But now is Christ risen from the dead,
and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
For since be man came death, by man
came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
1Corinthians 15:20-22
I must take a step aside from my current blog subject and turn to the most important event that ever occurred in the history of man. That event was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It can be spoken of that the Great Flood was the greatest event, and it was a great event, but not the greatest for all but eight humans died due to sin and only by the grace of God did eight humans survive. Yes they were faithful men and women of God and believed in Him, but they were sinful and only by the grace of God their sins did not keep them from being saved from the horrible event.
Why did Jesus have to die? The answer most often given is to pay for our sins. This is not wrong but not entirely correct. Some will say: "To call the elect." This is not wrong for God calls the elect. There are those who say that Jesus came to show us God: they are correct. Others will point out that Jesus came to destroy Satan and all those who follow him, both the angels, and sinful man: they are correct. A question asked often is: Why did Jesus have to become a man? Good question! It is said to be the equal to Adam who as a sinless man sinned and died, and Jesus a sinless man never sinned and died, Adam brought death to this earth by his sinning and death, and Jesus brought life by His sinless life and by His death death was destroyed. This is correct! John the Baptist seeing Jesus declared: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Notice: The word "sin." It is singular in the accusative voice: so what is the "sin" of the world? God made man in His image, that is, man was given the ability to know God and to worship God, to live forever under the providence and security of God. Man failed and by his failure a debt was secured by man to God. The debt? Death! Sin brought death into the world a debt man owes to God. Man cannot by anything that they do to pay this debt for if they could then they would have to die having lived a sinless life and die sinless. Man cannot do this so man cannot pay this debt. Oh! What are we do to do? Is this life, death all there is, a life without hope? No! God paid our debt out of His own "pocket" and the debt was paid, no longer held against man, but there was and is a price that God had to pay, this was not some moving of numbers on an accountant page. That price, cannot be calculated for it cost God His Son Jesus Christ, not another god, as some believe, but Himself for Jesus Christ is God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). You ask: How can God die? He cannot! If God dies then all the world that He holds together would be destroyed, gone. God created all things and not be reassembling existing parts, no, God created the parts necessary and this out of Himself, that is from nothing, so if God can do this, could He not also prepare a way to save His creation, mankind made in His image? Yes! From the foundation of the world God knew all that would occur, knew what needed to be done and this He did by preparing salvation, to pay this debt and knew that He had to pay it, so He sent the Second Person of the Trinity to become incarnate so that He could live sinless, as fully man, to live sinless, and to die sinless. The debt was and is paid. What does this mean: "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). That paid debt opened the way for man to also have death removed and be able to live forever without the threat of death. The faith needed is given freely (Ephesians 2:8-9) and by that faith, Authentic Christian Faith a man is declared to be an adopted son/daughter of God. Yes, you will die, die from the earthly diseased by sin by death, but you, your soul, that which is you, will live forever for death has no hold on you. Death did not have hold on Jesus for He rose again on the third day, all was completed. God has not taken away from us the ability to choose God, to choose His Son Jesus Christ and we can find that faith, both in the preaching of His truth, and by power of the Holy Spirit that by His word, you can have the faith to believe. You did not do this on your own, for only by the power of God can you have this faith, you cannot work for it, or do anything other than believe so that you can have that paid debt applied to you.
JESUS IS THE GREATEST GIFT! There is a second gift. Will you receive the first Greatest gift? Will you receive the second greatest gift? It is up to you!
Christians
if asked: what is the greatest gift given to man by God would answer: Jesus
Christ. They would be correct for Jesus Christ is and will always be: the
greatest gift given to man. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise given to
Adam, reinforced to Noah, and to Abraham. This gift was known be the Hebrews
even before they were a nation as this gift of a promised Messiah was know by
their forefathers and especially to Jacob (Israel): “And God spake unto
Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And He said. Here
am I. and He said, I am God, the God of they father: fear not to go down into
Egypt: for I will there make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 46:2-3). When
Jesus came into this world as a babe the angels spoke: Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (Luke 2:14). No
doubt: Jesus is the greatest gift to man. Is there a second great gift from
God? As the first great gift from God was rejected outright by even those who
called themselves believers in God, and by those who treated this gift with
little worth (He was nothing more than another seer), so too, the second
greatest gift has had the same problem: it was, and is rejected outright or has
been so changed by men and women who call themselves “Christian” that it has
little effect on the lives of people that much of it has been called into
question or changed to meet a doctrinal or theological position of men. It is
not that many people outright reject this gift, they simply ignore it as this
gift sits on the shelves getting dusty, or dusted off so that they, when they
go to Church look as though they read it. This second gift to man from God is
the Bible and yet for too many the Bible is a book that remains mysterious, a
mystery. This lack of knowledge and understanding of this Second Greatest Gift
from God has led to, not only heresy, but for people to become cultural
Christians, nominally Christians.
THIS WEEKEND WE ARE COMMEMORATING THE DEATH, RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, NOT EASTER, NOT JUST A PARTY TIME, RATHER TO TO SEE WHAT THIS DAY MEANS: A DAY THAT SERVES AS A MEMORIAL OR REMINDER, TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF JESUS CHRIST AND THIS IS WHAT WE DO WHEN WE OBSERVE THIS DAY PROPERLY. THIS DAY IS NOT JUST A CELEBRATION, A DAY OF FESTIVITIES, IT IS A DAY WE SHOULD MEDITATE UPON WHAT THIS GREAT EVENT MEANS TO THE WORLD, TO ALL WHO BELIEVE. TEACH THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN, TO ALL YOU COME INTO CONTACT WITH. YES, ENJOY THE DAY, FOR IT IS A DAY OF GREAT JOY.
HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!
Our debt is paid: receive it!
Richard L. Crumb
No comments:
Post a Comment