Dear Hervey,
Hervey:
I said , that your replies, even this last post, is showing an overcoming, as a form of making death a friend , instead of an enemy , which it is !
Jim:
Not a friend, an advantage.
Then cometh the end For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:24-26
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart [from the body], and to be with Christ; which is far better [for Paul]: Nevertheless to abide [continue] in the flesh [in the body] is more needful for you. Philippians 1:20-24
And God shall wipe away all tear from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4
The word gain in Philippians 1:21 is rendered from the Greek word transliterated kerdos (click here), which means a gain or an advantage.
What is an advantage is not necessarily a friend. For instance, in Philippians 1:14-18, Paul says, And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. Some people preached Christ in order to add affliction to Paul. These people were not Pauls friends; they desired to hurt him. However, what was meant to hurt Paul turned to an advantage, causing Paul to rejoice; Paul was just happy that Christ was being preached, even if it was being preached from evil motives. Thus, the act of an enemy that was intended to hurt Paul actually and inadvertently resulted in Pauls rejoicing.
Similarly, though death is the enemy of the human race, it actually turns to an advantage (kerdos, 2771) for those who are saved; death allows the souls/spirits of those who are saved to be with Christ in heaven. This advantage is the result of what Christ did on the cross. The Blood of Christ removes sin from the souls/spirits of those who are saved. Thus, with the sting of death (sin) removed (1 Corinthians 15:56-57), death actually becomes an advantage, or gain.
Hervey:
By this type of believing [that death is an advantage for those who are saved] , we see the same thing that Satan told the woman - "ye shall not surely die".
Jim:
The serpents false statement, Ye shall not surely die, in Genesis 3:4 was a denial of Gods true statement, In the day that thou eatest thereof [of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] thou shalt surely die, in Genesis 2:17. It was a denial of the divine truth that the consequence of sin is death. With the sting of death (sin) removed, death actually becomes an advantage, or gain, to those who are saved. This fact is not a denial that the consequence of sin is death. It is a confirmation of the victory over sin that the Blood of Christ gives to those who are saved.
Those who are unsaved die in sin; therefore their souls/spirits do not go to be with Christ in heaven; they instead go to hell to await judgment. In contrast, those who are saved do not die in sin, as the Blood of Christ removes their sin; therefore their souls/spirits go to be with Christ in heaven. To say that the same thing happens to the souls/spirits of both those who are saved and those who are unsaved at the deaths of their physical bodies is to say that the Blood of Christ makes no difference. According to Paul, the Blood of Christ does make a difference; it turns what is otherwise a disadvantage into an advantage, or gain.
Hervey:
You are making death a type of life.
Jim:
No, Im not. Death is still the consequence of sin. The Blood of Christ does not remove sin from the physical body. As Paul says in Romans 6:6, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed [2673, katargeo, to render idle or to inactive: click here], that henceforth we should not serve sin. and in Romans 8:10, And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Thus, the same thing happens to the physical body whether one is saved or unsaved.
However, the Blood of Christ does remove sin from the souls/spirits of those who are saved:
Hervey:
you are indeed implying that there is no death, and that you are not really dying, only going to a better place.
Jim:
The believers physical body of sin dies. The believers soul/spirit, which is cleansed of all sin by the Blood of Christ, lives with the author of his or her salvation in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23 and Hebrews 5:9).
Hervey:
Even Jesus Christ was dead for three days and three nights.
Jim:
While Christs body was in the sepulchre (John 19:40-42), His soul was in hell (Acts 2:25-31), in the center of the earth (Matthew 12:40, Romans 10:6-7 and Ephesians 4:9).
Christ did not die for His own sins but for ours. As Paul says in Romans 4:25, [Christ] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Christ was on a mission. The proof that He accomplished his mission was His resurrection. If He had had any sin of His own and had thus failed to fully pay the penalty for our sins, He would not have risen. Christs resurrection was the proof that He was the Lamb of God and that He had accomplished His mission to take away the sin of the world. The disembodied souls/spirits of the beneficiaries of His mission would thereafter be free of sin and therefore free to await their judgment in the presence of their Lord in heaven instead of in the depths of the earth, where the non-beneficiaries of Christs mission await their judgment.
END OF PART ONE. PLEASE GO TO PART TWO.
Hervey:
I said , that your replies, even this last post, is showing an overcoming, as a form of making death a friend , instead of an enemy , which it is !
Jim:
Not a friend, an advantage.
