Life and Living

By Linda Mihalic

Life is the condition or attribute of being alive, animate existence; the condition, quality or fact of being a living person; the physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence; a spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death. Life is the vitality or activity embodied in physical forms; the animate terrestrial existence of an individual viewed with regard to its duration; the period from birth to death; the course, condition or manner of living; the series of actions and occurrences constituting the history of an individual from birth to death. Life is the animating principle; that which makes or keeps a thing alive; soul or essence; vitality as embodied in an individual person or thing.Oxford English Dictionary


“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul.”—Genesis 2:7.


Light is the Life of God: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.—Genesis 1:1-4.

The Word of God embodies both the Light and the Life of God: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.—John 1:1-5.

Life is the animating and vivifying Breath of God within us working to its own purposes, using us as its instrument of expression and experience in the material universe. Life is a God-given gift to and property of the living soul; this life is eternal. So long as the immortal soul inhabits the body, as its vehicle in the material world, that body remains alive. When the soul leaves that earthly vehicle, the body dies, having lost its animating vitality. Since the soul is immortal, it becomes obvious that only the body can die. At the moment of death, which we call transition, the soul, which is the repository of consciousness, transitions from one state to another.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days.—Deuteronomy 30:15-20.










Edna Lister on Life

Life is action no matter where you are. I want to be sure I fill each day with the worthwhile things so I will be glad to shake hands with them when I meet them on the path higher up the way.—Edna Lister, October 10, 1925.


The best way to prepare for a future life is to be kind, live one day at a time, and do the very best that you can do each day.
  We believe in the sacredness of the human body, this transient dwelling place of the soul, and so deem it the duty of every man and woman to keep his or her body beautiful through right thinking and right living.—Edna Lister, March 12, 1938.


When the salt has not lost its savor, life is full of happiness.—Edna Lister, August 7, 1938.


Lay down all self, immolate it upon the altar so that your life may be renewed at the Source.—Edna Lister, August 25, 1938.


Weed out all nonessentials in your daily life. Make each hour a perfect pattern to bring forth the next step upward into your own outer sphere of success.—Edna Lister, October 10, 1938.


Life is music, and to be happy and in perfection, you must remain in your own timing and rhythm.—Edna Lister, December 10, 1938.


Give the world only that which can magnify God’s life, Light and Power.—Edna Lister, December 26, 1938.


Love manifests as life to fill all weakness with strength.—Edna Lister, February 3, 1939.


Do not constrain yourself about the outer. Look well to the inner and the outer will take care of itself. Constraint closes all channels. Concern slows the River of Life’s flowing water, which dries up all the love of life and leaves only husks upon which to feed the soul.—Edna Lister, April 26, 1939.


The law is life going forth as strength of mind, heart, body, and affairs.—Edna Lister, September 1, 1939.


Faith is the golden stream of all life flowing from the Heart of God.—Edna Lister, November 29, 1939.


Peace, joy, glory, and Power move forth in great waves of life and Light.—Edna Lister, January 22, 1940.


The Holy Spirit, which is from everlasting unto everlasting, now surrounds us with life, Light and full glory.—Edna Lister, February 26, 1940.


In Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.—Acts 17:28. You live and move and have your being in God’s life.—Edna Lister, March 8, 1940.


All life is contained in Light.—Edna Lister, June 26, 1940.


Law is the Holy Breath substance, which becomes life wherever you find it.—Edna Lister, A Design for Ascension, 1941. 


Life is so cheap and life is so rich. Cheap in that it is free and we may use all we like of it. Rich in what it brings to us of loving friends, new vision, new faith in God.—Edna Lister, February 26, 1941.


Joy is the very essence of all life.—Edna Lister, July 23, 1941.


We have all used Power recklessly, then we have waited impatiently for life to use us. It works the other way: You must let Power use you while you use life ever more. To use life is your birthright. God has put life at your disposal, and no matter how much you have used until now, you have only played at using it.—Edna Lister, September 17, 1941.


Life is inevitable, unchangeable, eternal forever and forever the same—deathless, ageless, abiding, all yours.—Edna Lister, October 22, 1941.


As a transformer of the Power of the River of Life on earth, fix your eye upward, and hold your mind at rest on God in peace. Thus, you become as a little child to accept and know that divine law fulfills every need.—Edna Lister, February 1, 1942.


