Healed by Christ (Part 4 of 0)

The Dead are Raised – Part four

We continue to explore the lessons underlying the healings of Christ. This month, we study the spiritual meaning behind his raising of the dead.
Like the earlier kinds of healings, the raising of the dead is an acted parable. It is an outward sign of the hidden transformation from being faced with perishing forever to having the hope of eternal life. This transition from "death" to "life" comes from believing in Christ, being baptized into his name and remaining faithful until he returns. In him, we are forgiven our sins; we are delivered from death and we have our names written in the Book of Life -- all of this through the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Dead” while still alive

Sometimes scripture refers to people who are alive as being dead. Here are some examples: “Not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12 RV) even though Judas was still alive. “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth” (I Tim. 5:6); “Unto the angel of the church in Sardis write…I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Rev. 3:1).

In modern terms, we would say that these people were as good as dead. They have no hope of everlasting life. They will die in their sins without forgiveness.

Isaiah has this same idea: “We are in desolate places as dead men…For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them” (Isa. 59:10,12).

Before our association with Christ, we are all in this position. Before we come into the Truth, we are dead in trespasses and sins. We are without hope without God in the world. We are like the prodigal son while he is far away — being as good as dead. If we turn to our Heavenly Father, we can be brought to life again. God will say to us, “This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:24).

Quickened in Christ

There is hope in Christ. We can pass from death into life. Paul writes, “And hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins…But God, who is rich in mercy…even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened  us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Je­sus” (Eph. 2:1,4,5-7). He also writes, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of God, who hath raised him  from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh.  hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:12-13).

By baptism we are quickened together with Christ, we are raised up together with Christ , and we sit together with Christ in heavenly places.

These blessings will be literally fulfilled when Christ returns. But the language Paul uses indicates we must have confidence that our merciful God will be faithful to His promise, that by grace we will be saved. Spiritually, we have already been quickened, raised, and glorified.

Raised in newness of life

Christ literally died, was buried, then was raised to eternal life. Now that he has been glorified, he will never again face the temptation to sin. Following this literal pattern, our bap­tism into Christ is a symbolic death, burial, and resurrection to eternal life. Like Christ, in baptism we have died to sin. Now that we have been raised from the waters of death, we should live to God. We have crucified an old way of life, one overruled by sin. We now are to have a new way of life in Christ. We are no longer to be slaves of sin. We are now to be slaves of righteousness.

Passed from death into life

In John 5, Jesus distinguishes between figurative and literal resurrections. Jesus teaches that by believing the Truth we pass from death into life. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death into life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:24-25). Jesus is speaking of the ultimate end as a present reality; believers will not die, they just fall asleep until Christ returns to give them eternal life.

His subsequent words verify this interpretation: “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the res­urrection of damnation” (John 5:26­-29). That is, we should not be shocked by his speaking of the present eternal life of believers because there will be a literal resurrection to eternal life or everlasting destruction.

Whosoever believes

John’s writings are full of this link between belief and life and between unbelief and death. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life…He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him: (John 3:14-16, 36). “God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (I John 5:11-13).

One of John’s themes is that Jesus is the prophet like unto Moses. So it is likely that Deuteronomy 30:15-20 is the basis of his emphasis on meta­phorical life and death. Jesus, like Moses, is putting eternal life and eternal death before us. We choose our destiny today!

Eat my flesh and drink my blood

Belief and baptism are only the beginning. Jesus teaches us the importance of abiding in him, with a special emphasis on continued attendance at the memorial meal. Jesus declares that he is the bread of life that comes down from heaven. This bread is his flesh which he will give for the life of the world. He continues, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53-54). Jesus is talking about the ongoing fellowship of the breaking of bread and drinking of wine. Those who continue in this abide in Christ. If they abide in him unto the end, then they will live by him; he will not blot their names out of the book of life (Rev. 3:5). Those who do not abide in him will be rejected at his return.

John writes in his first letter: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (I John 3:14-15).

Here, the passing from death unto life is the passing from the old life in Adam to the new life in Christ, including in particular the keeping of the Love Feast, by which all men know that we are his disciples. Anyone who refuses to keep this token of fellowship with his brethren is a murderer, abiding in death with no hope of eternal life.

Raising the dead

In the message sent back to John the Baptist, Jesus included in the miracles he was performing “the dead are raised” (Luke 7:22). The most notable of such miracles was to come later in the resurrection of Lazarus at which time the connection between these ideas and Jesus’ raising the dead is made clear.

“After that he [Jesus] saith unto them [the twelve], Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his dis­ciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death…Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead” (John 11:11-14).

Jesus says to Martha, “Thy brother shall rise again.” Martha responds, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” He says, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” Then Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.