Topic: #59: Did Jesus Descend into Hell?

 

NEW UPDATE: If you are a follower of Harold Camping or a listener of Family Radio, please see the posting for 13 November 2009. 

 

How are we to understand passages like Ephesians 4, which indicates that Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth and from there led captivity captive? Or I Peter 3:19 or 20, where it says that in the spirit He preached to the souls in Hades, who formerly did not obey in the days of Noah? How do we put all this together?

  

  

Much of the misunderstanding is a result of a lack of understanding of what Christ did for us on the cross. A lot of people talk about the fact that He shed His blood for our sins…that He died for our sins… that He hung on the cross.  Those are all very biblical statements.

 

   

However, when it comes to the fact that He descended into the lower parts of the earth, or as Jesus said in Matthew 12, “I must be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth,” many people misunderstand what this really means.   The purpose of today’s Spreading God’s Word posting is to try to clear up some of these misunderstandings.

 

   

The big problem that Christ had to face was God’s judicial statement that “the wages of sin is death.”  God did not merely have physical death in view here but also a much worse type of death – a spiritual death where we are eternally separated from God in hell.  This is the penalty that had to be paid in order for Christ to be our Substitute and Savior.

 

  

Mankind is destined for hell because we are all sinners.  In order to save us, it was necessary for God not only to find us in our depraved and desperate condition, but He also had to pay the penalty for our sin – and that penalty was the equivalent of Jesus spending an eternity in hell paying for our sins.

 

   

Hell will be the destination of all the unsaved on Judgment Day when they stand trial before the Judge of Heaven and Earth.  But in another sense, hell also aptly describes a relationship with God.  To be under God’s wrath is to be in hell.  The Bible describes hell with all kinds of dreadful language; however, ultimately it’s all focusing on the fact that those who are subject to hell are in terrible trouble with God and His wrath is being poured out upon them.

  

  

Since God’s wrath was being poured out upon Christ during the atonement, it would be correct to say that Jesus was enduring hell at this time.   While large drops like blood were dripping down from His brow in Gethsemane and while He stood in judgment before Pilate, and while He hung on the cross – throughout all of this it was as if He had gone down to hell.   This is seen in its terrible climax when He cries out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” 

 

 

 

 

  

That’s hell.

 

  

Before we are saved we’re slaves of Satan. We are entirely under his jurisdiction and his domain since He is our master.  But when God saves us, we are freed from bondage to Satan and we become bondservants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We become His captives and He takes us out of hell.  This is what is meant by “He led captivity captive.” 

 

 

 

  

 

Therefore, when Ephesians 4 declares that Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth, it is indicating that He had to come where those who are destined for hell dwell. He came into our presence and in order to rescue us He had to endure hell for our sins.

 

 

Jesus did not go to a physical place called hell.  That’s reserved for the unsaved after Judgment Day.   The biblical account makes this clear.  And when would He have gone there?   As he hung on the cross, He was still a complete personality in body and soul until He finally said, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.”

 

  

At this moment in His spirit He went to be with the Father. His body, however, was put in the grave where (and this is quite important) it did not see corruption. The decay and corruption of our physical bodies when we die is part of the curse of sin.

 

 

Acts 2:31 says, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.”  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof that the payment for sin had been paid in full – the penalty of eternal damnation had been satisfied.  Also, the fact that His body did not see corruption is another witness to the victory of the cross.

 

  

When Scripture says in Acts 2:31 that Jesus’ soul was not left in hell it is indicating He was no longer suffering God’s wrath as the punishment for all the sins of His people.  His suffering – from Gethsemane to the Cross – had finally satisfied God’s wrath.  Christ had endured hell on our behalf.

 

 

Some may point to 1 Peter 3:18-19 and say, “Doesn’t this say that Jesus in His spirit descended into hell?”  Since the Bible never contradicts itself, our answer to this must be no. 

