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This is something of a follow-up to last week’s study, “Stronger Than Death.” The main idea we explored there is that Yahweh’s love, agape, that perfect, selfless and pure principle of choosing unfailingly to do what is best for others regardless of circumstances, or even the perception of circumstances, destroys sin. Since death cannot exist without sin, which is its source, agape-love overcomes death, and those who dwell by and in it naturally experience an everlasting life.
In examining this topic, we looked at a passage from John 11, which recounts the resurrection of a man named Lazarus by Yahshua. The chapter is rather long, but certainly worth reading in full. We will read only the immediately relevant portion for today’s study, which is found here: “Yahshua saith unto [Martha], ‘Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Yahshua lifted up His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me.’ And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Yahshua saith unto them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” (John 11:40-44)
As I pointed out last time, Lazarus was dead. The Scriptures make it a clear point that he had been dead and buried for several days, to the point that decomposition has likely begun to set in. There was no life or strength in Lazarus to even preserve his body from corruption. There was no flowing blood to carry oxygen to his organs. There was no activity in the brain to control the senses or to permit a response. As all Adventists know, death is the cessation of conscious existence. The ghost or spirit of Lazarus was not floating near the body, awaiting a command from the Messiah to re-enter the corpse. There was nothing that could be called “Lazarus” that existed, which could hear the loud cry of Yahshua to “come forth.”
And yet, the voice of Christ caused Lazarus to come forth, and to stand and walk as though he had never died. I compare this, as I did last week, to the original creation. We read of this, “And Elohim said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Gen 1:3) Just after that we read, “And Elohim said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And Elohim made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.” (Gen 1:6, 7)
In Genesis 1:2, we are told that the state of things was “void,” emptiness. Like Lazarus, it lacked any substance or power that could respond to any stimulus. And yet, when Yahweh spoke, it was so. By the authority and power of the Speaker, and by that only, creation took place. When Elohim said, “Let there be a firmament,” that second passage tells us that “Elohim made the firmament.” This might seem obvious, but I am highlighting here that the inspired record of the beginning tells us that it is Elohim, God, who “made” the firmament. The void did not make the firmament. The firmament did not make itself. The darkness of space did not create light in response to the command of Yahweh; it was Yahweh Himself who created, using His Word, which was made flesh many years later, as the means by which He did so.
We are called “Creation” Seventh-day Adventists. That title means much, and was not devised by human intellect. It was given by inspiration as a gift to all who are Seventh-day Adventists that believe in the Creation. By this, we mean the creation of the world by Yahweh, yes… but also the way that the Bible says creation occurs. It does not take place gradually, over time, and through natural processes. It takes place immediately, in a moment, and through the supernatural power of the Almighty.
Furthermore, the creation refers not only to the initial formation of the material universe, but to every act that Yahweh performs through His direct command. Specifically, we read, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)
When Christ is accepted as one’s Savior, a new thing is created, as precious and as miraculous as the things described in Genesis. The word “creature” is significant here; a creature is a thing that results from an act of creation – that is how those words are linked. Yahshua was not created, therefore He is not a “creature.” The Father is without any point of origin whatsoever; He was therefore not created either, and is no “creature.” But everything else, and especially as applied to living beings, we are made by Yah, either directly or through other beings that He has made; therefore, aside from the Father and Son, all living things are creatures – all are made by acts of creation.
We can see, then, that the act of creating the physical universe serves as a type and symbol both of how Yahshua raised Lazarus from the dead, and how a sinner who repents and turns to Yahweh becomes a “new creature,” spoken into existence from the nothingness that was there a moment before. All glory, all credit for this, goes to the Father who creates. It is true that in the case of Lazarus and the sinner, there is some “material” there initially, but it is entirely without life, being either dead in the conventional sense, or “dead in trespasses and sins.” (Eph 2:1)
The moment that Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, he, and all men through him, “died.” I have said before that when Paul speaks of life and death, being dead in sins, but alive in Christ, reckoning one’s self dead to sin, and so on, he is not speaking metaphorically. He is not using a convenient symbol. He is speaking truth of a spiritual nature. The spirit of the sinner is dead. He is without power, without freedom to act in accordance with spiritual life. He is not capable of doing anything of eternal value, just as the void was incapable of producing light, and just as Lazarus was unable to stand and walk out of his tomb before Yahshua’s visit.
