True life in Christ: April ‘Lutheran Witness’

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly,” says our Lord (John 10:10).

In our culture of death, Christians talk a lot about life and its protection. As we do so, it is important that we can answer the questions: What is life? Why does it matter? Is it simply a beating heart and brain activity?

During Eastertide, we sing joyfully and triumphantly of our Lord, who rose again to life and swallowed up death forever. Easter reminds us, indeed, that true life is not just a beating heart. As the Rev. Dr. Charles Gieschen points out in the April issue of The Lutheran Witness, “A human is more than just ﬂesh and blood; vital to human life, as the Scriptures reveal, is having the breath or Spirit of life. In short, life is being in communion or union with God, the source of life, through the Spirit.”

The April issue takes up the topic of this true life — life in Christ. Our culture of death is constantly shouting lies about life into our ears. Stephanie Neugebauer warns against the subtle ways they can shape our own thinking. The Rev. William Gleason addresses one of these lies more fully: the temptation to view productivity as the thing that gives our life value and meaning — which often leaves the elderly feeling that their life no longer has meaning. Gleason writes on the purpose that Christ gives to life at every age. The Rev. Dr. Geoﬀrey Boyle takes up a similar crisis younger readers may face: the question of what we should do with our lives on earth.

God created abundant life in the Garden of Eden. Man’s fall into sin brought death into the world — and yet, as Scripture attests, over the centuries God has again and again brought streams of living water to His parched people, planted the seeds of His Word, and promised to His people an eternal city and a restored Garden. The Rev. Christopher Maronde unpacks this garden imagery throughout Scripture.

We hope that this issue will bring you joy in this Easter season as you reﬂect upon our risen Lord Jesus Christ, the light and life of the world.

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Posted April 13, 2026