Sermons - 2008 Week 05 - Feb Wk 1
The Messages of Christ Crucified (Part 4)
Various texts
Eternal Purpose - Christ Crucified As Us
God created man after His own image. God has not deviated from His purpose of creating man. God gave man free will so that man may glorify God. Adam, the first man, sinned and brought the downfall of man, being the federal head. Redemption for man is not an afterthought. Before creation, provision for redemption was already made by God.
In these few sentences, we get only a glimpse of the depths of the richness of the wisdom and knowledge of God, but it is summarized here to give us a further understanding of the Cross.
In 1Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” We fell in Adam, but we have been redeemed in Christ, because Christ’s position as the head of the redeemed race exactly parallels Adam’s position as the head of the fallen race.
In Romans 5:18-19, we are then told that Christ has, by His death and resurrection, redeemed us,” Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
We have been redeemed but we have to exercise our faith to accept this free gift resulting in justification of life. This is because we have righteousness imputed to our account and sin imputed into Christ’s.
And when Christ died on the Cross, we were also crucified with Him. And when He was resurrected, we too were resurrected. We have died to sin. We are not dead in sin. Having died to sin, we are resurrected renewed. “I am born crucified.”
What would one write at the tomb of Jesus?
To the Romans, the epithet would be,” Here lies the king of the Jews.”
To the Jews, “Here lies the imposter.”
To Satan “Here lies Jesus of Nazareth whom I have overcome.”
To God, “Here lies the sinful human race.”
It is thus the death of our sinful self that allows us to be born anew. We should, being reborn, live the victorious life that we now have. We associate with Christ’s death in an experiential way. Romans 6:4 describes this, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
The new birth is by faith. But we can certainly fall again! The spiritual level is not a stage from which we cannot fall but we need not fall. Salvation is not lost but fellowship with God is.
Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” The Spirit of God will not lead us into sin, but into holiness. 1John 2:6 tells us that if we abide in Him, we ought ourselves to also walk just as He walked. Truly, our lives would have changed if we walk just as He walked. Anyone who is outside of Christ lives on a carnal level, as some Christians do.
Is there such an entity as a carnal Christian? See 1Corinthians 3:1-3.
Redemption must be individually appropriated. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. Christ’s redemption is greater than Adam’s fall. There is supra-abundant grace, not only for forgiveness of sin but enough grace for a victorious life without sin.
Is it possible then to walk on the spiritual level?
Some people try to live a victorious life by themselves. Christians defer in their idea of how much God can do. One cannot walk at the spiritual level without faith.
To sum up, one must deny oneself, one’s sinful self, in order to be able to lead the victorious life. It is not impossible. It is possible!
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” (Matthew 16:24.)
Mr and Mrs ET Chua
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