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Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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6. God of the Living: Life Within a Mortal Body

God’s Image Study • God of the Living—Christ as Lord of the Dead and the Living

Can someone remain mortal and already have eternal life?

This question helps us connect what we have examined concerning being born again, the indwelling Spirit, and the resurrection. We must pay attention to what Scripture describes as already received and what it describes as still awaited.

Has passed from death into life

In John 5:24, Jesus describes someone who hears his word and believes the One who sent him. That person has eternal life and:

“has passed out of death into life.”

— John 5:24, LSB, excerpt

Notice the wording. Jesus describes a passage from death into life that has already taken place.

Verse 25 speaks of an hour coming and already present, when the dead hear the Son’s voice and those who hear live. Verses 28–29 then speak of a coming hour when those in the tombs come out.

We must preserve these details. Receiving life now and being raised from the tomb are both part of the passage. Read John 5:24–29.

Living even when the body dies

At Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus tells Martha that the believer will live even if they die. He then says:

“and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever.”

— John 11:26, LSB, excerpt

These statements appear together. Jesus acknowledges death while declaring a life that death does not overcome.

The setting matters: Martha is grieving her brother, and their conversation concerns resurrection. Jesus directs her attention to himself as the resurrection and the life. Physical death does not cancel the life he gives. Read John 11:21–27.

The Spirit dwells within while the body remains mortal

Romans 8 brings the indwelling Spirit into this examination.

Paul speaks of God’s Spirit dwelling in believers, of belonging to Christ, and of life in connection with righteousness. He then describes God giving life to their mortal bodies through the indwelling Spirit.

The presence of the Spirit and the description of the body as mortal appear in the same passage. Read Romans 8:9–11.

Later, Paul describes those who already have the firstfruits of the Spirit as still awaiting the redemption of their bodies. Something has been received, and something remains awaited. Read Romans 8:23–25.

This helps us express the distinction carefully: a person can possess eternal life from God while still living in a mortal body.

Whose life have we received?

First John identifies God as the giver of eternal life and locates that life in His Son. Having the Son and having life belong together. John writes so that those believing in the Son’s name may know they have eternal life. Read 1 John 5:11–13.

The relationship remains important. God gives life through His Son. The recipient depends upon the life God supplies.

This continues our Born Again Study: physical birth alone does not explain the life Scripture describes here. It also continues our God’s Image Study, where we are examining the Last Adam and the transformation associated with bearing the heavenly image.

The dwelling must be holy

Receiving the Spirit carries responsibility.

Paul asks the Corinthians whether they know they are God’s sanctuary and that God’s Spirit dwells in them. He follows this with a warning against destroying that sanctuary, identifying it as holy. He addresses the believers together as God’s dwelling. Read 1 Corinthians 3:16–17.

Romans 8 likewise connects life with putting the body’s sinful practices to death by the Spirit and being led by God’s Spirit. Read Romans 8:12–14.

We therefore need to examine more than a claim to possess life. Are we allowing that life to shape how we walk? Are we treating God’s dwelling as holy?

The question reaches beyond whether our bodies are breathing. Have we received the life God gives, and are we following the Spirit by which we live?

Threads to Follow

  • Hearing and believing: How does the testimony concerning Jesus lead people to life? Read John 20:30–31.

  • Knowing that we have life: Keep 1 John 5:11–13 alongside its surrounding discussion of God’s testimony.

  • Life and holiness: Continue examining the relationship between God’s indwelling Spirit and the conduct of those who belong to Him.

The books were opened…

🌿 By Maria Emilia

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