Seen by Scripture as the climax of the work of creation, life is a gift of God and is to be treated with reverence and respect.
Life is from God
Genesis 2:7; Acts 3:15, Acts 17:25 See also 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 33:4; Psalm 139:13; Daniel 5:23; Acts 17:28; James 4:14–15
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.
You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of this fact.
Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
The ultimate duration of life is unknown to people
Psalm 39:4 See also Genesis 27:2; James 4:13–14
“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is.
Life is precious
Matthew 10:31 See also Genesis 1:26–27 Since all people are made in the image of God they are of value to him and should be so to each other; Genesis 9:5–6; Psalm 49:7–9, Psalm 139:14; Matthew 16:26 parallel Luke 9:25
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
God's presence in life
Deuteronomy 30:16; Psalm 23:6 See also Psalm 71:5–6, Psalm 71:9
For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and increase, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Life is to be lived for God
Ecclesiastes 12:13; Jeremiah 10:23; Micah 6:8; Matthew 10:39; Philippians 1:21
The span of human life
Ecclesiastes 11:8–12:8 See also Psalm 90:10
Life is temporary
2 Corinthians 5:1 See also Psalm 49:12, Psalm 103:15–16; Isaiah 38:12; 2 Peter 1:13–14
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
Life is short
1 Chronicles 29:15; Job 14:1; James 4:14 See also Job 7:6–7, Job 8:9, Job 9:25, Job 14:2; Psalm 39:4–6, Psalm 89:47, Psalm 90:12, Psalm 102:11, Psalm 144:4; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Isaiah 40:6–8
For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
The termination of life by death is due to sin
Romans 5:12 See also Genesis 2:17; 1 Corinthians 15:22
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
Examples of long life
Genesis 5:3–32, Genesis 9:29, Genesis 11:10–32
A full span of years
Proverbs 3:16 See also Exodus 20:12 parallel Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 23:25–26; 1 Kings 3:14; Job 5:26; Proverbs 3:2, Proverbs 9:11, Proverbs 10:27
Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
Attitudes to life
Life loved
1 Peter 3:10 See also Psalm 34:12–13; Job 8:21; Psalm 91:16
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
Life despised
Ecclesiastes 2:22–23 See also Job 7:16, Job 10:1; Ecclesiastes 2:17; Jonah 4:8
For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun? Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.