James H. Cagle
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2: 20 KJV).
Life is both quantitative, meaning it’s measured in length, and qualitative, meaning it’s measured for its worth or value. We cannot determine our mortality or the number value of our life, but we can determine the moral value of our life. God has determined how long we’ll live on earth, but we choose the moral quality of our life.
Animals have life. They have a soul (Ecclesiastes. 3: 21) and are self-conscious or conscious of their existence. But they are amoral and cannot make choices that will improve the life they live. They will always be nothing more or less than what they are and will always do by their instinct and intuition what God created them to do. Because they have life or a soul they can be killed and die and were therefore used as a substitute in sacrifice for another’s life.
Plants are living organisms but do not have life. They do not have a soul and are not self-conscious or conscious of their existence. Because they do not have life or a soul they aren’t killed and die when we root them up. That’s why Cain’s offering was not accepted by God.
Man is much different than the animal and the plant. Man was made in the image of God with a spirit, soul, and body. Man has a free will and chooses the life he lives. He can move up or down the moral ladder.
To live as a king or a pauper, these positions are not indicators of the life a person is living. It’s not what’s in a person’s hands that determine the quality of life they’re living but what’s in their heart. A king can be spiritually bankrupt while a pauper can be spiritually rich.
It’s the spiritual state our heart is in that determines the life we live publicly. And we get to choose the life we live by choosing our spiritual state.
Some people choose to live a life of sin and are never fulfilled or satisfied with the pleasures of sin. They’re miserable and defeated regardless of their financial status. Others choose to receive Jesus as their Savior and live His life through the power of the Spirit. They live in victory over sin and their life is filled with love, joy, and peace regardless of their financial status.
Eternal life is a holy life that Jesus gives to those who put their faith in Him, which life they live now and throughout eternity in Heaven.
