In John 10:10, Jesus spoke of His motives in fulfilling the will of God, which would ultimately involve His death on the cross. While some may use others for their own selfish gain, Jesus has nothing but our best interest at heart. "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly." When Jesus said he came for us to have an abundant life, He used the present tense. While it is true the greatest promise He offers us is the promise of eternal life, Jesus is pro-life for us here and now. For those who obey the gospel and live faithfully in Him, He provides precious promises and wonderful blessings throughout one's existence now.
The very fact we are alive and live in the kind of world we do, is due to God's providential care. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:17, "And he is before all things, and in him all things consist." The idea of consist is to hold together, to keep it going. Not only did God create all things through Christ (John 1:3), but He continues to provide and care for creation. Indeed, if God wasn't involved in maintaining creation, it could not continue to function as it does. James reminds us, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning" (James 1:17). Inherent in the term "good gift" is the way it is given, as well as the gift itself. Not only what God gives, but how He gives it, is for our benefit.
In Christ we also have all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). Many people try to satisfy the spiritual yearnings they have by physical pursuits, but ultimately the emptiness returns. Christ doesn't withhold one aspect of life spiritually from us that is necessary for us. He emphasized this in the Sermon on the Mount, when He said, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). In Christ there is wholeness to life that can't be found without Him. By living for Him, we understand and experience the existence God intended for us to have, which has been distorted and destroyed by sin.
Peter tells us that "his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3). Christ offers a new life in Him, one not based on sin and its consequences, but based on godliness, an attitude of reverence to God and commitment to His will. Through obedience to the gospel, by being immersed in Christ, we can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4); we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Christ is very pro-life in what He offers us here and now. He provides His love, help, strength, grace, mercy, and precious promises for those who are in Him, for those who live for Him. Our charge is to yield our lives to His will, that through His word He can offer us these blessings for life today, as well as life eternal. "And be not fashioned according to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).
Robert Johnson,
Longview, TX
