Jesus Christ died on the cross to give us life, both abundant life here and now, and eternal life in God’s presence to come.
Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born,
If He's not born in thee, thy soul is still forlorn.
The cross on Golgotha will never save thy soul,
The cross in thine own heart alone can make thee whole.
3rd century, from the German of Angelus Silesius, included in Masterpieces of Religious Verse, James Dalton Morrison, ed., New York: Harper & Bros., 1948, p. 148
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Before the work of God's Holy Spirit in our lives, we were "dead in our trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). But God, because of His great love for us, made us alive together with Christ, raised us with Him, and seated us in heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2:6). The Holy Spirit does this work in our hearts and lives based upon the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross. He gives life to us because Jesus gave His life for us. Jesus became sin for us, died in our place, and now we who have believed in Him will live forever.
When Jesus died on the cross, many miraculous and supernatural things occurred: the world went dark, and the earth shook. The curtain in the Temple separating the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was torn in two from top to bottom. Rocks split open. Many people who were dead and buried came back to life and went into Jerusalem and were seen by many people (Matthew 27: 45-53).
“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:52-53
It is this last event on which I want to focus, for it is an illustration of the truth we are considering today. The fact that these people came to life when Jesus died is illustrative of why Jesus went to the cross. Jesus died to give us life and to bring us into the New Jerusalem, the city of the redeemed, there to live forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 shows the correlation between the death of Jesus and the life He gives to us through it:
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 1 Thessalonians 4:14
Because Jesus died, we live forever.
2 Corinthians 5:14-17 begins with Jesus' death, and ends with our new life in Him:
“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Question 1. Can you see the connection here between Jesus’ death and our new life? Please explain the connection between 2 Corinthians 5:14 and 2 Corinthians 5:17:
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The reason that we are a "new creation" is that Jesus "died for all." When He died on the cross, Jesus poured out His very life's blood unto death, that we who were dead in sins and trespasses might live because of Him.
There is a beautiful illustration of life coming from Jesus’ death in the Old Testament in the account of the creation of Eve.
We know from Romans 5:14 that Adam was a type of Jesus Christ:
“Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” Romans 5:14