Then cometh the end For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:24-26
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart [from the body], and to be with Christ; which is far better [for Paul]: Nevertheless to abide [continue] in the flesh [in the body] is more needful for you. Philippians 1:20-24
And God shall wipe away all tear from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4
The word gain in Philippians 1:21 is rendered from the Greek word transliterated kerdos (click here), which means a gain or an advantage.
What is an advantage is not necessarily a friend. For instance, in Philippians 1:14-18, Paul says, And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. Some people preached Christ in order to add affliction to Paul. These people were not Pauls friends; they desired to hurt him. However, what was meant to hurt Paul turned to an advantage, causing Paul to rejoice; Paul was just happy that Christ was being preached, even if it was being preached from evil motives. Thus, the act of an enemy that was intended to hurt Paul actually and inadvertently resulted in Pauls rejoicing.
Similarly, though death is the enemy of the human race, it actually turns to an advantage (kerdos, 2771) for those who are saved; death allows the souls/spirits of those who are saved to be with Christ in heaven. This advantage is the result of what Christ did on the cross. The Blood of Christ removes sin from the souls/spirits of those who are saved. Thus, with the sting of death (sin) removed (1 Corinthians 15:56-57), death actually becomes an advantage, or gain.
Hervey:
By this type of believing [that death is an advantage for those who are saved] , we see the same thing that Satan told the woman - "ye shall not surely die".
Jim:
The serpents false statement, Ye shall not surely die, in Genesis 3:4 was a denial of Gods true statement, In the day that thou eatest thereof [of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] thou shalt surely die, in Genesis 2:17. It was a denial of the divine truth that the consequence of sin is death. With the sting of death (sin) removed, death actually becomes an advantage, or gain, to those who are saved. This fact is not a denial that the consequence of sin is death. It is a confirmation of the victory over sin that the Blood of Christ gives to those who are saved.
Those who are unsaved die in sin; therefore their souls/spirits do not go to be with Christ in heaven; they instead go to hell to await judgment. In contrast, those who are saved do not die in sin, as the Blood of Christ removes their sin; therefore their souls/spirits go to be with Christ in heaven. To say that the same thing happens to the souls/spirits of both those who are saved and those who are unsaved at the deaths of their physical bodies is to say that the Blood of Christ makes no difference. According to Paul, the Blood of Christ does make a difference; it turns what is otherwise a disadvantage into an advantage, or gain.
Hervey:
You are making death a type of life.
Jim:
No, Im not. Death is still the consequence of sin. The Blood of Christ does not remove sin from the physical body. As Paul says in Romans 6:6, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed [2673, katargeo, to render idle or to inactive: click here], that henceforth we should not serve sin. and in Romans 8:10, And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Thus, the same thing happens to the physical body whether one is saved or unsaved.
However, the Blood of Christ does remove sin from the souls/spirits of those who are saved:
Consequently, when the physical body dies, what happens to the souls/spirits of those who are saved differs from what happens to the souls/spirits of those who are not saved. The souls/spirits of those who die in sin (Ephesians 2:12) go to hell, where they continue to be separated from God as they await their judgment. In contrast, because of the victory that the Blood of Christ gives to those who are saved, who therefore do not die in sin, their souls/spirits go to be with Christ in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23), where they await their judgment (1 Corinthians 4:5).Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Hervey:
you are indeed implying that there is no death, and that you are not really dying, only going to a better place.
Jim:
The believers physical body of sin dies. The believers soul/spirit, which is cleansed of all sin by the Blood of Christ, lives with the author of his or her salvation in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23 and Hebrews 5:9).
Hervey:
Even Jesus Christ was dead for three days and three nights.
Jim:
While Christs body was in the sepulchre (John 19:40-42), His soul was in hell (Acts 2:25-31), in the center of the earth (Matthew 12:40, Romans 10:6-7 and Ephesians 4:9).
Christ did not die for His own sins but for ours. As Paul says in Romans 4:25, [Christ] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Christ was on a mission. The proof that He accomplished his mission was His resurrection. If He had had any sin of His own and had thus failed to fully pay the penalty for our sins, He would not have risen. Christs resurrection was the proof that He was the Lamb of God and that He had accomplished His mission to take away the sin of the world. The disembodied souls/spirits of the beneficiaries of His mission would thereafter be free of sin and therefore free to await their judgment in the presence of their Lord in heaven instead of in the depths of the earth, where the non-beneficiaries of Christs mission await their judgment.
END OF PART ONE. PLEASE GO TO PART TWO.
Upvote
0