7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Romans 6:7-8)
Many religions hold many differing views of life after death. To some, it means release. At the end of life, or many lives, you simply end extinguished with little fanfare. Others are met with immediate judgment of your time on earth. Every “good” deed is laid out in defense of eternity. Christ – followers, however, get a rare opportunity to die before death. In a spiritual sense, we get to choose the date on our gravestone. This is also the day we are given life eternal, not at physical death, but in the glory of choosing our Lord.
The scandal of Christ is that He came to us. He is the only deity who gives us His presence and victory, renewed every day for a better sense of living. Instead of ridding the world of doubt and duty, He came down to our helplessness and humbly suffered by our side. In this is the purchase of life. His story did not end at death but was merely just beginning. Not only are we now free from sin, but we are also free to live. We partner in the great death of God and will be partakers in its great victory.
The crucifixion is the beginning of movement from death to life.
Lord, thank you for your crucifixion. Give me a rich understanding at the implications of your life and death. Thank you for the freedom you have granted me. Give me the courage to live in that wild freedom.
Matt simon blog 