In the previous article, we considered the life of Jesus. He perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will – even in His death. This article will focus on the death of Jesus and what we should understand about it.
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The Death of Jesus
The Importance of Faith (Part 9): Victory
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).
If You Have Been Raised Up with Christ
The resurrection of Christ is one of the matters “of first importance” in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). It provides us with hope beyond this life (1 Corinthians 15:17-22). We should always remember and give thanks for this event.
As Christ was raised, we must be “raised up with [Him]” (Colossians 3:1). When Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians, he was writing to those who had been raised with Christ. He explained what this obligated them to do. Let us consider what our responsibility is after being “raised up with Christ.”
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Euphemisms for Death
“A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2).
Why would Solomon say that the day of one’s death is better than one’s birth? It was not because he was a severely depressed man who wanted to end his life. It was simply because he knew that life was vanity here, but we have something better in the hereafter (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:7-8, 13-14).
The Bible uses several expressions (euphemisms) for death. A euphemism is a milder word or phrase used in place of a stronger one. A common euphemism we use for death is to say that someone has passed away. The euphemisms of death used in the Bible teach us some lessons – both of the reality of death and the hope we have after death if we are faithful. We should take these lessons to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).
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Faith on Man’s Terms
The Scriptures are clear in describing faith as essential. The Hebrew writer said, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Yet too many have a conditional faith. In other words, even though the Bible tells us that faith is based upon the word of God (Romans 10:17), this is not enough for some people. They will not believe unless they see, receive, or otherwise experience something beyond the revealed will of God.
This is nothing new. Even during the first century, there were those who would only have faith on their terms, rather than have faith based upon what God had chosen to reveal to them. In this article we will notice a few of these conditions that men have placed upon their faith. At the end, we will also see what genuine faith looks like.
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Jesus’ Resurrection: Just an Optical Illusion?
The resurrection of Christ is fundamental to our faith. Paul lists it with the death and burial of Christ as being “of first importance” in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We are “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). If the resurrection of Christ did not happen, Paul tells the brethren in Corinth, “Your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Since the time of Jesus’ resurrection, His opponents have denied that this event happened (Matthew 28:11-13). Opponents of Christ and His truth continue to deny the resurrection today. A new theory about the resurrection has been proposed by Thomas de Wesselow, an art historian. His theory revolves around the Shroud of Turin – the alleged burial cloth that was used to wrap the body of Jesus after His death. He argues that the image on the Shroud “fooled the Apostles” by producing an “optical illusion” that made them believe they were seeing their risen Lord.
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