INTRODUCTION
Think for a moment how it is we know someone is alive. Suppose a terrible crash happens on the interstate. Several cars are involved. The ambulance is called as well as the police. When the ambulance arrives, the paramedics begin to check on those involved in the accident. You see, in this accident, no one is walking around saying they are okay. Some are sitting in their respective vehicles and not moving. It is apparent that others have been thrown around a little. There is broken glass and blood on the seats. No one is yelling for help. The paramedics then do that most important thing to see if they are alive. They check their vital signs. The most important is their pulse. There are several places on our body where we can check our pulse, but the pulse is important because it signifies our heart is beating. If our heart is not beating, we are not alive. It is the heart that pumps blood throughout our body, which we need to live. So if there is not a pulse or no blood pressure, the person is presumed dead.
We could imagine a similar scene taking place in the emergency room of the hospital. An ambulance brings in a heart attack victim. There is no visible sign that the person is alive, but sometimes the visible signs are deceptive, so the attendants begin to do the same thing the paramedics did at the scene of the wreck. They check for a pulse to see if the heart is beating. They check the person’s blood pressure. They may do CPR or shock treatments, but if there is no pulse after these efforts, the person is presumed dead.
Usually, it is pretty obvious when a person is alive. I mean, most of us know we are alive. We could think of the person who is in a coma. Maybe some of us have known people who have been in a coma. It is not really obvious to us that they are alive, but we can look at the machines that are hooked up to them and see that their heart is beating or we can see their chest rising and falling so we know they are breathing. Then we know they are alive even if they don’t show the more normal signs of a person being alive.
What about the person who is asleep? We can normally tell they are alive even though they are not up and about. How? We see their chests rising and falling, or we hear the almost imperceptible breaths. Now it is very obvious when some of us are asleep that we are alive. There is this terrible sound that comes from us that makes it evident that we are alive. We call it snoring. Snoring is an indication of life.
Some of us are guilty of making statements that are contradictory with the obvious evidence that we are alive. We might say things like “I’m dead tired,” or “I’m dead on my feet,” or “I feel so bad I would have to die to feel any better,” or “Boy I feel dead this morning.” None of us, of course, knows what it feels like to be dead, but these are figures of speech to let others know how we feel. We are alive, but we don’t necessarily feel alive.
The bottom line, however, is that there are very definite ways to tell if we are alive. I don’t know of anyone, except Jesus Christ and those he raised from the dead, who has come back to life after they were declared dead. There are just ways we can know for certain that a person is alive or dead.
All of the above pertains to physical life. But what I want us to consider this morning is how we know we are spiritually alive. This is quite a different story. A person can take our pulse and it can be good and strong and we can still be spiritually dead. Physical life has nothing to do with spiritual life. Spiritual life is not as easily discernible as physical life. And there is some confusion about what it means to be spiritually alive.
For instance, a person readily confesses that they are not a Christian, but yet they tell you they believe in God, Satan, heaven, hell, angels, etc. Does this mean they are spiritually alive? There is a great deal of emphasis on spiritual things now. Shows like Touched By An Angel are popular. Oprah Winfrey is a very popular figure, and her shows often touch on spiritual matters. People like to think that they have guardian angels. There is a great interest in Eastern practices such as yoga, meditation and such. All of these things touch our spiritual sides, but does it necessarily mean we are spiritually alive? Does a person have to be a Christian to be spiritually alive, or is it possible for an unbeliever to be also?
Some people do not know whether or not they are spiritually alive, and others think it is impossible to know. Others hope they are, but really can’t say for sure. Maybe you have encountered people who are not sure. These may even be people who have been in church for years, been a member of a church, been baptized and even held important responsibilities in the church. Yet you ask them if they are spiritually alive and they might respond that they are not sure or that they hope so.
I remember when I was a young child having a conversation with my grandmother while we walked down the street one day. I asked her if she was going to heaven when she died, and she replied that she hoped so. Now here is a lady who had probably been in church all her life, held many offices and has taught Sunday School for years and yet she would give a reply such as that. She might not give a similar reply now, but she might. But there is no doubt in my mind that she is a Christian and is spiritually alive, but at least at some point in her life there was a doubt in her mind.
I want to say to you this morning that as important as it is for us to know we are physically alive, it is even more important to know whether or not we are spiritually alive. And I believe we can know whether or not we are and every Christian should have that assurance. I believe the verses we heard this morning are only a few of many that tell us how we can know whether or not we are spiritually alive. There are many things that go along with Christianity that we can’t be sure of, like for instance the time of Christ’s Second Coming, but salvation-being spiritually alive, is one thing we can be sure of.
One tells the story of a prominent Bible teacher named Dr. Joseph Conrad who went to Mount Herman Christian Conference Center to speak. He amazed and startled the audience by saying something like this: “Dear friends, I want you to know at the very beginning of my ministry with you that I am not dogmatic about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. I am not dogmatic about the bodily resurrection of Christ, nor am I dogmatic about the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.” At this point, an unbelieving gasp went up from the very conservative congregation, but then Dr. Conrad said with great intensity, “No, I’m not dogmatic; I am bulldogmatic.”
We can be that dogmatic about whether or not we are spiritually alive.
CHECK THE MANUAL
I am quite sure that medical students are taught from some manual about what defines a person as physically alive or dead. I mean, how else are they to know whether or not a person is alive or dead if they don’t have some information to help them know what is classified dead and alive.
