If Christ be Not Raised, Your Faith is Vain. Read more...

• The Necessity of the Resurrection - Let’s first look at the necessity of the Resurrection. God used man to introduce two gigantic biblical themes into this world – death and life (or the resurrection from the dead). In what way was man responsible for catapulting this world into death? It was the fall into sin by Adam and Eve that resulted in death. The “death” that God is talking about in this verse is far worse than physical death. He is speaking about the second death, which is eternal spiritual death [death of soul and body] in Hell, as described in Rev 21:8. The enormous problem of sin, and its infinitely painful consequences of paying for one’s sins in eternal Hell are, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest dilemma that anyone can face. The reason this problem is so overwhelming is that man is incapable of finding the solution on his own, although many people spend their lives vainly attempting to satisfy a Holy God by their own “works”, or religious efforts. Since the first man’s sin resulted in death for the whole human race, which Man was therefore responsible for the resurrection from the dead? Again, we learn from the Bible that it was the Second Man (or the “Last Adam”), who brought about Life. The “second man” is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the eternal God as 1 Cor 15:47 affirms. Furthermore, Rom 1:4 emphasizes the supreme importance of the resurrection from the dead: “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”. Not only the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, proves that Lord Jesus is successful and victorious in the Atonement and God’s righteous judgment was satisfied or propitiated by His sacrifice, but it also guarantees that all true Christians will be eternally saved.

Rom 5:12, 14, 19 “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure [figure of Christ] of him that was to come. 19For as by one man’s [First Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Second Adam Christ] shall many be made righteous.”

1 Cor 15:21, 47 “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, 47The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”

• If Christ be Not Raised, Your Faith is Vain - This is the summation of being a Christian and if Christ be NOT risen: If there is no reality, if there is no power behind what we read in the Bible about the resurrection of Christ, if these things are like so many things in the world, so many religions, so many professing Christian gospels that are out there that are NOT true to the Bible, if the true Gospel of the Bible is like all of that, then it is worthless. Hebrews 11, the so-called “faith chapter” of the Bible, is a superb example of the faith that true believers have in God’s many promises in the Bible to raise them from the dead unto eternal life : “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb 11:13). The passage Heb 11:17-19 is referring to the account in Genesis 22 of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac, his “only begotten”. This account is a historical account pointing to God’s faithful sacrifice of His “Only Begotten”, the Lord Jesus Christ. God stopped Abraham from killing his son in actuality at the last second; but why would Abraham do such a terrible thing? Well, we read the reason in Heb 11:19, “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead”. This New Testament verse explains that Abraham was confident that God would raise his son from the dead in order to keep His promise to “establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him” as we read in Gen 17:19. Then Heb 11:19 says, “... from whence also he [or God] received him [that is, Isaac] in a figure [parabole:G3850]”. In other words,God set up this test to be an historical parable that Moses would write about in the book of Genesis over 600 years later. Spiritually, it points to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who would come as the Lamb of God over 2,000 years later as a fulfillment of Abraham’s statement in Gen 22:8, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering”. Obviously, God knew in advance that Abraham would not fail the test. Abraham could not possibly have known God’s ultimate purpose at the time; but he obeyed God’s command solely “by faith” as we read in Heb 11:17, “By faith Abraham, when he was tried [or tested], offered up Isaac ...”. It demonstrates God’s unique power to raise His people from spiritual death to spiritual life, even as Abraham was given the faith of Christ to believe that God could do that which was humanly impossible. Hebrews 11, which mentions numerous believers in the Old Testament who lived by the faith of the Son of God as they underwent many trials and hardships during their earthly sojourn. If Christ be NOT risen, then there is no salvation possible and absolutely no hope of eternal life for them and us — and we Christians would be most miserable of all men, because we are even depriving ourselves of the things of this world. Even though those who do not have the Gospel have a vain life and existence, at least they do have the pleasure of sin. Heb 11:24-26, where God figuratively associates Egypt with sin, helps us to see how Moses chose “the reproach of Christ” over the pleasures of the world.

Heb 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried [or tested], offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”

Heb 11:32-34, 37 “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 37They were stoned, they were sawn asunder , were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;”

Heb 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward [eternal life].”

1 Cor 15:13-17 “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”

• It was NOT possible that Lord Jesus should be Holden of Death - The “resurrection of the dead” is an extremely important topic. When the Apostle Paul is giving his testimony, or actually defending himself before King Agrippa, he speaks of Jesus rising from the dead as we read in Acts 26:23-24: “That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles”, it was such an incredible fact for Festus to comprehend: “And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad”. The Athenians were the same way, so we read in Acts 17:32: “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed”. Yes, Christ took upon Him the sins of His people and experienced God’s Wrath — Hell for His people on the cross. Many would like to believe that this is where the story ends. Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged His body, and he had a sepulcher nearby hewed in a rock. So we read about Joseph and Nicodemus and probably others also who had to roll away a stone, and the Bible tells us that it was a great stone. In Matt 27:63, the chief priests and Pharisees are saying: “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again”. Continuing in Matt 27:64-66, We see the desperation of the enemies of God who were doing everything that that they could, humanly speaking, make sure that Jesus stayed dead, the body of Jesus stays in the tomb, that it stays in the sepulcher. They could have had all the power of their army with their chariots and their horses, and it would not have made any difference at all. It would not have made the slightest difference, because the penalty had been paid in full and death could no longer hold the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that the truth is that Jesus did rise and this is what the Gospel centers on. We find this declaration in Acts 13:30 that “it was not possible that he [Lord Jesus] should be holden of it [death]” and “God raised Him from the dead”. The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. This is the key ingredient of the whole Gospel. Indeed, the Resurrection guarantees that all true Christians will be eternally saved, as we see in Rom 9:33. On the other hand, those who do not have a Savior will be “ashamed” – that is, eternally damned, as we find in 1 Pet 2:8. Jesus is indeed the LORD from Heaven, the Creator and the only Savior.

