Three Lives, One is for New Jerusalem
Life is a very important word in the New Testament. In John 14 Jesus said, “I am the life.” Colossians 3:4 speaks about “Christ our life.” And Paul testifies in Galatians 2:20 “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” and in Philippians 1:21 “to me, to live is Christ.”
In English, and in many other European languages, the New Testament has only one word for life and one for live. But in the original Greek New Testament there are three different words. The Greek words for life are zoe (ζωη), psuche (ψυχη), and bios (βιος).
These three words correspond to the three parts of our created being—spirit, soul, and body—as in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete.” Bios is our physical life, psuche is our psychological life, and if we have received the Lord Jesus then we also have zoe as our spiritual life.
Among these three lives only zoe and its verb form is used in the verses quoted at the top of this post. And only zoe is good for New Jerusalem. New Jerusalem is a city filled with Jesus Christ as the life of every member and the living in every member. This zoe life is the resurrection life and the entire city is in resurrection.
Posted by Don on June 6, 2025
https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2025/06/06/three-lives-one-is-for-new-jerusalem-4/