Listen again to verse 11; “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
Now where has God testified about this? In the Bible, his Word to humanity. God gives us certain facts about our faith just as the medical manual may give facts about what constitutes dead and alive. This discipline in Christianity is called Christian Theology, and it is based on making an argument for the faith based on Christian evidences. This is known as apologetics. It is the discipline of making a rational argument in favor of Christianity based on the evidence God has provided. God has made a case for himself, so we can check the manual to see what it means to be spiritually alive.
When we check God’s Word, we find that those who are spiritually alive have accepted what God has offered to humanity. What has God offered? Listen to that all-familiar verse in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that have his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
God sent his Son to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Listen, we do not have the power in ourselves to make ourselves spiritually alive. We just don’t decide one day to be spiritually alive. Now you say, well what about all the people who choose to follow Christ and become spiritually alive? The only reason anyone comes to Christ and desires to be made spiritually alive is because God has already visited them through the convicting power of his Holy Spirit.
Listen to what Jesus says; “For people can’t come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me.” Pretty simple isn’t it?
Now what did God send his Son to do? Die for our sins. He took our place. He was a substitutionary atonement for us. Now what does that mean? It means he died for your sins so that you would not have to. Folks listen, Jesus was not just a good example for us. That is not what the atonement is all about. He did not just provide a good example for us to follow so that we might be good enough to earn a place in heaven. He took our place. Listen, most of us cannot even live up our own standards much less God’s standards. We don’t need a good example. We need desperate help.
The penalty for our sins is spiritual death for all of eternity. We are born spiritually dead, and unless God does something about it, we will remain spiritually dead for all of eternity.
Christ lived a sinless life, which qualified him to die for our sins. Since he lived a sinless life, he did not have to die for his own sins but could die for ours. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says; “Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. But our High Priest (Christ) offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God’s right hand.” Why did he sit down? Because the work is done. When we let Christ take care of our sins, we don’t owe a thing anymore. There is nothing more we need to do. The work is done. The slate is wiped clean. The debt is paid. Now those of us who have experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ ought to get excited about that. It is reason to shout. When you remember who you were-an old sinner, and when you see who you are now in Christ Jesus-a saint, that is cause for rejoicing.
When we accept that gift, God sends his Spirit in our life to enable us to live the Christian life. Jesus says; “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”
The Bible tells us what the results of God’s Spirit living in us will be. “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
CHECK YOUR PULSE
Those in the medical profession have studied the books and are familiar with the signs that a person is physically alive. Still, when they encounter a person who is in some serious condition they check the vital signs to see if they are alive. The book knowledge does not negate the actual practice.
Imagine the paramedic coming to the accident scene. He looks at the person lying on the pavement with blood pouring from his body. He thinks in his mind what he has learned about what determines whether or not a person is alive. It would be ludicrous for him to determine this person was dead without even touching him. Can you hear him speaking to his partner; “Well, Jack, this person is dead. Nothing we can do here. Let’s leave. We’ll call the funeral home to come pick up the body.” A person like that would not have a job very long.
It is the same with spiritual life. We have already considered what the manual-God’s Word, says, but we have to take the initiative and check our pulse to see if we are actually spiritually alive.
You see, it is not enough to know about Jesus Christ. In order to be alive spiritually we have to come to know him personally. We have to enter into a relationship with him. This is what John talks about in verses 11 and 12; “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life.”
There is nothing hard about this matter of knowing whether or not we are spiritually alive. We simply have to ask ourselves this question; “Has there been a time in your life when you have asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and come into you life?”
If we have done that, we will know it. John says in verse 13; “I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” God says we can know if we are spiritually alive. We do not have to have a doubt about it. Paul says something similar in the book of Romans; “His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”
We can also look at our life to see if it is bearing out the fruits of God’s Spirit, which it will do if we are his children. Listen again to what the Bible says; “When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
CONCLUSION
When the Americans dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it brought World War II to a close. Listen to this interesting story. There was once a young fellow, who with his father, farmed a little piece of land. Several times a year, they would load up the ox-drawn cart and go into town to sell their vegetables. The father and son had little in common. The old man believed in taking it easy while the son was always in a hurry.
One morning they hitched up the ox to the cart and prepared for their long journey. The son had intentions of walking fast and doing so all day and night so they could reach the market by the next morning. The old man kept warning him to slow down so he would last longer. The father wanted to stop in at his brother’s place. The son complained about losing time. Then the dad took a right fork in the road because the scenery was prettier that way, even though it was the longer route. The son complained. At sunrise, the son hurriedly shook his father awake. Not far down the road, the father stopped to help a farmer get his cart out of the ditch. The son complained. As they began their journey, a great flash split the sky. What sounded like thunder followed. Then the sky grew dark. The son grumbled; “If we had hurried, we’d be almost sold out by now.” It was late in the afternoon by the time they reached the hill that overlooked the city. They stopped and stared down at it for a long time. Neither of them said a word. Finally, the young man put his hand on his father’s shoulder and said; “I see what you mean.” They turned their cart around and began to roll slowly away from what once had been the city of Hiroshima.
Now the point is this. We can hurry through life trying desperately to enjoy all it has to offer, but if we miss the one thing that makes us spiritually alive-trusting Christ as our Savior, we will only end up with destroyed lives.
