How does John 5:26 connect with Genesis 2:7 about God giving life? Origin of Life: Creation’s First Breath Genesis 2:7 — “Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.” • The scene is literal history: soil fashioned, divine breath imparted. • Life is not inherent in matter; it is imparted by the personal action of God. • The phrase “breath of life” (nĕšāmâ ḥayyîm) reveals that every heartbeat depends on God’s own living essence. Self-Existence Revealed in the Son John 5:26 — “For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” • “Life in Himself” (zōē en heautō) underscores self-existence—life that is unborrowed, underived, eternally present. • The Father gives the Son this same intrinsic life, affirming both distinction of Persons and unity of essence (cf. John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-17). • Jesus therefore carries the Creator’s prerogative into human history. Breath and Authority: Connecting the Two Texts • At creation, God’s breath animated lifeless dust. • In John, Jesus possesses and dispenses that very life (John 5:21, 25). • What the Father did in Eden, the Son now does in redemption—raising the dead, granting eternal life, speaking worlds into being (Hebrews 1:2-3). Physical Life to Spiritual Re-Creation • Genesis records the first creation; John’s Gospel introduces new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). • The breath that enlivened Adam prefigures the Spirit Jesus imparts to believers (John 20:22). • Both passages display movement from non-life to life, underscoring God’s sovereign initiative. Shared Divine Prerogative • Only God can originate life; by granting the Son the same capacity, the Father declares Jesus to be fully divine (John 10:30). • The Son’s authority extends to final resurrection (John 5:28-29), completing what began with the first breath in Eden. Echoes Across Scripture • Job 33:4 — “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” • Acts 17:25 — God “Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” • Revelation 1:18 — Jesus holds “the keys of Death and of Hades,” confirming His control over life’s destiny. Living Implications • Every moment of biological existence is a gift, sustained by the Creator who now stands revealed in Christ. • Eternal life is not merely duration but participation in the life God possesses in Himself, offered through faith in His Son. • Confidence in resurrection rests on the same power that breathed into Adam and now indwells believers by the Spirit (Romans 8:11). |
    |