship he describes. Receiving his words includes believing the Father who sent him.
Life because of the Father
John 6:57 makes the connection especially clear: Jesus identifies the Father as living, says he lives because of the Father, and connects the life of the person feeding upon him with himself.
The Father, the Son, and the recipient remain distinguishable within this account of life. Read John 6:56–57.
The Spirit gives life
Later in the same chapter, Jesus says:
“The Spirit is the One who gives life”
— John 6:63, LSB, excerpt
He also connects his spoken words with spirit and life. We therefore need to examine his teaching with the Spirit’s work in view.
This returns us to Born Again: Jesus distinguishes birth of flesh from birth of Spirit. The life under discussion requires more than physical existence. Read John 3:3–8.
The Son reveals the Father
Matthew 11:27 brings another part of the relationship into view. Jesus says that everything has been handed over to him by his Father. He then speaks of the Father’s knowledge of the Son, the Son’s knowledge of the Father, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal the Father. Read Matthew 11:25–27.
Place this alongside John 6: the Father draws people to Jesus, and Jesus reveals the Father.
This comparison helps us preserve the movement we are studying. Coming to the Son leads us toward knowing the Father. Neither role should disappear from our explanation.
Receiving the word and responding
John 14 connects love for Jesus with keeping his word. Jesus speaks of revealing himself and of the Father and Son making their dwelling with the one who loves him. He identifies the word being heard as belonging to the Father who sent him. Read John 14:21–24.
Hearing, believing, loving, and obeying belong within this examination. We must consider our response to the word we receive.
Am I allowing Jesus to reveal the Father as he describes Him? Am I preserving the Father’s place as sender and giver? Am I attending to the Spirit through whom life is given?
As we continue, we carry these relationships forward: the Father draws and teaches; the Son gives life and reveals the Father; the Spirit gives life. Our task is to follow how Scripture joins these actions together.
Threads to Follow
Brought to God: Examine the purpose stated in 1 Peter 3:18.
Made alive in spirit: Follow 1 Peter 3:18–22, preserving its wording and sequence.
Entrusted authority: Keep Christ’s resurrection and exaltation alongside his lordship over the dead and the living.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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