Matt 27:64-66 “Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch”

Heb 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death [second death] for every man [every one of His Elect].”

Acts 2:23-24 “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it [death].”

• Jesus the Author and Finisher of Faith - “Faith” is synonymous with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is called “Faithful” in Rev 19:11. What was the “work of faith”, or rather, “the work of Christ” that He so faithfully performed? Isa 53:11 reveals: “He [referring to the Father] shall see of the travail [or work] of his [Christ’s] soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities”. The “travail”, or “work”, that Christ had to endure was eternal damnation, which the Bible calls the “second death”. In John 4:34 we also find this statement, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat [food] is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”. His perfect work was completed while on the Cross he uttered the words of John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”. Yes, what had been “finished” or accomplished on the cross was the Atonement for the sins of God’s elect – a crucial element of their salvation. Lord Jesus was able to endure the Cross, with the faith in God the Father and in the promise to Him by His Father that His soul would not be left in Hell and that His body would not be subject to “corruption”, or decay (Acts 13:33-37). Heb 12:2 declares, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of (our: added by translators) faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”. God is only pleased with His work, He is pleased with His salvation program that is centered around the faith OF the Lord Jesus Christ, as Gal 2:16 and 20 insist: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified ... I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. The way that Christ “loved” the believers and “gave himself” for them is outlined in Isa 53:11, as we have seen above. Eph 2:8-9 declares, “For by grace are ye saved through faith [the faith of Christ]; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. After salvation we are given “faith” along with the other eight fruit (or “products”) of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, according to Gal:22-23.

Rev 19:11, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”

Acts 2:25-27 (quoting Psa 16:10) “For David speaketh concerning him [Christ], I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27Because thou [God the Father] wilt not leave my [God the Son] soul in Hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

Acts 13:33-37 “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he [Christ], whom God raised again, saw no corruption.”

• The Hope of the Resurrection for the Christian - The Bible’s answer to the very important question, “What is faith?” is given in Heb 11:1, “Now faith is the substance [hupostasis:G5287] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Who or what is the Christian’s “confidence” and the “substance of things hoped for”? What is it that a child of God hopes for? We read in Rom 8:24-25, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it”. We learn that one is “saved by hope”, but it is not something we can see physically. As the verse teaches; if we see something physically, there is really no need for hope. 2 Cor 5:7 similarly states, “For we walk by faith, not by sight”. 1 Cor 15:19 stresses the importance of a “living hope” for each believer who anticipates resurrection and spending eternity – not just a few years on this earth – with the object, or substance, of his hope – the Lord Jesus Christ: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable”. 1 Pet 1:3 speaks about being “begotten again” (or “born again”) to such a glorious hope: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [or living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. In other words, faith is a person, and a person has “substance”. Thus, the faith related to eternal salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ! the “evidence of things not seen” is a reference to the Written Word of God and also to the Incarnate Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the “Word made flesh”, as we read in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. This point bears repeating: Faith is the Word of God – the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why Rom 10:17 announces, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. 2 Cor 4:18 also mentions the difference between “things not seen” and the “things which are seen”: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal”. If we are a true Christian, things that are eternal in character should grip our minds and hearts and motivate us to greater obedience, as Col 3:1-2 asserts: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth [temporal things]”.

Isa 25:8 “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. 9And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

Heb 1:1-3 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person (substance hupostasis:G5287), and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

1 Pet 1:18-21 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”

Col 2:11-12 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

Jesus cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, Come Forth. Read more...

• God’s Power is Unrivaled - Throughout the Bible we encounter many verses that testify to God’s creative power. Who can possibly understand such magnificent statements like “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light”? When one looks around at this intricate, complex, beautiful and astounding universe that God has spoken into being by His Word, one is awed at the One who brought this fantastic creation into existence and can only exclaim along with the psalmist in Psa 147:5, “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite”. Rom 1:20 adds that God has revealed Himself to fallen mankind by His creation: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead…”. In fact, Jer 32:17 reminds us: “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee…”. You cannot separate the Lord Jesus from His Word, they are one and the same, as we see in John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” and in verse 14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. God is in total control of the forces of nature as we see Isa 38:7-8 and also the Gospel accounts gives us a vivid description of Christ’s power over tumultuous “waters” and the “sea”: “What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him”. We also learn from Mat 8:16 that Jesus “cast out the spirits with his word”. Luke 4:36 states, “And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out”. However, the greatest demonstration of God’s power is seen in Rom 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with power [or dunamis], according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead…”. The Greek word for “the power of his resurrection” used in Php 3:10 is dunamis (G1411), and we can get us some idea of the amazing “power” God possesses when we realize that the English word “dynamite” was derived from this Greek word. 1 Cor 1:24 reminds us, “… Christ the power [dunamis] of God, and the wisdom of God”.

Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Isa 38:7-8 “And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.”

Luke 8:24-25 “And they came to him [Jesus], and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.”

• God’s Power over Spiritual Life and Death - 1 Sam 2:6 declares, “The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up”. It is an undeniable fact that God alone retains the power of physical life and death, but have you stopped to think that His eternal power also extends to spiritual life and spiritual death? Naturally, new life is God’s specialty both in Creation as well as in salvation (or re-creation) because He is the Supreme Author of physical and spiritual life. One of the clearest pictures of this is found in the account of the raising of Lazarus who was physically dead in John 11. This is a beautiful picture of man’s spiritual deadness and the power of God’s Word to resurrect their dead souls. We see the power of God’s Word from Heb 4:12, “For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. And we also are aware that “faith [which is a synonym for salvation] comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”, as Rom. 10:17 tells us. Indeed, it is the resurrection that we now want to consider. There is another resurrection in addition to that of Christ that God addresses in the Bible, according to 1 Pet 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again [make us born again] unto a lively [living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. The phrase “… begotten us again unto a lively [living] hope…” is referring to being “born again”, or “born from above”. In John 3:3-6 we are confronted with the late night conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus on the subject of the New Birth. When Jesus referred to being “born again”, the Greek word for “again” - anothen (G509), really means “from above”. We need to keep in mind that the gift of salvation, which comes “down” from God Himself, is entirely undeserved and is only by God’s grace. “Born again”, or “born from above” is also referred as “first resurrection” which is a result of spiritually “hearing” the Gospel. In fact, the Lord Jesus is intimately identified with the resurrection, as John 11:25 teaches: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

John 3:3-6 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”

1 Pet 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

Rom 1:16  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power [dunamis] of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Rev 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

• The Raising of Lazarus is a Picture of Salvation - God Makes the Point that Lazarus is Dead – 20 Times! in John 11 - One of the most difficult biblical concepts for man to grasp is the idea that man is spiritually dead although he is obviously physically alive. However, in John 11 and 12 God goes to great lengths to focus our attention on this enormously important fact that Lazarus was physically dead typifying our spiritual death. The account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is what is known as a historical parable. It is a true historical occurrence through which God is teaching a great deal of spiritual truth concerning the nature of salvation. An unsaved person is “dead in sins” until God resurrects his soul from the dead, as Eph 2:5-6 explains. What God accomplishes in saving someone from spiritual death to spiritual life is equivalent to what the Lord Jesus Christ experienced through His death, burial, and resurrection, as Eph 1:19-20 indicates. Jesus Christ paid the spiritual penalty of eternal Hell for those whom He came to save. That is why He told Martha in John 11:25-26, “… I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die …”. That is similar to what Jesus said in John 5:25, “... when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live ...”. The references to death and life are all spiritual in nature and relate to salvation. And we know with certainty that Rom 10:17 proclaims, “So then faith [or salvation] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. The “hearing” God has in view is His gift of “spiritual hearing” without which no one becomes saved.

John 11:39, 43-44 “39Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 43And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”

Eze 37:1-5, 9-14 “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 9Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind [or spirit], prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel [typifying the Elect of God]: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel [typifying “new Jerusalem from heaven”]. 13And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land [typifying “new heaven” and “new earth”]: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.”

Eph 1:19-20 “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”

Eph 2:5-6 “Even when we [true believers] were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

• The Excellency of God’s Power - God’s power finds its greatest expression in the redemption of His people. Psa 59:16 asserts, “But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble”. What is “the day of my trouble”? This same word for “trouble” is found in Messianic Psa 116:3, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow”. The “trouble” that mankind faces is the penalty of their sin which awaits them, which is the wrath of God. Heb1:3 provides the answer of how God redeems His people: “Who [Lord Jesus Christ] being the brightness of his [God the Father] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high…”. Rom 1:16 proclaims, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…”. 2 Cor 4:7 teaches a very important principle concerning the New Birth and the ensuing life of a believer on this earth: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”. When a person is “born of God” he becomes a “new creature” (i.e., a new creation) in Christ through the miraculous creative power of God, as 2 Cor 5:17 explains: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. The Christian, if he doesn’t already know it, will in time come to recognize and depend on the reality of Gal 2:20: “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. The Apostle Paul, experienced much suffering for the sake of the Gospel. God predicted that fact to Ananias, who was given the task of sharing the Gospel with Paul in Acts 9:16, “For I will shew him [Paul] how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake”. Paul’s goals are summed up in Php 3:10: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death…”. Could it be that God, by His great power and mercy, would so work in our lives to make these our goals as well?

Gal 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

2 Cor 13:4 “For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.”

O Death, Where is Thy Sting? O Grave, Where is Thy Victory? Read more...

