There is only one God: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God written about in the Bible, "..who at several times and in different ways spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets (and) has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:1-3).
The Bible verses below tell us that the living [zao] God, who is THE FATHER, possesses life [zoe] in Himself. He created all things by and through His WORD and omnipresent SPIRIT who is THE BREATH OF LIFE [ZOE]:
1 Corinthians 8:6; John 5:26; Psalm 33:6; John 1:1-4; John 4:24; and Psalm 139:7-12.
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Greek Septuagint translation of Genesis 2:7:
καὶ ἔπλασεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐνεφύσησεν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πνοὴν ζωῆς καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν.
The words in English:
There are two things that mark human existence:
1. Life [zoe].
2. Living | being alive [zao].
body → formed man of the dust of the ground.
spirit → the breath (spirit) of life [zoe].
soul → man became a living [zao] soul."
Adam's sin brought death: "Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." (Genesis 3:22).
LIFE [ZOE] IS IN THE WORD
By the word of YHWH were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath (Hebrew: ruach, i.e Spirit) of His mouth. (Psalm 33:6).
In the beginning the Word existed, and the Word existed with YHWH [o. theos], and the Word is God [theos]. (The Word existed in the beginning with YHWH). All (created) things became (came into being) through (by) him (by the Word); and without him nothing became that has become.
IN HIM Life [zoe] exists; and the Life [zoe] is the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness does not apprehend it. (John 1:1-5).
And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. (And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.) (John 1:14).
"There is to us only one God, the Father, OF whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we by Him." (1 Corinthians 8:6).
King David had prophesied the following regarding Him:
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” (Psalms 110:1).
ζωή zōē (NOUN) (life) exists in God, who is the source of all life.
ζάω Zaō (VERB) means to live, to be alive, or to continue living:
God did not create human beings "to die and then go to heaven when they die" - but the living [zao] God alone has life [zoe] in Himself.
The two gifts given by God to human beings through Christ, are:
1. Eternal Life [zoe aionios] IN Christ (who alone possesses eternal life in Himself).
Eternal life is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
2. The promise of being alive [zao] forever (immortal) following the resurrection of our bodies from the dead THROUGH Christ's bodily resurrection
- which cannot happen unless the dead body is 'quickened' (made alive again).
- WHICH REQUIRES being placed in Christ through new birth (being born of the Spirit of God).
For all of you are (bodily) dead, and your life [zoe] is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life [zoe], shall appear, then shall all of you also appear with him in (bodily resurrection) glory. (Colossians 3:3-4).
Life [zoe] exists in God alone. No human being except Jesus will ever have life [zoe] in himself (John 5:26), because that would make Adam and his seed (created human beings), God
- but in Christ God gives eternal life to those who believe in Him (1 John 5:11-12).
A thorough New Testament search reveals that:
- Every New Testament verse using the word ζωή zōē is using the word in reference to life.
- Every New Testament verse using the word ζάω zaō is using the word in reference to living | to being alive.
- In the New Testament eternal life is always called aionios zoe (life eternal).
- The Greek texts of the New Testament never call eternal life zao aionios (alive forever)
- The words zoe (life) and zao (to live | to be alive) are both used in certain passages of scripture - but are conflated by churches in their interpretation of those passages - see: To live | to be Alive [ζάω zaō]:
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