In Romans, Part 31 I related Paul’s statement—if you live according to the flesh, you will die¹—to Jesus’ saying to Martha—The one who believes in me will live even if he dies.²  This connection was new to me, so I thought it deserved a little more study.  In the past I would have related Jesus’ saying to Martha (John 11:25, 26 NET) to the mystery Paul expounded (1 Corinthians 15:51-53 NET):

Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – [Table] in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

In that case, those who sleep are like The one who believes in [Jesus] and lives even if he dies.  That may not be wrong.  But what got my attention was that Martha already believed in the resurrection.  I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection (ἀναστάσει, a form of ἀνάστασις) at the last day,³ she said.  It was to that belief that Jesus responded, I am the resurrection (ἀνάστασις) and the life (ζωή).⁴  Suddenly I saw those verses as follows:

Where I could believe both statements was in Romans 8:13 (NET) once I accepted that die (ἀποθνῄσκειν, a form of ἀποθνήσκω) meant death and not eternal damnation:

The noun ζωή was used forty-seven times in the New Testament to name the new life believers find in Christ both here and now, and in the future.  It was used forty-four times with αἰώνιος and translated eternal or everlasting life.  Jesus spoke of a time when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice [Table] and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection (ἀνάστασιν, another form of ἀνάστασις) resulting in life (ζωῆς, another form of ζωή), and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection (ἀνάστασιν, another form of ἀνάστασις) resulting in condemnation (κρίσεως, a form of κρίσις; literally, judgment).⁵  Twice Jesus referred to Himself as the bread of life.  Peter called Him the Prince of life (Originator of life, NET).  I found five occurrences that seem to refer exclusively to the resurrected life of Jesus, and six others that seem to refer exclusively to the resurrected life of people as opposed to new life here and now.  It was used twice as Spirit of life, eight times as book of life, three times each as tree of life and water of life.  It was used twice of Melchizedek, which I called Immortal Life.  I found only eight occurrences of ζωή in the New Testament that seemed to refer to ordinary human life or mere vitality.  My list follows:

I went to this trouble because in the definition of ψυχή in Strong’s Concordance (the next word I want to consider) ζωή (zoe) is described as “mere vitality.”  That may be true of ζωή in Greek generally.  I don’t know.  It is clearly not true of ζωή as used in the New Testament, except perhaps eight times.  It may be generally true of the verb ζάω even in the New Testament.  I didn’t check that closely.  I am suggesting that ζήσεται (another form of ζάω) in The one who believes in me will live even if he dies¹¹ means the resurrected life that Martha believed in and Jesus claimed to be.  And I am also suggesting that ζῶν (another form of ζάω) in the one who lives and believes in me will never die¹² means the new life that Jesus claimed to be and Paul described as being led by the Spirit of God.¹³

I had the most difficulty with 1 John 5:16 (NET), whether John meant mere vitality or not: If anyone sees his fellow Christian (ἀδελφὸν, a form of ἀδελφός) committing a sin not resulting in death (θάνατον, a form of θάνατος), he should ask, and God will grant (δώσει, a form of δίδωμι) life (ζωήν, another form of ζωή) to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death (θάνατον, a form of θάνατος).  There is a sin resulting in death (θάνατον, a form of θάνατος).  I do not say that he should ask about that.

In the movie “Meet Joe Black” Anthony Hopkins’ character Bill Parrish instinctively restrained Brad Pitt’s character Death from stepping off the curb into traffic.  It is an ironic and humorous moment since the body Death took was killed in traffic, standing in the middle of the street longing for another glimpse of Bill’s daughter Susan, and because Death had just bragged about how much beyond Bill’s comprehension the work of Death was.  But it also displayed Bill’s character, instinctively protecting the life of his nemesis simply because he appeared in form as another human being.  I assume however that John was not talking about stepping off the curb in front of an oncoming bus as a sin resulting in death.

When the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons,¹⁴ Jesus replied (Matthew 12:25-29a NET):

Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.  So if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?  For this reason they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you.  How else can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? [Table]

Then Jesus warned, people will be forgiven (ἀφεθήσεται, a form of ἀφίημι) for every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (ἀφεθήσεται, a form of ἀφίημι) [Table].  Whoever¹⁵ speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven (ἀφεθήσεται, a form of ἀφίημι).  But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven (ἀφεθήσεται, a form of ἀφίημι), either in this¹⁶ age or in the age to come.¹⁷  This, I think, is what John meant by a sin resulting in death.  John continued (1 John 5:17, 18 NET):

All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death (θάνατον, a form of θάνατος).  We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects (τηρεῖ, a form of τηρέω) the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him [Table].

I am connecting this to the verse which precedes it.  The new life, that life fathered by God that does not sin—Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me¹⁸—because God protects that life and the evil one cannot touch him, is the true need of the fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death.  That life, this grace in which we stand,¹⁹ fueled by the credited righteousness of God,²⁰ the fruit of his Spirit,²¹ is far more important than my censure, my rebuke, even my restoration in a spirit of gentleness.²²  And it is this life that we ask for ourselves and for all who call upon our Father whenever we pray (Matthew 6:9-13 NET):

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven [Table].  Give us today our daily bread [i.e., of life], and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors [Table].  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one [Table].

Addendum: September 3, 2024
Tables comparing Matthew 12:25 and 12:32 in the KJV and NET follow.