MEASURE UPON MEASURE – DEATH – THE RESTORATION OF GOD - Part 13 (Section 5)
This is the last section on the dire consequence of Adam’s sin when Serenity was Ruined in the Garden in which God placed him to care for it. All was lost through disobedience and Adam was expelled from that place into a cursed world, separated from God in the fellowship he had known, and with sorrow and the curse his constant companions. I know it sounds miserable but that is what the world became and continues to be.
Jesus as the Lamb of God came to remedy all that and the Saviour’s Road was a heavy one as He identified with the sin of the Fall. He went to the cross to make reconciliation between God and man, to bring us a pure, redeemed, and saved people into God’s own personal family.
We saw last time what the Lord restored which is part of this study – THE RESTORATION OF GOD. We said there were three items of restoration Jesus accomplished through His death, and last time we did one of them – ACCEPTANCE. This time, to conclude the study of death’s consequence, we do the next two.
[B]. THE SECOND RESTORATION BLESSING – EVERLASTING LIFE
The other two concerns of restoration relate to “life”. We previously looked at death in its two aspects, physical and spiritual. Each aspect has been wonderfully addressed with the Lord’s death. Firstly we shall outline the restoration relative to spiritual death. Three verses shall reveal the truth in this regard. {{“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”}} (Romans 6:23) The verse outlines the contrast. Sin produces spiritual death but the gift resulting from the Lord’s efficacious sacrifice on Golgotha’s hill, is eternal life. That is what the Lord has restored. He has not given life as Adam knew it, but rather eternal life continually in His presence, united to Him in a deathless love. What a tragedy to know that the vast majority of this world’s people are not just spiritually dead but are on the brink of eternal death, meaning an eternity of separation from God.
I used the words “everlasting life” in the heading as does the AV found in John 3:16. Most translations use “eternal life” as do I sometimes, but I like to think that the words “everlasting life” are the better expression. I like to be exact in usage and Mathematics is an exact science. In linear geometry a line has no beginning or ending and in that sense it is eternal. Only God is eternal; He exists with eternal life. A line segment is what we might draw on a piece of paper and has a beginning and an end. That is like our life on earth. A ray has a beginning but no end. That is like everlasting life that has a start but does not end.
Our salvation is like a ray, having a beginning and no end. The beginning is when through faith we were born again but there is no end, for salvation is everlasting. Some may think that is being pedantic but I like the thought.
The next verse is John 3:16, the gospel in a nutshell as is sometimes said of the verse. {{“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”}}. This verse provides the operating motive for all God’s plans. The love of God which sent, and allowed the supreme sacrifice, has also mapped out to perfection our restoration blessings. The Lord took our death and has restored everlasting life in all the fullness of prepared blessing and revelation in the ages to come. Faith is understood to be the entrance key in the verse, the turning point in our direction, the blossoming of our salvation.
Our limited earthbound lives find it hard to grasp the ramifications of everlasting life. In a coming day we won’t need to grasp it. We will live it!
[C]. THE THIRD RESTORATION BLESSING – THE LIFE ABUNDANT
The third verse is a direct statement of the Lord’s as to why He came. {{“The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I come that they might have life, and have it ABUNDANTLY.”}} (John 10:10) This interesting verse speaks of spiritual life which is the reason why the Lord Jesus became flesh and tabernacled among us. It then speaks of an abundant spiritual life, which is a gracious gift and a privilege with responsibility, for us to tap into; to nurture and develop this spiritual life; to partake of it in the fullest measure. How often we fail in this particular area. Are we just satisfied merely with spiritual life, wonderful as it is, or do we enjoy the depths this new life affords?
Regarding the abundant life, some Christians live as if they possess a scant or meager version of that abundant life. There seems no abundance about it. That is not what God is intending. I say that is a sick Christian. The abundant life is lived for the Lord and overflows with joy and contentment, and confidence as to the future.
There is a dramatic change when a person comes to Christ, for that one steps out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Everything takes on a new perspective and all of us who profess Christ ought to be walking in newness of life. That is why I think Christian baptism by immersion is just so important because it is a decisive step in declaring one’s faith. It is most sad the reformers did not return to believers’ baptism, but just adopted the Catholic practice on that.
