Not Going to be My Experience
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
When I was going through confirmation class, I remember dogging the pastor about the fact that God blamed me for the sin of Adam and Eve. He was very kind with a fledging Bible student and helped me understand that I was most certainly guilty of plenty of my own sins and that if I wanted to be a recipient of Jesus gracious gift of salvation, I needed to own it. I didn’t at the time, but am grateful that God has helped me see the error of my thinking since then.
Paul reveals to the Corinthians that we are indeed a people of hope because the resurrection of Jesus was a real event. It wasn’t conjured up by the Disciples or lied about in any way. Jesus rose from the dead. And because we participate with Adam in his original sin, so too do we participate with Jesus in the final Resurrection. At that time, the Father will also eliminate death forever. Specifically the second death, which is eternal separation from God in hell. John gives us even greater detail about that in The Revelation.
Revelation 20:10, 14
10…and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
The interesting thing to me is that this information doesn’t impact me. Yes, I now understand that Adam’s sin is attributed to me, but so too is the work of Jesus Christ. And so the second death will not be a part of my experience because the blood of Jesus covers that original sin, and the ones I commit all on my own! Now I must share that message so that others never know about that second death either.
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
When I was going through confirmation class, I remember dogging the pastor about the fact that God blamed me for the sin of Adam and Eve. He was very kind with a fledging Bible student and helped me understand that I was most certainly guilty of plenty of my own sins and that if I wanted to be a recipient of Jesus gracious gift of salvation, I needed to own it. I didn’t at the time, but am grateful that God has helped me see the error of my thinking since then.
Paul reveals to the Corinthians that we are indeed a people of hope because the resurrection of Jesus was a real event. It wasn’t conjured up by the Disciples or lied about in any way. Jesus rose from the dead. And because we participate with Adam in his original sin, so too do we participate with Jesus in the final Resurrection. At that time, the Father will also eliminate death forever. Specifically the second death, which is eternal separation from God in hell. John gives us even greater detail about that in The Revelation.
Revelation 20:10, 14
10…and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
The interesting thing to me is that this information doesn’t impact me. Yes, I now understand that Adam’s sin is attributed to me, but so too is the work of Jesus Christ. And so the second death will not be a part of my experience because the blood of Jesus covers that original sin, and the ones I commit all on my own! Now I must share that message so that others never know about that second death either.
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