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ALIVE FROM THE DEAD!

By Mae Shurow

Scripture declares in a variety of ways that all mankind is in bondage to sin and will die as a result of that sin.

We have been taken captive:

2 Tim. 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Sin has dominion over us who are not in Christ…

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

...we are in slavery to sin…

John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
2 Peter 2:19 …they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

…and death reigns over us.

Romans 5:17 … by one man's offence death reigned by one…
Romans 5:21 … sin hath reigned unto death…

Scripture makes it plain that this slavery to sin, this inability to break free from sin, WILL lead to death.

Romans 6:20-21 For when ye were the servants of sin…the end of those things is death.
Ezekiel 18:20 …The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ephes. 2:1-2 And you…who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2…ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Dead Men’s Bones

The Old Testament foreshadows the New Testament reality, and Ezekiel vividly illustrates the condition of mankind for us:

Ezekiel 37:1-2 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

Ezekiel saw very many of those who were very dead – long past life of any kind. They were dead in their trespasses and sins. But, oh, just listen to what happened! The Lord instructed Ezekiel to speak to these who were dead and say, “…O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.” Then:

Ezekiel 37:5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath [spirit]to enter into you, and ye shall live:
Ezekiel 37:9-10 …Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath [spirit] came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

How wonderful it is that Scripture interprets Scripture, and we can look to the following verses to tell us what this means:

Ezekiel 37:11-14 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel [the church is spiritual Israel]: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost [without Christ, we have no hope (Eph. 2:12)]: we are cut off for our parts. 12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

In the new Covenant, the Lord will put a new heart and a new spirit in those that hear the word of the Lord. And those who were once dead in trespasses and sins are raised to new life in Christ!

Raised to New Life in Christ

Jesus did not come to save mankind from hell. Hell and death are merely the result of slavery to sin. He came to save us from the reason we have been condemned to death and hell. He came to save us from our sins. He came to set us free from our bondage to sin! He came to set the captives free! He came to raise to new life those condemned to death!

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

We see the reality of being raised to new life in Christ presented in a variety of ways in the New Testament.

Jesus rescued the captives…

Ephes. 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised [oppressed by sin],

…set us free …

Luke 4:18 …to set at liberty them that are bruised [oppressed by sin],
Romans 6:17-18 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

…to reign over sin and death…

Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ephes. 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.[On the throne with Christ, reigning over sin.]

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Rev. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them,…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
2 Tim. 2:12 If we suffer [endure], we shall also reign with him…

We are those alive from the dead!

John 5:24-25 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. 25Verily, 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
Ephes. 2:1 And you hath he quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Ephes. 2:5-6 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;):
Col. 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Romans 6:4-5 … that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Romans 6:13 … yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
1 Cor. 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
2 Tim. 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
Rev. 20:4 …and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

This is the first resurrection – being raised from the dead to walk in newness of life! Those raised to life in Christ reign over the second death:

Rev. 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power, but the
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall

reign with him a thousand years.

Praise be to our great God and Savior! In Christ, He has put His Spirit within us, that we may walk in His statutes. In Christ, we are set free from sin which leads to death! In Christ, He opens our graves and raises up the dead to live!

May we know him, and the power of his resurrection
Philip. 3:10

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*All emphasis mine.