• The Sting of Death is Sin - We find this statement in Eze 18:4, “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die”. Jam 1:15 also expresses the same idea as it pinpoints the origin and progression of all sin: “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”. So we read in 1 Cor 15:56 that “the sting of death is sin ...”. The reason this is so is because, sin, by biblical definition, is the transgression of God’s Law – THE LAW OF GOD, WHICH IS THE HOLY BIBLE, as stated in 1 John 3:4, an exceedingly relevant verse. And how important is God’s Law? In Mat 5:18 we read, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”. You and I are fully aware that when we break one of the laws of our land there will be consequences, and in the case of sin the consequences are eternal and breaking one of God’s law makes us guilty of breaking all (Jam 2:10). In these verses, as well as many others in the Bible, we notice that God is linking death to sin. God had set up a test for Man in the Garden of Eden, which Man failed. God had declared that if Man were to sin, he would have to die. The death that God was talking about was not only physical death (which did result, however, as the evidence of man’s sin) – but something far worse, something unimaginable – eternal “second death” in Hell: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat 10:28). We cannot begin to understand the depth of our sin and how our rebellion is such an affront to God Almighty, our Creator. Furthermore, we find this jarring truth in Rom 6:23, “For the wages of sin is [eternal] death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. May God have mercy on us as we cry to Him to deliver us from the just punishment we deserve.

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man [speaking of Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned ...”

1 John 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Jam 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

1 Cor 15:54-57 “... Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• The Law of the Spirit of Life and the Law of Sin and Death - What is the Law? as we look in the Bible to discover the answer to this question, we find statements that can appear to be contradictory unless we harmonize them with what the whole Bible teaches to fully comprehend what God has in view. For instance, in Rom 8:2, it would seem that this verse is talking about two laws: “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” and “the law of sin and death”. Many people erroneously think that the Ten Commandments are the Law. While they are certainly part of the Law, they are by no means the whole Law. What is the Law that Adam broke catapulting this world into sin and death? We have just seen sin, by biblical definition, is the transgression of God’s Law. So, what is the Law then? It is actually the entire Bible. An outstanding example of this is Psalm 119, where the excellency of the Bible is highlighted. It is the longest Psalm (and the longest chapter in the Bible), and throughout its 176 verses all of God’s Word is described with the following terms (sometimes in both the singular and plural forms): statutes, judgments, testimonies, commandments, precepts, law, word, and ordinances. There is another crucial point that cannot be overlooked: In Eph 6:17 the Bible is referred to as, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. More evidence of this fact is revealed in Rev 1:16 as it portrays the Lord Jesus in majestic splendor and glory coming as the Judge and “out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword”. This helps to clarify the problem of the “two laws” which I mentioned previously in Rom 8:2. In essence the “Law”, or the “book of the Law”, refers to the whole Bible – the “sword of the Spirit”. The two edges of that “sword” signify its roles of either inflicting eternal damnation by the law of sin and death, or providing eternal life by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. These are the two main messages of the Gospel of Christ. Also it is important to recognize that the phrases “in the flesh” and “under the law” refer to one who is unsaved. On the other hand, the phrases “in the spirit” and “under grace” are speaking about one who is saved and set free by “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” from “the law of sin and death”.

Mat 4:4 “… It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick [or living] and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Rev 1:16 “And he [Lord Jesus as Judge] had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Rom 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

• The Strength of Sin is the Law - Sin, as we have just learned, is the transgression of the Law. Our problem with sin, and its well-deserved consequence – punishment in Hell forevermore – has to do with the fact man – though sinful – are nonetheless accountable to God for their sin, since they were created in the image of God. Also it has to do with the fact that we are married to the Law of God (Rom 7:1-6). We read in 1 Cor 15:56, “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law”. One is “under the law” or “sold under sin” according to Rom 3:21. In other words, the Bible, as the Law of God , is our enemy because we have disobeyed it, and it stands to accuse us and hold us liable to the consequences of having broken it: “... the law worketh wrath” (Rom 4:15a). Make no mistake about it God will prosecute sinners to the full extent of the law – which is eternal damnation in Hell. Num 32:23 warns “... ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out”. There is no alternative or plea-bargaining available – the Law has to be upheld by the Judge, if He is indeed a righteous Ruler. God is absolutely just and righteous both in character and in everything He does. In Deu 33:2 we find this portrait of God’s Law, the Bible: “... he [The LORD] came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them”. This amazing declaration gives us a glimpse of how binding and authoritative the Bible is. Notice how it is called a “fiery law”, and “fire” has everything to do with the justice and judgment of God, as stated in Deu 4:24, “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God”. Jer 23:29 underscores this as well: “Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”. Not one human being will escape their rendezvous with the Judge – unless they first have a Savior. We know of course from Isa 45:21, “... there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me”. Rom 2:5-6 describes how the accumulation of sin in a person’s life will serve as the evidence for why God has to punish each person individually. Rom 2:11-13 declares: “... not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified...”. The “doers of the law” are those whom God saves, in other words, those who are set free by “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” from “the law of sin and death”. In fact, Rom 4:15a says, “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression”. Furthermore we understand from Rom 7:7, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet”. So, the reason the Law (which is the whole Bible) is called “the strength [power] of sin” is because it exposes our sin and guilt before God. Moreover, because “by the law is the knowledge of sin”, it drives God’s elect to see their overwhelming need for a Savior, as Gal 3:24 explains: “... Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ ...”. Also it is important to recognize that the phrases “carnally minded” and “the hearers of the law” refer to one who is unsaved. On the other hand, the phrases “spiritually minded” and “the doers of the law” are speaking about one who is saved.