 

 

 

 

  

1 Peter 3:18-19  “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison”

 

 

 

 

  

The word hell isn’t even found in 1 Peter 3 — it’s the word prison.  This passage says that Christ spoke to the spirits in prison.  Actually, since the Bible serves as its own interpreter, we can look back at 1 Peter Chapter 1 for a further clarification:

  

1 Peter 1:10-11 God says, “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

 

 

 

 

The spirit of Christ spoke through the Old Testament prophets, including Noah, to the prisoners (the spirits in prison) in their day.  Who were the spirits in prison?  They were the unsaved of their day…the prisoners of Satan.   Some will say, “Wait a minute now!  When did the Spirit of Jesus preach to Old Testament people?”  Well, actually Christ preached to them throughout the entire Old Testament period.  He spoke through Noah; He spoke through Jeremiah; He spoke through Ezekiel; He spoke through Isaiah; He spoke through Abraham; He spoke through Moses; and so on.  It’s no different for us today: the spirit of Christ is speaking to the spirits in prison (the unsaved) as we faithfully proclaim the Gospel.   

 

 

 

 

 

This did not – and does not — require a physical descent of Christ into hell. 

 

 

 

  

Please let us know what you think.  Is our understanding of this topic consistent with everything the Bible has to say on this matter?  The only thing we desire is Truth. 

 

 

 

 

  

To God Be The Glory!

Topic #58: Is Baptism a Requirement for Salvation?

Today’s topic concerns water baptism and what it represents for the believer.  Some denominations teach that in order to become saved you must be baptized.  Does the Bible support this? 

 

Before we go any farther, we need to make this point: there are two types of baptisms in view in Scripture.  Most of us immediately think of water baptism, but there’s another type of baptism presented in the Bible and it’s a spiritual baptism – the washing away of our sins when God saves us.  The former type of baptism is really a sign (or type) that points to the latter type of baptism.  It is the spiritual baptism performed by God that is the substance…water baptism is merely a shadow that points toward the cleansing that we must have from God.   With these types of baptisms in mind, let’s proceed. 

 

We know from Acts 10 that after the family of Cornelius became saved they were then baptized in water.  But, their baptism didn’t add anything to their salvation. Consider Acts 10:44: “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.” 

 

As discussed in a previous posting we know there’s only one salvation — Old Testament believers were saved precisely in the same manner as New Testament believers — and those living before the Cross believed without being baptized.   

 

Actually baptism in water is an outward sign recognizing the fact that we’ve been saved.   Let’s look at John 3:5  – “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus then asks Jesus in verse 9, “How can this be?”  Jesus answers him, “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?”  In effect Jesus chastises him — “Look, you have the Scriptures…don’t you know what I’m talking about?”   

 

When we search the Scriptures we find this in Ezekiel 36:25: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.”  

Remember Jesus said in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven we have to be born of water and the Spirit.  In other words, this is the washing that takes place by the Holy Spirit in our life when we are born again.   

 

Ephesians 5 speaks about the washing of the Word. The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit.  By it, the Holy Spirit cuts away the old nature and gives us a new soul.  We are born again. Therefore we are cleansed of our sins – spiritually baptized!  

 

And then it goes on: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” 

 

Can you see how that relates to being born of water and the Spirit? The water is the Word of God…the act of the Holy Spirit as He washes away our sins.  This is the spiritual cleansing (spiritual baptism) that is absolutely necessary in order to become saved.   

 

In conclusion, we are technically correct in saying that baptism is required for our salvation – but we need to be clear about which type of baptism.  It’s not water baptism because that’s only a sign, like circumcision.  The baptism that’s required in our lives is a spiritual kind where our dirty sins are washed away and we are made clean by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

 

To God Be The Glory!

Topic #57: How Were Old Testament Believers Saved?

Was there one plan of salvation that applied to people living before Jesus went to the Cross and a different one for those looking back on the Cross?  The technical term for this, we believe, is dispensation.  That’s today’s topic for Spreading God’s Word.

