John 12

The Gospel of John is a gospel of life, testifying that Jesus Christ came to be our life for the building of God. In other words, life is for building.

Our human life is not sufficient for God's purpose. From our own experiences we know that our life is sinful, weak, corrupt, sick, and evil. Our life tears down, but God's life builds up. Hence, for us sinful men to participate in God's building, at least three steps are necessary:

1. The problem of sin has to be dealt with. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

2. The problem of death has to be dealt with. We are all dead in God's eyes. We need to be born again (John 3:3). We need to be regenerated in our spirit (John 4:14, 24). We need the life of God (John 10:10). For this cause, Christ died as a grain of wheat in order that many grains will be reproduced (John 12:24). Christ is the prototype, we are His duplications. Christ is the original, and we are His xerox copies.

3. Our souls have to be reconstructed. Having God's life in our spirit is one thing; having God's nature in our soul is another. Having God's life is just a beginning. We need to move forward and let God's nature spread from our spirit into our souls. Do your feelings match God's feelings? Do your thinking match God's thinking? Do your choosing match God's choosing? This is John 12:25. This is a life-time process.

Again, life is for building. God's life is for building God's dwelling place for His satisfaction and His expression. Hence, we need to experience regeneration (life) in our spirit and we need to experience transformation (building) in our souls. This is the church life depicted in John 12:1-11. This will fulfill God's purpose. This will make us genuinely happy because it makes God really happy.