“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV).
For the child of God, it is no longer a mystery as to why Jesus came. The master Himself said it plainly, “I have come that they may have life “. Jesus came so that we may have life.
However, something interesting to observe is that when He uttered these words, He wasn’t speaking to the dead. He was addressing the living. This means when Jesus said He came so that they may have life, He was referring to a type of life; a life different from that which the people possessed.
What is this life then? 1 John 5:11 says, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” Jesus came to give us life – eternal life. They only had the human life before Jesus came. But now that Jesus has come, and He is resurrected from the dead, He has given us eternal life - everlasting life. This is the God-type of life.
2 Timothy 1:10 NKJV further says, “but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”. Death has been abolished and is no longer a factor in the life of a child of God. And not only did Jesus ensure that death is abolished, but He brought us life and immortality. This is the truth; it is the reality of every Christian.
Life and immortality are the reality of those who are born again, those who believe in Jesus Christ. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life…” (John 3:36). When you believed, something happened. You were translated into the God-class. You ceased to be ordinary, you ceased to be a mere man. Importantly, eternal life is not life after death, it is something you have and possess now as a Christian.
There’s a special generation in time that’s been chosen to understand and function in this reality of life and immortality. And that’s us, today’s church. We have come to maturity and understand fully what the scriptures say, and it is no longer a mystery to us. “Listen, and I will tell you a divine mystery: not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed” (1 Corinthians 15:51 TPT).
Confessions:
Jesus came so that I may have life. Life and immortality are at work in me. Death has no power over me and my family. I have the life and nature of God in me. I’m a member of the God-class, living far above the rules and principalities of this world. Hallelujah.
Further Study:
John 3:15-16
1 John 4:9 NLT
1 John 5:11-13