Rom 2:5-6 “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds ...”.

1 Cor 15:54-57 “… Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Rom 7:5, 14 “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members [our body] to bring forth fruit unto death. 14For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.”

Rom 8:6-9 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Rom 2:11-13 “For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified ...)”

Rom 3:19-20 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Gal 3:22, 24 “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

• Death is Swallowed Up in Victory - We find these words of comfort, which reflect the hope of the Resurrection in Christ in Isa 25:8, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it”. The unfolding of God’s wondrous salvation plan is beautifully illustrated in Gal 4:4-7. God is indeed to be praised for defeating sin, spiritual death, and Hell, as 1 Cor 15:54-57 so magnificently reveals. Not only Christ redeemed us from the “curse of the law” but has also fulfilled the law for us as Rom 5:19 declares, thus ending “enmity”, or hatred, that existed between man and God because of man’s sin (Eph 2:14-17). The Greek word for “swallowed up (katapinó 2666)” is translated as “drowned” in Heb 11:29, recounting God’s miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptian forces at the Red Sea: “By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned [or swallowed up]”. The same Greek word is also used in 2 Cor 5:4 – a parallel account to 1 Cor 15 – and relates the believers’ desire to be rid of their sin-cursed bodies and to receive their glorified spiritual bodies on the Last Day: “For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life”. The resurrection of the dead will occur on the Last Day, or Judgment Day, which coincides with the end of this world, the end of time, and the ushering in of eternity for both the saved and the unsaved. Isa 14:11, which depicts Satan’s downfall, declares the ultimate destiny of Satan and all who are unsaved in Hell: “Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee”. The born-again Christian has “boldness in the day of judgment” because his salvation is totally dependent on the work and faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Wonderfully, he can rejoice in what 2 Tim 1:9-10 proclaims: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 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 ...”

Rom 5:19 “For as by one man’s [Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Christ] shall many be made righteous.”

1 Cor 15:20-22 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [Christ] came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Gal 4:4-7 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

Eph 2:14-17 “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”

1 Cor 15:54-57 “... Death is swallowed up (katapinó 2666) in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• Thanks be to God, which Giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ - Thanks be to God! It is worth noting that the Greek word for “thanks (charis 5485)” is translated over 80% of the time as “grace (charis)”. In other words, it is God’s grace that provides salvation for every child of God through the work and the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:32). We must never forget the enormous price that the Lord Jesus had to pay to secure salvation for each Christian, as 2 Cor 8:9 declares: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich”. In reality, the Lord Jesus voluntarily became sin; and, consequently, He was guilty of us violating the Laws of the entire Bible and had to endure the penalty of eternal Hell to obtain our eternal forgiveness, which is demanded by the Law of God – the Bible (2 Cor 5:21). Bear in mind that the “death” spoken of in this quotation is eternal damnation. The only person who has actually suffered the rigors of Hell is the Lord Jesus, as Mat 12:40 portrays: “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”. The phrase “heart of the earth” is a reference to eternal Hell.

1 Cor 15:54-57 “... Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks (charis 5485) be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Eph 1:6-7 “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

Heb 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

Rev 20:11-15 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Rev 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [born again] : on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years [for eternity].”

Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear

• Physical Death and Spiritual Death  - We understand from Gen 2:17, that man's sin, disobedience to God's command is the reason for the death. But did Adam and Eve die immediately? No, they did not die physically. In fact, we learn from Gen 5:5 exactly how long Adam lived. Physical death is the evidence that man is indeed sinful. It is worth noting that in this very important verse Gen 2:17, the Hebrew words for “surely (muth 4191)” and “die (muth 4191)” are identical, and the phrase literally means “dying thou shalt die”. Here God is not only emphasizing the process and the certainty of physical death, He also pointing to the spiritual, eternal “second death”. Sin leads to spiritual death, as Jam 1:14-15 teaches. Since Adam and Eve represented the human race, God’s curse of eternal death was transmitted to all of their descendants, as Rom 5:12 instructs. Furthermore, Psa 51:5 indicates that this happens at the moment of conception. Thus man is born physically alive, yet spiritually dead, as Col 2:13 informs. Referring to true believers as spiritual Jews, Rom 2:29 describes the only kind of circumcision required to enter the kingdom of God. To be spiritually “cut off” or “circumcised” refers to being cast into Hell as seen from Dan 9:26, which is speaking of the Messiah – the Lord Jesus – Who had to suffer Second Death, Eternal Hell for His elect people.

Gen 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely (muth 4191) die (muth 4191)”.

Gen 5:5 “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.”

Job 34:15  “All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.” 

