The Line of Life and the Line of Death in Romans 5-8 and Choosing the Line of Life

We need to see the line of life and the line of death in Romans 5-8, and we need to be those who choose the line of life, being in our spirit day by day!

Today we believers in Christ need to choose the tree of life to remain on the line of life by setting our mind not on the self or the flesh but on our spirit; we need to develop the habit of staying in the spirit to be living, full of life, and staying away from any death. Amen!

This week in our morning revival time with the Lord we come to the general topic of, Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans – the Kernel of the Bible (based on the 2025 International Chinese-Speaking Conference). This first week our topic is, The Line of Life and the Line of Death in Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans. Amen!

In Deuternonomy, Moses gave the people of Israel a choice: life and death, blessing and curse; he encouraged them to choose life so that they and their seed may live.

Today we have the same choice. We have two trees before us, and we pray that the Lord would strengthen us to make the wise choice, the eternal choice; we want to choose the tree of life.

The gate that leads to eternal life is narrow and the way is constricted; however, the way that leads to destruction is wide. May we forever choose the way of life.

As we come to Romans chapters 5 through 8 we need to see that these are not just the centre of the book of Romans but even more, they are the kernel of the Bible. Romans 5-8 are the inner substance, the nucleus, the most important part of the Bible.

First of all, we need to see the line of life and the line of death in these chapters. When we speak of the matter of life, especially us in the Lord’s recovery, we understand what life is, we think we know what life is, and we desire to be on the line of life.

When we hear of the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we think we are quite familiar with these two trees, and we may wonder why do we need to be reminded of them.

We may think that we are now more advanced and we can focus on deeper things, even things that are more intrinsic or that are higher than these two trees; however, we need to have a fresh new seeing of these two trees.

No matter whether we are a newly saved person or we have been saved for many years, may we have a new revelation concerning the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that we may choose to be on the line of life and stay away from the line of death with all its forms.

We may have been saved for many years, and we may consider we have entered into this matter many times, and we know the Bible well; we may know the way of the Lord and have seen something concerning God’s house.

However, we may still not be living on the line of life. May we have a renewed seeing so that we may be kept on the line of life.

The Line of Life and the Line of Death in Romans 5-8 – Man is between Satan and God, Life and Death

Chapters 5 through 8 of the Epistle to the Romans can be called the kernel of the Bible, showing its entire theme in a concrete and detailed way.

If we have a heart to pursue the Lord, we do well to spend time to read these four chapters in a prayerful way, even in a way of considering with much prayer before the Lord, with the footnotes in the Recovery Version Bible, so that we may see the line of life and the line of death in these chapters.

Thank the Lord that we have the ministry of the age to open up these chapters to us for us to see the kernel of the Bible.

These two key words – life and death – are mentioned repeatedly in Romans 5 through 8.

Life (Rom. 5:10, 17-18, 21; 6:4, 22-23; 7:10; 8:2, 6, 10- 11, 38) and death (5:12, 14, 17, 21; 6:9, 16, 21, 23; 7:5, 10, 13, 24; 8:2, 6, 10-11, 38) form two contrasting lines through chapters 5—8, the line of life and the line of death, showing that man is in a triangular situation between God and Satan, life and death.

We may like to hear about life but we may not like to talk about death. Actually, as human beings, we avoid talking about death, and we may even be afraid of death, not wanting to talk about it.

But we should not be afraid to talk about death, especially as we see death being revealed in the Bible.

In Romans 5 through 8, death and life are mentioned many times; actually, death is referred to twenty times, while life is referred to only ten times. It’s a ratio of two to one; apparently, death is more mentioned than life.

We need to understand what death is in order for us to receive life and appreciate life. May we give ourselves to the Lord to spend time with Him in His word to read and pray over His word so that we may see the line of life and the line of death.

The line of life and the line of death show us the two sources in this universe; God is the source of life, and Satan is the source of death.

These two sources issue in two realms, two spheres, two lines, two ways, and two results, two goals, and two consummations.

This is the entire Bible in a nutshell; it seems so simple, but actually it is quite complicated, for we are inclined to choose death or stay on the line of death instead of choosing life.

It all began in the garden of Eden, where Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9).

