But
God, (who is rich in mercy,) for His exceeding charity wherewith He
loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together
in Christ, (by whose grace you are saved,) Ephesians 2:4-5, ESV
Remember
when Zombie movies were the rage? No pun intended. They were the
'walking dead,' able to rise to any occasion and run amok, the living
being their own fresh-meat smorgasbord.
Paul
speaks of us being dead in our trespasses and sins. I've heard
Christians say that to respond to Christ we each have a 'little
spark' of life in us to hear and respond to the Gospel message,
otherwise how could we do it? Believe me, in times past I've pitched
my tent at that site and I can tell you the firewood there is green.
What
brought me out of that belief was a sermon I heard on of
Colossians 2:13. The minister said, “Dead means dead. Dead. It
doesn't mean a little life, a spark of life, or a twitch of life.
Dead means you aren't able to move, hear, act, or think. You can do
nothing of yourself when you're dead.”
You
might be thinking, “So if dead means like a door-nail how did I
come into a living relationship with the risen Lord?” It's in
today's Scripture verses. You hath
He quickened
together with Christ. It's a spiritual resurrection. He breathes life
into the dead and stirs them to the possibility of eternal life in
Him. How fortunate we have a living God who first loved us (1st
John 4:19).
It
is a matter of life and death depending on where you will spend
eternity, and with whom. Saying no to Christ's forgiveness returns
the person to the grave, metaphorically speaking. They may continue
to rise and walk like a zombie, but they are dead spiritually.
As
the old song goes, two roads to choose, the road to glory or the fools
highway. You can walk hand-in-hand with the King or shuffle along as
a spiritual zombie. Sweet road to glory or the bitter end? Dead is
dead but life in Christ is beautiful and eternal. Seek the Lord while He may be
found. You'll no longer have to lie in the coffin of the old life
but you'll be alive in Christ. No bones about it.
Ken
Jesus, I want to put my trust in You. I believe Your death on the cross became God's perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. I ask You to forgive my sins and be Lord of my life. Amen