Not one prayer shall be lost, nor one hour’s devotion shall go astray. They are all written in the Book of Life from which all Creation stems.—Edna Lister, June 18, 1942.


The Holy Breath is the life you are. You must be conscious of partaking of it constantly to recharge yourself.—Edna Lister, April 22, 1943.


See to it that the seed of life you plant in another is not a dead seed! Do not kill it with criticism. Water and quicken the seed with love unconquerable!—Edna Lister, July 14, 1944.


Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our own debtors.—Matthew 6:12 is your key to ascension, your ladder to God’s Power and life.—Edna Lister, October 30, 1944.


Life itself is your challenge to life: To be constant in your effort to ascend each day, to be determined in your effort to live life fully every hour of every day.—Edna Lister, December 28, 1944.


The long-range view of life is the success view of life. When you contract your view to fit today’s despair, you lose the incentive and the power to move forward into success. So, make yours a long-range vision. Make it part of a 10- or 20-year plan. Give yourself time enough to accomplish a truly great plan. There is no such thing as too old or too late. Now is your time of fulfillment. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.—Hebrews 13:8. Life is deathless, ageless and abiding, the same yesterday, today and forever, and you are life embodied.
  Once you are established on our own life’s path, what you make of it, what you do with all you have will determine what you get out of it. Always take time to be happy. It takes time and effort but it pays the greatest of dividends. Find new ways to be full of joy.—Edna Lister, January 8, 1945.


Life will always have its problems, its changes. That is life. Just meet it, live and never let emotion dictate. Always keep plodding on. Never stop your work. Do it and forget the body. Never let it dictate! When it does, you know that subconscious mind controlled by emotions is doing it. Analyze your actions to determine whether emotional or mental selfishness dictates them.—Edna Lister, October 14, 1945.


Life is beautiful, every part of it. Let no disturbing thought, or lack of idealism in others mar your love of life.—Edna Lister, November 15, 1945.


We call the world the School of Life. You cannot make people over as you want them to be. You must lift them up, love them up, live up and love the school of life you attend.—Edna Lister, June 28, 1946.


Everyone who dies to the old sees the main objective and main darkness of his life.—Edna Lister, May 19, 1947.


The River of Life flows from the Throne of God in all directions.—Edna Lister, May 26, 1947.


You must vitalize your body with deep breathing. The body must have that vitalization of life to hold it at the high point of ability to receive from Spirit.—Edna Lister, July 6, 1947.


The source of your life is in Mother Love.—Edna Lister, February 4, 1949.


Breathing insufficient life as inner atomic energy causes lack of vitality. You could and should breathe 1,100 cubic feet of air a day, yet the average individual breathes only 300 cubic feet.—Edna Lister, September 28, 1950.


A live wire kills because it has too much life for a body to take, and needs a stepdown transformer. God needs you as the stepdown transformer of His Power of life.—Edna Lister, June 7, 1951.


The more life you use, the younger you get.—Edna Lister, July 11, 1951.


Your daily life is your temple and your religion. Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his beliefs from his occupation?—Edna Lister, May 22, 1952.


The fully vitalized seed of life is genius.—Edna Lister, July 16, 1953.


Anyone who has taken a life deliberately and with malice has lost the right to live among men.—Edna Lister, July 6, 1954.


To live by joy alone causes the cells of the body to work together in harmony. Then you give the Father only your best high service.—Edna Lister, December 20, 1954.


Move up to where life abounds and life eternal shall possess you.—Edna Lister, July 24, 1955.


You can never have too much life. Lie on the floor like a five-pointed star when you are tired, and be refilled.—Edna Lister, November 21, 1955.


Love is the way of life.—Edna Lister, Nourishing Love, May 13, 1956.


The Word, Light and life are all God as Himself. Light is God as substance. Life is God as action. The Word is the Son.—Edna Lister, November 5, 1956.


Pride, resentment and intolerance cause deathly travail. Someone who loves enough must breathe life back into them.—Edna Lister, December 20, 1956.


The Master’s challenge is always to express enough life to live gloriously, to see more, to look at spring flowers and see energy and life. Unless you take the time to catch God giving life to the branches, to see life flowing through, you are missing a beautiful life. More life is necessary to give with, to love with, to live. Let go of the old things that bring satisfaction to grasp the new things that give life.—Edna Lister, February 20, 1957.


When the faith of God possesses you, it is the glory of life.—Edna Lister, March 12, 1957.


