New Life
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10
Following is an excerpt from my third book, The Point: Journey to Life. To see a preview of the book, please visit the Books tab of this website.
New Life
Jesus came to earth with a multifaceted mission statement that involved nothing less than changing everything. He came to change the world order by offering Himself as the path leading to new life and bridging the chasm separating people from God. Jesus explains that His mission involved preaching and teaching, saying, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). Later, when speaking with Pilate Jesus says, “You say I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into this world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37).
He came to explain the good news of the kingdom of God and to testify to the truth. He also came as a servant offering new life. He explains this mission directly saying, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
An offer of new life must be accompanied with the realization that the old life needs to be changed. An explanation that the new life is better necessarily involves an explanation that the old life is not so good. Scripture explains that the world is a sinful place where evil roams. The thought that people are trapped as hostages in a bad place gives rise to the idea of ransom, and the notion of good and bad presumes making judgment between the two. With these thoughts in mind, Jesus explains that He came “to serve and to give his life as ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He also says, “For judgment I have come into this world, so the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (John 9:39).
He came to serve, but He also came for judgment. He came to turn the world upside down, to change everything. He knew the change He was ushering would disrupt institutions and power structures in place, and changes at that level are rarely peaceful. He says,
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’” Matthew 10:34-36
Ultimately, Jesus’ mission involves revealing God’s glory to people on earth. His mission has to do with God’s glory. After the Last Supper, Jesus prays an amazing prayer. He begins praying by saying,
Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17:1-5
By completing the work that Jesus came to earth to do, Jesus glorified God by revealing God’s glory to the world.
While His mission statement is multifaceted, it focuses on new life. He preached and taught about new life, and He offered Himself so that we might receive the gift of new life. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that Scripture portrays Jesus as extremely concerned with our spiritual life. He uses several different terms and many different images in an attempt to convey the concept. He discusses living water, bread of life, abundant life, eternal life, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven as different ways of describing spiritual life – the quality of life that is available by living in communion with God.
The world is a place where evil exists and roams; yet it is also the place where God came as fully human, where Jesus taught, where Jesus revealed God’s glory, and where God is glorified through Jesus and His Holy Spirit. God’s holy grace, His gift of new life is available here on earth to mere humans. May you receive God’s holy grace, may you accept the gift of new life, may you allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within you, may you experience His peace, joy and love, and may God reveal His glory to the world through you.