The short answer to this question is no. There wasn’t one dispensation for Old Testament believers and a different dispensation for New Testament believers.  There is only one Gospel and that is the Gospel of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Whether we’re reading the Old Testament, New Testament, the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, the four Gospels, Acts, the Epistles or Revelation, the Gospel message being proclaimed is one and the same.   

We must remember that Christ was the lamb slain from before the foundation of the earth; therefore, the efficacy of Christ’s atonement reached all the way back to Abel and the other believers who lived on the Old Testament side of the Cross.

Obviously, certain Books, chapters and verses are emphasizing various aspects of the Gospel to a greater degree than others.  The result of this is that in one paragraph we might find that the blood of Christ — the fact that there is no remission except through the shedding of blood — is particularly in view.  We see this especially when reading Leviticus about the blood sacrifices, or in Hebrews where we have commentary on the blood sacrifices in Leviticus.  

Other places stress the washing away of our sins — this is seen beautifully in the Gospel of John.  Still elsewhere, God’s wrath against sin is particularly in view — Romans is a wonderful example.  Man’s depravity shines through with great clarity in Ephesians 2 and Romans 3.  But it’s important to realize that none of these passages, paragraphs or sentences stands alone.  

We should never really say, “This is what Peter or Paul said” because they weren’t really the authors of those statements.  God is the Author — and Peter and Paul, Isaiah and Moses were simply instruments in His hand to write the Bible.  Certainly, these holy men of old wrote out of their own personality and experiences; however, what they wrote was exactly what God wanted them to write…down to the last word and letter. 

Consequently, God wrote through Luke about salvation – and this was precisely the same salvation God wrote about through Moses and the apostle Paul. It was the identical salvation that Jesus Christ proclaimed.   

Perhaps another way of saying this is that Old Testament believers looked forward to the Cross while New Testament believers look back on the Cross. 

To God Be The Glory!

Note: today marks the 2 month anniversary of this Spreading God’s Word blog site.  We are grateful for each and every person who has taken the time to visit and for those who have offered their comments.  If you haven’t done so, we invite you to visit our companion website at http://users.adelphia.net/~jeffandcindy  If you feel the material presented here is faithful to the Scriptures, please tell your family and friends about it.   Everyone can do something to advance God’s Kingdom.  And if you believe there’s material here that is contrary to God’s Word, we definitely want to know.  All of us should be quick to correct erroneous teachings not in accordance with the Bible’s teachings.  To God Be The Glory!

Topic: #55: The Life-Saving Post (An Adapted Parable)

John 21:15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks were frequent there once was a makeshift life-saving post.  The building was nothing more than a hut and there was just one tiny boat, but the few faithful members kept a constant watch over the sea.  They searched for the lost day and night with no thought for themselves.  Some who were saved wanted to become associated with the post and give of their time, money and efforts supporting its work.  New boats were purchased and new squads trained.  The once little life-saving station began to grow.  

Some members became unsatisfied with the building, feeling a more comfortable structure should be provided as the first refuge for those saved from the sea.  They replaced the cots with beds and upgraded the furniture.  The life-saving post quickly became a popular gathering place for its members and they took pride in its beautiful decorations and furnishings.  Over time however, fewer and fewer members had a burden for going out to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired others to do this work.   

John 21:16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 

About this time a large ship wrecked off the coast.  The hired crews brought in many cold and half-drowned people.  They were dirty, sick and they made a mess of the refurbished structure.  A meeting of the property committee resulted in a shower house being constructed outside where victims could clean themselves before coming inside.  

Soon a split arose among the members.  Most wanted to shut down the unpleasant life-saving activities in favor of more pleasing pastimes.  Others insisted that saving lives was their primary mission, emphasizing their point by reminding everyone the building was still called a life-saving post.  A vote was taken and the majority prevailed.  So those who wished to continue saving the lives of those shipwrecked started their own life-saving station farther down the coast. 

Years passed and this new post changed over time in much the same way as its predecessor.  It evolved into little more than a social club; so another life-saving post was established.  History continued repeating itself and if you visit this coastline today you’ll find a number of ornate buildings dotting the shoreline.   

