Are you benefiting from the deeper intimacy God offers? When The Eternal I Am sent His spoken expression into the earth as Jesus Christ, God demonstrated His desire to be an intimate part of our life. Such intimacy brings abundance in the best sense of the word. Jesus told us so:
I came that they might have life, and might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
God created us with natural bodies, to live in this physical realm. However, the abundant life God offers is much more than physical life. The abundance includes experiencing God’s presence and spiritual life. And, this is not just for an after-life. We can understand more and have deeper fulfillment as eternally minded people; right here and right now!
Abundance includes experiencing His intimate presence now.
Life-Sustaining Sources
It’s a shame, but the New Testament translators render many Greek words into the English word “life” and hide a good bit of meaning. There are three very different Greek words that specifically refer to the life of our body, our soul, and/or our spirit. To better understand the nature of spiritual intimacy with God we should know the distinct differences in each of these words.
One of the three Greek words is bios, which speaks of the physical (biological) activity of our natural body (it occurs 10 times). Psuch is a second Greek word translated as “life” that speaks of the mind, will, and emotional activity of our conscious soul (it occurs 101 times). Thirdly, occurring 135 times in Scripture is the Greek word zoe, which speaks of the life and activity of our spirit, our spiritual livelihood.
Scripture’s abundant use of zoe amplifies the importance of our spirit life. Our bios (physical) life is temporal and passes away, while our zoe (spirit) life is eternal (a). The perceptions and understandings of our psuch (soul consciousness) comes from our active involvement in both natural and spiritual life.
Scripture’s abundant use of zoe (spirit) amplifies the importance of our spirit life.
More Than Natural Life
Our involvement and interaction in both natural and spiritual life is what forms our personal character, attitude, and personality (CAP). Our CAP features are more spiritual attributes of our life than they are natural. Do we really see these features with natural eyes?
To help us understand the intersection of both realms in our life, Jesus talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. While this seems odd, he was not promoting cannibalism. His flesh is a metaphor for natural life and his blood is a metaphor for spiritual life.
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever…He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:51, 56).
Jesus’ Spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost is God’s spiritual presence with us.
The natural life Jesus lived illustrates for all to see, how we are intended to live. In Scripture, blood always speaks of ‘the life flow’ that enables natural life (b). The Spirit of Jesus did not die on the cross of Calvary; it was poured out on the day of Pentecost as a spiritual presence for us to partake of (c). Today, we are washed (d), purged (e), sanctified (f), and redeemed (g) by the blood (life) of Christ.
Sensing Spiritual Life
As I explain in the book “Created To Relate,” our conscious soul can comprehend the realities of both the natural and spiritual realms. As our natural senses equip us to perceive and interact with natural realities, so our spiritual senses enable us to partake of spiritual realities. We can receive the eternal insights God reveals.
We can experience the spiritual dimension here and now.
Paul said the exercise of our spiritual senses aides our overall maturity:
Everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness…solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern (Hebrews 5:11-14).
When we fellowship with God-in-Christ and act on what He says, we experience a special intimacy with our Eternal Father and learn to live a Spirit-led life. Scripture calls this fellowship of our spirit (zoe) with God’s Spirit—eternal life (h). Isn’t it exciting to realize we can truly experience the abundant life Jesus promised in the spiritual dimension right here and now, in various degrees?
a) Ecclesiastes 12:7; b) Leviticus 17:11; c) John 14:23; Acts 2:33; d) Revelations 1:5; e) Hebrews 9:22; f) Hebrews 13:12; g) Colossians 1:14; h) John 17:3
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder