(Article for publication week of 8-13- AD 2015)
"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (II Timothy 1:10). Our text is found in one of the Apostle Paul's lengthy sentences which he wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Verses 8-11 is one sentence, punctuated with commas, colons and semi-colons. As he often does in his epistles, the apostle breaks forth in praise to our Great God for saving sinners such as he knew himself to be, and such as all the Lord's people feel themselves to be. Paul was captivated by the saving purpose of God treasured up in Christ Jesus from all eternity. Though God ordained our salvation before the world began, Christ must be manifest in perfect Human Flesh to work out the salvation purposed in and through Him from everlasting. One glorious phrase is added descriptively to another as Paul rejoices in the afflictions of the gospel. There is a sweet cordial for the saints in our text as the Apostle to the gentiles declares that Christ has abolished death. Christians can view the monster death and smile since it has been abolished by the Lord Jesus Christ.
First of all, Christ has destroyed death judicially. We miss many blessings in God's word when we fail to see the judicial aspect of our salvation. I can hear some of you saying to yourselves, "what in the world is he talking about? What does he mean by 'judicial' ?" Well, by judicial, I mean that which God has done for His elect, in and through Christ, objectively, and completely outside them as persons. The justifying righteousness of Christ is an act of God's free grace whereby an elect sinners stands legally righteous in God's court without any regard to anything in themselves. Dear believer in Christ, you can be assured that you are eternally justified, even when you do not feel justified. Even though we have many foul backslidings and struggles with sin, we are "not guilty" in God's courtroom. So Christ has abolished death judicially. Though an elect sinner is saved by grace, and Christ has abolished death for him, he must still die physically as lost men do. Though we stand righteous in Christ, we are still connected to Adam by his federal headship, and all in Adam must needs die (Romans 5:12; I Corinthians 15:22). But judicially Christ has abolished death so that it has no lasting claims on us.
Secondly, Christ has abolished death as penal judgment. Believers are chastened as God's children, but judgment was meted out on Christ as our Substitute. God does not deal with His children as criminals. God chastens us in Fatherly displeasure to make us partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:10). There is a vast difference in punishment of a criminal, and a father's chastening of His children. The Lord Jesus Christ by His vicarious sufferings, and His active and passive obedience has perfected forever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). When a child of God dies it is not a as penal punishment, but by God's grace is his entrance into that upper and better world with Christ.
Thirdly, Christ has abolished the second death. Revelation 20:6 tells us that the second death has no power on the saved by grace. It has been well said that "he who is born but once must die twice, but he who is born twice will only die once." The second death is the eternal vengeance of God on the unsaved, what the Bible calls the lake of fire. Christ has abolished that second death for His people and the lake of fire has no power upon them.
Fourthly, Christ has abolished death as a king of terrors. The believer in Christ has no reason to fear death. When he dies he goes immediately to be with Christ (II Corinthians 5:8). Though his body may be buried or burnt up in a fire or blown to pieces by a bomb or fed to a lion, God shall raise up our bodies in the morning of the resurrection. Christ has abolished death and will not leave our bodies in the cold, dark tomb. Christ died to save His people body, soul and spirit and He will have everything that He redeemed (Romans 8:23). God's children can look forward to death because our mighty Saviour has abolished it. Death for a believer is truly a door into heaven itself. May the Lord grant you faith to believe these things and rejoice in them.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Death's Stinger Removed
(Article for publication week of 8-6- AD 2015)
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory" (I Corinthians 15:55)? The fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians is one of the most comforting and encouraging passages in all the Bible. I would encourage you right now to stop what you are doing and read these blessed words. We who are believers in Christ do not have to fear death because our Lord has removed the sting of death, which is sin (verse 56), and has come forth victorious from the tomb when He Himself was resurrected the third day. The grave can have no victory over Christians because Christ came forth from the grave victorious over sin , death, and hell.
Now death is an awful prospect. Every reasonable person views it with more or less anxiety. I realise some have duped themselves into a false peace concerning death. Not a few in our day have embraced atheism and agnosticism and have duped themselves into a stupid peace with death. But deep down inside they know they are just fooling themselves because every man knows in his heart that there is a God in heaven Who has created us and will judge us at the end of our lives (Psalm 19:1-3; Romans 1:20). A great number more have made themselves drunk with false religion and have a sort of peace with death. Like a relative that I tried to talk to recently who declared, "I have made my peace with my god," and then went on to blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ. At that point I thought of Proverbs 26:4 and left him to himself. Multitudes we fear have made peace with "their god", but their god is not the God of the Bible. I say every rational person is necessarily anxious about death. It is fearful to think of drawing our last breath and entering into eternity. Death is a fearful foe for the strongest among us will find himself no match in that awful moment. When we have stood by the bedside of one that we loved and seen them draw their last breath, Oh!- how helpless we have felt and known ourselves to be. Death proves the ultimate frailness of man for no man can resist when Death wraps its cold, bony fingers around our throats and squeezes the life out of every one of us.
Yet, the believer in Christ can face death with calmness, serenity and even joy because our Lord has removed its sting. The next verse tells us the sting of death is sin. The curse of sin is death, spiritually, bodily and eternally. But our Lord Jesus Christ has removed the curse by His bloody, substitutionary death. We might illustrate our text by a fearful red wasp ( I can write "wasp", but I still pronounce it "wawst"). His sting is very painful, as most of us know by experience. But suppose somebody caught that wasp by his wings and took his hand and extracted the stinger. He would no doubt be stung himself in taking the loathsome thing in his hand. But now the stinger is gone and the wasp cannot sting us. Well, this is what the Lord Jesus Christ did by his death, burial and resurrection. He took hold of the wasp of death and pulled out the stinger. He Himself was stung, but death cannot sting the object's of Christ love for whom He shed His blood and died. Now, let us carry the illustration further. That wasp without a stinger still has a fearful appearance. He still buzzes around us with the same annoying motions and sounds. We are still anxious when he approaches. But though he makes a fearful and annoying sound, he cannot sting us. Well, this is the way believers may view death. We do not naively pretend that it does not annoy us, but we know it cannot hurt us. Our Saviour has removed its sting by His vicarious sufferings!
The Lord's dear children may view the monster death and smile. I think of verse 3 of hymn number 193 in the hymnal upon which I cut my teeth which says, "I view the monster death and smile, for he has lost his sting, though Satan rages all the while I still the triumph sing. My Saviour holds me in His arms and will not let me go; I'm so delighted by His charms, no other good I know"! Death is indeed a monster, but we view him with a smile knowing that he has no power over us. Death has lost its sting because of the atoning work of Christ in paying for our sins by His death. So now the believer in Christ may view death as a friend rather than a foe. Death has no sting for us because we know that when we close our eyes in death on earth, we shall open them at the same moment to view our dear Saviour (II Corinthians 5:8). Death has no sting for us because we know that at the last day Christ will raise up our dust and fashion it into a glorious body like His Own (Philippians 3:21). Christian, view the monster death and smile!
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory" (I Corinthians 15:55)? The fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians is one of the most comforting and encouraging passages in all the Bible. I would encourage you right now to stop what you are doing and read these blessed words. We who are believers in Christ do not have to fear death because our Lord has removed the sting of death, which is sin (verse 56), and has come forth victorious from the tomb when He Himself was resurrected the third day. The grave can have no victory over Christians because Christ came forth from the grave victorious over sin , death, and hell.
Now death is an awful prospect. Every reasonable person views it with more or less anxiety. I realise some have duped themselves into a false peace concerning death. Not a few in our day have embraced atheism and agnosticism and have duped themselves into a stupid peace with death. But deep down inside they know they are just fooling themselves because every man knows in his heart that there is a God in heaven Who has created us and will judge us at the end of our lives (Psalm 19:1-3; Romans 1:20). A great number more have made themselves drunk with false religion and have a sort of peace with death. Like a relative that I tried to talk to recently who declared, "I have made my peace with my god," and then went on to blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ. At that point I thought of Proverbs 26:4 and left him to himself. Multitudes we fear have made peace with "their god", but their god is not the God of the Bible. I say every rational person is necessarily anxious about death. It is fearful to think of drawing our last breath and entering into eternity. Death is a fearful foe for the strongest among us will find himself no match in that awful moment. When we have stood by the bedside of one that we loved and seen them draw their last breath, Oh!- how helpless we have felt and known ourselves to be. Death proves the ultimate frailness of man for no man can resist when Death wraps its cold, bony fingers around our throats and squeezes the life out of every one of us.
Yet, the believer in Christ can face death with calmness, serenity and even joy because our Lord has removed its sting. The next verse tells us the sting of death is sin. The curse of sin is death, spiritually, bodily and eternally. But our Lord Jesus Christ has removed the curse by His bloody, substitutionary death. We might illustrate our text by a fearful red wasp ( I can write "wasp", but I still pronounce it "wawst"). His sting is very painful, as most of us know by experience. But suppose somebody caught that wasp by his wings and took his hand and extracted the stinger. He would no doubt be stung himself in taking the loathsome thing in his hand. But now the stinger is gone and the wasp cannot sting us. Well, this is what the Lord Jesus Christ did by his death, burial and resurrection. He took hold of the wasp of death and pulled out the stinger. He Himself was stung, but death cannot sting the object's of Christ love for whom He shed His blood and died. Now, let us carry the illustration further. That wasp without a stinger still has a fearful appearance. He still buzzes around us with the same annoying motions and sounds. We are still anxious when he approaches. But though he makes a fearful and annoying sound, he cannot sting us. Well, this is the way believers may view death. We do not naively pretend that it does not annoy us, but we know it cannot hurt us. Our Saviour has removed its sting by His vicarious sufferings!
The Lord's dear children may view the monster death and smile. I think of verse 3 of hymn number 193 in the hymnal upon which I cut my teeth which says, "I view the monster death and smile, for he has lost his sting, though Satan rages all the while I still the triumph sing. My Saviour holds me in His arms and will not let me go; I'm so delighted by His charms, no other good I know"! Death is indeed a monster, but we view him with a smile knowing that he has no power over us. Death has lost its sting because of the atoning work of Christ in paying for our sins by His death. So now the believer in Christ may view death as a friend rather than a foe. Death has no sting for us because we know that when we close our eyes in death on earth, we shall open them at the same moment to view our dear Saviour (II Corinthians 5:8). Death has no sting for us because we know that at the last day Christ will raise up our dust and fashion it into a glorious body like His Own (Philippians 3:21). Christian, view the monster death and smile!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)