Gospel
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Think about it for a moment, Christ has brought life and immortality through the gospel. Isn’t this amazing? Life and immortality! Let’s read the Bible verse that declares this:
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2Tim. 1:8-10
Jesus Christ abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Do you see that? Our Lord Jesus ushered in the dispensation of life and immortality for man through His gospel, after He abolished death on the cross. Glory to God! I am grateful to God forever for the gospel. This gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."” Rom. 1:16-17
The power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes is revealed in the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. There is no other way God saves! And in this, the rightness, or the correctness of God is revealed from faith to faith. In other words, God is never wrong with His gospel. Everything the Bible says Jesus already did by His one-time sacrifice and resurrection is absolutely true, and you can bank on it. The total package of redemption through forgiveness of sins, and justification of life forevermore is already accomplished and obtainable in this gospel.
Therefore, it is required of the just to live by faith, if indeed he must enjoy God’s abundant life in Christ Jesus unto the end. Since he was saved by the faith which the hearing of the gospel of grace produced, he must also be kept by the faith of the gospel which he has received, through grace.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Col. 2:6-7
Now on the abolition of death…
Christ has abolished death, and He has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! How did Jesus abolish death? He did so, on the cross. The Bible says “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2Cor 5:21
Note this; “…He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us…,” The moment Jesus accepted the will of the Father at Gethsemane, He accepted the cup of suffering, He took upon Himself the sins of humanity, and He became Sin. That moment, the prince of this world came and found sin in Jesus.
“Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand." And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him." Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?" Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.” Matt. 26:42-50
In that state of sin, He assumed the position of the first man – Adam, vicariously, and He became spiritually dead to God. Fellowship was severed, intimacy was removed, the light of the world became darkness, and suddenly there was a great gulf fixed between God and Jesus, His precious Son. For once in Jesus’ life He experienced a moment of silence, darkness, separation from His Father, oh what a hopeless moment! This agony was more than the physical suffering Jesus went through, that He cried; “…My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"” He didn’t even say My Father (a language of closeness, intimacy and fellowship), rather, He said (My God – a language of distance)
The punishment that should have fallen on us, were placed on Him, until God’s wrath was satisfied, by His death on the Cross. It was indeed a note of victory for us, because Jesus’ death on that cross meant our death. And that moment, Jesus abolished death (spiritual death, physical death and eternal death) for all humanity once and for all!
This goes on to mean that when Jesus became Sin, He became spiritually dead. This spiritual death led to His physical death, as the Bible says; “…the wages of sin is death” Rom. 6:23, and ultimately, the physical death which ushered Him into hell, where He tasted eternal death for us.
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Heb. 2:9
The significance of this for us is that since He tasted death for us in these three dimensions, we who believe in Him are free from spiritual death, eternal death and physical death. Physical death I say, not that believers don’t sleep in the Lord (note, believers don’t die, we sleep in the Lord), but the Bible encourages us to eagerly wait for the coming of the Lord as those who will remain till He comes. Additionally, the believer must have the mindset that he is kept by the power of God unto salvation, for a full life of service in the call and purpose of God, by faith.
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.” 1Thess. 4:14-15
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1Thess. 4:17
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.” Phil.1:21-26
Not only that, we are also free forever from the fear of death. There is no fear of eternal damnation, no fear of hell fire, no fear of sudden death, and no fear of accident, why? Because we have this consciousness, that our Savior Jesus Christ has conquered death for us, and we have passed from death into life. Glory to God, we are alive in Him!
Check out the following verses of the Bible:
“"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24
“For 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 Abolished Death!
“But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2Tim. 1:10
“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb. 2:14-15
“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Rom. 6:6
The word destroy used in Heb. 2:14 is the Greek word “KATARGEO”, it is also the same word used in Rom. 6:6 for the phrase “might be done away with”, and in 2Tim. 1:10, for the word “abolished”.
The word Katargeo means to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively: - abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.
For the New Creation, Christ has replaced death with life and immortality, although this wasn’t so in the Old Testament. What the law brought was death, not life. Failure to keep the law was death, and whoever must live, must keep the whole law, which was impossible to do. See Deut. 30:11-15 below:
“"For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” Deut. 30:11-15
But let’s look at Rom. 10:4-9. Apostle Paul casted the finished work of Christ on Deut. 30:11-15, and see what the Spirit of the Lord is saying today:
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them." But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, " 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Praise God! This word is the gospel of your salvation, which you have believed upon, which has saved you from death into life, and from darkness into God’s marvelous light. It is no longer life and death; it is life and immortality in Christ Jesus!
To be continued.
I call you blessed.
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