life and LIFE
/The side effects of COVID-19 are evident — isolation, fear, threats, chaos, shame, loss and much more, including potentially death. Today the virus has me thinking about the value of life and the value of LIFE.
life is valuable.
If you are currently respiring and have a pulse you have life. life is good, but LIFE is better. The following Truth speaks of these two types of life.
“...[The LORD] humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”
Here Moses makes it clear that bread gives life while God’s Word gives LIFE and that both types of life flow from God. Said another way, sliced bread plays an invaluable role in that it fuels and nourishes the physical body. When Moses invokes “manna” he is referencing physical food for the physical body. The prophet then communicates that The Lord’s Words are spiritual bread which give life to the soul, the spirit and the body too (God’s Word can quicken or destroy one’s body). The Word is quite clear that spiritual life and physical life are both directly sustained by God Himself.
Again, let me reiterate that physical life is clearly valuable because in Romans 12:1 God calls for His people to give their bodies as living sacrifices to Him. Because physical life matters, we should treat it not flippantly, but with great value.
That all being said, physical life is clearly subordinate to spiritual life. Physical life does not supersede spiritual life and physical death does not have to lead to spiritual death. Consider that the souls of every one of God’s saints that have physically died throughout history have been further brought into life, being translated from this dying world into God’s kingdom.
Inversely, sin and spiritual issues absolutely do cause physical death—and if left unresolved will cause spiritual death too! A few examples of sin leading to physical death include; Lack of reverence for The Eucharist (1 Corinthians 11:29-30), King David’s sexual immorality causing the death of his child (2 Samuel 12:14-18), and death in Israel due to lust / gluttonous craving (Psalm 78:26-31).
So, spiritual life outweighs physical life. Jesus Himself proved this when He voluntarily laid down His flesh and blood to purchase spiritual life for those who receive His gift by faith. The Messiah didn’t die to save our skin, He died to save our souls. Jesus laid down His bodily life for our spiritual LIFE. Note, His death doesn’t prevent the death, funerals and burials of His own saints!
In like kind, we are not to live to save or preserve our bodies, rather we are to live for God’s spiritual purposes. Real Christians set aside their fleshly desires and goals to prioritize spiritual life, Christ’s purposes and their souls. Jesus said it this way
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”
And later Paul added
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
It seems that COVID-19 is a serious sickness that (if God were to allow it) could kill your body, but God says “Do not be afraid. Trust Me. Live for Christ and for the spirit, not for your body. Believe and LIVE and I will rescue you unto eternal life.”
Additional Verses
Matthew 10:28-31
James 2:26
Ecclesiastes 12:7