Christ’s “Spirit of life” (Rom 8:2a) in and one with the believer is innately life generating and then also life sustaining.

Jesus was one with the Father. He was prophetically referred to as the “root out of dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2), meaning He has and is life within Himself. John 5:26 For as the Father has life (Zoë, the divine eternal spirit life) in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life  (Zoë, the divine eternal spirit life) in himself. Jesus was and is not dependent upon anything outside His own self.

Jesus not only is “the life” but also the sustainer of that life. The indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” is the life supply to man. He is as the vine tree, which supplies the life and nourishment to every attached branch (John 15:4-5).

The following lists some of the Christ borne elements that impart His life and nurture believers. Christ as “Spirit” and “Life” is properly described by each of these Biblical metaphors.

The “Light of life” (John 8:12):

John 1:4 In him (Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have THE LIGHT OF LIFE.

The appearance of “light” always precedes the generation of life, both physically and spiritually. In Genesis 1:2-3 we see that darkness covered the judged and water flooded earth (v2). The first element of the Genesis recreation account was that God created “light” (v3), without a sun, moon, or stars. Isn’t it true that in our personal experience, God first shined His revelatory light upon us, before we believed to receive His Son as “the light of life.” Light comes to us first because how else could we see our neediness of the Savior? Revelation comes to us first by the “light of God” shining into our darkened souls. It is only some time later that we receive His love in Christ as the “light of life.”

The actual coming of the life-giving “light of life” in Christ corresponds to the “fourth day” lights of Genesis 1:14-19. These “two great lights” (v16, the sun and moon) are necessary to germinate life and to sustaining life upon earth. Note that immediately following this, on the fifth day – fish and cattle were created as the first forms of conscious life. This set the stage for the pinnacle of God’s creation on the 6^th day – man (Zech 12:1).

The “Breath” of life (John 20:22): “Now the Lord Jesus is that Spirit” (2 Cor 3:17). The first believers (Jesus’ disciples) received Him after His resurrection as “the life-giving Spirit,” when “…he (Jesus) breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (Gk. pneuma, breath)” (John 20:22, authors emphasis added).

Note that the life regenerating Spirit came out from Christ for them to receive. Paul refers to this as “…. “The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2a). Christ’ “Spirit-breath” enlivens us.

The “Living Water” (John 4:10, 7:38): The “living water” is none other than the water of Christ’s life as “the spirit of life” flowing to man. Believers have been regenerated by the flow of the water of His life (Titus 3:5). Recall that both “blood and water” came out of Jesus’ side when the Roman soldier’s spear pierced His side. The flow of His blood is for redemption, while the flow of the water is Christ’s life brings life to believers.

The “Living Bread” (John 6:51): We’ve seen that Christ germinates life in us; we have the continuous flow of His “Spirit of life” within our spirit. His Spirit nourishes, sustains, and refreshes us in our walk. In Egypt the Jews ate ALL the lamb before crossing the Red Sea. The lamb’s blood on the doorpost covered them from judgment. But it was by eating the roasted (judged) lamb; taking of ALL of the lamb into them by morning nourished and strengthened them to leave Egypt. Hence Jesus said, “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” (John 6:55). He is the bread of life to strengthen us.

The believer needs only Christ as “the life” within them, needing nothing outside of them to sustain them with peace and rest. Christ needs nothing to sustain His limitless life because He has “life in Himself.” As we’ve seen “…Father…hath he given to the Son to have LIFE IN HIMSELF;” Though the spiritual environment may be dry, Christ’s life is ever alive within us, to spiritually water us.

The “fruit of the Spirit” only comes out of our maintaining our organic union with Him by abiding (resting) in that union. “Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (Jn 15:4-5). Fruit is not of us, it is the result of the flow of His life within and through us. Branches in a vine have no life of their own. They are simply living vessels containing a life that flows through to them. The branches can only bear the fruit of that life of the vine. Christ’s life flowing through us bears fruit. The organic life of God, in Christ, as “the Spirit,” comes into a man and spontaneously flows out of a man, as the fruit of “the Spirit of Christ.”

Jesus said the vine is the source that supplies the flow of life to the branches. The branch has no life of its own. “The life” is of, or emanates from, the vine (Christ) and its root (Christ). We are to bear his life as a dependent branch. We, as branches, are conduit or containers to bear His life, which will ultimately, in its time, produce fruit spontaneously by Christ’s organic life flowing within us. It is not by our willing, trying, or making a good effort; a branch has no part in producing fruit, except to abide. Fruit occurs according to the life flow in the tree, by its nature and in its season.

The fruit of the branches is of “the life” of the “root,” not the branches. No mater how much we as branches may study the Bible and work for the LORD, it’s only His life flowing in and through us that produces the abiding fruit of His life, as He wills. Thus, our one work is to passively abide in union with Him, as dependents, not asserting our self. Our one “work” is to “trust in Him (Christ) whom the Father has sent” (John 6:29).

His “Spirit of life” also has the power to renew our old self, by the force of His organic life flow. The olive tree discussion by Paul in Romans 11 demonstrates the vitality of the organic union of the root and tree and branches, as corollary to our living in spiritual union with Christ as our “root.” Paul said “… and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness (riches) of the olive tree; ¹⁸…thou barest not the root, but THE ROOT (sustains) THEE” (Romans 11:16-18. Consider also that the “wild olive tree branches” were cut out of “the wild olive tree” and grafted into the “good olive tree” for union with the divine and eternal organic life of that “good tree.” The riches of the root flow to us, the branches.

We can see from these Scriptures that the life of the root is the source of supply of the fatness or richness. We now possess His holy life - “…. and if the root be holy, so are the branches” (Rom. 11:16b). We are purified by the flow of His life in us, somewhat as pure flowing water purifies a dirty pipe. Every genuine believers is already properly rooted; but it is the power of Christ’s resurrected “Spirit of life” flowing as from the root that is able to then transform our contrary old self as former “wild olive tree” branches (2Cor 3:17-18, Titus 3:12, Rom 12:2). The flow of Christ’s life, as of the root, transforms us simply by the flow of His life, purging and purifying our souls. God’s transforming power is in the flow of His life that is in Christ, now as the “Spirit of life” within every believer. We as branches have no life of our own; we are simply as living vessels that bear and express the life of that Holy Root, which is Christ.