GOD MADE US ALIVE IN CHRIST - PART 2

SATURDAY 03 DECEMBER 2022

An unbelieving soul should make haste to embrace Christ as Saviour, because according to referenced Scripture below, lost souls are dead because of sin. Life only comes when we receive Christ as Saviour and Lord, meaning that all true Christians have been raised with Christ from the dead and are alive to God.

Reference: Ephesians 2:4-6 New Living Translation (NLT) "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!). For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus."

In today's article, let me enlighten you about God's mercy which He provides richly. His mercy is the most wondrous compassion that cannot be wearied out and cannot be easily provoked. It is the most forgiving response and answer to all of man's transgressions and rebellion. Simply put, man's sin has a solution and that solution is what God wants to be known for. Got it? This is the reason He introduced His grace as the only spiritual force that can exert man's salvation. Then He presented the grace through a mystery, namely Christ. To show us that the solution of sin came from God alone, apostle Paul noted, "It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!"

Beloved, it is God that masterminded the entire solution for sin. Although I have shared about the whole plan before in my previous articles, I want to repeat how the solution started on earth. Now watch this: Paul mentioned that "He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead", but how and when did we die with Him? The Bible says, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6 NLT). This was how grace was introduced. Now let me explain the concept in detail.

Firstly, according to the book of Isaiah, grace arrived on earth as a child. For unto us a child is born...Got it? Secondly, it was given to us as a Son. To that effect, Matthew 1:21 (KJV) reads, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Another Scripture to identify Him as a Son is John 3:16 (NLT), and it reads, "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." From infancy, He grew and became a Son who was eligible to make the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Thirdly, the Government will rest on His shoulders. This is where all of us who are saved and those who will get saved, died with Christ.

The cross of Calvary is so significant in the sense that it represents the superior Government from heaven. Therefore, as Christ Jesus carried the cross, the Government was resting on His shoulders. Got it? To instantiate this, the Scripture says, "Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified. They took Jesus away. Carrying his cross, Jesus went out to the place called Skull Hill (the name in Hebrew is Golgotha), where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a sign and had it placed on the cross. It reads: "Jesus the nazarene, the king of the Jews" (John 19:16-19 MSG).

Now if you ever thought that Pilate wrote the sign, "Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews", by mistake and placed it on the cross, that would be a serious joke. He did not understand what He did but He was on point. Christ is the King residing over the Government He bore on the shoulder to the place, called Skull Hill (Golgotha) and we are the subjects. Got it? All of us, who are saved and those that are yet to be saved, were spiritually hanging on that cross, thereby going to be crucified with Him. When Jesus was crucified, we all died with Him on the cross. Then on the third day, when God raised Him from the dead, we were raised together with Him and He gave us life. Please don't miss these points!

This is exactly what our referenced Scripture implies when it says, "...God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Hallelujah! Also Paul confirmed to this truth, saying, "My old self has been crucified with Christ..."(Galatians 2:20 NLT). Since time will fail me to continue, stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Ephesians 2:1; Acts 15:11; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 2:13.

Exuberant Declaration: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Hallelujah!