Concerning what life is, we must first see that only the life of God is life. Then we must see that life is the flowing out of God. Revelation 22:1-2 speaks of a river of water of life flowing out of the throne of God, and in the river of water of life is the tree of life. Both the water of life and the tree of life signify life. Therefore, we are shown clearly here that life is that which flows out from God. Hence, we can say that life is the flowing out of God.
We have already seen that life must be divine and eternal. Since God is God, naturally He is divine. And the Bible also says that God is eternal. Hence, since God is both divine and eternal, He is life. Therefore, God flowing out is life.
According to the divine and eternal nature of God Himself, God is life. But if God does not flow out, although in respect to Himself He is life, yet to us He is not life. He must flow out; then He will be life to us. His flowing out passes through two steps. The first step is His becoming flesh. This enables Him to flow out from heaven into the midst of men and manifest Himself as life (John 1:1, 14, 4). Therefore, the Bible speaks of this on the one hand as His being “manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16), and on the other hand as the “life which was manifested” (1 John 1:2). Hence, when He was in the flesh, He said that He is life (John 14:6). Although in the first step of His flowing out He could manifest Himself as life to us, He could not be received by us as life; therefore, He must take the second step of flowing out. His second step of flowing out is His being nailed on the cross. Through death, the body of flesh which He took was broken, thus enabling Him to flow out from the flesh and become the living water of life to be received by us (John 19:34; 4:10, 14). The rock in the Old Testament typified Him; it was smitten, and from it came living water to be obtained by the people of Israel (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4). He became flesh in order that He may be a grain of wheat which contains life. He was crucified so that He could flow out from the husk of flesh into us—His many fruits— and become our life (John 12:24).
Thus, the life we receive from God is the flowing out of God Himself. This life flowing into us, from our side, is the flowing in of God, and from God’s side, it is the flowing out of God. Then, when this life flows out of us, it is again the flowing out of God. This flowing out of God began from His throne: first it flowed into Jesus the Nazarene; then it passed through the cross and flowed into the apostles; then it flowed out of the apostles as rivers of living water (John 7:38); it has flowed through the saints of all ages, and eventually it has flowed into us. Out from us it will flow to millions more and on to eternity, flowing forever without ceasing, just as is spoken in Revelation 22:1-2 and John 4:14.
The waters mentioned in Ezekiel 47 symbolize this flowing out of God. Whithersoever the waters flow, all things shall have life. Likewise, wherever this flowing out of God comes, there shall be life, for this flowing out is life itself. When this flowing out flows to eternity, then eternity will be filled with the condition of life and become an eternity of life.
At the very beginning, when the Bible speaks of life, it shows us a flowing river (Gen. 2:9-14). At the end in Revelation, we are shown that, as far as we are concerned, all things relating to life, whether the water of life or the tree of life, flow out from God. This speaks clearly that, to us, life is the flowing out of God Himself. God flowed out from heaven, and through the flesh He flowed into our midst as the life which was manifested to us. Then He flowed out from the flesh into us as the life which we have received.
Concerning what life is, the third point we should know is that life is the content of God. Since life is the flowing out of God, it therefore is the content of God, for the flowing out of God is from God Himself, and God Himself is the content of God.
Since the content of God is God Himself, this content is all that God is, or the fullness of the Godhead. The Bible tells us that all the fullness of the Godhead is in Christ (Col. 2:9). This is because Christ as God’s embodiment was manifested to be the life of man. This life contains all the fullness of the Godhead, which is all that God is. All that God is, is in this life. God’s being God hinges on this life. Therefore, this life is the content of God, the fullness of the Godhead. When we receive this life, we receive the content of God, and we receive all that is in God. This life within us is what God is. Today it is in this life that God becomes our all and is our all; it is in this life that God becomes our God and is our God. Since this life in Christ is the fullness of the Godhead and the content of God Himself, so also in us it is the fullness of the Godhead and the content of God Himself.
We have seen that life is the flowing out of God, and life is the content of God. The flowing out of God issues from God Himself, and the content of God is also God Himself. Since life is both the flowing out of God and the content of God, naturally life is God Himself. This is the fourth point we should know concerning what life is.
In John 14:6 the Lord Jesus says that He is life. After He said this, from verse 7 to 11, He made known to the disciples that He and God are one—and when He speaks this word, it is God speaking in Him. He is God become flesh; and He is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; 1 Tim. 3:16). When He says He is life, it is God who says God is life. Hence His words show us that life is the very God Himself.
We should pay attention to the fact that the Bible seldom uses the term “the life of God.” The teaching of the Bible mainly reveals to us that God is life; it speaks mostly of God as life; seldom does it mention “the life of God.” It tells us God is our life and speaks of God as our life; it almost never says that God wants us to receive “His life.” The life of God is different from God is life or God as life. The life of God does not necessarily imply the whole of God Himself, whereas God is lifeor God as life denotes the complete God Himself. Strictly speaking, when we receive life, we receive not the life of God, but God as life. Not only did God give us His life; He Himself came to be our life. Because God Himself is life, His life is His very self.
Then what is life? Life is God Himself. What does it mean to have life? To have life is to have God Himself. What does it mean to live out life? To live out life is to live out God Himself. Life is not different in the least from God. If it were, then it would not be life. We should understand this clearly. It is not sufficient merely to know that we have life; we must know further that this life we have is God Himself. It is not sufficient only to know that we should live out life; we must also know that the life we should live out is God Himself.
Brothers and sisters, actually what is the life that we should live out? What do we live out when we live out life? Is the living out of love, humility, gentleness, and patience the living out of life? No! Because neither love, humility, gentleness, nor patience is life; neither is any goodness or virtue life. Only God Himself is life. Thus, to live out such virtues is not to live out life. Only the living out of God Himself is the living out of life. If the love, humility, gentleness, and patience which we live out are not the flowing out of God or the manifestation of God, they are not life. Any goodness or virtue that we live out, unless it is the expression of God through us, is not life. The good virtues we live out must be the flowing out of God, the manifestation of God, and the expression of God; then we are living out life; for life is God Himself.
Colossians 2:9 and Ephesians 3:19 show us the fullness of God. The life which we receive is this full God. Therefore, this life is also full. In it there is love and light, humility and gentleness, patience and forbearance, sympathy and understanding. All the goodness and virtues that are in God are in this life. Therefore, this life can live out all these virtues from us. To live out these virtues is to live out God, because this life is God. Although this life, when it is lived out, has many manifestations, such as love, humility, gentleness, and patience, yet these are all expressions of God, for they are all lived out from God. That which is lived out from God is the expression of God, or the expression of life, because God is life and life is God.