From "Death To Life"

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

isn’t it interesting that Jesus would make this statement just before his final journey into jerusalem where he would face the cross.

he was approaching his final days on earth. as he talked to those around him, he began explaining and making reference to the necessity of his death and resurrection that was to come.

i must go away he said, for if i go away, there ye may be also.

the sole purpose for him dying and going away was so that, upon the completion of our life, we could spend our eternity with our creator.

He also made mention of man kind. “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

In this passage Christ was not referring to a man actually hating his life, but rather, He was referring to the importance of our eternal salvation over the the importance of this life.

Matthew 10:28 KJV 1900

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

He spoke this in reference to the dying out process that man must go through in order to be, in the end, where Christ is. that Christ must be first

The Bible Knowledge Commentary John 12:23–24

The analogy of a kernel of wheat “dying” in the ground and producing many seeds teaches that death is necessary for a harvest.

If a seed was to fall into the ground and not die, it would remain alone and unable to produce other seeds or a harvest. it would be worthless and unable to replicate itself. (it would have no purpose)

to understand the analogy of Death to Life....we can look to a natural seed.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary John 12:25–26

The wheat analogy (v. 24) illustrates a general paradoxical principle: death is the way to life. In Jesus’ case, His death led to glory and life not only for Himself but also for others.

In the case of a disciple of Jesus, the principle is similar. A disciple must hate his life in this world. To “hate his life” means to be so committed to Christ that he has no self-centeredness, no concern for himself.

this is to have our priorities aligned with that of God.

A paradox means: a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics: two things that seem to contradict one another.

The idea of something dying in order to live or produce somethings seems a bit absurd on the surface until we understand the process.

Anatomy of a Seed

The anatomy of a seed is made up of an inner embryo and an outer starch part called endosperm. The embryo is what is to become the germinating shoot (plumule) and the root (radicle).

Since the function of the endosperm is to protect and provide nutrition to the embryo it must be biologically viable.

The seed imbibes water to swell as the process of germination begins. The special relationship between the embryo and the endosperm during germination is worth noting. As the embryo begins to grow, branching as plumule (shoot) and radicle (root), there is an acute need for energy and food. The endosperm plays a vital role in meeting these needs. The complex sugar such as starch stored within the endosperm is broken down to a simpler sugar such as glucose.

Glucose is the source of both energy and food for the germinating embryo. Endosperm gives up its content to support the germinating seed. This, in other words, can be interpreted as the process of dying for the endosperm.

the scientific implication of the statement in John 12:24 is far reaching in modern science as scientific truth is revealed in this passage as well.

Lets refer again to the relationship between the embryo and the endosperm.

There is a delicate relationship between the embryo and the endosperm. The endosperm must die and give up its contents in order to support life in order to regenerate the dying seed.

The dying process of the endosperm and the regeneration of the new life of the embryo were very much in the mind of God when he spoke of a grain of wheat.

A New life can’t begin to develop unless the dying process in the old life precedes the new life.

The flesh of Christ was nailed to the cross when Jesus died. in this very act of unselfish love and grace, Jesus, through his life, was able to bring life to many.

So in essence, something has to die in order for a seed to become a full grown plant and to produce other seeds.

when we die out to ourselves, we submit to the spirit of God. with out that, we abide alone, and cannot grow and thrive and reproduce spiritually. there is, at that point, no meaningful spiritual rebirth

The Death of Christ

The principle of the seed was signifying the importance and necessity of the death of Christ in order for us to have redemption and deliverance from sin.

in this, standing in the gap for all. It was necessary for Christ to die so that we could be free from the law of sin.

He had to be transformed from flesh to his glorified state. that we could again have a real relationship with God as he desired from the beginning of time.

If Christ would not have paid this price, we would then have had no forgiveness of sin and redemption would not have even been possible.

kind of like when someone has a last will and testament....

Hebrews 9:16 KJV 1900

16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

this scripture is referring to a testament meaning: a covenant that declares a persons wishes after death. the testator being the person that decreed or proclaimed the will and its contents upon his/her death.

therefor, if the person never dies then the will would be invalid because the person is still alive.

a testament is only valid and applied upon a persons death. this testament would cancel anything that was previously set up or put in place. this will would take precedent over anything previous according to the testators will.

when Christ died, he ushered in a new covenant and the old covenant was passed and the new was now valid.

Galatians 3:15–17 KJV 1900

15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

on the contrary, the law validates the new covenant…and reaffirms the promises given.

