As we’ve already studied in Part 1 of this Study Series, mankind in Adam first became enlivened when God breathed the “breath (spirit) of life” into his clay form and Adam “became a living soul” in a living body (Genesis 2:7). That one “breath of life” was the impartation of the life-giving “Spirit of God.” But as we know man soon fell to the Devil’s wiles and from then to today all men are born “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). We are all walking dead men, under the sentence of death, until we receive the Christ’s Cross-work for our sins and… His ‘resurrection life.’

Thankfully, God’s plan included the redemption of fallen mankind by the Cross of Jesus and the impartation of a ‘Second Breath of life.’ Since His resurrection, the Lord Christ Jesus, is “that Spirit” that was imparted as seen here below. Today, the same Christ-life is imparted to all who will simply ‘believe,’ and ‘receive’ as seen here.

“And when he had said this, he (Jesus) breathed on them (His believing disciples), and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (Spirit):” (John 20:22)

And, so it is today for all those who will believe to receive Him, for … “Now the Lord is that Spirit…”  (2 Corinthians 3:17a) This impartation of Jesus’ Spirit/breath dispensed into His disciples was the resurrected “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2a). Note that this occurred after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, ascension, with His brief return to them on earth.

Since His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ is the resurrected, eternal, life-giving “Spirit of life.”  “That Spirit” … is Christ as He is today… in spirit form … such that we could receive Him into our spirits!

“…The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Jesus) was made a quickening (Gk., zoopoieo, life-giving) spirit. (1 Cor. 15:45).

Jesus as “the Last Adam” began and brand-new race of Christ-people, called Christians, with all having His life in them.

“Therefore if any man be in (in union with) Christ, he is a new creature (Gk., ktisis, creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Christ as Spirit indwells every believer’s “spirit of man.” Christ’s resurrected “Spirit of life” is added into be the believer’s “spirit of man,” whereby these two spirits become “one spirit.”

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1Corinthians 6:17)

Thereby a believing man becomes eternally alive, never to be lost.

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal ‘life’ (Gk., Zoë, Christ’s life), and this life is in his Son. ¹² He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:11-12)

God the Father has given the believer Christ’s very own resurrected “everlasting LIFE.” This “life” for man comes to man by simply believing and thereby receiving …

“The One Life of the Triune Godhead … In the Person of the Son …now as “the Spirit of Life” (1Cor. 15:45), to dwell forever within every genuine believer’s “spirit of man.”

The Lord desires to indwell and flow through all those who will “receive Him” (Jn. 1:12). God’s life is organic, reproducing His nature within us via the Spirit-DNA of His Christ-Seed (Greek, sperma). Receiving “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” as the “Seed” of God the Father… into our spirit (cf. Jn 3:6, Col. 1:27, 2Tim. 4:22) makes us the literal spirit-birthed children of Father God, bearing the life and nature of the Godhead.

1Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible ‘seed (sperma),’ but of incorruptible (seed), by the word (Christ) of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Gal. 3:16 “…thy ‘seed,’ which is Christ.”

Every believer is a partaker of the “divine life” and nature “in Christ.”

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of “the divine nature,” having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4)

Every life has its corresponding nature, dogs bark and cats meow, so the life of Christ that indwells every believer as their new life bears His nature, which is pure and “righteous.”

The Life of Christ as God… is both Divine & Eternal:

God’s ‘divine life’ has the inherent nature and quality of Almighty God, just as a Gold cup is inherently incorruptible, never rusting simply due to being what it is… Gold.

God’s Life is Transcendent and Limitless in all aspects. His life is…

• Indestructible: “Who is made… after the power of an endless life.” (Hebrews 7:16)
• Omniscient – all-knowing, of all things including the thoughts of men (cf. Heb. 4:12b)
• Omnipresent – living in believers (Col 1:27) and present to all “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” (Jer. 23:24) “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)
• Omnipotent – almighty - you (Lord) can do all things and that no plan of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)
• Eternal – meaning God’s life is the uncreated life, without beginning or ending.

Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Hence, the eternal God is here called the “I AM” (never the “I was” or “I will be”). We find the living God in Christ in the ever-present “now”!

Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

God’s life is ‘self-existent.’ He exists independent of circumstances & environment, needing no external sustenance.

John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

Isaiah 53:2 For he (Messiah) shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground…

Thus, only God’s “life” can be considered the ‘real life’ qualified to be called “LIFE.” His is a life without limits, unlike the earthly temporal life that dies. To be the ‘true” or ‘real life’ it must be “eternal life.” All other life-forms are temporal, subject to decay, death, and destruction.

Mortal human life can’t survive a killing blow. Yet, humans have the potential of acquiring Christ’s life.

• Being mortal …man is inherently enslaved to… self-interest to preserve it.
• Having God’s eternal life… sets men free from fear & excessive concern for their life. (2Cor. 1:8-9)

For those who receive Christ as the resurrected eternal life of the Godhead, there is no more fear of death!

Heb. 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children (of Israel) are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself (Christ) likewise took part of the same (flesh and blood); that through death he (Jesus) might destroy (Gk. kartargeo, make of no effect) him that had the power of death (Gk, kratos, “dominion” over death), that is, the devil; ¹⁵to deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

1 Cor. 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Experientially, toward mankind, God’s Life flows outward from Him as a “giver.” God is the only source of the real life, flowing out: “… with thee is the fountain of life” (Psa. 36:9a) Today the life of the Godhead has flowed out to us… via the Son of God, now as “the Spirit of life.” First, God flowed His life of the Godhead into Jesus of Nazareth… then Jesus Christ’s resurrection life into us.

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery (Gk., musterion, secret plan of God) among the Gentiles; which is Christ IN YOU, the hope of glory:” (Colossians 1:27)