We must ‘live for God’
‘State of deadness is result of sin entering the world through Adam’
The Bible tells us not only that Jesus physically died on a cross at Golgotha, but that he was physically raised to life on the third day. Christians believe that this was the demonstration of God’s power to save. But God’s power to save people is also communicated in the way that they are brought to saving faith. In Ephesians 2:4ff, the apostle Paul writes: “But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him…” In these verses, the Bible describes our state in two drastically different ways. Apart from Christ, we are described as ‘dead in sins’, but in Christ, we are described as ‘alive with Christ’.
The death that Paul is referring to here is a spiritual death of the soul. He is talking about being cut off from God, who is the source of life. This is the Bible’s assessment of the human condition and it stands in contrast from other views of humanity. Some vigorously want to maintain that we are basically good. Others will be more nuanced and state that we are basically ‘sick’, with the potential for good and evil. But our trouble is not just that there is a struggle to do what is good, but that there is an inability to live for God as we were meant to. This state of deadness is result of sin entering the world through Adam. “For if, because of one’s man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man… (Rom. 5:17).” Our problem is that our sins have caused a separation with God (Isa. 59:2) and left us in a state of spiritual death.
Why should we believe such a humiliating view of humanity? It is clearly taught in Scripture, but it is also the view that makes the most sense of reality. It makes sense of the universality of sin. It explains not only the presence of the sin, but the prevalence of it and our proneness towards it. It explains why none of us are perfect. It also explains our attitude by nature towards God. By nature, we are not drawn to God. Some may deny His existence altogether, while others will live with only a distant acknowledgement of a Creator. There is no intimacy, which reinforces the notion that there is something wrong with us.
If something is dead then it is unable to function according to its purpose. When your cell phone dies, it no longer works as it was designed. You have just a black screen. When you connect your phone to source of power, it comes alive. The same thing is true of us. Our sins have left us in a state of spiritual death, but when we are connected to God, we are made alive. This connection with God is only possible because of Jesus’ work for us and the Spirit’s work within us. When we do believe, we are made alive with Christ!
As one person has rightly pointed out, “Every other religion in the world says, ‘Your problem is on the outside and the solution is on the inside.’ Christianity says, “No, no, your problem is on the inside and the solution is outside of you.” God is a God of resurrection. He raised Jesus in triumph over sin and by the work of the Spirit causes spiritually dead sinners to be made alive with Christ through faith. Is that true of you?