Quote:
Originally Posted by Trapped
I guess what I'm trying to figure out is when, for example, Jesus says "I have come that they may have life"......are we sure it's HIS life versus eternal life?
I know "zoe" is often taught as "the uncreated eternal life of God".....but I am not 100% sure myself that's true. . . .
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Not dismissing the rest of your post. But it does mainly follow this line of thinking.
In past studies, I have found that the Greek word "zoe" is not simply God's life. It is mostly used as something like the fullness of life, or all of life. Not just biological or psychological life. More like what they advertise in beer commercials. Or VRBO, cruise ship, luxury car, etc., commercials. I realize that these are "fallen," but they make a point. It is more about the actual or perceived quality of life. Surely if you have God's life you should have a more robust quality of life, even if it is not like being in a luxury car with Rolex on your arm, crusing a beautiful shoreline.
And when you start talking to people who are in need — spiritual, physical, emotional, etc. — they might agree that changing one's perspective on what is still wrong with this life is an improvement in the quality of life. I'm not diminishing the message of the gospel. I am simply pointing to the fact that even those worldy things that provide "life" eventually fail in some way. But the solid rock that is Christ does not fail.
So zoe
is best fulfilled through the life of Christ. But that does not diminish or alter the broader aspects of the word.