Shipwrecks remain a frequent reality in these dangerous waters…but sadly most of the people drown! 

John 21:17  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 

There are people all around us who are hungry for the true gospel.  As believers, God commands us to feed them.  Whenever we witness to an unsaved loved one, pass out a CD of your Sunday worship service, direct people to an outreach website, or give someone a Bible tract, we are feeding His sheep. 

Purposefully letting these opportunities slip by is like seeing someone fighting for their life in rough seas…and doing nothing about it.    

To God Be The Glory!

Topic #54: Witnessing to Those With Terminal Illnesses

During the approaching Christmas season many people will have an opportunity to have visits with those living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, with families of those imprisoned, widows and widowers, and perhaps even with those struggling with a terminal illness.   

We’d like to offer this suggestion whenever you have the opportunity to visit with someone facing a terminal illness: try to bring the conversation around to talk about eternity, about God who created us, and tell that person something along the lines of, “You know, we’re all going to have to face God some day…are you ready to face Him?”   

If they’re not saved or have never really attended any church they may say, “What do you mean by that?” 

This is your springboard to talk to them about the Gospel message.

You could start out very simply talking about the fact that the human race is under the wrath of God because of their sins. But God has provided a marvelous way to know the love of God, and to guarantee for us eternal life, eternal happiness and bliss, if we’ll only recognize our sinful condition and cry out to Him for mercy, and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

People with terminal illnesses are frequently struggling with their disease. They’re often quite fearful of what might come — and rightly so because eternity is knocking at the door.   

They mustn’t be denied the knowledge that there is a way of escape…that there is a way where the future can look more bright than anything this world has ever offered. 

But in order to achieve that bright and glorious future, there has to be a firm and honest recognition of where they are right now — that they’re under the wrath of God because of their sins. 

From here, you can lay out the message of salvation through Christ alone. 

For those who might benefit from one, here’s a general outline to follow:

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

The Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ is God’s plan of salvation and it can be summarized as follows:

1. ALL are spiritually lost – all have sinned and are unfit for heaven. (Rom. 3:10-23)
2. God is holy and NO SIN can be in His presence. So even one sin qualifies me for eternal separation from God (James 2:10)
3. ETERNAL punishment in hell is the penalty for sin. (Luke 12:4-5, Rev. 14:11, Rev. 20:15)
4. No works, no human effort of any kind can provide salvation, nor can anyone participate in their salvation (Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Isa. 59:1-12, Rom. 10:3)
5. Only a Divine substitute who takes the punishment for ALL my sins can eliminate the need for me to go to hell (Isa. 43:11, Isa. 63:5)
6. Jesus Christ – and ONLY Christ – is that Divine substitute – the “Lamb of God”. (Isa. 43:11, Luke 2:11, Acts 4:12, Isa. 53, John 1:29, Titus 2:13, 3:6)

To God Be The Glory!

Topic #53: Why Does God Permit Suffering?

 

We’ve received several notes asking why God permits suffering in the world.    Many people may be feeling the same way, so this seemed like an ideal topic for today’s Spreading God’s Word posting. 

To begin with, we must remember that this earth was created perfect. There was no sin; there was no curse of sin. Mankind was created with every blessing and to have fellowship with God and to enjoy Him forever. 

But then man, of his own volition, rebelled against God and effectively said, “I don’t want to obey You.”  It began with Eve in the Garden of Eden, then expanded to Adam and this has been the condition of mankind ever since. 

When man rebelled against God, we became estranged from Him.  This resulted in God cursing the earth so that this earth is now a place of tears, toil, suffering and sorrow.  This isn’t God’s fault – it’s man’s own doing because we didn’t live by God’s rules. 

If the truth be known, God ought to remove all of us into hell because of our sins. We were created in God’s own image to love Him, and by our sinful nature that’s the last thing we want to do.  Instead, we want to go our own way. We don’t want to be obedient to our wonderful Creator.  Can anyone rightfully argue against the fact that we deserve to suffer and we deserve to go to hell?  I don’t think so. 