Jam 1:14-15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…”

Psa 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Col 2:13 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses…”

Rom 2:29 “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Dan 9:26 “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

• Eternal Death and Fear of Death -  Those who do not have a Savior are spiritually dead from conception and will remain that way forever. They will have to face the bar of God’s righteous justice alone to be judged for their sins – their incessant violations of God’s Holy Law, the Bible. They will then be sentenced according to that Divine Law – the Bible – and will face eternal death in the Lake of Fire – the just punishment prescribed in that same Law – the Bible. The presiding Judge is the Triune Godhead, in the presence of all the Redeemed and all the Holy Angels. Dan 7:9-10 and Rev 20:12b and 15 outline the fearful events of that fast-approaching day. Let’s examine the reason that people fear death. It is interesting that unsaved people do not fear God, as we learn from Rom 3:18. Yet they do fear death because they are aware that God exists and that one day they will have to give an account to Him, as 2 Cor 5:10 explains. However, the idea of facing God on Judgment Day is so unthinkable that man desperately attempts to suppress and ignore this truth – he desperately tries to forget about it altogether. Indeed, death is a great enemy that only the Lord Jesus can destroy, according to 1 Cor 15:25-26.

Mal 3:2 “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?”

Dan 7:9-10, Rev 20:12b, 15 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened… and another book was opened, which is the book of life [consists of all who are made alive by Christ - born again]: and the dead [spiritually dead] were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works… And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Rom 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

2 Cor 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

Rom 1:32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Heb 2:14-15 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

1 Cor 15:25-26 “For he[Lord Jesus]  must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

• Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear - As sinners, we are born spiritually dead in “bondage”, or enslaved to sin and to Satan, as Eph 2:12 states. The “spirit of bondage” versus the “spirit of adoption” are also apparent in 1 Cor 2:12 as the “spirit of the world” versus the “spirit which is of God”. Furthermore Satan’s downfall is also pictured in 2 The 2:8. Why does “fear” have “torment”? Mat 25:46 is the only other place where the same Greek word for “torment (kolasis 2851)” is used, and it is a very significant passage where the word is translated as “punishment”. It describes the end of the world and the final destinations of the unsaved as well as the saved. Now we can see why “fear hath torment” (or “punishment”), and why unsaved man fears death because of what awaits him – the trial of the last day and the sentence of eternal damnation in Hell. 1 John 4:18 also indicates that “perfect love casteth out fear”. What is “perfect love” and how can it “cast out fear”? Let’s read 1 John 4:16-19. The Christian has “boldness in the day of judgment” because his salvation is totally dependent on the work and faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Wonderfully, he can rejoice in what 2 Tim 1:9-10 proclaims.

Eph 2:12 “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…”

1 Cor 2:12 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

Rom 8:15 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

2 The 2:8 “And then shall that Wicked [Satan] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth [the Word of God], and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming…”

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment (kolasis 2851). He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

Mat 25:46 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment (kolasis 2851): but the righteous into life eternal.”

1 John 4:16-19 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”

2 Tim 1:9-10 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 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…”

Jesus Christ is the "Firstborn from the Dead" and the "First of the Firstfruits"

• Jesus Is the “Firstborn from the Dead” - Significantly, Jesus Christ is also called the “firstborn” based on the Greek word prototokos (G4416). He is spoken of as the “firstborn son” of Mary in Mat 1:25 and in Luke 2:7. However, prototokos in the following verses (Col 1, Rom 8, Rev 1, 1 Cor 15) about the Lord Jesus Christ spiritually conveys the idea of His being preeminently “brought forth” from Hell. While He was still physically alive on the Cross, Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and “Father, into thy hands I commend [commit] my spirit” (Luke 23:46). He could say that because He had already endured the equivalent of eternal damnation for His people and that God had already raised His soul from spiritual death. Since the actual Atonement for sin had never happened before, He is called the “firstborn from the dead” in Col 1:18 and God clearly defines the usage of the Greek word for “firstborn” (prototokos) as it relates to Jesus in His death and resurrection. Notice the phrase “the firstborn from the dead” harmonizes perfectly with our conclusion that the Greek word for “only begotten” (monogenes) identifies with Jesus’ resurrection from the second death, the eternal wrath of God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the pinnacle, the keystone, and the centerpiece of Gospel. It is the most critical factor of God’s whole salvation program, as is emphasized in 1 Cor 15:16-18. The unique title assigned to the Savior in Rev 1:5, “the first begotten of the dead,” is His alone in perpetuity. It is the fulfillment of the promise given to Him by His Father in Psa 16:10.

Mat 1:25  “And [Joseph] knew her [Mary] not till she had brought forth her firstborn [prototokos:G4416] son: and he called his name JESUS.”

Luke 2:7  “And she [Mary] brought forth [tikto:G5088] her firstborn [prototokos] son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Col 1:15 “Who [Lord Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [prototokos] of every creature:”

Col 1:18-20 “And he [Lord Jesus Christ] is the head of the body, the church [the eternal body of true believers]: who is the beginning, the firstborn [prototokos] from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

Rom 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn [prototokos] among many brethren.”

Rev 1:5-6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten [prototokos:G4416] of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us [that is, the true believers], and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 Cor 15:16-18 “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep [those who have died physically] in Christ are perished.”

