Abolishing Death and Bringing Life (2 Timothy 1:9-10)
Hey, everyone. My name is Kendrick Diaz, and this is Verse by Verse, a short podcast all about exploring the insights and lessons from the inspired word of God. Not everyone has had an opportunity to write a letter from a jail cell, let alone one that would be included in the bible, but Paul did. In his final letter, with the limited space he had, Paul wrote something that really ought to change the way we think about life and death. I'm cutting into a thought here, but in the context, he's talking about what god has done for him and the young minister Timothy to whom he's writing.
Kendrick Diaz:So beginning in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 in verse 9, we'll read what Paul says. Referring to god, he said, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Now notice verse 10, but has now been revealed this grace, this divine favor by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Let's give those words the attention they deserve. The appearing of our savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Kendrick Diaz:Keep in mind Paul's circumstances, okay? Here was a prisoner facing execution. He knows that at any moment he's going to be called up. He knows at any moment he's gonna be escorted to his death, but none of that seemed to concern him. Why?
Kendrick Diaz:Because of one historical fact. Jesus Christ abolished death and brought life and immortality. I wanna talk about what that means and why it changes the way you view death. Obviously, people still die today and will continue to do so, so that's not what Paul is saying. The death Paul is describing here is what the Bible calls the second death.
Kendrick Diaz:And if that sends a chill down your spine, believe me, that's understandable. This is the death from which there is no return. See, when people reach the end of their lives, whether prematurely through some kind of accident or because of natural causes, all they do is go to sleep. God's gonna wake them up in the future when they're resurrected and bring them back to life. So that's not the death Jesus abolished, he didn't abolish physical death.
Kendrick Diaz:Jesus abolished the death that's permanent, the one that's irreversible. When you die the second death, there's no chance whatsoever of coming back again. So how did Jesus abolish the second death? Well, to understand the second death, we need to understand what sin is. Now I've done an episode on this before, but to give you a quick summary, sin is just disobedience to god.
Kendrick Diaz:When you break one of his commandments, doesn't matter which one, you commit sin. And we know from Romans chapter 6 and verse 23 that what we get for sin is the second death. So since we've all sinned, then we're all expected to pay for our sins with our lives. But god doesn't want us to die, he wants us to live. So he sent his son to die in our place so we can have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life.
Kendrick Diaz:Jesus' sacrifice made that all possible. He paid for sin so we wouldn't have to. So the death of Jesus Christ makes the second death powerless, and that's really what the Greek word translated abolish means. It means to make ineffective. Paul wasn't afraid of dying because he knew he wasn't going to die the second death.
Kendrick Diaz:He believed the gospel, he repented of his sins, He had his sins washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. So he was confident that he would be resurrected and given eternal life just like Jesus Christ the savior. This is the future that god made possible for humanity through the sacrifice of his son. This brings to mind another scripture that complements his material perfectly. During Jesus' ministry, one of his followers, Lazarus, died.
Kendrick Diaz:And Martha, who was his sister, was talking to Jesus and saying, Lord, Lord, if only you had been here, then my brother would still be alive. But you wanna know what he said? He spoke these powerful words in John 11/25. Let this sink in. Jesus said, he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.
Kendrick Diaz:It's essentially what Paul was telling Timothy. Paul was saying, yes, I'm going to die, but I know and believe what Christ did, so this isn't the end for me. And it's not. Paul's still in the grave waiting for his resurrection to immortality, for the fulfillment of the promise he so deeply believed. So the point is Christ's sacrifice has made physical death so innocuous that the fear of it doesn't have to be there.
Kendrick Diaz:Yes. It still hurts to see friends and family go, but it doesn't alter the fact that Christ abolished death and made life and immortality possible. This is why Paul could speak so confidently when he was in prison awaiting his own execution. So maybe this is all beginning to make sense, and maybe you're starting to grasp the significance of what Jesus Christ did and how it impacts your future, I wanna encourage you to download our booklet called The Last Enemy, What Really Happens After Death? You can find it on lifeopentruth.com or you can click the link in the show notes.
Kendrick Diaz:But have you ever wondered what happens after you die? This booklet will tell you everything you need to know. It'll tell you what Paul knew about death and what happens afterward. If you arm yourself with the knowledge in this booklet, you also could speak confidently like Paul and say, Jesus Christ abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Kevin Scarbrough:Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope, and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.
