All Things New part 5
Yesterday's Rant received this response, "If this is true, why did Jesus have to die?" Which is a fair question. And it's actually one I hear a lot. Especially when there's preaching about the revelation of our true identity. And there are a lot of theories on why Jesus had to die. I'm not saying this is the iron-clad one and only reason, because I don't think there IS an iron-clad one and only reason. But I'm willing to address the issue. And the short version of MY answer is... Jesus died so we could die. We needed a second death so that we could have a new birth. The first death was when Adam ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and died. The second death was when Jesus drew us into Himself and died on the cross. The old man had to die so that the New Man could come forth. Romans 6:6 says it like this, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Which, when you consider that Romans is the sixth book of the New Testament, is the REAL 666. The REAL number of man. NEW man. All things NEW. Free from the bondage of sin and death. Free to live and love. Jesus died so that He could rise again. So that He could break the power of death. Death took it's best shot, and came up short. So we no longer have to fear death. In the Young's Literal Translation of the Bible 1 Corinthians 15:26 reads like this, "the last enemy is done away--death." Romans 5:14 says, "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." We were already dead in Adam. The walking dead. But God wanted so much more for us. Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. And not just any life. HIS life. Abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life. He drew us out of Adam and into Himself. Out of death and into life. That's HOW He made all things new. Just like the story of the flood that we mentioned in an earlier Rant; He washed the world clean. And Jesus said as much in John 3:3, "...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But before we could be born again, we needed to die again. Die to sin. Die to death. Remember, God didn't make all new things. He didn't give up on you. He made all things new. He did what needed to be done in order for you to be able to partake of the Divine Nature. In order for you to be able to live His life as He lives it in you, and through you, and as you. One more Bible verse for today: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again" (John 10:17). Jesus died to show us the greatest expression of love a man can have. He died so that we could die. So that when He rose again... we might rise again. And in rising, walk in newness of life. He died so the old could pass away. And He rose again so the new could come forth. He died because there had to be an end before there could be a new beginning. He died so we could die. And He rose again so we could live. Not as it was before the cross, where we had to try to earn our bread by the sweat of our brow, but so that we could live in the light of the New Covenant. So we might BE who we are because we KNOW who we are. Because we know who HE is. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body!