But God in His glorious love has provided a marvelous way of escape for us. But it came with an awful price.  Because God is a just and holy God, He couldn’t merely say, “I’m God, and so I can change the rules any time I want to.  Therefore, I’ve decided that I love you.  Now, if you’ll only do “so and so” you can go into Heaven and you won’t have to endure My wrath for your sins.”  

God couldn’t do this because His justice demands that the full price for the wages of our sins be paid before anyone can gain entry into Heaven.  But there was no one on earth who could pay for our sins.

 

So God Himself came to this earth in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He took on a human nature while remaining perfect God and He lived a sinless life.  He allowed Himself to be slandered, spit upon and beaten.  And then, God Himself poured out His wrath on Jesus Christ for all the sins of His elect – a punishment that was the equivalent to every saved person spending an eternity in hell. That’s the penalty Christ paid on behalf of those He came to save.  Talk about the love of God – that’s LOVE!!

 

 

 

 

Of course we’re still a part of this creation after we’re saved.  The curse of sin is still present and it may be God’s provision that you or I will spend the last year of our life in a coma, or suffering with cancer, etc. This isn’t because God doesn’t love us.  We’ve just seen how much He does indeed love us.  It’s because we’re still living in a world full of sin.  And, as true believers, God will show the victory of the cross in our particular circumstances – just as He showed the victory of the cross through His faithful servant Job.

 

 

 

 

For the unsaved, their suffering on this earth is just a drop in the bucket compared with the suffering they must endure throughout eternity for their sins.

 

 

 

 

But if we are in fact a child of God, then to die is the most wonderful thing in the world because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  Death will be that marvelous moment when we’ll be freed from all of suffering and sorrow and we’ll be living and reigning with Christ in Heaven. No one could ask for anything more wonderful than that. Even in the midst of a believer’s suffering – or perhaps we should say especially in the midst of a believer’s suffering, God’s love shines through.   

 

 

 

 

To God Be The Glory!

 

Topic #52: Let’s Not Be Salesmen for Christ

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States.  As Christians, we have much to be thankful for, not the least of which is the privilege to proclaim the Gospel to our family, friends, neighbors and to the world.  God has indeed richly blessed this nation…but to whom much is given, much is also expected.

Much of the evangelism that’s going on today is really rather scary because it’s a type of witnessing that emphasizes the love of God without ever emphasizing the wrath or the judgments of God.  Every attempt is made to make the Christian life as palatable, acceptable and enticing as possible. With this type of witness, we might as well be salesmen for Christ trying to get as many names on the dotted line as possible.   After all, salesmen never want to emphasize the negative, only the positive.   

The dreadful result stemming from this type of evangelism is that we’re not warning the unsaved of hell.  All we’re really doing is getting people excited about the idea that they too can get on the bandwagon for Christ. But then when they say they’re saved, they really don’t know what they’re saved from.  And the sad reality is that many of these people are going to die in their unsaved condition.   

Why is this happening?  I believe one of the reasons is because many of those doing the evangelism and witnessing have never truly heard the whole counsel of God themselves. And the result is that we’ve got the blind leading the blind.  Without realizing it, these dear people have been giving stones for bread.  

As born again believers, we ought to feel compelled within our soul to try to be as accurate as possible in our witnessing because we have a high regard for the holiness of God and for His Word.  Under no circumstances will we want to sugarcoat the Gospel pill if the Bible won’t allow us.  You see, we should have a clear indication of what we’re saved from – and what we’re saved from is eternal damnation.  Therefore, we shouldn’t hesitate to tell those to whom we’re witnessing that they’re subject to hell unless they turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

This is the nature of being born again because one of fruits of the Spirit is that we want to obey the commandments of Christ.  This desire for obedience would unfold in our wanting to witness as faithfully as possible. We’d be terribly upset if we discovered we had been emphasizing one aspect of the Gospel (i.e., God’s love) to the detriment of other aspects (i.e., God’s holiness and hatred of sin).  