Some may ask, “But if in Adam all are dead, and the sinner is ‘dead’ indeed in trespasses and sins, how do people who are not born again breathe, and walk, and have children, and profess their love for others?” This is where the concept of ‘probation’ comes in. Yahweh immediately, upon Adam’s sin, prevented his physical death. At the insistence of infinite mercy, mankind was shown grace, a favor that he did not deserve, and could not have earned, as an opportunity to become something more than just the victim of Adam’s legacy and Satan’s deceit… but we are literally living on borrowed time.
In medicine, a body that is “brain dead” can be kept alive through artificial means. There are no thoughts, there is no mental or spiritual life, but the organs are maintained, and can be maintained for a very long time under the right circumstances. If the brain is truly non-functional, then no sensations will register. Even if the eyes are held open, nothing will be seen, and no voices will be heard. In a sense, this is a picture of the sinner. His organs operate, and in this case his brain does have and process thoughts; so he is physically and mentally alive, but he is entirely spiritually dead. He has no love for the principles of life. He has no reverence for the Law of Yahweh. He has no power to overcome temptation, and if he is not an open sinner, it is only because the tempting spirits have not presented to him the thing that he cannot resist. They have found no need to do so. They know that when judgment comes, the sentence of this individual will be only an acknowledgement of what is already true – he has no life in him, and will therefore cease to exist.
And yet, into that purposeless life, a miracle may come. An evangelist may speak. An angel may appear. A glance at a page of an open Bible may accidentally occur. Yahshua says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) Paul asks, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14) There are some who believe, based on these verses and some others, that some are specifically chosen, singled out for salvation, and others are not. This is not the case, nor is it what these statements are saying. What they are teaching is that nobody seeks out Yahweh at his own inspiration. No sinner, with a void of spiritual power, will decide of himself that he wishes to be righteous, and will therefore pursue the Father and Son until He has won Their favor.
We may continue to read in Romans to see this. “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’ But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Esaias saith, ‘Lord, who hath believed our report?’ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Yahweh. But I say, ‘Have they not heard?’ Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.” (Rom 10:15-18)
So yes, it is true that only by the initial call of Christ can anyone come to the Father. It is true that only those who hear the Word have the opportunity to respond to it; and yet, Paul leaves no one with any excuse. The fact that some have not obeyed is not the fault of the Word, nor for any lack of opportunity, for the sound of salvation has gone “into all the earth,” and “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” (Titus 2:11)
Mankind collectively, and a single, individual sinner, are alike in that within them is no power to respond to the love of Yahweh. We have all had opportunities to speak the Gospel to someone who was clearly not interested in what we had to say. What was their response? They either politely listened and then went away unchanged, or they turned away with disgust or contempt. According to their temperament, they may have reacted with an apparent difference, but their nature requires them all to arrive at the same result – a rejection of the Word of Life. That is the natural response of the Carnal man. If anyone, whenever anyone, hears you speak about the love of Yahweh, and the sacrifice of Christ, and responds with anything beyond casual interest, that is already a blessing. That is already the result of grace, and the efforts of the Holy Spirit of Yahshua on that soul. Of course, this does not mean that every soul that begins to respond will enter into life. Remember the Parable of The Sower. (Mark 4:3-9) There is life, initial life, in every seed that is thrown onto the soil… but some fall on stony ground, some are taken away by ravens, some are choked by weeds… we know all these seeds.
But where there is life, there is the power of Yahweh. Lazarus was dead. He had no power to hear the voice of Christ. Though his body rose from the grave, it was only through the power of Yahweh that he was able to hear and respond. This is significant, because it is a picture of our resurrection, first in spirit and then, if necessary, in body also.
Nothing in Lazarus existed that could understand the words of Yahshua, saying, “Come forth.” Nothing in empty space could understand the words of the Father, saying, “Let there be light.” It was not necessary that they understand, because again, Lazarus did not hear the command of Christ and then bring himself back to life. The void did not here the command of the Father and then create light out of itself. The body of Lazarus was the medium, the means, by which the glory of Yahweh would be displayed. The empty universe was the canvas, the environment, in which the miracle of Creation would be played out. That is all it was.
We do not, then, look at the world, and the sun, and the stars, and give them any credit. We do not say, “How wonderful that the sun heard the command of God and made itself rise.” No, they are following the will of the Almighty, and it is His glory that their presence and function reveal.
