Alive But Dead! Dead But Alive! I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Revelation 3:1b Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Romans 6:8 How can a person that is alive be dead? Even more puzzling, how can one that is dead be alive? In natural life this is not possible, but God’s Word (the Bible) gives us a view of a God of impossibilities! When looking into these things, we must remember that God is speaking these words, not man! Luke 18:27b, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” To answer the question, “How can a person that is alive be dead?” We need to define what alive is but also what it means to be dead according to God’s Word. In Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” It is sin that brings death, first in being separated from God. This is spiritual death as we read elsewhere, “And you who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:1-3). This is a picture of each of us by nature, but even worse we do not realize our deadness. This can never be corrected or reversed from our side because Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Have you ever seen yourself as a dead sinner, unable to find life in him or herself, but praying, O God, can this dead one live? (Read Ezekiel 37:1-14) This brings us to our second question, “How can one that is dead be alive?” Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is why Jesus Christ (the Son of God) came into the world of sin and death. The perfectly sinless One came to pay the penalty of the sin of His people, nailing them to His cross, dying the eternal death they deserved, and satisfying the justice of His Father. Sin must be dealt with in our lives. We will pay for them eternally in hell, or Christ must be our substitute and pay for them. The Cross is the only place dead sinners can be reconciled to God and made alive, losing all their sins. “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32). What does Jesus Christ mean to you? Ephesians 2:1, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:” Have you learned to see that the deadness, has caused a separation between God, (our Creator) and each of us? Have you fled to the only remedy where you can be made alive from the dead? Have you found life outside of yourself in Jesus Christ? Written by: Cornelius VanKempen March 23, 2013 Read my meditations and devotions at: Http://Casey4949.wordpress.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 00:25:44 +0000