Nothing is more important than life. We all know that the Scriptures are a book of life, not a book of knowledge. Although the Scriptures are written in the way of knowledge, they are not for knowledge but for life. We must realize that in the very beginning there were two trees in the garden of Eden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life is for us to contact and receive, while the tree of knowledge is something we should stay away from. To take from the tree of knowledge means death to us. Only something taken from the tree of life is life to us. Therefore, we must be very clear that today the Scriptures are a garden, and in this Scripture garden there are also two trees. If we take something from the Scriptures as knowledge, we will have nothing but death, but if we take something as life, the result, the issue, to us is life.
What is in the Scripture garden is life as the center of God’s intention. At the very beginning of the Scriptures there is a blueprint with the tree of life as the center. Then at the end of the Scriptures there is another picture with the tree of life again as the center. If we pay full attention to this matter, we will realize that from the very beginning to the very end, throughout the entire Scriptures, there is the central thought, the central line, of life. Life is always the central thought, central matter, and central line. If you would ask me what the Scriptures teach, I must tell you that they teach the matter of life. They are a book of life, revealing to us that God is life to us in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
The picture in Genesis 2 is very clear. After man was created, he was placed in a garden before a tree, which is called the tree of life, showing that God’s intention is that man deal with life. Eventually, at the end of the Scriptures there is the tree of life as the life supply to all the redeemed ones. Therefore, it is clear that if we want to know something about the Scriptures, about the revelation of God, we need to understand and appreciate the matter of life.
Have you noticed that in the entire universe, in God’s creation, life is the center? If we could take away every kind of life-the vegetable life as well as the animal life-the whole universe would be a barren, desolate desert. What is the meaning, the center, and the beauty of the universe? It is life. To be lifeless is to be meaningless. If there were no kind of life in a city-no vegetable life, no animal life, no human life, and even no angelic life-what kind of city would it be? There would be no meaning there. In our home and family there must be life. The more life we have, the more meaning there is. Some people who do not have children buy dogs, cats, birds, or fish. They try to have many kinds of lives in their home because the more life they have, the more meaningful their home is. Today many people have artificial flowers, but these are meaningless because they are beautiful but lifeless. What kind of universe would it be if we took away all the life?
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