Jesus conquered death, sin for everyone
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Editor,
What I like about Easter is captured in a couple of lines which one preacher wrote to a younger colleague: “Our Savior, Jesus Christ, has abolished death and has brought life and immortality through the Gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:10). If Jesus has really done this (and He has) then He is the greatest person in human history; and the most important thing for any of us is to know Him personally as Savior and Lord of our life.
Someone may ask, how has Jesus “abolished death, and brought life and immortality through the Gospel?”
First, he did it in Himself. Death is the result of sin. “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” (Romans 5:12). Jesus overcame that which is the cause of death. He never sinned. “…since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all the same testing we do, yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 5:14-15); because He was ‘sinless’, it was not possible for death to hold Him.” But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.” (Acts 2:24). Jesus stripped death of its power by his resurrection.
Second, he accomplishes “life and immortality” in his people. Jesus has removed the sin barrier between man and god; he has made available to everyone who commits their life to him, a new spiritual nature (spiritual life) here and now “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The transformation of our mortality to immortality awaits His return from heaven. “When the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory, O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God. He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:52-57 NLT).
What a day that will be.
Harvey A. Town
Polson