If we’re bringing the whole counsel of God, then we’re going to talk about God’s love just as much as the His wrath – and vice versa.   

If your witnessing hasn’t been giving enough attention to what it is God saves us from, then may we suggest you look at our Spreading God’s Word Topic #26.  We’re not called to be “salesmen” for Christ…we’re called to be faithful witnesses. 

To God Be The Glory!

Topic #51b: Where Do Unbelievers Go When They Die?

Yesterday’s Spreading God’s Word posting was about what happens to believers when they die.  If you haven’t read it, we urge you to.  The Bible tells us how we immediately go to be with God in our soul essence when we die.  “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

But that begs the follow-up question:  what happens to unbelievers’ souls when they die? 

In the case of the unsaved person, he is already under the judgment of God because his sins have not been covered by the atoning blood of Christ. “The wages of sin is death,” and the death that God has in view is a spiritual death — eternal damnation.   When he dies, he’s not unlike a criminal awaiting his trial before the Judge.  His trial and sentencing will occur when Christ returns in glory on the Last Day.   

During the intervening time between the unbeliever’s death and the return of Christ, his body goes into the grave to return to dust (no different from believers); however, what about the unbeliever’s soul?  His soul cannot go to be with Christ.  Scripture tells us his soul goes down to a place of silence…a place of soul sleep also referred to in the Bible as Hades.  This is where unbelievers will await the call of Christ on the Last Day.  

John 5:28-29 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.  

Unbelievers are those who come forth to the resurrection of damnation. It is at this time when they will experience judgment for their actions.  Every unsaved person will give an account of all of his sins before Christ and he will be judged in the light of the Bible’s statement that “the wages of sin is death”.  The Judge of Heaven and Earth will find each one of them guilty and every one will be removed into hell to spend eternity paying for their sins.   

There is no happy ending for the unsaved. They won’t simply cease to exist.  That’s a fallacy that many unsaved people would love to believe (see related Topic #28).  But that’s not what the Bible says.  There will forever be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Hell is described as a place where the worm dieth not.  It’s so horrible that any words we could think of simply would not be sufficient.   

If you haven’t placed your trust in Christ and what He’s done for your salvation, the Bible says unequivocally that this will be your eternal destination when you die.  But, the Bible also says, that TODAY is the day of salvation.  As long as there’s breath in your lungs, you can still cry out to God for the salvation only He can offer.  

To God Be The Glory!

Topic #51a: Where Do True Believers Go When They Die?

When we carefully examine everything the Bible offers concerning the death of the believer, we find that the moment we die we leave our physical body to go live and reign with Christ in our spiritual soul.  The reason this can happen is that at the moment God saved us – when we were born again — in our soul essence we experienced the resurrection. We became a new and eternal creature; therefore, in our soul, we cannot die. 

Before we die we are integrated persons in our bodies and souls. They’re not separated in any sense.  Although we are born again (or resurrected) in our soul essence, our physical bodies remain unchanged.  Consequently, they still lust after sin.  When we die our physical bodies die and begin to decay, but our souls take up residence in Heaven to live with God.    

Contrary to Catholic teaching, there is no such place as purgatory (please see Topic #21).  For those whom God has saved neither is there such a place as limbo or a place of soul sleep.  This is why the thief on the cross could be told so confidently by Christ, “Today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.”  When a diligent study is done on the word “Paradise” one will see that Paradise refers to Heaven itself.  Paradise is where the Father is. 

Let’s suppose I die.  People might say, “Mr. Watkins died last week and we buried him.”  And that would be a true statement because they buried my body.  However other people could say, “Mr. Watkins died last week and he’s gone home to be with the Lord.” That’s a correct statement too. 

In my whole personality (body + soul) I didn’t go to live and reign with Christ – only my soul did because my body went into the ground.  At death, I became a divided personality: in my soul essence, I’m living in Heaven; but my body is in the grave. 

