“And you hath He
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).
Have you been
quickened? Not, when did you join a church, turn over a new leaf, take
communion, or try to do better, but—when were you born again? You haven’t been?
Then You Are Dead!
Suppose we have
before us a casket, in which lies the body of a dead man. He is dead
physically; you are dead spiritually. He is separated from this world; you are
separated from God. You say, “I don’t feel dead.” Neither does the corpse. Your
feelings have nothing to do with it. You don’t have to feel dead to be dead. The
body is dead “in the coffin.” You are dead “in sins.” You are a sinner by
nature. Some are Irish by nature. Others
are Swedish, French, or English by nature. But ALL men are sinners, “children
of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3), by nature. It is as natural for you to sin as it is
for a fish to swim. “All have sinned and
come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). My friend, you are a guilty
sinner before God.
You say, “I have no
bad habits.” Neither does the corpse. He
doesn’t lie, steal, swear, or gamble. There is nothing wrong with him, except
one thing—he is dead. That’s serious. They bury dead people.
Do you live a clean,
normal life? Nothing much wrong with you, except—you are dead, lost, and headed
for God’s cemetery, the lake of fire, where you will spend eternity! Friend, your condition before God is far more
serious than you think.
Talk to the corpse
about a delicious steak dinner or an excellent fishing trip in the northern
lakes, but from him, there is no response. He is dead too or separated from,
the pleasures and enjoyments of this life. If one spoke to you about Bible
study and prayer meetings, from you, there would be no response. When you do go
to a prayer meeting, you do not enjoy it—you endure it. You are as separated
from the blessings of the Christian life as the corpse is from the things of
this world. He has no desire to eat. You have no appetite for the Bible. The
corpse cannot enjoy the things of this physical life or the elements of the
spiritual life. You go to church because it is one of your “duties,” not
because you get a blessing out of hearing the Word of God explained.
You Need Life!
To enjoy the things
that accompany physical life, the dead man needs physical life. To enjoy
spiritual things, you need spiritual life. A lady said to me, “All that is
necessary to be saved is to live the life.” I answered, “Lady, you cannot live
the life until you first have it.”
The only One who can
put that life into the corpse is the Lord Jesus. No organization or individual
on earth can do it. No church, no religion can give you spiritual life. No one
can but the Lord Jesus. The dead man cannot raise himself. Neither can you
bring yourself out of spiritual death.
We might baptize the
corpse and write his name on the church book, but that will not give him life. So,
you might join a church, be baptized, take communion, but unless you have been
“quickened,” you are still dead. THINK OF IT!
LOST! And yet, perhaps you have been religious all your life. It isn’t
religion you need; it is LIFE.
Life Is in the Wounded Man at God’s Right Hand
“The wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
(Romans 6:23). Salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He, the perfect God-Man,
went to Calvary to “taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9). He shed His
precious blood that He might provide forgiveness and cleansing from sin
(Hebrews 9:22). “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Peter 3:18).
But that isn’t all. He
arose from the grave, victor over sin, death, and Hell. Today He is seated as
the God-Man in His resurrected glorified body of flesh and bone at the right
hand of the Father. (Heb. 1:3; 8:1) He is the highly exalted One before whom
every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11). Eternal life is in Him. “This is the
record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (I
John 5:11).
Do you have the
SON? It is not merely believing what the
Bible says about Him that saves. Salvation is not in the “record” about Him,
but salvation is in Him. You might accept the “record” about Him and believe it
to be accurate, and at the same time, reject Him and live in rebellion against
Him. You can go to Hell, believing the Bible is true. Salvation is not in just understanding
facts, but in receiving the Son: “He that hath the Son hath life” (I John
5:12).
You Can Know You Are Saved
You can be saved
this moment if you will receive Him as your Lord and Savior. “...as many as received Him, to them gave He
the power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12). When you receive Him, you
have Him; and when you have Him, by faith, you have, according to God’s
promise, eternal life. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life”
(John 3:36). “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 unto life” (John 5:24).
Be sure you have the
SON, for “He that HATH the SON (not religion or good works) HATH LIFE” (I John
5:12). Receive Him today. Tomorrow may be too late.
—By Paul J. Levin