The Holy Spirit is the fire of divine life as atomic substance. With every breath, you split the atom.—Edna Lister, June 6, 1957.


Eternity, as Mind, consists of Light, Substance, Power, and life.—Edna Lister, September 9, 1957.


God’s life is never impoverished. He has as much as He ever had. The best song has not yet been sung. The best book has never been written.—Edna Lister, February 4, 1958.


Doing something is better than nothing. "Do nothing" is what ails the world. War, the poor economy and delinquency all stem from the do-nothing class. They draw their skirts aside and criticize the fellow who is doing it, but do nothing about it themselves. It isn’t enough to sit on life’s sidelines and offer no help to anyone. Unless you go out and do, how can you self-righteously sit and say what you would do? To evade and avoid life, to escape life is not the answer.—Edna Lister, February 17, 1958.


The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.—Matthew 6:22. The single eye is the life of the body.—Edna Lister, February 19, 1958.


You can pour out life as a challenge to darkness and bring back to life what was thought dead. You can bring the dead to life. Ask for real miracles.—Edna Lister, March 6, 1958.


Stop cutting off life immortal by false if and but statements.—Edna Lister, March 18, 1958.


Live now, fully, as if it were your first hour of life, not your last.
  When you gestate your soul life constantly, you become the Priest of God and tie your earth to heaven.—Edna Lister, June 12, 1958.


The secret of all health, strength and joy, all added things and eternal life is to see evil for a second only, to recognize it for lifting.—Edna Lister, October 17, 1958.


Truth is no substitute for anything, but a principle to live by as an entirely new way of life.—Edna Lister, Healing by Principle, July 12, 1959.


Life is graded in degrees; only a few are on the same step simultaneously. Truth is expansion and growth. All life exists according to its degree and kind. A rose is a rose and can be no other flower. You can follow this law anywhere and see the degree of expansion and transformation.—Edna Lister, August 24, 1959.


Old age means to let go of alertness and vitality, letting go of the goal, living from day to day as the world sees it. To be alive and alert, you must go higher. It is a definite choice between life and death: Vigilance and steadfastness every moment are major keynotes of life.—Edna Lister, February 23, 1960.


Little self is dead wrong and leads to weakness and death. Soul is Light, alive right, leading to greater vigor and more strength.—Edna Lister, What Is Your Measure of Power? June 12, 1960.


Our way of life is to follow the Light.—Edna Lister, Without Shadow of Turning, June 18, 1961.


If you are not for life, you are against it. Life never leaves you alone.—Edna Lister, Before the Beginning, I Am, November 3, 1963.


Love of life is love of God in its highest form.—Edna Lister, Before the Beginning, I Am, November 3, 1963.


It is not just enough to study the Bible; the Bible is a way of life.—Edna Lister, April 13, 1964.


You are not happy unless spiritual life is possessing you.—Edna Lister, November 27, 1964.


You cannot have sufficient life unless you breathe deeply. The less you breathe, the more atoms collapse, so you have pain, illness, old age and death.—Edna Lister, What Is a Messiah? December 13, 1964.

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Treatments for More Life

When you say, I am weak. I am so tired, you haven’t any vitality or life. Stand up and say, I AM healed. I AM strong. Stop being half and half. Work for perfection!—Edna Lister, September 23, 1942.


Declare As oil mingles with oil, as water mingles with water, as air mingles with air, as light mingles with light, so my life mingles with the life of God.—Edna Lister, July 14, 1944.


Let the fire from above, which consumes all else unlike itself, consume you. I am now possessed by the fire of the Flame of Life Immortal and all I do is touched by its glory. Use this constantly and see the glory of God descend upon you.—Edna Lister, October 23, 1945.


The Breath of God moves through me, vitalizes my body, fills me with life, cleanses and purifies me. The body must breathe with the Breath, individual timing must comply with universal timing, or it congests the lungs eventually. Declare that your body is cleansed, purified inside and outside, and that vitality moves through to fill you.—Edna Lister, July 11, 1945.

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New Testament on Life

Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?—Matthew 6:25.


Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.—Matthew 7:13-14.


He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.—Matthew 10:39.


For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.—Matthew 16:25.


Everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.—Matthew 19:29.


For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.—Mark 8:35.


There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.—Mark 10:29-30.


Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.—Luke 9:24.


Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.—Luke 12:15.


Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.—Luke 12:22-23.


Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.—Luke 17:32-33.


Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.—Luke 21:34-35.


In [the Word] was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.—John 1:4-5.


As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:14.


God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.—John 3:16.


He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.—John 3:36.


Whoever drinks of the water that [the Christ] shall give him will never thirst, but that water will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.—John 4:14.


One sows and another reaps: He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.—John 4:36‑37.


He who hears [the Christ’s] word and believes in Him who sent him has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.—John 5:24.


As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man.—John 5:26.


As the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will.—John 5:21.


Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life.—John 6:27.


The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.—John 6:33.


[The Word is] the bread of life. He who comes to the Word shall never hunger, and he who believes in the Word shall never thirst.—John 6:35.


He who believes in [the Christ] has everlasting life.—John 6:47.


I am that bread of life.…I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.—John 6:48, 51.


It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.—John 6:63.


[The Christ, who is the Word, is] the light of the world. He who follows [him] shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.—John 8:12.


He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.—John 12:25.


The Father’s command is everlasting life.—John 12:50.


Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through the Christ.—John 14:6.


God does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.—Acts 17:24‑25.


The law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made us free from the law of sin and death.—Romans 8:2.


To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.—Romans 8:6‑7.


All things are yours: whether the world or life or death, or things present or things to come — all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.—1 Corinthians 3:21‑23.


Aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.—1 Thessalonians 4:11‑12.


Bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.—1 Timothy 4:8.


Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.—1 Timothy 6:12.


Let the rich do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.—1 Timothy 6:18.


Do not entangle yourself with the affairs of this life.—2 Timothy 2:4.


Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.—James 1:12.


He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. James 5:20.


God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.—1 John 5:11.


He who overcomes will eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.—Revelation 2:7.


He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.—Revelation 2:11.


Those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.—Revelation 17:8.


Anyone not found written in the Book of Life shall be cast into the lake of fire.—Revelation 20:15.

Christ will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.—Revelation 21:6.

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Old Testament on Life

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days.—Deuteronomy 30:15-20.


As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.—Proverbs 11:19.


In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death.—Proverbs 12:28.


The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.—Proverbs 13:14.


The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.—Proverbs 14:27.


Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.—Proverbs 18:21.

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Life in Other Sacred Writings

God created all things, that they might have their being: The generations of the world were healthful; there is no poison of destruction in them, nor was the kingdom of death upon the earth: for righteousness is immortal.—Wisdom of Solomon 1:14-15.


All men have one entrance into life, and the like going out.—Wisdom of Solomon 7:6.


Prosperity and adversity, life and death, poverty and riches, come of the Lord.—Wisdom of Ben Sirach 11:14.


It is an easy thing unto the Lord in the day of death to reward a man according to his ways.—Wisdom of Ben Sirach 11:26.


The knowledge of the commandments of the Lord is the doctrine of life: and they who do things that please Him shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality.—Wisdom of Ben Sirach 19:19.


Envy and wrath shorten the life, and carefulness brings age before the time.—Wisdom of Ben Sirach 30:24.


Four manner of things appear: good and evil, life and death: but the tongue rules over them continually.—Wisdom of Ben Sirach 37:18.


If you consider how long the world existed before you, and how long it will exist after you, you will find that your life is one single day, and your sufferings one single hour.—The Apocryphon of James, Codex I, 2.


Hearken to the Word, understand knowledge, love life, and no one will persecute you, nor will anyone oppress you, other than you yourselves.—The Apocryphon of James, Codex I, 2.


Become earnest about the Word! For as to the Word, its first part is faith; the second, love; the third, works; for from these comes life. For the Word is like a grain of wheat; when someone had sown it, he had faith in it; and when it had sprouted, he loved it, because he had seen many grains in place of one. And when he had worked, he was saved, because he had prepared it for food, (and) again he left (some) to sow. So also can you yourselves receive the kingdom of heaven; unless you receive this through knowledge, you will not be able to find it.—The Apocryphon of James, Codex I, 2.


He who will receive life and believe in the kingdom will never leave it, not even if the Father wishes to banish him.—The Apocryphon of James, Codex I, 2.


In time, Unity will perfect the spaces. Within Unity each will attain himself; within knowledge, he will purify himself from multiplicity into Unity, consuming matter within himself like fire, and darkness by Light, death by Life.—The Gospel of Truth, Codex I, 3 and XII, 2.


