According to the Bible, all life comes from God the Father. God gives life through his Son Jesus, who helped create everything and saves people. Jesus offers true life to all people (John 6:57).
The Living Father
God the Father is above all else “the living God” (Jeremiah 10:10; John 5:26). God is alive and active. God is the source of all life (1 Timothy 6:13). God is the one who breathed life into humans at creation and sustains them (Job 34:14–15). God gives life (Genesis 17:16). God alone takes it away (Genesis 3:22–24; 6:3; Psalm 104:29; Luke 12:20).
Movement is the sign of life. The Bible tells us that both humans and animals have the breath of life from God. When Jesus gave life back to a dead person, the person began to breathe and move again (Luke 8:55). In the original Hebrew language of the Bible, Genesis 1:24 and 6:17 tell us that God gave this same breath of life to animals too. So, all nature has the life that comes from God (Acts 17:24–28).
Because of this, life is sacred. But, life is as temporary as grass, clouds, dew, and shadow (1 Chronicles 29:15; Job 7:6, 9; James 4:13–16; 1 Peter 1:24). A long life is desirable (Genesis 35:29). Any life is better than death and of infinite value (Ecclesiastes 9:4–6; Matthew 6:25; 16:26).
The ancient Israelites believed that after death, people went to a place called Sheol. They thought that in Sheol, people existed without feeling anything, without hope, and without God's help (Psalm 88:3–12).
Life becomes better when:
people love and obey God (Deuteronomy 30:15–20; 1 Peter 3:8–12),
God helps people in difficult times (Isaiah 38:16), and
God blesses his people (Matthew 5:3–12).
Christ as Life
The Greek word for “life” is zoe. In classical Greek, it means life in general. This meaning is used occasionally in the New Testament (Acts 17:25; James 4:14: Revelation 16:3). In most instances, zoe refers to a divine, eternal life—the life of God (Ephesians 4:18). This life is in Christ, and he made it available to all who believe in him.
Humans are born with a natural life—called psuche in Greek. Psuche can be translated as “soul,” “personality,” or “life.” Humans are not born with eternal life. This life can be received only by believing in Jesus Christ, who has eternal life (zoe).
Jesus showed his power to give life in many ways. People saw this power when he spoke with authority and when he touched people to heal them (Matthew 9:18; Mark 1:27, 41–42; 5:27–29). He is “the Author of life” (Acts 3:15). He shows people how to find true life (Matthew 7:14; 25:46; Mark 8:35–37; 9:42–47).
Jesus demonstrated his power by bringing dead people back to life. After he rose from the dead, he was “a life-giving Spirit,” with the power of “an indestructible life” (Romans 8:2; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Hebrews 7:16). So, Jesus is our life (Colossians 3:4). With him we find “newness of life” (Romans 6:4). We are new creations now living for him and not for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15–17).
John emphasizes that Christ is the source of this new life (John 3:14–16; 5:21). People who trust in Jesus become God's children (1:12; 3:3, 5). When people know God and Jesus, they begin experiencing this new life right now (John 5:24; 17:3; 1 John 5:11–12). They have already received life that lasts forever (John 10:28; 11:26).
This new life brings many good things:
It is full and rich (John 10:10)
It brings understanding (John 8:12)
It brings freedom and contentment (John 10:9)
It helps people overcome sin (Romans 6:6–14)
It brings peace and joy (Romans 5:1–11)
It is like having an endless supply of fresh water (John 4:13–14; 7:37–38)
It never ends (John 5:24; 1 Corinthians 15:51–57).
All this is possible because from the beginning, all that came to be was alive with his life (John 1:4). God the Father gives life to the world through Jesus, who is also the source of life and can give it to anyone he chooses (John 5:26). He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25; 14:6). Jesus shows it by restoring life to paralyzed limbs, raising the dead, and conquering death by coming back to life (John 5:5–9; 11:43; 20). People remain in death only if they "refuse to come” to Jesus and “have life” (John 5:40; compare 1 John 3:14).