Similarly, sinners do not understand how to be holy. Righteousness is an alien language to them, and holiness is an unknown quality. Even those who hear the Word of Yahweh, and the Spirit begins to work in them, they do not know what the experience that they are considering will be like. There was light, because light was in the power and authority of the divine Speaker. There was life produced in Lazarus, because life was in the power and authority of the divine Speaker. The canvas does not need to understand the paint, or the picture formed by that paint, in order to display a masterpiece. The canvas is not praised for the picture that it displays; it is the artist that deserves and receives the admiration. This is the mind of Christ, and the mind of the saint: divine humility.
Of course, we are not physically dead bodies, nor are we empty space. We are not blank canvases, but we are creatures, initially created in the image of the One who holds all this power and authority. So, it is good and pleasing to Yahweh, that we hear, and understand, and agree, and obey willingly, the voice of our Father. But even that comes from him. It is good that we willingly give praise to our Father for the things that He does through us. We are not held in place like the sun, or required to hold perfectly still like a canvas while the artist works. Spiritually, we are still… yes, that is the Sabbath rest, but our minds and bodies are called into service, and as Paul points out, we are given the choice, so not all obey the Gospel. Not all respond willingly to the prophet’s call for repentance… and Yahweh honors, will infinite grace, even that disastrous choice.
We who believe in, and testify to having, victory over sin, are often called prideful, self-deceived, and arrogant. The world does not usually call us these things, because the world has fallen into such a state that it rarely feels condemned by the testimony of the righteous. They may be bored by it, or amused. They may be confused that we give up obvious advantages at times for the sake of integrity, but it is the failed Christian, it is the nominal worshipper, it is the hypocrite and the pretender, who feels the sting of the words of those who say, “I have ceased from sin, and so can you.”
When we say, “I have ceased from sin,” it is often mistaken as a praise of the self. It would be like the void of space saying, “I have produced light.” The words are true; void did produce light, but it did so neither at its own instigation nor with its own power. It produced light because One with authority and power commanded it to do so, and that same One made the light using the space as its location. If someone were to ask Lazarus, “Is it true that you were dead, and came back to life?” Lazarus would say, “Yes, I came back to life.” Some would mistake that, and believe that Lazarus himself had great power to overcome death, and to rise again from the grave. This is the misunderstanding that often causes the testimony of victory to be mocked and rejected… and sadly, it is often a willing misunderstanding that does not desire to be corrected.
When we say, “I have ceased from sin,” it does not mean, “I had the power to cease from sin.” It does not mean, “I studied the Bible and learned how to cease from sin.” It does not mean, “I possessed the same power that Christ did to overcome sin through His own glory.” The canvas is not taking credit for the art.
No. We have the power to cease from sin, because it was given to us. We study the Bible and learn more about righteousness, yes, but the power to live the life it describes was given to us. We now possess the same power Christ did to overcome sin, but it is still through His glory, a glory that was given to us. Lazarus came back to life because life was given to him. Light came forth from the darkness, because light was called out of the darkness, where there was no light before. The parallels here should be clear. Claiming victory is not a boastful declaration.
Those who deny the grace of Yahshua, and the call of Yahweh to righteousness, these are the arrogant ones. They attribute to themselves the power, and the right, to deny Yahweh’s voice. They say, “I am free to do what I want,” and feel no obligation to their Creator or their fellow man. They do not know what they are giving up, when they take this position. The Christian who rejects the message of victory over sin wastes the time of probation that has been granted to us with infinite mercy, and abuses the freedom he has been given in Yahweh’s respect of his choices. People such as this say, “I know God wants me to be righteous. I know He gave His only begotten Son that I can be righteous. I know He hears prayers, and will heal every disease that is brought to Him in faith… but my flesh sometimes overcomes me. My demons sometimes take me out of His protection. My temptations are stronger than my love of righteousness.” Here you see the error, the sin… something of mine, they say, something of me… my flesh, my temptations, my impulses, is keeping me from obeying the call of Yahweh. They put “self” first, and imagine that those who reckon these thoughts dead, and let Christ work in us, are the ones who are rejecting the Gospel. Some poor dupes are able to imagine, even as they say these faithless things, that they are genuine, born again believers.
