But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Summary: Do you ever talk to yourself? I do. Every once in a while I find it helpful to give myself a pep talk or discuss something before I take it to the Lord. Today’s post is an opportunity to join me in one of these conversations.
I can hear it now …
Reader: “Hey, Jeff… JEFF!! ARE YOU OKAY?!”
Me: “Yes, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
Reader: “Because you’ve used more than three words of Scripture for today’s blog. In fact you used two whole verses! What’s wrong?!”
Me: “Nothing. It’s all good. Let me explain …”
There is a point to dissecting Paul’s sentences. Most of the time, each sentence represents the equivalent of an encyclopedia article. It pays to take them apart. In this passage, it is almost as if Paul had a lapse for a moment and wrote like a normal human being. All of his letters so far are summarized neatly in thirty-four words, most of which are, incredibly, only one syllable. In short, Paul says that God rescues us from death.
Instead of examining each little part of this passage, let’s do a “Q&A” on the whole passage:
Q: So what is this “death” Paul is talking about? I’m not dead.
A: Without Jesus, we are dead. Not physically dead, although that will come in time, but spiritually dead. (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7)
Q: What’s the big deal about being “spiritually dead?”
A: In this life, it is a feeling of meaninglessness and emptiness. After the body dies, it means eternal separation from God in a cold, dark, bleak emptiness that never ends. (Revelation 20:13-15, Luke 16: 22-26, Matthew 13:40-43)
Q: How did we get into this situation?
A: The simple answer is “sin.” Sin is a word that describes mankind’s rejection of God and our failure to do what is right even when we try. (Exodus 31:18, Romans 6:23, 1 John 3:4)
Q: If we have rejected God, why would he want to save us?
A: Because God loves us. But not just a little. God has GREAT love for us! In addition, God shows us mercy even while we sin. (John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10)
Q: How?
A: This is another big topic. In short, God became a man, one of his own created beings. This man’s name was Jesus. Jesus taught people about God. (1 John 4:9, Galatians 4:4-5)
Q: Is that all?
A: No, there is more. Much more. Jesus had credentials. He spoke with authority, empowered people to act on his behalf, he cleaned out the temple courtyards, and did miracles.
Q: Miracles? What kind of miracles?
A: He fed people, lots of people, with all the food they could eat, and he did it with basically nothing. He healed thousands of people of illnesses and diseases. He tossed out demons. He even raised dead people back to life.
Q: Wow! That’s pretty incredible. Do you believe all that stuff?
A: Yes, I do. The reason I believe this is when Jesus came into my life, I couldn’t let go of him, and he wouldn’t let go of me. I felt alive for the first time, and I keep feeling more and more alive the longer I know him.
Q: So if we are so bad, if we have already rejected God, why would he do all of this for us?
A: It has to do with something called grace.
Q: What is that?
A: One definition I’ve heard that I really like is that grace is God doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves. But grace is also a word that describes the sweetness of a person. God is sweet.
Q: So how do I get this thing that makes me alive spiritually?
A: Talk to Jesus. He is always nearby and always listening. Tell him you are sorry that you rejected him and his Father. Tell him you want to live. Ask him to come into your life. He will. (Luke 11:11-13, John 15:7, 1 John 5:14-15)
Application: Get to know Jesus better.
Food for Thought: What does it mean to be “alive with Christ?”
One thing it means is that we were dead without Christ. We needed to be made alive.
By grace we were made alive with Christ through faith in Christ. When we identify with Christ in His resurrection we are “co-joined” with Christ in His resurrection. Romans 6: 3 – 5. His resurrection then becomes our resurrection leading to eternal life with Him. John 11: 25 – 26.
Brother Rich,
The story in John that you referenced, where Jesus has gone to raise Lazarus from the dead, is powerful indeed! Asked if she believes that her brother will rise from the dead, she says, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus’ response is mind-bending to say the least.
He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
It is not about waiting for a certain date, or for some particular things to happen. New life does not depend out some “thing” that makes it work. Life depends on the Creator of Life, Jesus. Life doesn’t depend on a “what” or a “when,” but a “Who.”
Good stuff! Thank you!
Amen brother. It is ultimately about the Who
04-01-2023, What does it mean to be “alive with Christ?”
Hey Jeff…….JEFF! ARE YOU OK?
I look to Colossians 2:1-23:
By grace I have been saved, the power of my old self is now dead and I have been given new eternal life in Christ. I have become dead to material ways of viewing events and escaped from the world’s crude and elemental notions and teachings of the things being seen.
Having received Jesus Christ as my Lord, this body is now empowered to direct my life and conduct myself in union with and in conformity to the will of God. My source of strength, my roots are firmly and deeply planted, fixed and founded in Him, being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in His gift of faith, just as I am being taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.
In Christ I have all the treasures of divine wisdom comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and all the riches of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment which are stored up and lie hidden from this world.
LOL!
Thanks Ron! Yes, I’m okay! 🙂
It is a blessing to know that our God is a Living God who engages with us personally.
Interesting …the demons know God and shudder… the demon knew Jesus and about Paul, and so did the Seven sons of Sceva but he didn’t care and beat them up anyway! All three got beat up at some point in their journey!
And…In the name of Jesus who Paul preaches I command you to come out- I don’t know if they had a personal relationship or not but when ever we start making the commands we are in the wrong place… that’s for sure… Maybe when we get beat up enough times we learn what it really means -to be alive with Christ in the back pocket. Alive in Christ is better.. Inside The protective Christ who took the beating of Satan for us..it was pure evil.. the same being who instigated the fall of Adam and Eve by offering a tempting lie and tried to do it with Jesus but couldn’t because he was God and would not bow to such evil- Jesus takes the brunt for us but if we really believe that, we will find the trinity all around us: God the father who now accepts us, Jesus who we are inside of through his protective coverage over our sin and the Holy Spirit inside us who now guides us in the decisions we make and how we live. If we don’t see the trinity in our lives, I don’t see how we are truly in Christ. Yes, you will say: what about the thief on the cross… look how he responded.. I believe the Holy Spirit had already caused him to change course when he rebuked the other thief, relinquished his mockery and God accepted him because he turned himself over to let Jesus be his king
TJR,
Thank you for your thoughts on this! You make a great point. God is One. You bring to mind Deuteronomy 6:4 —
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
If I am hearing you correctly, to be alive in Christ is to know God the Father, Jesus, our Lord, and the Holy Spirit.
Yes and Romans 8:9-13 ties the concept of belief in Christ with the Holy Spirit who guides us in a changed ongoing life. They have to be together