Tag Archives: resurrection

Secure In Christ

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SECURE IN CHRIST

In it, only a few, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolises baptism what now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ who had gone into heaven and who is at God’s right hand, with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him. (1 Peter 3: 17b-20)

Is Peter really teaching that baptism saves? What does this obscure passage mean?

We cannot make a doctrine out of these verses alone. We have to read this passage in the context of other Scriptures.  When we put Paul’s teachings together with Peter’s, they are definitely not teaching that baptism is the way to salvation as some denominations insist.

Let’s look at the story of the flood since Peter used Noah and the ark to illustrate the meaning of baptism.

Noah and his family did not escape the flood. The deluge of rain fell on them as well as on all the wicked people God wanted to destroy. The difference was that Noah and his family were protected by the ark. It was the ark in the water that saved them from drowning. They were as much a part of the judgment that fell on the earth on all the people who perished as on them, but in the ark they were safe. They reappeared after the earth had been purged of all the wicked people as though they had risen from the dead.

How does this compare with salvation? Although Peter does not specifically mention that those who believe in Jesus are ‘in Christ’, this is the reality that has taken place. Just as Noah was ‘in’ the ark and safe from God’s judgement, so those who are ‘in’ Christ are safe from the judgment that fell on Him. He took the rap for our sins and ‘in Him’ we died to sin and to our old sinful lives and emerged from the judgment alive and cleansed just as He emerged from the grave alive and free from sin’s power to touch Him.

Jesus was God’s perfect Son and spotless Lamb, but as long as He was a human being before His death, He had the potential to sin because He had the nature of Adam before the Fall, innocent but not righteous. Through the course of His earthly life, He had to earn His righteous status before God by being perfectly submissive and obedient to the Father’s will. How did Jesus achieve righteousness? Through suffering.

Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. (Heb. 5: 8, 9)

He did not learn obedience through trial and error because any little thought or act of rebellion or independence against the Father would have plunged Him into the same condemnation as every other human being. He learned obedience by obeying the Father’s every desire. There is not another person who has ever lived who could have thrown out the challenge He did to His opponents:

Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? (John 8:46a)

Just as Noah and his family were secure within the ark, so those who are in Christ are secure in Him. Noah built the ark according to God’s instructions and God Himself shut them in. No one could open the door until God have the word. In the same way, God Himself made the plan and gave His Son the instructions on how to carry it out. Jesus became the ark of safety from all those who put their trust in and obey Him.

It was through the very water that destroyed unbelievers that Noah and his family were saved. The water buoyed the ark up against the wind and rain and carried them to safety when the water receded. Jesus carries us to the Father on the very waves of God’s judgment against sin on the earth.

We have a place of refuge in Jesus, through our faith in Him, and we have the reassurance that, when He comes again to judge the earth, those who have trusted Him will be safe forever because He ever lives to make intercession for us.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5: 9)

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

United With Him

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UNITED WITH HIM

“For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. For we know that, since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:5-11.

That’s quite a mouthful, isn’t it!

As we were saying, Jesus’ death in our place has many more implications than the forgiveness of our sins. Our faith in Him produced a spiritual union that affects everything about our lives. When we were baptised in water, we witnessed in a physical act our identity with both His death and His resurrection. Jesus’ death and our acceptance of His death for us by faith cancelled our debt of sin and broke sin’s hold over us. The Holy Spirit raised our dead spirits to life, reconnecting us to God, to His life and to His power which enables us not to sin.

In our old state, before we believed in Jesus, we had no power not to sin because the pull of our old nature was towards disobedience. But now, in Christ, sin’s hold over us had been broken. God has restored His own nature in us and the Holy Spirit is united with our spirits so that we are able to respond to His prompting towards trust and obedience.

Paul put it this way: just as we died with Jesus symbolically in our baptism, so we also died in Him in reality when He died on the cross. In the same way, just as we rose symbolically from our watery grave, so we also rose from the dead in Him. His resurrection guarantees our life because He can never die again. Death is the cut-off point of this life. What happens afterwards depends on what happens here and now.

This has all happened in the unseen realm, legally if you like. We have been legally declared “Not guilty,” and our debt has been cancelled. God has removed all the barriers between us and Him. We have access to Him without sacrifices or priests, through Jesus our High Priest and Mediator. Our status has been changed from “sinner” to “son”. We are in Christ and since He is alive, we are alive in Him.

But where do we go from here? From God’s perspective everything has been done. It’s not about “what we will be” but “what we are”. We have not only been forgiven, rescued and set free; we have also been made perfect in Christ. Our entire past has ceased to exist. We are free from its debt and its guilt and shame, to pursue who we now are.

