cross_erebus “Strange as it may sound, Christ’s dying in our place and for our sins means that we died. You would think that having a substitute die in your place would mean that you escape death. And, of course, we do escape death—the eternal death of endless misery and separation from God. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (John 10:28). “Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:26). The death of Jesus does indeed mean that “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  But there is another sense in which we die precisely because Christ died in our place and for our sins. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die . . .” (1 Peter 2:24). He died that we might live; and he died that we might die.  When Christ died, I, as a believer in Christ, died with him. The Bible is clear: “We have been united with him in a death like his” (Romans 6:5). “One has died for all, therefore all have died” (2 Corinthians 5:14).  Faith is the evidence of being united to Christ in this profound way. Believers “have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).  My sin brought Jesus to the grave and brought me there with him. Faith sees sin as murderous. It killed Jesus, and it killed me. Therefore, becoming a Christian means death to sin. The old self that loved sin died with Jesus.”

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, hat we might die to sin and live to  righteousness.  (1 Peter 2:24)

Reflecting on this  reminds me to the paradox of living for self, being ultimate death but dying to self being eternal life.   God tells us that His ways confound the wise among men.  They make no sense.   Yet, millions are witness to the power of a changed life through the grace of God and the good news of the gospel.  I myself can understand this.  I was once spiritually dead but physically alive.  When I was made spiritually alive, I saw things a new light.  It was not that “someone convinced me” or that I finally “figured it out” or “got religion” or “needed an opiate” to numb my pain.  I can’t really explain it but spiritual things of which I was uninterested in, became interesting.   My paths began to cross with people who experienced the same thing.  My old selfish attitudes began to diminish.  Everything changed.   Christ became real.  God invaded my life from all angles.  

Questions:   Have you ever considered why some people just walk away from things to serve God?  Has God called you to die to self and live for him, by grace through faith in Christ? 

Quote from “The 50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die”.

Questions and reflections by me.

Picture – The cross at Mount Erebus, Antarctica, commemorating the 1979 Air New Zealand Crash near Mount Erebus.

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