When Light had spoken through the Word’s mouth, as well as his voice, which gave birth to life, he gave them thought and understanding, and mercy and salvation, and the powerful spirit from the infiniteness and the sweetness of the Father.—The Gospel of Truth, Codex I, 3 and XII, 2.


It is fitting to be concerned at all times with the Father of the all, and the true brothers, those upon whom the love of the Father is poured out, and in whose midst there is no lack of Him. They appear in truth, since they exist in true and eternal life, and speak of the Light which is perfect, and filled with the seed of the Father, and which is in His heart, while his Spirit rejoices in it and glorifies the one in whom it existed, because He is good. And His children are perfect and worthy of His name, for He is the Father; it is children of this kind that He loves.—The Gospel of Truth, Codex I, 3 and XII, 2.


The Son of God was Son of Man; he embraced them both, possessing the humanity and the divinity, so that on the one hand he might vanquish death through his being Son of God, and that on the other through the Son of Man the restoration to the wholeness might occur; because he was originally from above, a seed of Truth, before this structure had come into being." Treatise on the Resurrection, Codex I, 4.


The Savior swallowed up death, for he put aside the world which is perishing. He transformed himself into an imperishability and raised himself up, having swallowed the visible by the invisible, and he gave us the way of our immortality.—Treatise on the Resurrection, Codex I, 4.


God is pure, immeasurable mind. He is life-giving life. He is a blessedness-giving blessed One. He is knowledge-giving knowledge. He is goodness-giving goodness. He is mercy and redemption-giving mercy. He is grace-giving grace, not because He possesses it, but because He gives the immeasurable, incomprehensible Light.—The Apocryphon of John, Codex III, 10.


The Light of Life, which is in man, awakens his thinking.—The Apocryphon of John, Codex III, 1.


Where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning; he will know the end and will not experience death.—Gospel of Thomas, Codex II, 2.


Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life.—Gospel of Thomas, Codex II, 2.


Take heed of the Living One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see Him and be unable to do so.—Gospel of Thomas, Codex II, 2.


He who has believed in the truth has found life, and is in danger of dying, for he is alive.—Gospel of Philip, Codex II, 3.


Light and Darkness, life and death, right and left are brothers of one another, inseparable. Because of this neither are the good good, nor evil evil, nor is life life, nor death death. For this reason each one will dissolve into its earliest origin.—Gospel of Philip, Codex II, 3.


By perfecting the water of baptism, Jesus emptied it of death. Thus we do go down into the water, but we do not go down into death, in order that we may not be poured out into the spirit of the world. When that spirit blows, it brings the winter. When the Holy Spirit breathes, the summer comes.—Gospel of Philip, Codex II, 3.


This world is a corpse-eater. All the things eaten in it themselves die also. Truth is a life-eater. Therefore no one nourished by truth will die.—Gospel of Philip, Codex II, 3.


Visible bodies survive by devouring creatures similar to them with the result that the bodies change. That which changes will decay and perish, and has no hope of life from then on, since that body is bestial. So just as the body of the beasts perishes, so also will these formations perish. [This typifies the axiom You are what you eat.]—Thomas the Contender, Codex II, 7.

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Edna Miriam Lister
1884—1971
The original Pioneering Mystic,
Christian Platonist philosopher, American Idealist, Founder, Society of the Universal Living Christ, minister, teacher, author, wife, and mother.


Edna Lister


Etymology of life: Old English lif, to live, to continue, to endure.


Life is an absolute principle.

Life is an abstract principle.

Life is a law of being.


Quotes

The One remains, the many change and pass;
Heaven’s light for ever shines, earth’s shadows fly;
Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass,
Stains the white radiance of eternity.—Percy Bysshe Shelley

Life is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end.—Virginia Woolf, Modern Fiction


References

Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, 2024.

The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV).

The Nag Hammadi Library. James M. Robinson, ed. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1988.

The Oxford English Dictionary: Compact Ed., 2 vols. E.S.C. Weiner, ed. Oxford University Press, 1971.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "Adonais, LII." The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Thomas Hutchinson, ed., Oxford University Press: London, New York, 1914.

Woolf, Virginia. "Modern Fiction," The Common Reader. London: Hogarth Press, 1959, paragraph 5.


Related Topics

Death

Immortality

Resurrection

Soul

The Seven Degrees of Breath and Life: Edna Lister lecture outline; January 31, 1933.