Those who turn away from righteousness by faith do not believe that they are dead, as Paul says they are. They do not believe that they are without merit, without power, otherwise they would feel no instinct to resist the call to true life and healing. They are not dead to self or, like Lazarus, they would have no thought to resist the obvious and stated desire of our Father in Heaven. To truly accept life, one must first accept that one is truly dead. Then it will be natural to hear and obey the desire of Yahweh. It is His desire that we be free from sin. The only thing that prevents that from happening immediately, and for everyone, is that some choose to resist, and He respects their freedom of choice. Yahweh is on our side in all this. It is truly easier to be saved than to be lost.
I have victory over sin. Understand what that means. I did not earn victory over sin. I did not achieve victory over sin. I did not deserve victory over sin. Nevertheless, I have it. It was given to me, and by One who did earn, and achieve, and deserve it. That is the testimony of the Christian, that he has become the infinitely blessed inheritor of a greatness beyond his capacity to imagine. Why should the Christian ever be unhappy? Why should the Christian ever live in a state of dejection? We have all things, and all things our Father gives us is for our necessary and everlasting good. Because we certainly do need to cease from sin, who will deny that He has given us this necessary gift as well?
For those who desire this, and have not yet claimed it, do not let another moment pass without claiming it. We have among us some who have made their desire for baptism known. This is the life into which our Father is inviting you. It is a life of joy, because we know our Father, the King of the Universe, is making the path before us straight. It is a life of peace, because we have been given a sound mind, and a spirit of authority over disaster. It is a life of contentment, not because it will be free of perplexity and challenges, but because our faith sees past these things, to the resolutions that we know will always appear. It is a life of gratitude, of thanksgiving, because we have received more than we could ever have dared to ask.
Each of us here has been in need of a Savior. Each of us here has been dead in trespasses and sins. Each of us has heard, because of the miracle of Yahweh’s power, the loud cry to “Come forth.” Each of us has come to the realization that there is no power in us to come forth, and this is where the journey for many ends. They say, “I hear the voice, but I have no power to obey.” They say, “I know I must be righteous, but I have no power to be righteous.” That is a good admission, that is a good acknowledgement, but that cannot be the end. The journey must continue, and you must say, “I know I have no power to obey. Lord, give me the power that I need – not because of who I am, but because of who You are. Not because of how well I can love, but because of how deeply You have loved me. Not for my praise or honor, but for Your name’s sake, let me do what Your voice has instructed me to do.”
We are not dead bodies. We are not blank canvasses. We have minds to know what is happening to us, and what we are being asked or instructed to do. We are created in the image of our Father, and because of that, He has given us the power to choose. He has allowed us to see that we have no power in us to live, but that His grace is sufficient for us, His power is enough for us. His ear is open to our prayers, and there is no prayer that He answers more eagerly than the one that asks Him for freedom.
We are the messengers of that freedom… freedom from death, and freedom from sin. We bear this testimony in our minds, and in our bodies, because like the darkness that produced light, like Lazarus that came forth from the tomb, we have known the power of Yahweh. We have been called to life. We have been called to labor in cooperation with our Creator and Redeemer, and the people of Yahweh. We have been called to tell the world, like Lazarus, and like the pattern of Christ Himself, this testimony, which is also “the testimony of Yahshua,” “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen.” (Rev 1:18)
David.
An Enduring Witness
“As He speaks, divinity flashes through humanity. In His face, which is lighted up by the glory of God, the people see the assurance of His power. Every eye is fastened on the entrance to the cave. Every ear is bent to catch the slightest sound. With intense and painful interest all wait for the test of Christ’s divinity, the evidence that is to substantiate His claim to be the Son of God, or to extinguish the hope forever. There is a stir in the silent tomb, and he who was dead stands at the door of the sepulcher.” [The Desire of Ages, p. 536]
“Jesus died to save His people from their sins, and redemption in Christ means to cease the transgression of the law of God and to be free from every sin; no heart that is stirred with enmity against the law of God is in harmony with Christ, who suffered on Calvary to vindicate and exalt the law before the universe.” [Faith and Works, p. 95]
“Not one who complies with the conditions will be disappointed at the end of the race. Not one who is earnest and persevering will fail of success. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. The weakest saint, as well as the strongest, may wear the crown of immortal glory. All may win who, through the power of divine grace, bring their lives into conformity to the will of Christ.” [Acts of The Apostles, p. 313]