PHYSICAL DEATH BECAUSE OF SIN
Our bodies are wasting away and here is a paradox. A baby has fresh life and is growing towards maturity over the next 20 years or something, but the seeds of death are there, and even in that great physical state, the body is slowly wasting away. Adam had the most perfect body ever created and for all of his 930 years, after the initial sin, his body was wasting away.
The last matter to be pondered is the other aspect of death, physical death. What has been restored to us here? It might appear that nothing is different for our bodies still die. Well there is a glorious difference in restoration as well as undoing the damage Adam’s sin caused.
The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin meant physical death which has horrified and tormented generation after generation. Why could Paul say (2 Corinthians 5:8) with a note of triumph, “... and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
Well, for a start, because it is true and that is partially related to our wonderful acceptance in Him. But the main reason is that the cross defeated the fear of death. That is why Paul could write in 1 Corinthians 15:54-56 in the conclusion to the beautiful Rapture passage when Christ returns to call His church: {{“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “death is swallowed up in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O death, where is your sting?” THE STING OF DEATH is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.}}.
Death has lost its sting! Hallelujah! No wonder Paul could conclude the passage with the verse of victory, giving thanks to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Death is swallowed up in victory, and that victory was included in the great, “It is finished!”
Yes, finished is the uncertainty of departing death. Days of sorrow and sadness can still be our lot in the loss of a loved one, especially a spouse or sibling. We look beyond that to the resurrected body when the Lord returns and mortal and perishable shall put on the new resurrected bodies, the bodies of glory. These will exceed the mere physical body of Adam and in this the Lord has added measure upon measure.
As we move towards the end of this section dealing with death as a consequence of Adam’s sin, there remains one great verse to meditate upon and it is found in {{John 11:25: “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me SHALL LIVE EVEN IF HE DIES and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”}} Lazarus had died and these verses came out of that.
What was true for Lazarus is more so for us. Faith anchored in Jesus Christ views death as one stepping stone into the kingdom of light and life, to be forever in His presence. His was the victory on the cross. Ours is the victory in these present circumstances. In all these things we are more than conquerors, for nothing including death shall ever separate us from the love of God in our Lord Jesus Christ. How we love His coming. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
This section is concluded with a hymn by Mrs A. R. Cousin, one not known by many people, yet it spells out so clearly in contrast, the merits of the Saviour’s death. The stanzas cover many aspects already considered in earlier consequences and will also have application to the last consequence in Chapter 6. Some of the language is ageing a little but that does not cloak the glorious message it represents. I have changed the wording a little – instead of “Thou didst” I make it “You did,” and changed some of the “Thou(s) to You.
O Lord, what burdens You did bear!
Our load was laid on Thee
You stood firm for the sinner there
To bear all ill for me.
A Victim led, Your blood was shed;
NOW THERE’S NO LOAD FOR ME.
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Death and the curse were in our cup,
But You have drained the last dark drop.
“Tis empty now for me.
That bitter cup - love drank it up;
NOW BLESSINGS FLOW FOR ME.
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The tempest’s awful voice was heard:
O Lord, it broke on Thee!
Your open bosom took the sword,
It bore the storm for me.
Your form was scarred, Your visage marred;
NOW CLOUDLESS PEACE FOR ME.
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For me, Lord Jesus, You have died,
And I have died with Thee;
You’ve ris’n: my bands are all untied;
And now You live in me.
The Father’s face in radiant grace
SHINES NOW IN LIGHT ON ME.
From death unto life everlasting! Thank you Lord Jesus for Your selfless love to bring us to a full acceptance with the Father of sins forgiven. Thank you for everlasting life you give to us, to be realised much more fully when we are in Your presence. Thank You for being our Substitute by dying for us so that we might live forever. Blessed be the NAME OF THE LORD.
In the next study we look at the final consequence of Adam’s sin and that is CONDEMNATION. It will follow shortly.