On the one hand, we have the tree of life, which issues in life; on the other hand, we have the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is the tree of death, issuing in the line of death.

The issue of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is death; this tree is related to knowledge, good, and evil.

We may want to choose good and we may like knowledge, but we hate evil; however, all three are related, and they are all on the line of death.

We may think that good is one category while evil is in a different category; in God’s eyes, however, these are in the same category, for the Bible puts both good and evil together.

It’s almost as if there’s one family where there are three sisters – knowledge, good, and evil – who work together to bring forth death. Oh Lord Jesus!

God wants man to partake of the tree of life, but as we know, man failed God and chose the wrong tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God didn’t say that man should not eat of the tree of death; rather, He said that man should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if he does, death comes in.

Man today is again between these two trees – the tree of life issuing in the line of life, and the tree of death issuing in the line of death.

Every day, every hour, and even every minute we need to make a choice; we need to choose Christ as the tree of life. If we choose life, God is victorious; He gains us and we gain Him, and God’s heart’s desire can be accomplished.

But if we do not choose life but choose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we cooperate with the devil, we are joined to him, and the evil one is victorious; he reigns in us and against us, which results in destruction.

The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil issue in two lines which reach two consummations, seen in Revelation.

At the end of Revelation, we see the consummation of the tree of life – the New Jerusalem, the holy city, a city full of life with the river of water of life and the tree of life growing in it (Rev. 22:1-2).

Also, in Revelation we see the consummation of the line of death, which is the lake of fire, for even death, the last enemy, is cast into the lake of fire (20:14). May we choose to be on the line of life today!

Lord Jesus, unveil us to see life and death today so that we may choose life and reject death! Amen, Lord, we choose life! We reject anything of death. Show us that we are between the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil today. Oh Lord Jesus, may we not appreciate good or knowledge but even more, may we choose life! We want to stay away from death in all its forms and details, and we want to be on the line of life! May we walk on the line of life today by contacting You day by day. We choose life so that both we and those around us may live! Amen, Lord, we choose to partake of Christ as the tree of life so that we may remain on the line of life. May we refuse anything of knowledge, good, and evil, apart from Christ! Oh Lord Jesus, keep us on the line of life until we become the New Jerusalem, the holy city! Hallelujah, we believers in Christ can choose the line of life today! Amen, Lord, keep us in our spirit today!

Choose the Line of Life by Setting our Mind on the Spirit and staying in the Spirit

The Bible consistently speaks of the same thing, from beginning to the end; in Genesis we see two trees issuing in two lines, and at the end of the Bible we see two consummations – the New Jerusalem and the lake of fire.

These are two lines – the line of life and the line of death – running throughout the Bible and actually throughout human history; we can be either on the line of life or on the line of death.

The tree of life and the tree of knowledge (the tree of death) issue in two lines—the line of life and the line of death—that run through the entire Bible and end in the book of Revelation.

Life begins with the tree of life (Gen. 2:9) and ends with the New Jerusalem as the city of water of life with the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2), the light of life (21:23; 22:5), and the glory of life (21:10-11, 23); death begins with the tree of knowledge (Gen. 2:17) and ends with the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10, 14).

God is the source of life, and Satan is the source of death. In the garden of Eden, we see a triangular situation: man is between two trees, two sources, and he needs to choose between God and Satan.

In Romans 5-8 we see the same triangular situation: we can either set our mind on the flesh to partake of death, or we can set our mind on the spirit and remain in the spirit to enjoy life (Rom. 8:4, 6).

We believers in Christ are in a triangular situation now, being before two trees issuing in two lines.

Many times during the day, we are on the line of death, for we set our mind not on the things of the Spirit but on the flesh, the self, and on so many things of this world. The result is death; Satan has a way to operate in us and bring many parts of our being into darkness and death. Oh Lord!

Sometimes, however, we turn to our spirit, we set our mind on our spirit, and we remain in our spirit; at such times, we enjoy life and peace, and Christ has a way to live in us and keep us on the line of life.

Satan is very subtle: he doesn’t come to us plainly, telling us that when we choose him, we choose death; rather, he comes to us to offer us knowledge, good, and evil.

As believers in Christ, we need to realize that good and evil and knowledge are all the same – they are on the line of death.

