Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 0-233 (Theology)

Living Words of the New Testament, by Rev Dr Leon Morris

LIFE

There are two Greek words for life. One is zoe; which means the physical, animal life that we share with the lower creation. It gives us the English word 'zoology'. The other word is bios, which a standard lexicon explains as 'not animal life, but mode of life, manner of living'. It is accordingly mostly used of humans, and it is the word that gives us our word 'biography'. Thus bios refers to life in a higher sense than zoe.

But the New Testament writers reverse this. They use bios only nine times (four in Luke) and always of ordinary worldly life (Luke 8:14; 1 John 2:16). But they use zoe 135 times. The New Testament writers by their choice of word seem to be saying that the highest and best life that the cultured Greeks knew is not real life. Real life is knowing God (John 17:3), and it is the gift of God (1 John 5:11). The Greek philosophers knew nothing of such life, but it is that life in which the New Testament writers were interested, and which they commended to their readers.

This life is closely linked with Jesus Christ (John 1:4); it is received by those who come to him (John 5:40), or believe in him (John 3:16). Jesus calls himself 'the bread of life' (John 6:35,48), and again, 'the way, and the truth, and the life' (John 14:6).

Often we read of 'eternal life' (Matt 19:29; Acts 13:48 etc.). This is often understood as 'endless life'; it is this but it is more. The word for 'eternal' (aionios) is connected with that for 'age' (aion). Strictly it means 'life pertaining to the age'. Now the Jews divided all time into the age before creation, the present age, and the age to come. I suppose that 'pertaining to the age' might have been used of any of the ages, but in fact it was used of the age to come. 'Eternal life' thus means 'life appropriate to the age to come'. It is endless, but the important thing is its quality. Here and now believers have a foretaste of the life they will have hereafter.

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Rev Dr Leon Morris is an internationally recognised New Testament scholar, theologian and author, from Melbourne Australia.

This feature series of 'Living Words of the New Testament' appeared in 'Daily Notes', published by Scripture Union.