Two for the Price of One - Part 1

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins [1 Corinthians 15:17].

The cross of Christ is the axis around which all history revolves. Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for the penalty of all mankind’s sins is central for humanity.

God created mankind to be His family. Like unruly kids, man chose to go his own way and be his own god. God responded by providing man-the-prodigal-son a way back into His good graces. The way is through the cross of Christ. There is no other way (John 14:6).

We sing songs about the cross, Calvary, Golgotha, the crucifixion. We write songs about the cross, Calvary, Golgotha, the crucifixion. In sermons, Sunday School classes, and revival meetings we hear about the cross, Calvary, Golgotha, the crucifixion. On television, the radio, and the theater we learn about the cross, Calvary, Golgotha, the crucifixion.

How could it be otherwise? The cross is where the blood of Jesus was shed, where the wages of sin was paid, where a holy life was ended so that the lives of all sinners might cease. Death came via the cross, death to sin, death to sinners, death to a world engulfed in darkness.

Whoever will may live because of the cross of Christ. Whoever will…that is the key. Will I? Will you? Who will? Yet even as we sing and read and hear about the cross of Christ, we cannot but speak of life, of living, of being born again to newness of life.

Don’t you find it a little strange? I mean, how do we get from the place of death with its grotesque and lurid images of a mangled body, tortured beyond endurance, mutilated beyond recognition, barely resembling a human being any more—how do we get from there to life, and not just life but true life, perfect life, eternal life? On the one hand the subject revolves around death, on the other life becomes the subject. How can this be?

Scripture teaches that two groups of people comprise humanity. There are those who are born once and die twice, and then there are those who are born twice and die once. Sound confusing? It doesn’t have to.

Every human being is born once. How else can he exist as a human being? He must first be born in order to exist. Every human being is born a sinner because his parents are sinners, and like begets like. When Father Adam sinned, he became a sinner. Consequently, since all human beings descend from Father Adam, all human beings are born as sinners.

The wages of sin is death. Since every human being is a sinner, he sins. Ergo, every human being has to die. Conclusion: every human being is born at least once and dies at least once. The difference between the two groups of human beings is between dying once or dying twice, and between being born once or being born twice.

We will continue this theme in our next study. Be sure to thank the Lord for dying on your behalf. He does like to hear us thank Him.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my books in the Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes Bible study series. To purchase my books please click on the "Shop" tab at the top of this page, where you will find a complete list of my books. Each book is available in both paperback (Createspace) and eBook (Kindle).

#1corinthians15 #cross #calvary #golgotha #crucifixion #resurrection #emptytomb