The God of the Living
Scripture: But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him. (Luke 20.37-38)
Main Point: God does not say “I was their God” but “I am their God”—for to Him, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive even now.
Jesus answered the Sadducees by pointing them back to Moses at the burning bush. There, centuries after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died and been buried, God identified Himself as “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3.6). Not “I was their God,” but “I am their God.” Present tense.
With these words, the bush at Mount Sinai burns again in our imagination. We hear God’s voice echoing through the ages: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3.14). The eternally present God stands before the Sadducees in Jesus Christ, the great I AM in the flesh.
When God calls Himself the God of the patriarchs long after their deaths, He declares they are still alive to Him. God is not a God of corpses and dust. He is the God of living persons who continue in relationship with Him. Death does not break our bond with God. Those who die in faith do not cease to exist—they enter more fully into the life God has always intended for His children.
Reflection: The God who was, and is, and is to come remains the God of all who belong to Him, both the living and the dead. How does knowing that your departed loved ones are alive to God bring you comfort? What does it mean to you personally that God is the God of the living?
Prayer: Eternal God, You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and You are my God. Thank You that death cannot separate Your children from Your love. Help me live confidently as one who belongs to the God of the living. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Responses