LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
A Lucrative Change
"...and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life" (John 12:25).
In this passage from John 12, Jesus is teaching us that it was necessary for Him to die in order for us to become children of God: "Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you: Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit".
If he did not die, he would continue to be only the only begotten Son, as he was from eternity; but if he died, he would bring many sons to glory. He consummated the work the Father gave him to do in this world (Jn. 17:4), and now he is the one who tells us: "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life".
There are many reasons for man to hate his life. One of them is that man is never satisfied with it: "Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied" (Prov. 27:20). The other is that she is sinful, and man was not made to sin, but to live for God and worship Him: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so my soul panteth after thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and stand before God? My tears have been my bread day and night, while they say to me daily, Where is your God?" (Ps. 42:1-3).
We should abhor our life, mainly because it does not give us security: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prov. 16:25). Also because its glory is like that of a flower that then withers, like the shadow that also departs when there is no more light: "A man born of a woman, short of days, and weary with sorrows, cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down, and fleeth as a shadow, and abideth not" (Job 14:1-2). It is like a mist that soon vanishes: "For what is your life? Surely it is a mist that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).
The law in the kingdom of God is the opposite of human law. Whoever loses, wins, and whoever tries to win, loses. Whoever loves that sinful life loses it, but whoever in this world hates it and loses it for love of Him, keeps it for eternal life. We need not be economists to perceive that this is a very lucrative exchange. Christ, and He alone, is abundant and eternal life.