Christ was that promise, the seed that was planted in Mary was to become our deliverance.

for this purpose came he into this world. we are the offspring of Christ, as a result of the seed that was planted. he is the vine and we are the branches. we are the result of the seed that was planted in Mary.

we get our strength from him (Christ)

John 15:4–5 KJV 1900

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

because of the sacrifice of Christ and the death on the cross, we have become partakers of his divine nature.

a price was paid on Calvary, that we neither deserved nor paid for that has allowed us to become beneficiaries through his blood and salvation plan set forth for us.

we are his children and as such, have become heirs to the kingdom.

there is a saying that goes like this: the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. meaning that the fruit of the original seed is going to have the same attributes as that seed.

in like manner, we are the offspring of Christ, the fruit of his vine. we are, therefor, to bear the same attributes as the original vine. this, being the reason the bible says:

Romans 6:19–23 KJV 1900

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

though we where once in sin and iniquity did abound in us, now we have been transformed, being delivered from the bondage of sin, we are to live in holiness before God and in the end is everlasting life.

so, as christ died on the cross for us, he became the vine.

from a seed to a vine. He died that we could live

Since the function of the endosperm is to protect and provide nutrition to the embryo it must also be biologically viable.

one of the definitions of viable is:

capable of being done or used.

Christ had to be the perfect sacrifice (had to be able to be used for the intended purpose), in the death of Christ. while the body of Christ was crucified, the holy spirit raised him up in the glory of God so that we could live.

he made a way through death. thus, from death to life.

we also must die out and be transformed and be filled with his spirit. We know that no man can serve two masters…

so if we are going to be used of God and to serve him, we cannot serve the flesh. the old man of flesh must die out and make room for the new man.

Hebrews 9:20–26 KJV 1900

20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

in this final act of unselfish love and mercy through death, christ paid, in full, our sin debt.

we see the absolute necessity of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for our transgressions. Christ became that seed, he was planted here by the holy spirit to fulfill a particular purpose and that being our redemption.

Ephesians 2:14–18 KJV 1900

14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

As the endosperm had to give up its life in order to supply the embryo with the building blocks it needed to sustain life, Christ had to become the sacrifice, giving up his life, so that we could attain eternal life through him

He broke down the middle wall of partition,

meaning the sin that divided mankind from God, the thing that was creating the separation between God and man, that we might have access by one spirit unto the father and unto the hope of eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:17–22 KJV 1900

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Christ’s death made a way for us, finally gaining the victory over death, hell and the grave.

there was no other way but through his death opening the doors to the new covenant. as it was in the beginning of the creation of man, all things where new and without sin. God now, as the second adam, restored us to innocence and reestablished a true and personal relationship with him.

How Does This Apply to Man

1 Corinthians 15:36–49 KJV 1900

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

in the breakdown of the seed we see many comparisons:

Our flesh could be seen as the seed (the embryo) and the body of Christ the endosperm. as the endosperm gives up its life for the embryo, so Christ gave his life for the sins of all mankind. He willingly sacrificed himself, became a living sacrifice, in our place.

Jesus was not only willing to take your penalty and my penalty of death, but was willing to humble and fashion himself after man, yet without sin. God went from his heavenly glory, the complex, to take his place as a man in human form, the simple. The unique relationship between embryo and endosperm took years of research to understand. Yet this scientific truth, as revealed in Scripture, is as relevant in modern science today as it was when Jesus spoke it.

Reborn

looking again at the biology of the seed:

Glucose is the source of both energy and food for the germinating embryo. Endosperm gives up its content to support the germinating seed.

This, in other words, can be interpreted as the process of dying for the endosperm. Jesus when he spoke in John 12:24 “ …except a corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.”

This old sinful man has to die in order for the new spiritual man to be born.

Mark 2:22 KJV 1900

22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

this signifying the new birth. the holy ghost cannot dwell in the old man, the sinful man, therefor, the old man must become a new man. for we are buried with him in baptism.

Romans 6:5–6 KJV 1900

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

As Christ was the original seed…we are to be likewise, dying out to our fleshly desires to fulfill his purpose and to continue the seeding process.

It is interesting that from one seed planted in the ground, comes many more seeds as a result of that one seed. i took a look at how many seeds are produced from a single wheat plant.

the number of seeds that are produced by one wheat plant or head can vary but roughly can be explained as this:

Seeds per head is simply the product of the number of seeds per spikelet and the total number of spikelets per head. Oklahoma wheat averages between 2 grains and 2.5 grains per spikelet and from 8 spikelets to 12 spikelets per head for a total of 20 grains to 30 grains per head.

So from one seed, many lives can be impacted and changed. from one vine, so to speak, can come many branches as we previously read.

in nature, every plant has its own seeds within it....so that from one plant can come many.

I want to restate something I previously had stated:

The dying process of the endosperm and the regeneration of the new life of the embryo were very much in the mind of Christ when he spoke of a grain of wheat.

spiritually, New life can’t begin to develop unless the dying process of the old occurs allowing the new life to proceed.

Any fool can count the seeds in an apple. Only God can count all the apples in one seed. Robert H. Schuller

When we are born again, we allow the will of God to be manifested in our lives. we give up our will, in favor of fulfilling his.

We can then move forward with the expectation of spreading the gospel message to as many as we can, to declare the good new.

We become seed planters.....

though many things appear to be paradoxical, they make sense when we look into and have an understanding of the “whole gospel”

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