Psa 16:10 “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

• Jesus is the “First of the Firstfruits” - We have seen a very close relationship between the two Greek words for “only begotten”(monogenes) and for “firstborn”(prototokos), which identify with Jesus’ resurrection from the second death, the eternal wrath of God. Now we will look at another related Greek word that is translated as “firstfruits”(aparche:G536) in 1 Cor 15:20. The Old Testament has much to say about “firstfruits” with reference to the first “fruit”, or produce, from a crop harvest. The “feast of harvest” that featured the firstfruits was also called the “feast of weeks”. It was one of the three main feasts that God commanded Israel to keep annually. It followed the “feast of unleavened bread” (or Passover) in the spring of the year, and it corresponded to Pentecost in the New Testament. The three feasts are described in Exo 23:14-16. Each of those feast periods has much symbolism and spiritual significance related to specific events in the timeline of God’s salvation program during the New Testament period, but time will not permit us to describe this subject in detail. There was an important distinction between the “first of the firstfruits” and the remaining portion of the “firstfruits” as we read in in Exo 34:26. We can understand that the “first of the firstfruits” spiritually pointed to Jesus Christ, Who was saved from eternal damnation at the Cross and returned to “the house of LORD”. In fact, His resurrection from the spiritual second death is essential for the salvation of all of God’s elect, who are the remaining portion of the “firstfruits”, as we can see from 1 Cor 15:20-24. Jam 1:18 further explains that believers, like their Master, are also “a kind of firstfruits”, since they, too, have been raised from the dead spiritually and are assured of eternal life. God saves His people through the truth of His Word; and the word “begat” in this verse Jam 1:18 means to be “brought forth”, or to be spiritually “born from above”. 

1 Cor 15:20 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

Exo 23:14-16 “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) 16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”

Exo 34:26 “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God…”

1 Cor 15:20-24 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits [aparche:G536] of them that slept [those who have died physically]. 21For since by man came death, by man [Christ] came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits [aparche:G536]; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

Jam 1:18 “Of his own will begat he us [true believers] with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

God Gave His “Only Begotten Son”. Read more...

• What does “Only Begotten” mean? - The term “only begotten” is translated from the compound Greek word monogenes (G3439). The first part of the word, mono, is not a problem because it means “only” and Jesus Christ is the only Son of God. The second part of the word “begotten”, genes, which means “to come into being”, “to beget” or “to be born”. It is a word that has to do with a beginning, and that makes it a very problematical word when applied to the Lord Jesus. After all, He is Jehovah God (Isa 9:6), Who is from everlasting to everlasting – that is, He has no beginning and no end. Wonderfully, the Bible is its own dictionary and commentary; and God has given us sufficient information so that we can know why Jesus is repeatedly called God’s “only begotten Son”. We will see how God defines the spiritual meaning of monogenes by using the three elements of an “only begotten” - only child, the child has died, and the child was raised from the dead – “the firstborn from the dead” (Col 1:15,18). Spiritually, it points to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, who would come as the Lamb of God. Therefore, when God uses the special term “only begotten” (monogenes) in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, we know for certain that it has nothing to do with His taking on a human nature and being born of Mary. Instead, it has everything to do with the fact that Christ is the Only Son within the Godhead and the fact that He endured the most horrible second death – the eternal death in hell – and was resurrected unto eternal life.

Isa 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Rev 22:13 “I [Lord Jesus Christ] am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

Col 1:14-18 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

• The “Only Begotten Son” of the Father - In the Genesis 22 account we find the following three verses with the phrase “thy son, thine only” that relates to Isaac, whom Abraham “offered up” as a sacrifice to God. God’s testing of Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah in this beautiful historical parable is to emphasize the point that God’s love is an important aspect of His salvation program. We can clearly see from the account in Genesis 22 how Abraham and Isaac are figures or types of God the Father and His “beloved Son”, in the Atonement at the Cross. God does not require Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac – and yet God willingly offered up His beloved Son – the Lord Jesus – to suffer the punishment of eternal damnation. This fact is vividly highlighted in 2 Cor 5:21, “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”. Is it any wonder that Rom 8:32 asks this vital question, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

Gen 22:2,12,16 “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:”

John 1:1-3,14,18 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 14And the Word [Jesus Christ] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him [Jesus Christ] is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”

Mat 3:16-17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

• God Gave His “Only Begotten Son” as a “Sacrifice” - In Genesis 22, in the historical setting and from a human perspective, this seems to be such an unemotional, matter-of-fact conversation between Abraham and Isaac. After all, God had instructed Abraham to kill his son and offer him as a burnt offering, and they have been carrying wood for the fire on a three-day journey at this time. Finally, Isaac asks his father, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”. Then Abraham’s answer “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” indicates his great faith in God’s promise to establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac and his seed, as we read in Gen 17:19. We know from Gal 3:16 that the “Seed” in view is physically the Lord Jesus Christ – “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ”, who is the “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The sacrifice of His “only begotten Son”, is the centerpiece of God’s salvation plan. Lord Jesus Christ was “lifted up” (hupsoo:G5312) on the Cross (John 3:14) to indicate that He was made a curse for us. The “seed” of Abraham through Isaac also refers spiritually to the eternal body of believers, who will be as “the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore” (Gen 22:17).

