Freedom from the fear of death

The first consequence of evil, when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, was a sense of guilt and separation from God. In the Old Testament God instituted an animal sacrifice ritual to atone for the guilt of the people. This was a temporary remedy pointing to the coming of Christ.

The Bible teaches us that sin results in death.”The wages of sin is death….” (Romans 6:23). The ordinance of sacrifice was instituted as a reminder that there was a great price to pay for sin, but the blood of goats and lambs could not take away sin indefinitely.

With the coming of Christ, animal sacrifices for sin were done away with. Jesus, God’s Son, born of a virgin and without sin, died and rose from the dead. He was the, “spotless lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).

Because Christ was without sin, death could not overpower him and keep him in the grave. Similarly, everyone who believes in him and accepts his gift of “salvation” from sin will experience the resurrection power of Christ. They will live with him for eternity.

This gift of salvation and eternal life is offered to everyone. However, people do not automatically receive forgiveness of sins. We must acknowledge Christ as our “Saviour.”

It is really very simple, but surprisingly difficult at the same time. The reason is that it is not just a matter of praying a prayer asking for forgiveness. If you believe that Christ is the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world, it follows that accepting his forgiveness also means you are committed to his kingship in your life. The Son of God deserves no less than our surrender and worship.

The prayer of acceptance of salvation and commitment to Christ may go something like this,

“Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus died and was raised from the dead. His life was sacrificed for the sins of the world. I ask you to forgive my sins, in Jesus’ name. I give my life to you. I invite your presence to indwell me and empower me to live for you. Amen.”

When you have prayed this prayer you will want to tell someone about it and you will also want to find a group of people who have come to a similar faith. You may encounter resistance from those who do not believe. This is not uncommon. There are many groups of believers, some meeting in churches, some in homes, some in schools or other facilities.

If you do not find a group of believers immediately, you can still have a growing relationship with God by praying, talking to him daily about all aspects of your life, and by reading his word, the Bible. I encourage you to start reading the New Testament, that is the second section of the Bible. It is easier to understand and more relevant for daily living. It also begins with accounts of the life of Christ.

If you desire you may email me at: friesentina@gmail.com.

Peace with God

Many times I summarize teachings of the Bible, but today I am including an excerpt, from the fifth chapter of the book of Romans, in the New Testament. The letter, or epistle, was written by the apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome.

If you find the reading a little stilted it is because the translators have tried to remain as close as possible to the earliest Greek manuscripts. There are 6,000 manuscripts of all or parts of the New Testament available for reference today, many dating as early as the second and third century. This great quantity assures us of the accuracy of the text. For additional reading on the subject, consult Bible Texts and Versions by Russell Fuller and Charles W. Draper, as found in The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2003.

I am presenting two versions for comparison. The first is the New International Version of the Bible (NIV) and the second is from the more recent English Standard Version (ESV). You can find these and other Bible passages at www.biblegateway.com

This portion explains how sin entered the world through the trespass of one man–Adam, and similarly reconciliation to God is made possible through the righteousness of one man–Christ.

Romans 5

New International Version (NIV)

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned–

¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 5:1 Many manuscripts let us
2. Romans 5:2 Or let us
3. Romans 5:3 Or let us

Romans 5

English Standard Version (ESV)

Peace with God Through Faith

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² Through him we have also obtained access by faith^[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we^[c]rejoice^[d] in hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men^[e] because all sinned— ¹³ for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. ¹⁴ Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass^[f] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness^[g] leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 5:1 Some manuscripts let us
2. Romans 5:2 Some manuscripts omit by faith
3. Romans 5:2 Or let us; also verse 3
4. Romans 5:2 Or boast; also verses 3, 11
5. Romans 5:12 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women; also twice in verse 18
6. Romans 5:18 Or the trespass of one
7. Romans 5:18 Or the act of righteousness of one

If the Bible is new to you

If the Bible is new to you, there are a couple of things you’ll want to know. Firstly, it is written over centuries by numerous authors but it has a common theme. The separate books were compiled by the second century A.D. Various criteria were used to determine the authenticity and reliability of each text.

The Old Testament

The first half, called the Old Testament, begins with the story of creation. It then goes on to tell many other stories of God’s dealings with mankind. God makes a covenant with Abraham and promises him that he will have numerous descendants and that through him all nations will be blessed. The Old Testament is not shy about showing the raw side of humanity. It is the story of God’s chosen people continually returning to serving idols. This violates the first commandment of the ten commandments God gave to Moses and the nation of Israel, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

The New Testament

The second half, the New Testament, begins with four accounts of the life of Christ. These four books are called the Gospels. They are followed by the book of Acts which tells the story of how the disciples of Jesus Christ started the early church. The remainder of the books expound the teachings of Christ. The book of Revelation is a book of prophesy of the end times and is allegorical. There are also some allegorical books in the Old Testament.

The New Testament is believed to be a fulfillment of the promise of the Old Testament that God would bless many nations through Abraham. The lineage of Jesus, the promised Messiah, or Saviour, can be traced back to Abraham and it is through the coming of Jesus that many nations are blessed. The New Testament teaches that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty of the sins of the world and to offer forgiveness to everyone who receives this gift. This is what is referred to as salvation from sin, or re-birth.

Jesus as Saviour

The Jewish nation, which is descended from Abraham, believed that the prophesied “King,” or Saviour, or Messiah, would deliver them from their enemies. Many refused to acknowledge that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, despite the fact that he fulfilled the prophesies given in the Old Testament concerning him. They expected him to set up a throne on earth, but Jesus spoke of an eternal kingdom. He taught people to love and serve each other, not to triumph over one another.

Jesus also claimed to be the Son of God, and to be equal with God. This was considered blasphemy, by the Jews, a violation of the commandment not to have other gods. By their law he had to be killed and they arrested him and had him crucified.

Three days later Jesus rose from the dead and after many appearances he ascended to heaven. A rumor was spread claiming that the disciples stole his body. However, the Jews had asked specifically that a special guard of Roman soldiers guard the tomb. Their request was granted. The reason they asked for this was because they had heard of Jesus’ claim that he would rise from the dead. So their preventative measures turned out to be futile and made their later stories look rather ludicrous.

Before Jesus ascended to heaven he promised he would return one day and receive those who have chosen him to be their Saviour to be with him forever in an eternal home in heaven.