So Paul says, “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Since this is all a fait accompli, act on it because, and as if it is true. “But,” you say, “that’s all very well, but I still cannot do the right thing on my own.” But that’s the point. You have been set free to choose to obey God rather than the dictates of your old selfish and rebellious nature. Once you have made your choice to obey God because you value Jesus more than yourself, the Holy Spirit supplies the strength to do it.

That’s what Paul means by “count”; reckon, accept that it is so and make your choice accordingly. The Holy Spirit is in you to enable you to carry through on your decision. Every time you deliberately choose to obey God, it becomes easier to do it the next time. In this way you will be strengthening the divine nature in you and putting to death the old nature which is already potentially dead in Christ.

God has equipped us with two sources of power – the Holy Spirit and His Word. Look at this Scripture:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that, through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort…” 2 Peter 1:3-5a.

It has happened! Now make it happen.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Caesar Or No Caesar!

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CAESAR OR NO CAESAR!

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son who, as to His earthly life, was a descendant of David and who, through the Spirit of holiness, was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ the Lord.” Romans 1:1-4.

Jesus had come and gone. He had lived for thirty three years, spent three years teaching, preaching and doing miracles, was executed as a blasphemer and a threat to Rome, rose again and returned to the Father. The disciples were left blinking. What was that all about? How on earth were they going to make sense of it all?

Ten days after He left them, the Holy Spirit came, just as He promised. The light came on and their Old Testament Scriptures began to radiate with new meaning. Words Jesus had spoken, things He had done, and things that were done to Him began to fall into place.

On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit invaded the lives of those who were waiting for Him, Peter — the one who had denied Him, the one who had hidden behind closed doors with the other eleven — stood up in the temple packed with worshippers from all over the Roman Empire, as well as the Jewish leaders who had led the charge against Jesus, and shot from the hip.

“Jesus was God’s Son. He proved it by His life and miracles. He died, but He came back to life by the power of God. You did it! You killed Him! But it was God’s plan, and now He has sent the Holy Spirit as He promised.” The crowd was horrified, appalled. Many in the group were there when they demanded His death and they were terrified. “What can we do?” they wailed.

“Repent!” said Peter, “and hand yourselves over to God’s mercy. Join Him, and us, and you will receive the same Spirit as we have.” And many of them did just that — three thousand on that day.

A few years before, in the vicinity of Israel’s “red light” district, Caesarea Philippi, where terrible things were going on in the name of pagan religion, Jesus gave them a commission. “Take my yoke, my disposition of compassion and mercy because of God’s mercy to you and give it to people like these, (referring to the pagans who were having intercourse in public with goats, in the name of their god, Pan). It will transform them and shut down places like this that are spawned by hell.”

Jesus’ yoke, which He placed on His disciples, would have serious repercussions for them in the Jewish and pagan Roman world to whom they were sent. They would clash with Roman and Jewish authorities because Jesus’ radical claims would be an in-your-face challenge to their authority and beliefs. It was the role of the apostles (the sent ones) to interpret Jesus’ life and death, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, according to the Scriptures and to invite their hearers to believe and to accept His yoke of discipleship for themselves.

In a shocking moment of revelation, one of the most vehement defenders of Judaism, Saul of Tarsus, met this risen Jesus and defected to “the Way” as the followers of Jesus were called. Jesus called him to interpret and proclaim the very message he was trying to stamp out by destroying as many believers as he could.

Paul, who was once Saul, became as ardent a protagonist of the faith he once persecuted as he had been an antagonist. Commissioned by the Holy Spirit, he and his companion, Barnabas, criss-crossed the provinces of Asia Minor and Europe with the message of Jesus. Paul longed to go to Rome, but he had to wait until he was taken there, compliments of the Roman government, to face trial for his “crimes” against the Jews.

In the meantime, a church had sprung up in Rome, thanks to the many unnamed believers who lived the message wherever they went. Paul was anxious that they in Rome understand the gospel because false teachers were everywhere, corrupting the truth with their misinterpretations. They did not understand Jesus’ yoke and they did not have the authority to interpret it to their hearers as did the apostles. And so he wrote a letter.

With masterful strokes, Paul gave his credentials and painted a picture of the Jesus he was sent to proclaim. Against the backdrop of the arrogant claims of Caesar, Paul presented Jesus’ credentials for being worshipped as “Lord”. He came in fulfilment of prophecy; He was descended from David, a true human; He died but was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit, truly God; authentically the Son of God and declared to be Lord. His full title: Jesus Christ the Lord — fully man, fully God and absolutely supreme, Caesar or no Caesar!

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

A Firstfruit Offering

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A FIRSTFRUIT OFFERING 

“The crowd that was there and heard it said it thundered; others said an angel had spoken to Him. Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” John 12:29-33.

The Jewish Feasts are a symbolic display of Messianic history. Leviticus 23 records God’s instruction for the celebration of eight feasts every year, one weekly, four spring and three autumn festivals at set times. They were also connected to the annual harvest and the celebration of God’s goodness in providing for their physical needs. According to the ancient rabbis, Messiah would fulfil each feast in turn at His first and second comings.

