Remember that a tragedy cannot really be called one especially when it involves no loss of life. But we have pointed out in the previous article that what befell man was indeed a great tragedy as it involves the loss of life. And the kind of life involved made it the greatest of all tragedies. It was the life of God that got lost. What man lost was nothing less than God Himself! And that accounts for the untold woes that befell humanity after the great tragedy. And since this great Fall, No man has been able to locate this life. And none would have known what the life really is until He was revealed. In this article, we will try to set forth in a little way the Identity of the Life that was lost in the beginning just because the Life was found!
“In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The same was in the begging with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was Light of man. And the Light shinneth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not….. That was the true Light, which lighteth everyman that cometh into the world….. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behold) Hiss glory, the glory of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth.” “Jesus saith unto Him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father but by ME.” “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.” “For has the father hath life in Himself; so hath He given the Son to have life in Himself.” “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life”. “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy Light shall we see light”. “But ye denied the Holy one and the Just and killed the prince of life.”
Now, from the scripture quotations above, it becomes very clear that the lost life is not an abstract thing, a theory, principle or a set of codes of conduct, not even a religion but a Personality! It was a complete Being that was lost. He was He, “Who verily was fore ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”
Even the Old Testament prophets who had His spirit in them for ministry could only at best prophesied concerning Him but they didn’t see Him. “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you. Searching what, or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testify beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” But now we can explore Him and talk about Him because He “…was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth.”
As we take a glance look at the life that was made flesh and dwell among the sons of men, it will reveal to us why His absence in any life, family, tribe and nation still spells down, disaster and great tragedy today.
Now in the beginning when God created the heaven and earth, including man, something also existed in that beginning which was not fully revealed until later in the gospel according to Saint John. So John tells us that in that same beginning, there was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing (including man) made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of man. That was the situation in the beginning. He was the Life that entered into man and man became a living soul. And when man lost his life, the life Himself became lost to man and No man could locate Him. And as the man began to live his life, his new life was a direct contrast to the original. It was a life of darkness because the Light to guide him to live aright was located in his lost life. For “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
Among the men who have ever lived, no one was good enough as to be a light and a guide to other men. Moses, when compared to this Light was an angry man, Joshua when measured in the Light of this life falls below the mark as he also acted presumptuously. Abraham, when evaluated and judged by the standard of this Light, was carnal. David, when placed on the balances with this light became an adulterer, murderer and unforgiving. Isaiah the prophet saw himself in the Light of this life and suddenly declared, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips… for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
Every attempt of God to reconcile the man to himself through the Law and the prophet had always fallen on his deaf ear because he has become spiritually dead. “But the natural man recieveth not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto Him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. For this reason, the Life had to be made flesh and dwell among men, that men may behold his Life and in this Life see the Light to live aright.
Now, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Note the word ‘in’, not around Him, not in any religion of the world, not in church-going, not in any personality or any ritualistic activities, but IN Him. The LIFE we are talking about is located IN Christ, not outside Christ. For “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Therefore, whoever will gain this life cannot by any other means gain it but only in Christ Jesus; and such a one must come into Christ.
Therefore we see Jesus, the eternal Son made in the likeness of the sinful men that by His light multitude might come into glory. “But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man…. In bringing many sons into glory….”
the story continues