What Does the Bible Say about Life?

The Bible is, in many ways, God’s autobiography, told through individuals who had personal and intimate relationships with Him. Jesus, the Son in the Triune Godhead, is the main character. There are also important themes, including love and life. Both words and ideas come up frequently, often in close proximity.

God is the source of all life and all love. In fact, the Bible says He is these things: God is love (1 John 4:16), and God is life (John 1:3-4). If God is both the source of life, and life itself, and He is eternal, then life must be understood as something beyond 75 years (give or take) on a rock hurtling through space.

Life started when God formed the Heavens and the earth, then breathed life into a man He made out of dust. That man sinned, bringing death into the world. God did not intend that death would claim humanity though, and intended them for everlasting life. Because of sin and death, everything man sets his hand to is laborious and ultimately fades away. Separated from God by sin, not only do man’s efforts in this life wither, but he is spiritually cut off from God, dies physically in sin, and is separated spiritually forever from God in hell.

In order to redeem man’s eternity, God sent Jesus to pay the price for all sin. “Jesus said [to him], ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him’” (John 14:6). Once someone puts their faith in Christ, their relationship with God is restored, redeeming them to eternal life in Heaven, and making their life on earth more meaningful.

The problem is that everything in this world, including man’s own nature, becomes an obstacle to taking that step from death to life. Living in this world is described as being a slave of the flesh, walking in darkness, and being a subject of the kingdom of God’s enemy. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience —  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-4).

Ideas, beliefs, habits, and behaviors that come from a worldly position, from sin, and from wickedness are not life, but lead someone towards both physical and spiritual death. These things come from man’s sinful nature, exacerbated by the enemy – Satan. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. [Jesus] came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Focusing too much or entirely on the way of the world can cost someone meaning in this life, and eternity; as it says in Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

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God values His entire creation. Jesus taught that people should not worry about tomorrow in part because, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31). The Lord reassured His disciples in this moment that since God values the lives of even the smallest creatures He made, He loves and cares for people even more.

All living beings have value to God. He clothes the lilies in beauty, uses animals for His glory, and knows each person greater than anyone. When looking at another person, one is looking at someone shaped by God with love and purpose, and is precious in His eyes. God’s high-level view of all things confirms infinite value onto the inhabitants of His Creation.

From down here on earth however, seeing life this way is hard. Nature’s beauty declares God’s goodness, puppies are adorable, and there are plenty of nice people. However, it can be easy to point to historical figures who committed atrocities, famous criminals, or even a neighbor whose political ideology is the opposite of one’s own and say, “that person is evil and their life is worth less than mine.” This position comes from pride, and is wicked. Each person will have to stand in judgment one day, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Everyone deserves condemnation, but God wants everyone to come to Him, repent of that wickedness, and have eternal life.

One of the best verses about how important all people and their lives are to God, as well as how people ought to live, comes from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. He wrote, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Believers are to pray for their leaders and to live a life that pleases the Lord. The more important concept here is that God wants everyone to believe in Him, to have a relationship with Him, and have eternal life, even those sinners who seem unlovable.

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There are many verses in the Bible about life, covering a wide range of elements about it. This subject include its meaning, how to live well, and juxtaposing life with God against life without Him. Some of these verses include:

“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

“For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

”Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor” (Proverbs 21:21).

“What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?...Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look! This is something new’? It was here already, long ago; it was before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them” (Ecclesiastes 1:3, 11).

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

There are also many stories in the Bible that shed light on the meaning of life, and how easy it is to make a mess of it. Fortunately, God is there with an outstretched hand, waiting to restore our lives to His plan.

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God allotted each person a time to have here on earth, determining when and where he or she would be born. People experience their life in linear time. God, however, does not. He existed outside of time and before it, and will live forever. We read in Revelation 22:13: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

For the Lord, He does not see human life the same way people do. He sees the whole of existence; “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). People often spend time debating when life begins, when maturity and accountability begin, and other such human concerns. The question is not when does life begin from the perspective of flawed people, but rather, does God make such distinctions, since He can see the whole of eternity.

God makes it clear He considers each person formed and made and valuable in the scriptures. David wrote, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me...For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:4-5, 13). God does not discriminate the value of life based on where it is from human logic; it all matters to Him.

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Making the choice to embrace life as God intended becomes a source of great joy. To live for Him and embrace eternal life begins with the decision to follow God. After that decision, salvation is ensured. But after, life can be more or less devoted to Him.

For the Apostle Paul, throwing himself into a life fully devoted to the Lord was the best way to do it. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Through prayer, people can be shown what God intends for them.

For some it is marriage, while others never marry. Some go into full-time ministry and missions, for others it is having a good witness in an office job. Doing that call whole-heartedly is a life of obedience devoted to Christ.

Paul left the people with this sage advice for living for God:

“For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;  let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil’” (1 Peter 3:10-12).

Sources

Fuller, Daniel. The Unity of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.

Sproul, R.C. Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2010. 

Stanley, Charles F. God has a Plan for Your Life. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.

Wilmington, H.L. Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1981.

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