Sabbath was the weekly feast which had a twofold purpose; it was a reminder that God rested after the completion of His great work of creation, and the gift of a day of rest to remind His people that they were human “beings”, not human “doings”.

Passover celebrated God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. They were protected from the angel of death who “passed over” the land, killing the firstborn in every household that was not protected by the blood of a lamb on the door frames of their houses.

The Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits all took place over a period of eight days, symbolizing deliverance from the power of sin, removal of sin symbolized by yeast and the gathering in of the firstfruits of the harvest. Pentecost took place fifty days after Passover and was a celebration of the ingathering of the completed harvest.

It was to the fulfilment of the Feast of Firsfruits to which Jesus was referring when He spoke of being “lifted up”. He would be lifted up on a cross to die as an offering of atonement for the sin of the world at three o’clock in the afternoon; the very moment when the high priest lifted the knife to kill the first Passover Lamb. His death would not only atone for the sin of all mankind; it would also remove sin’s impurity and uncleanness like the removal of leaven from the camp.

Just as the firstborn son in every Jewish family and the firstborn of all the flocks and herds belonged to God, so the firstfruits of the harvest were His and were to be offered to Him in a prescribed manner. They were to be “lifted up” to God as an offering – terumah – and placed in the hands of the high priest to feed him and his family. This terumah sanctified the rest of the harvest and ensured God’s blessing on the crop.

Just as Jesus fulfilled Passover and Unleavened Bread, so He fulfilled the Festival of Firstfuits. He offered Himself as a terumah by being “lifted up” on the cross and by placing Himself into the hands of His Father — His “high priest” — since, for Jesus, there was no one higher than God.

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When He had said this, He breathed His last.” Luke 23:44-46 NIV.

The Apostle Paul explains the significance of this terumah in his magnificent exposition of the resurrection.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection came also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn; Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NIV.

Because Jesus gave Himself both as an offering of atonement and a terumah, His resurrection guarantees both the removal of sin and the full harvest of those who are in him and will rise again.  Our hope of resurrection lies in His resurrection because the Father placed His seal of approval on Jesus’ offering by raising Him from the dead. Because we are “in Him”, we shall rise again when He returns to claim His kingdom.

Hallelujah!

If You Believe

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IF YOU BELIEVE 

“‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died…'” John 11:21 NIV.

“‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’ John 11:27 NIV.

How important these moments were with Martha before Jesus went to the tomb! He knew what He was doing. His delay and Lazarus’ death were part of a much bigger plan but…He needed to re-establish the bond of trust between Him and the sisters before He could give them their miracle.

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’” John 11:32 NIV

They were disillusioned and disappointed because He had failed them in their crisis. The first words they uttered when they saw Him revealed their heart attitude. Betrayal! He had betrayed their trust and they let Him know it.

He was straight with Martha. She was the practical one, the tough one, the vocal one, the one who took the lead. No words of rebuke in response! He made a simple, straightforward statement: ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha had a general appreciation of that fact but it did not ease the pain of losing her brother. Jesus knew that.

He took her on, one step at a time from acknowledging her belief in the resurrection to centring it on the one who stood before her. ‘I AM…’ Jesus assured her. Did she get the impact of that statement? No-one could claim to be I AM except the God who revealed His name to Moses in the desert. She answered Jesus’ challenge with an affirmation of her conviction that He was who He had revealed Himself to be…God’s Son and Messiah.

“…Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ He said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.’

“Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that, if you believe you will see the glory of God?'” John 11:38-40 NIV.

No, the impact of Jesus’ statement had not yet hit Martha. She did not connect the I AM with the rotting corpse in the tomb. Jesus was about to show her just how real resurrection was. This was not the final resurrection when bodies long decayed and returned to dust would come out of the graves, refashioned into the likeness of His glorious body, yet to be revealed after He too, like Lazarus, had tasted death; but God’s power, nevertheless, was displayed in bringing a decomposing body back to flesh-and-blood life!

Martha’s embryo faith had not yet reached that level of trust but, from Jesus’ point of view it was faith enough, although it was as minute as a grain of mustard seed. There was a flutter of hope; the connection had been made and He could reverse the process of death and show the grieving sisters and all who were there to sympathise with them the mercy and compassion of God.

What lesson did the sisters learn from this painful experience? What can we take for ourselves from the story? Is it worth trusting God when He seems silent and unmoved by our plea for help? If He says nothing, does nothing, never give in to the devil’s lie, ‘God does not care.’ He is preparing for a much bigger miracle, one that will put His glory on display and leave no doubt of His love and His power.

“God will not answer your prayers until He had put all the structures in place to maintain that answer.” His only answer is, “Will you trust me?”