First John 1 speaks of the “fellowship of life.” We all know that the central goal of the Bible is life, and the central goal of the universe is also life. The record of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 shows that life is the center of everything. Many scientists consider the record in Genesis to be meaningless because it contains no record of the great matters in the universe related to astronomy and geography; instead, it records matters that are of no interest to astronomers, geographers, and scientists. The center of this record is life. In brief, on the first and second days, there was no life. On the third day, God caused the dry land to appear that plants might grow. On the third day, there was plant life, which is the lowest life, a life without consciousness, without feeling. The plant life is the first kind of life spoken of in creation, and this life is the lowest life. On the fifth and sixth days, the record goes from the lowest animal life to the higher mammal life, and among the mammals, the highest is the human life.
Thus, at the end of the record of creation, the human life created by God is the highest life among created life. Once this life was created, God’s image and authority are present. Both image and authority come with the highest created life. In other words, once human life was created, God’s image was with this human life, and God’s authority was also committed to this human life. All these matters are recorded in Genesis 1. On the sixth day, when man was created, it can be said that life reached its highest point. But, in fact, this is still not the highest life. Hence, in chapter 2, God put the man He created in front of another life, the divine life. God put man in front of the tree of life (v. 9); that is, He put man in front of the divine life.
According to the revelation of the Bible, the divine life is the highest life in the universe. As far as created life is concerned, human life is the highest life; however, apart from created life, there is still an uncreated life, as indicated by the tree of life, the eternal life of God. To put created life in front of uncreated life implies that the created life should receive the uncreated life, and the two should mingle together. This is the fellowship of life. The joining together of the created life with the uncreated life is the fellowship of life.
Genesis 1 and 2 show that life comes from light. The record of God’s creation tells the story of creation in seven days. On the first day, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (1:3). On the second day, God separated the waters above from the waters below. On the third day, the dry land appeared, and there was the lowest plant life. On the fourth day, the light was intensified, and the sun, the moon, and the stars were manifested; once light becomes stronger, life also becomes stronger. The light on the first day is for producing plant life on the third day; the light on the fourth day is for producing animal life on the fifth and sixth days. Thus, the plant life was produced by the light of the first day, and the animal life was produced by the light of the fourth day.
When we come to the tree of life in Genesis 2, we may not realize the kind of life that is referred to by “the tree of life.” Psalm 36:9 says, “With You is the fountain of life.” This shows that the source of life is God. At this point, we may have a little realization that the source of life for the tree of life is God. However, this is not clear enough. If we continue our reading concerning the line of life and pay attention to life, we will eventually come to John 1:4, which says, “In Him was life.” Here Him refers to the Word in verse 1, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word was God, and in Him was life. Now we should be clearer that the life in the incarnated Christ is what is spoken of in Genesis 2.
However, because this is still not enough, we need to read further. John 11:25 says, “I am...the life.” Then 14:6 says, “I am the way and the reality and the life.” We need to be clear that the life spoken of in Genesis 2 is the incarnated God. The incarnated God is life.
Furthermore, John 10:10 says, “I have come that they may have life”; then 1 John 5:12 says, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” Also, Colossians 3:4 says, “Christ our life.” Finally, Revelation 22:2 speaks of the tree of life. We may say that the tree of life in the beginning of the Bible reappears at the end of the Bible after passing through the Old and New Testaments.
In the book of Revelation, life is God’s ultimate goal and the ultimate enjoyment of the believers. In Genesis 2, God put man in front of the tree of life for man to receive life; in Revelation 22, the tree of life has entered into man to be man’s enjoyment. In the beginning of the Bible, the created life was put in front of the tree of life in order that the created life might receive the tree of life. At the end of the Bible, the tree of life has become the enjoyment of the created life. The created and the uncreated life are fully mingled as one. Hence, life is the central goal of the entire Bible, and in the whole universe, life is the central goal of God.