Gen 17:19 “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.”

Gen 22:7-8 “And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

Heb 10:8-9 “Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9Then said he [Lord Jesus Christ], Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second."

John 3:14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 12:32-34 “And I, if I [Lord Jesus Christ] be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33This he said, signifying what death he should die. 34The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?”

• Jesus Christ, the “First Begotten” of the Dead - In Gen 22:9-12 we see that Abraham proceeded to sacrifice Isaac in principle. God stopped Abraham from killing his son in actuality at the last second; but why would Abraham do such a terrible thing? Well, we read the reason in Heb 11:19: “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead”. This New Testament verse explains that Abraham was confident that God would raise his son from the dead in order to keep His promise to “establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him” (Gen 17:19). Obviously, God knew in advance that Abraham would not fail the test. Abraham could not possibly have known God’s ultimate purpose at the time; but he obeyed God’s command solely “by faith” as we read in Heb 11:17. Then, in Gen 22:16-18 God is speaking directly to Abraham about his unwavering obedience. Heb 11:19 is also superb example of the faith that true believers have in God’s many promises in the Bible to raise them from the dead unto eternal life. We saw that Isaac, who typified Christ in the Atonement, did not actually die there. Nevertheless, God insists that he died and was resurrected in principle in verse Heb 11:19. We can clearly see from the account in Genesis 22 how Abraham and Isaac are figures of God the Father and God the Son in the Atonement at the Cross. Significantly, Jesus Christ is also called the “firstborn” based on the Greek word prototokos (G4416). He is spoken of as the “firstborn son” of Mary in Mat 1:25 and in Luke 2:7. However, prototokos in the following verses (Col 1, Rom 8, Rev 1, 1 Cor 15) about the Lord Jesus Christ spiritually conveys the idea of His being preeminently “brought forth” from Hell. Since the actual Atonement for sin had never happened before, He is called the “firstborn from the dead” in Col 1:18 and God clearly defines the usage of the Greek word for “firstborn” (prototokos) as it relates to Jesus in His death and resurrection. Notice the phrase “the firstborn from the dead” harmonizes perfectly with our conclusion that the Greek word for “only begotten” (monogenes) identifies with Jesus’ resurrection from the second death, the eternal wrath of God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the pinnacle, the keystone, and the centerpiece of Gospel. It is the most critical factor of God’s whole salvation program, as is emphasized in 1 Cor 15:16-18. The unique title assigned to the Savior in Rev 1:5, “the first begotten of the dead”, is His alone in perpetuity. It is the fulfillment of the promise given to Him by His Father in Psa 16:10: “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption”.

Gen 22:9-12 “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [begotten] son from me.”

1 Cor 15:16-18 “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”

Gen 22:16-18 “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [begotten] son: 17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed [typifying elect of God] as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed [Christ according to Gal 3:16] shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

John 10:17-18 “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Heb 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead from whence also he [Abraham as a figure of God] received him [that is, Isaac, as a figure of Christ] in a figure [parabole:G3850].”

Rev 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”

Rom 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [Christ] might be the firstborn [prototokos] among many brethren.”

1 Pet 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

• Jesus Christ, the “First of the Firstfruits” of Them that Slept - We have seen a very close relationship between the two Greek words for “only begotten” (monogenes) and for “firstborn” (prototokos), which identify with Jesus’ resurrection from the second death, the eternal wrath of God. Now we will look at another related Greek word that is translated as “firstfruits” (aparche:G536) in 1 Cor 15:20. The Old Testament has much to say about “firstfruits” with reference to the first “fruit”, or produce, from a crop harvest. The “feast of harvest” that featured the firstfruits was also called the “feast of weeks”. It was one of the three main feasts that God commanded Israel to keep annually. It followed the “feast of unleavened bread” (or Passover) in the spring of the year, and it corresponded to Pentecost in the New Testament. The three feasts are described in Exo 23:14-16. Each of those feast periods has much symbolism and spiritual significance related to specific events in the timeline of God’s salvation program during the New Testament period, but time will not permit us to describe this subject in detail. There was an important distinction between the “first of the firstfruits” and the remaining portion of the “firstfruits” as we read in in Exo 34:26. We can understand that the “first of the firstfruits” spiritually pointed to Jesus Christ, Who was saved from eternal damnation at the Cross and returned to “the house of LORD”. In fact, His resurrection from the spiritual second death is essential for the salvation of all of God’s elect, who are the remaining portion of the “firstfruits”, as we can see from 1 Cor 15:20-24. Jam 1:18 further explains that believers, like their Master, are also “a kind of firstfruits”, since they, too, have been raised from the dead spiritually and are assured of eternal life. God saves His people through the truth of His Word; and the word “begat” in this verse Jam 1:18 means to be “brought forth”, or to be spiritually “born from above”.

Exo 23:14-16 “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. 15Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) 16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”

Exo 34:26 “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God…”

1 Cor 15:20-24 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept [those who have died physically]. 21For since by man came death, by man [Christ] came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

Jam 1:18 “Of his own will begat [brought forth or born from above] he us [true believers] with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”