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GRACE REIGNS

/ Lee A. Robinson / Leave a comment

Romans 5:19-21

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

From the time of the first man (Adam) sin and death has reigned among men. Sin and death are likened to a unified dominant king controlling men and their destinies. It’s almost as if we had no choice: we were made sinners by the disobedience of Adam. We were all born sinners into a kingdom of sin. Sin was natural and normal to us. There is such a power in the world, a universal law, that excuses and encourages sin. Sin reigned, and sin finishes its work by ultimately slaying the subjects of its kingdom. We are slaves, low born, disadvantaged, destined for this. 

But there came a new King into the world. One who evaded the natural way of conception through virgin birth. He was born righteous and pure into the world of sin. As the God-Man he triumphed over every temptation to sin. Ultimately he was lifted up, to receive in his body God’s judgment wrought by King Sin and Death, so as to set free those who were all their lives subject to his reign. He defeated Sin and Death and established a new kingdom.
In contrast to the former kingdom, the kingdom of Jesus is characterized by GRACE – favor, benevolence, help, beauty, gift-giving, kindness, compassion, etc. Through the new birth, our nature is changed – we are now naturally righteous and pure. We are also ushered into a new realm of living that is dominated and permeated with these qualities of grace. GRACE REIGNS in the life of a Christian. We are born as spiritual free men: privileged, high class, advantaged. We were made saints by the obedience of someone else – that’s very good news. Our lives are under the control, ownership and supervision of God’s Grace. Grace reigns. I am not the king of my life – Grace is, and because my King is so gracious I can find great comfort in knowing that he will defend me against every enemy in my life, including myself. The King of Sin and Death delighted in deceiving and destroying, but the King of Grace delights in teaching, encouraging, forgiving, restoring, redeeming and resurrecting. Grace is greater than all of my sin and will prevail. All hail King Grace!  

Are You Ready To Die?

/ Lee A. Robinson / 6 Comments

Death is not the subject we ever want to talk about. It’s the last call we ever want to receive. Death is the last face we want to stare into. But death is real. All of us are going to die. You will. Are you ready to die? 

On Christmas morning my brother in law received a call that a family member woke up to her husband unexpectedly dead in bed. I just got off a phone call with a dear friend intubated in the hospital most likely breathing her last breaths. We have heard of many Covid cases recently, many among very vulnerable people. During our recent family skirmish with Covid we became nervous about my wife not making it due to severely low oxygen levels. 

Death comes. Sometimes it’s foreseen, sometimes unexpectedly, but nevertheless it comes. The death rate is 100%. No one escapes. It may sound far fetched and unlikely, but you could die today. In the United States just about 100 people die each day in a car accident. None of those people today are pulling out of their driveways expecting it to happen. Visit the cemetery today and you will find many buried who were younger than you. Even if you live to be old, the time is coming quickly. 10% of the American population dies every year (about 3.3 million people). The time to be prepared for death is today. 

There are no greater answers in the world for being ready to die than the Holy Bible. Notice how this is the source people run to for funerals, engravings, etc. Death and Life are major subjects of that Book. It’s pages reveal to us why we die, what happens after we die, and more importantly, how we can be personally assured of life after the grave. Take a few moments today to hear these things, and if need be, allow God to open your heart and mind before the time is too late…

Why do we die? 

The Bible teaches clearly that God designed mankind to live forever. He created the world without defect or death (Genesis 1-2). God placed in the middle of the garden of Eden two trees: The Tree of Life and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil. God commanded Adam & Eve to not eat from the second tree. If they did, the consequence was, “Ye shall surely die.” In the Bible, death is seen as a judgment from God. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” Death is wages, or the consequences of our sins. Death is a curse. It is not the natural outworking of the world that God made, but rather the result of us rebelling against the God who made us. 

Adam & Eve sinned, and because they did they died. You and I have sinned, and because we have, we will die. Romans 3:23 concludes that, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We have all missed the mark. We all have failed the exam. We have all offended our conscience, broken God’s Laws, and done things which have earned us death – whether it be lies, slander, anger, fighting, bitterness, theft, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, disobedience, rebellion, etc. We all have different sins, but we all are alike in that we are fallen, sinful, condemned creatures. 

What happens when we die?

Why are we so afraid to die? 1 Corinthians 15:56 says, “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” Sin is like a spiritual venomous snake that we allow to bite us. It kills the body and the soul. If we had no sin we would not have to fear death, but we do have sin, therefore we fear death. Notice also it says, “the strength of sin is the law.” Our sins are actual crimes because God gave us a Law and a conscience. We are afraid to die because our death-date is also our court-date with our Creator, Almighty God. 

Revelation chapter 20 gives us a vision of this Final Judgment. God sits on his great white throne (symbol of purity) with certain books opened before him. We are sure that one of those books is his Law and another one is the detailed, faithful account of your entire life: every word, action, appetite, relationship, thought and even motive will be examined and tried by God’s Law. Those found guilty will be punished appropriately: “But the fearful, and unbelieving…and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). This is why so many people are afraid to die. We know intuitively that there is a day of reckoning, that our lives will be brought to account. If you have sinned and do not know that your sins are forgiven, you should be afraid. 

So we as people have two great spiritual problems – Sin and Death. Sin is the cause of our death; death is the result of our sins.    

How can we live?

Our father Adam disobeyed God which resulted in sin and death coming into the world (Romans 5:12). However, the Bible speaks of another “Adam,” the “last Adam,” whose obedience brought righteousness and life into the world – Jesus Christ (Romans 5). When mankind fell into sin and a curse in those beginning days, God promised that one day a child would come into the world who would deliver us from sin and death (Genesis 3:15). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world for the express purpose of solving our chief problems of sin and death: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15); “Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4); Romans 4:25 states that Jesus “was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.” 

Jesus solved the cause of our death (i.e. sin) when he was crucified, and then he solved the result of our sins (i.e. death) when he was resurrected. 

Jesus, as God & Man (the God-Man), was morally perfect. He did not deserve to die. But the good news of the Bible is that Jesus willingly went to judgment in our stead. He exchanged his perfect life for our sinful life. He embraced our judgment (death, judgment from God) so that we could embrace his reward (resurrection and eternal life). One Scripture that makes this very clear is 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Jesus was our perfect substitute as he hung on the cross. We committed the crime and he paid our fine. 

The Gospel (which means “good news”) is the promise that if we simply recognize our sinfulness, turn to God for forgiveness, and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we will be given the gift of eternal life. In John 3:16 Jesus promised, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus also said 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. Believest thou this?” Jesus backed up these words by immediately after this raising a man from the dead (Lazarus) after he had been dead for four days!

The greatest proof we have that we can trust in Jesus, as recorded in the Bible, in that Jesus raised himself from the dead. He told the people that if they killed him he would raise himself on the third day (John 2:19). The only person who can help us overcome these two great enemies of sin and death is Jesus Christ, because he overcame both of them!!! 

Revelation chapter 1 gives us a vision of Jesus Christ risen from the dead and glorified in heaven. Here he says, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:17-18). He has the Keys! If you want out of this spiritual dungeon, call upon Jesus Christ! He is alive forevermore! 

The Bible concludes with the awesome promise and description of eternal life. Revelation 21:4 says, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” These promises are only for those who have repented of their sins and have trusted in Christ. Jesus is the Tree of Life. Eat from him today (by believing in him) and live forever! 

For further insight read: John 3; Romans 3-5; Revelation 1