Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is life. Without Jesus, there is no life.

The Greek word for life, here, is zōē. There are other words for life in Greek which refer to physical life (bios) or emotional/psychological life (psuche), but zōē refers to spiritual life which only comes from God. So, yes, everyone living has life in the physical or mental sense, but only those who have Jesus have the God-given spiritual life.

The Promise:
In that simple statement is a promise. After all, everyone, whether they have faith or not, seems to be alive. So, it’s not obvious who has spiritual life and who doesn’t. The promise is that with Jesus you have the God-given spiritual life. That life is eternal. Even though the physical and mental life may end, the spiritual life will not. (God will also raise us again physically on the last day.)

The Warning:
That simple statement also has a warning. Without Jesus you do not have the God-given spiritual life. Notice, it doesn’t matter if you’re a nice person or if you believe in just any kind of god. Zōē life only comes from Jesus. Physical death for the person without Jesus leads to eternal condemnation.

If that’s you, the good news is that the promise is for you, too. The warning isn’t to shun you, but to bring you to the promise. If you believe in Jesus you will receive zōē life, life eternal.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for giving us life, the true life from God. Give me faith to believe. Be with those who do not know You. Send others to share Your Good News with them. Where I can do that, give me the strength and boldness to tell others about You.

Amen.