Christians - What Did Jesus Mean By The Abundant Life?

Question

In John 10:10, what did Jesus mean when he said that he came so that people would have life and have it more abundantly? What did he mean by "the abundant life"?

The New Living Translation (2004 edition), translates that verse this way:

"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

Now I know, based on the way Jesus lived, he did not mean rich and satisfying as in health, wealth, and prosperity, the way some preachers are teaching today. Jesus promised us (Christians) none of those things. He promised, however, that he would always be with us and never forsake us. But what did he mean by "abundant life"?

I know that some people are opposed to the New Living Translation and that's fine, but it's the translation that God has used to speak to me personally. So please, if you would, refrain from making any comments about the NLT. I am looking for solid biblical answers to my question. Thanks.

Wishing you all a wonderful, happy, and blessed Thanksgiving!

Answer 1

lack of nothing

Answer 2

Something else. We are given @70 years to hear and respond to The Gospel of Jesus Christ, thus passing from natural life, filled with all its vanities and frustrations, to a new spiritual life which is filled with peace, joy, righteousness, faith, hope, charity and has no end. If it is an issue of "wealth", then let it be the treasures we lay up in heaven, where moths and rust do not corrupt nor thieves break through and steal. Obvious to me is the difference in "abundance" between a few natural years in the flesh and everlasting life with our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Answer 3

No problem with the NLT. There are times for looking up picky details and there are times for just feeling the Spirit.

The "abundant" life Jesus referred to is sharing in the life of God. Some call it "grace". Compare the way John phrased it in Jn 1:4, "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." It's a new light. It's an expansion of our view of life beyond the endless round of bills, work, worry, social obligations and other drudgery. "Abundant" life lets us see more as God sees, the interconnectedness and interdependence of people, the need to reach out beyond the safety zone, abandoning fear for love and service, trusting that all will be well without our accounting for every owed nickle and social slight. "Abundant life" frees us from useless worry, toward objective awareness and compassionate reponsibility. Life's possibilities get bigger when you're not spending all your time thinking about "what you are to eat, what you are to drink and what you are to wear". That's "abundant life".

Answer 4

To me abundant life is what you find when you truly give yourself to Christ and live the life of love and trust that he invites us to live. Life is richer, more beautiful, more filled with friends, less filled with fear, and with petty jealousy.

It is a pleasure to be a part of a church where we bear one another's burdens and really care about each other. It feels good to help others, to share at more than a superficial level and to know that in the end it will all work out.

Answer 5

New World Translation

Jesus said,” at John 10:7-10, “‘Most truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All those that have come in place of me are thieves and plunderers; but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved, and he will go in and out and find pasturage. The thief does not come unless it is to steal and slay and destroy. I have come that they might have life and might have it in abundance.’”

Answer 6

The word of God is like a puzzle.You put the pieces together and see the picture.Anyone that has lived in this world without direction from the Lord has learned a lot of things that cause them to be cursed.Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.Abundant life comes from abiding in the word of God and being free from being cursed.Whether we have riches or poverty,we have peace that comes from knowing the truth.

Answer 7

John 10:10

[Might have it more abundantly] Literally, that they may have abundance, or that which abounds. The word denotes that which is not absolutely essential to life, but which is superadded to make life happy. They shall not merely have life-simple, bare existence-but they shall have all those superadded things which are needful to make that life eminently blessed and happy. It would be vast mercy to keep men merely from annihilation or hell; but Jesus will give them eternal joy, peace, the society of the blessed, and all those exalted means of felicity which are prepared for them in the world of glory.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
John 10:10

That they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly, [perisson (NT:4053)] - or rather, simply, 'have it abundantly.' I came, not to preserve a life already possessed, but to impart a life before unknown, and to communicate it in rich and unfailing exuberance. What a claim! And yet it is but a repetition, under a new aspect, of what He had taught in the synagogue of Capernaum (John 6); nay, but an echo of all His teaching; and He who uttered these and like words must be either a blasphemer, all worthy of the death He died, or "God with us:" there can be no middle course.
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)


John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
[But for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy] Those who enter into the priesthood that they may enjoy the revenues of the Church are the basest and vilest of thieves and murderers. Their ungodly conduct is a snare to the simple, and the occasion of much scandal to the cause of Christ. Their doctrine is deadly; they are not commissioned by Christ, and therefore they cannot profit the people. Their character is well pointed out by the Prophet Ezekiel, Ezek 34:2, etc. Woe be to the shepherds of Israel, that do feed themselves! Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool; ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock, etc. How can worldly-minded, hireling, fox-hunting, and card-playing priests read these words of the Lord, without trembling to the center of their souls! Woe to those parents who bring up their children merely for church honours and emoluments! Suppose a person have all the Church's revenues, if he have God's woe, how miserable is his portion! Let none apply this censure to any one class of preachers, exclusively.
[That they might have life] My doctrine tends to life, because it is the true doctrine-that of the false and bad shepherds tends to death, because it neither comes from nor can lead to that God who is the fountain of life.
[Might have it more abundantly.] That they might have an abundance, meaning either of life, or of all necessary good things; greater felicity than ever was enjoyed under any period of the Mosaic dispensation; and it is certain that Christians have enjoyed greater blessings and privileges than were ever posseseed by the Jews, even in the Promised Land. If perisson (NT:4053) be considered the accusative femine, Attic, agreeing with zooeen (NT:2222) (see Parkhurst), then it signifies more abundant life, that is, eternal life; or spiritual blessings much greater than had ever yet been communicated to man, preparing for a glorious immortality. Jesus is come that men may have abundance; abundance of grace, peace, love, life, and salvation. Blessed be Jesus.

(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

Answer 8

When you know Christ you will understand what is truly important and that will make you happy. You will have found God's purpose for your life. You will feel that your life has meaning and purpose.

Answer 9

I think that he meant he would give yo heaven, and your life on Earth would be in the hands of God, and protected by him. I'm not exactly sure myself, maybe you should talk to your priest/pastor about it, he might know.

Answer 10

that following him will give you better quality of life now and eternal life later

the devil makes promises but cant deliver... he leaves you unsatisfied...

do I drink gutter water ... or living water... the problem is in the heart God must draw you to realize that the living water satisfies...

Answer 11

That their lives would be enriched by the Word of God.