Why We Live for Christ
Why Live For Him
1. And he died for all...
· [21] For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin--
· [2Pe 3:9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
· [Jn 3:16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
2. That those who live...
It is very important to be able to distinguish between things that differ, for appearances are not to be relied upon....It would be very difficult to say how far a man may go in religion, and yet die in his sins; how much he may look like an heir of heaven, and yet be a child of wrath. Many unconverted men have a belief which is similar to faith, and yet it is not true faith. Certain persons exhibit pious affections which have the warmth of spiritual love, but are quite destitute of gracious life. Every grace can be counterfeited, even as jewels can be imitated. As paste gems are wonderfully like the real stones, so sham graces are marvelously like the work of the Spirit of God. In soul matters a man will need to have all his wits about him, or he will soon deceive his own heart. It is to be feared that many are already mistaken, and will never discover their delusion till they lift up their eyes in the world of woe, where their disappointment will be terrible indeed. The dead child of nature may be carefully washed by its mother, but this will not make it the living child of grace. The life of God within the soul creates an infinite difference between the man who has it and the man who has it and the man who has it not; and the point is, to make sure that we have this life.[Charles Hadden Spurgeon, According to Promise, pp. 4-5]
· Not all who are alive physically really live
· [Ep 2:1] And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
· In which you once lived. Their former condition was briefly described in verse 1 as a state of spiritual death. In this and the following verses it is described in more detail. They walked in sin. They were daily conversant with it, and devoted to it. They were surrounded by it, and clothed with it. They lived according to the course of this world. In this clause is stated not only the character of their life, but the governing principle which controlled their conduct. They lived according to, and under the control of, the spirit of the world.
· [1Jn 5:11] And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. [13] These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
3. Should not henceforth live unto themselves...
But if we are not our own, but the Lord's, it is plain both what error is to be shunned, and to what end the actions of our lives ought to be directed. We are not our own; therefore, neither is our own reason or will to rule our acts and counsels. We are not our own; therefore, let us not make it our end to seek what may be agreeable to our carnal nature. We are not our own; therefore, as far as possible, let us forget ourselves and the things that are ours. On the other hand, we are God's; let us, therefore, live and die to him (Romans 14:8.) We are God's; therefore, let his wisdom and will preside over all our actions. We are God's; to him, then, as the only legitimate end, let every part of our life be directed. [John Calvin, On the Christian Life]
4. But unto him which died for them,...
WHY (Motive)
a) Because we know that eternal life weighs in the balance (vv. 1-5)
b) Because we prefer the life to come to this temporal existence (vv. 6-8)
c) Because we want to please him (vv. 9-10)
d) Because we understand the terror of the Lord (vv. 11-13)
e) Because of the love of Christ [His love for us AND our love for Him] (vv. 14-16)
f) Because of the power of the gospel (vv. 17-21)
5. And rose again.
· The significance of the resurrection=It is one of the cardinal facts and doctrines of the gospel. If Christ be not risen, our faith is vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). The whole of the New Testament revelation rests on this as an historical fact. On the day of Pentecost Peter argued the necessity of Christ's resurrection from the prediction in Psalms 16 (Acts 2:24-28. In his own discourses, also, our Lord clearly intimates his resurrection (Matthew 20:19; Mark 9:9; 14:28; Luke 18:33; John 2:19-22. It proved him to be the Son of God, inasmuch as it authenticated all his claims (John 2:19; 10:17). If Christ did not rise, the whole scheme of redemption is a failure, and all the predictions and anticipations of its glorious results for time and for eternity, for men and for angels of every rank and order, are proved to be chimeras. 'But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept.' Therefore the Bible is true from Genesis to Revelation. The kingdom of darkness has been overthrown, Satan has fallen as lightning from heaven, and the triumph of truth over error, of good over evil, of happiness over misery is for ever secured. Hodge.
· The fact of the resurrection=The evangelists give circumstantial accounts of the facts connected with that event, and the apostles, also, in their public teaching largely insist upon it. Ten different appearances of our risen Lord are recorded in the New Testament. It is worthy of note that it is distinctly related that on most of these occasions our Lord afforded his disciples the amplest opportunity of testing the fact of his resurrection. He conversed with them face to face. They touched him (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:39; John 20:27), and he ate bread with them (Luke 24:42, 43; John 21:12, 13).