It is very tempting to choose the good and reject the evil; but we choose the tree of life, for we want to be on the line of life! Oh Lord, we choose life!

God’s economy is not a matter of us doing good and rejecting evil, nor is it being right instead of being wrong.

God’s economy is not a matter of ethics; the ethical standard says that we should do good and not evil.

God’s economy is a matter of life or death; we need to be those choosing the line of life, that is, setting our mind on our spirit and staying in our spirit so that we may enjoy life and peace.

To be on the line of life is to set our mind on our spirit, live Christ, and express God. We are daily in a battlefield, and the universal battle between God and Satan is raging within us.

The outcome of this battle depends on who and what we set our mind on. If we set our mind on the flesh or the self, we are cut off from the spirit, and Satan gains ground in us.

But if we choose to set our mind on the spirit, stay in spirit, and live in spirit, God gains the victory.

This all boils down to our daily decisions. When we wake up in the morning, do we simply turn on the TV or check our phone for notifications, or do we choose to first set our mind on our spirit?

When we talk to others, do we just express how we feel and what we think, or do we inwardly pray to contact the Lord, thus setting our mind on our spirit?

When we have a break at work, do we mindlessly scroll on our device, or do we inwardly contact the Lord as we do this and that?

May the Lord have mercy on us that we may choose the line of life. May we cooperate with the indwelling Spirit to put to death the deeds and practices of the old person.

May we develop the habit of staying in the spirit so that we may be living and stay away from death.

Lord Jesus, we choose to set our mind on our spirit. We do not set our mind on the thing of the flesh or on the self; we set our mind on You and on Your word! Amen, Lord, we want to be on the line of life today. By Your mercy and grace, keep us on the line of life! May we see the battle raging between God and Satan within us, and may we daily choose to set our mind on the spirit! Hallelujah, the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, but the mind set on the flesh is death. Keep us turning to our spirit! Oh Lord, we want to develop the habit of staying in the spirit. Keep us praying and contacting You throughout the day so that our mind may be set on You and we would be on the line of life! Oh Lord, we want to put to death the deeds of the old person by the indwelling Spirit so that we may live, be full of life, and stay way from any death! Keep us on the line of life, Lord, until we become the New Jerusalem, the city of life!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Romans, msgs. 33, 38, and 50, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans – the Kernel of the Bible (2025 ICSC), week 1, The Line of Life and the Line of Death in Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – The Goal of the Christian Life—to Live Christ, a free booklet via, LSM.
  – Genesis (Program #18) – The Two Trees (1), via, Bible study radio.
  – The two trees – the way of life versus the religion of death, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – The Principle of Life or the Principle of Right and Wrong—Which Do You Live By? More via, Holding to Truth in Love.
  – 01 – The Line of Life and the Line of Death in Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans, video sharing by brother Ed.
  – What Really Happened in the Garden of Eden? More via, Bibles for America blog.
  – Life and death in Romans five through eight, a portion from, Life-Study of Romans, Chapter 38.
  – Life or Death, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – The Line of Life and the Line of Death in Chapters 5 through 8 of Romans, sharing by brother Ray Mulligan.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – There are two lines to live by in our living today— / One the life line to bring us into Christ all the way. / But the other is knowledge which will make us die; / We must be very careful on which line we abide. / Oh, we’ll stay on God’s life line, never turning aside. / We don’t care for vain knowledge, which will cause us to die. / Lord, we’ll touch You by calling on Your name each day; / Living in Your appearing, in Your presence we’ll stay. (Hymns #1194 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – The tree of life the center is / Of God’s eternal, perfect plan, / Denoting God in Christ as life / To be received as all by man. / The tree of knowledge standing there, / Bespeaks a sure and warning voice: / Outside of God there is a source / Of death to all who make this choice. (Hymns #733 stanzas 2-3)
  – Life is mysterious, life is God Himself, / Whose whole intention focuses on man. / God made him to take in the tree of life, / To have a man of life for His own plan…’Tis by this Spirit that we walk and act, / We have our being, think, and see all things; / We’re now within this Spirit! What a fact! / This Spirit to us all God’s fullness brings! (Hymns #1195 stanzas 1 and 8)