What Does It Mean To Be Dead? - Part 2

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In Part 1 we looked at the question of what it means to be dead in sin. We finished with the sober realization that man, of himself, is detestable to God. Sin permeates him to the very core.

I want to briefly ponder an important implication of this for a moment.

While We Were Yet Sinners

Considering how vile we were in the eyes of God, it is astonishing that He did anything at all for us. In Romans 5:7 Paul states that we ourselves might be willing to offer our life in exchange for someone else's - although we would be extremely selective in whom to die for. We might die for our wife, our children, or a very honorable person, but we most certainly wouldn't see the point in giving up our life for someone we didn't like, or someone that hated us - let alone a violent criminal. However, this is exactly what God has done. What He did, He did for the ungodly (v6, 4:5), for those who were yet sinners (v8), for those who considered God a hated enemy (v10.) Jesus hung on the cross for people that reviled Him. He bears the weight of sin for people that despise Him. There was nothing appealing about us when God took the first step. "We love, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) God took the initiative - He had to! We were helpless (v6), literally without strength and powerless; we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Dead people are repulsive and incapable of action. The power of salvation is with God alone. As with Lazarus, God must give the command and the power for us to respond in faith and repentance. Jonah wrote that, "Salvation is from the Lord."

  • All of You, none of me,
    Salvation is from the Lord,
    All by grace, not my works,
    By You my heart was stirred,
    I love because you first loved,
    Believe because you called,
    You alone bring dead to life,
    Salvation is from the Lord.

    All of You, none of me,
    If it were not so,
    I would have failed to come to You,
    For all who come are drawn,
    And in your hands I am secure,
    Nothing can take me away,
    From the love of God which is in Christ,
    Salvation is from the Lord.

    You reached in to my grave,
    Gave me power to be raised,
    "Come forth!"
    …and I could not but obey.

Jesus Christ did not bleed on the cross in the hope that you and I might decide to take Him up on His offer of salvation. He died that He might give life to those whom He would draw. At the moment immediately prior to His infusion of new life, we were dead! We could no more reach out to Him for salvation than a dead man can for resurrection. God's grace is truly to be given the whole credit for our new birth! Our seeming good deeds accounted for nothing in the matter. Our seeking for God could only be the result of His first seeking us.

Next we'll consider how we got into this mess.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Alan, this is great stuff! Just looking back over your work, I can't believe that I've been missing out. That passage in Romans 5 always breaks me when I look at it but the trouble is, I haven't looked at it in a while and no one has pushed it in my face. So, thank you.
December 20, 2008 at 10:34 AM
stephy said…
This was interesting. Thanks.
February 4, 2009 at 11:06 AM
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