God’s Image Study • God of the Living—Christ as Lord of the Dead and the Living
We have examined receiving life from God and believing without requiring sight. Now we must ask how that life becomes evident in our conduct.
John connects passing from death into life with something we can examine: our love for one another.
From death into life
John writes:
“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.”
— 1 John 3:14, LSB, excerpt
He immediately describes the person who does not love as remaining in death. Physical activity and a profession of belief do not settle the question he raises.
John places Cain’s hatred of his brother alongside Christ’s willingness to lay down his life. These contrasting actions help us examine what governs our own treatment of others. Read 1 John 3:11–16.
Love responds to another’s need
John makes the examination practical. If someone has material resources, sees a brother in need, and closes their heart, how does God’s love abide in that person?
He calls for love expressed through action and truth. Read 1 John 3:17–18.
We can speak warmly about loving others while protecting our comfort from their needs. This passage asks us to examine that gap.
Do my actions agree with what I say? When helping requires patience, time, or sacrifice, does my concern remain?
The branch depends upon the vine
Jesus provides another picture of this relationship in John 15. He identifies himself as the vine, his Father as the vine-grower, and his disciples as the branches.
Each role matters. The Father tends the vine; the branches depend upon Jesus to bear fruit. Jesus explains:
“apart from Me you can do nothing.”
— John 15:5, LSB, excerpt
The passage includes pruning, continued abiding, and a warning concerning the branch that does not remain. Fruitfulness involves an ongoing relationship with the source of life. Read John 15:1–8.
This helps us examine our Born Again Study and God’s Image Study together. Receiving life brings us into a relationship that must shape how we continue to live.
Abiding, obedience, and love belong together
Jesus connects remaining in his love with keeping his commandments. He also identifies his own obedience to the Father and abiding in the Father’s love.
He then commands his disciples to love one another according to the love he has shown them. Read John 15:9–13.
First John similarly brings belief in God’s Son, mutual love, obedience, and the indwelling Spirit together. Read 1 John 3:23–24.
These relationships help us understand why the commandments remain relevant to this study.
Returning to the two great commandments
In Matthew 22:37–40, Jesus places love for God first and love for our neighbor alongside it. He explains that the Law and the Prophets depend upon these two commandments. Read Matthew 22:37–40.
As we examine each commandment, we need to retain that purpose. Our treatment of others belongs within our response to God.
This calls for personal examination: Does the life I profess to have received become evident in obedience, truthful conduct, and love that acts?
Threads to Follow
Remaining in the source of life: Keep John 15 beside our examination of the indwelling Spirit.
Christ’s reign and the defeat of death: Follow the sequence in 1 Corinthians 15:20–28.
The Father and the Son: Preserve their distinct roles as we bring the study’s passages together.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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