Consider I Thessalonians 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. 

Here God tells us that when Jesus Christ returns on the Last Day, He will come with all His saints.  Continuing with my example above, Christ will be coming with me (as one of His elect) — but it will be me in my soul essence.   

Let’s look at I Thessalonians 4:14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

God tells us that those who’ve fallen asleep will come with Him. That would include Abrahamin his soul, and David in his soul, and me in my soul.  Simultaneous with this event, our bodies (which were in the grave) will also be resurrected into glorified spiritual bodies and be caught up in the air to be reunited with their souls.  At this point, we’ll again become a complete personality and remain that way for the rest of eternity.   

The difference between our resurrected spiritual bodies and our earthly bodies is as vast as the difference between east and west.  I don’t know what they’ll look like because the Bible doesn’t elaborate on that.  But God does provide us with a small peek into the magnificence of our glorified bodies by an analogy in I Corinthians 15:35-37:     

I Cor 15:35-37 But some [man] will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?  [Thou] fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other [grain] 

Here God is explaining to us that putting a grain of wheat into the ground is analogous to our earthly, physical bodies that have died.  We sow a grain of seed and likewise we bury a dead physical body.  Does that single grain of wheat bear any resemblance to the wheat plant that springs forth?  Absolutely not!  Yet the plant springing forth is entirely related to that grain of wheat.  Think about the tiny acorn as compared to the massive oak tree emerging from it.  

When the question “What kind of bodies will we have when we’re resurrected?” was asked in 1 Cor 15, God effectively answers “Foolish man!”  In reality, it’s a question we probably shouldn’t even be asking since our spiritual bodies will be so glorious.  If God were to tell us, our tiny little brains wouldn’t be able to comprehend the majesty of it anyway.  Praise God for His great love for us!!! 

But what if you’re not one of God’s elect saints who will live and reign with Him forever?  What will happen to you?  That horrific story will be the topic of tomorrow’s posting.      

To God Be The Glory!

Topic #49: Obedience After Salvation

(1 Sam 15:26 KJV) And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

In today’s Spreading God’s Word posting we’re touching upon a major principle which can and should be heeded by Christians in any generation. Saul disobeyed God and didn’t completely annihilate the Amalekites. Instead, he saved Agag, the king of the Amalekites plus he brought back all the animals that he thought he’d use for sacrifices. The problem was that God told Saul to go in and completely destroy all the people as well as the animals.

Saul didn’t do this.  Instead he chose to go his own way and set the rules for the spoils.  A point of thought here: no one can ever rebel against God to the glory of God, nor can one be disobedient to the glory of God.  When God gives a directive, it’s to be obeyed to the letter. This is why Samuel asked Saul if God is more concerned with sacrifices than with obedience.

 

Obedience, not service, is the bedrock of the Christian life. Within the context of obedience, we’ll find our place of service.  When we speak of obedience, it’s not the obeying of ceremonies, special days, or keeping any part of the law for salvation. Our salvation is entirely by grace.  One can obey every tenet of the law for their whole life – but without the substitutionary atonement of Christ removing their sins, they’re still going to Hell.

 

Post-salvific obedience is grace-based; it’s an obedience the Christian possesses in order to bring the Gospel to the world.  It’s the desire of the believer who wishes to be used of the Lord in bringing God’s elect to salvation.  However, disobedience (or trying to do the work of the Lord in any type of deceitful manner) will bring the chastisement of God. 

God replaced Saul with David.  It wasn’t that David was perfect, but he had more of a knowledge and understanding of God than did Saul. No matter what position we’re in, whether it’s in ministry or business, God can remove us from it if we adopt Saul’s attitude.  God promotes us and He can demote us.  Let us always do an attitude check to make sure it is in line with biblical principles.

(Ezek 21:26 KJV) Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. (Mat 23:12 KJV) And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. It is a principle we either learn voluntarily, or we are taught it.

To God Be The Glory!