Death is swallowed up in victory

Immortality, the gift of God...

May 04, 2024

This is the second post in a series from Chapter 3 of Friends With God: “The Joy That Was Set Before Him”.

In the first post we examined the attitude of joy that Christ had toward his own suffering. This is the same attitude we must have towards our suffering in this life-so that we also will gain eternal life as he did.

In this article we examine what Christ said we must actually do in order to be granted the gift of eternal life.

How We Gain Eternal Life

As discussed in Chapter 1, the scriptures are unequivocal; only God is immortal. (1Tim 6:16)

Humans, on the other hand, are mortal:

For this corruptible (us) must put on incorruption, and this mortal (us) must
put on immortality. So, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory. (1Cor 15:53-54)

Right now, we are mortal, but this mortal must put on immortality. We must be changed from this physical body to a spiritual body, although what this spiritual body will be like is not easy to comprehend- for we shall move like the wind! (John 3:6-8)

Death will be no more, for the simple reason that being immortal means you can’t die. Death, therefore, will be irrelevant- as everyone who is alive will be immortal.

As only God is immortal, and as we are to be born as the Sons of God, we too shall be immortal, because as his Sons we are to be one with him:

And I have given them (Christians) the glory which You have given Me,
that they may be one, even as We are one. (John 17:22)

How do we gain this eternal life? We are told very clearly:

God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish (die eternally) but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Similarly: He who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see (eternal) life... (John 3:36)

The critical factor in gaining eternal life is, therefore, that we must believe in Christ. What does believe in Christ mean? Scripture is clear on this point too:

And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments.
He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar,
and the truth is not in him.
But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected.
By this we know that we are in Him.
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked. (1John 2:3-6)

To “believe in Christ” means we must live as he gave us the example to live. We must also trust him when he tells us who he is, and we must walk even as He walked, by following the example he lived for us.

Abiding In Christ

Jesus also uses the analogy of abiding in him, which is the same as walking as he walked:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me.

To abide in Christ is the essential element in order to bear fruit:

I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

He then reiterates, for emphasis, that without abiding in him, we are useless- just so much firewood:

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a (pruned off) branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:5)

Then, eventually, he tells us what abiding in him actually means:

If you abide in me, my words will abide in you, and you shall ask what you will (of God in prayer), and it shall be done for you. (John 15:7)

We abide in Christ by allowing his words to abide in us. And we do this by doing what he said to do. Then, when the words of Christ abide in us, God the Father will hear and answer our prayers, including giving us eternal life.

Bearing Much Fruit

Continuing in John 15, Jesus again emphasises the necessity that we must bear much fruit in order to please God:

Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue you in my love.

How do we continue in his love?

If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

This is the same joy he had which enabled him to endure the cross, as discussed in the first article in this series.

By abiding in Christ, we bear the abundant fruit of his life in us, and this demonstrates that we are his disciples. To abide in Christ means to keep his commandments, which is doing what he said to do.

He then reiterates his main point, just to be sure we have got it:

This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you. (John 15:8-12)

Following The Example Of Jesus

Christ’s physical example, including his joy, demonstrates his love toward us. This loving example of how to live also including his dying for us:

For Christ also suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example, that we should follow in His steps. (1Peter 2:20-21)

If we follow his example then we also may need to die for others. However, if we have love for one another, then we, too, will have his joy in us to enable us to see beyond the suffering. His joy is one of the fruits of God’s Spirit: …the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control… (Gal 5:22)

Love The Lord …

As discussed in Chapter 1, when Jesus was asked by the religious lawyer:

Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said to him… “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and (love) your neighbour as yourself”. … if you do this you shall live. (Luke 10:25-30)

Jesus is talking about gaining eternal life, for that was the question.

When we keep his commandments, such that we love others in the way he demonstrated, then we will be abiding in him and in his love. And his words will be abiding in us. And we will be bringing forth the fruit of righteousness in our lives. And God shall then grant us the gift of immortality.

We, therefore, see that while it is God who grants us eternal life , we still have an essential part to play in our own salvation, in living a righteous life through keeping God’s commandments.

And God’s commandments are not difficult:

Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart,
and you shall find rest to your souls.
For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Mat 11:28-30)

His commandments are essential to see where we are going: Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psa119:105)

This is the same purpose that Christ had in his life, for he was to: give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:79)

God’s ways, as exemplified by Jesus’ example, guide our feet into the way of peace, as God’s laws shine a bright light on how we can live righteously. (Psalm 19:8, Prov 6:23, Isa 8:20)

Lay Hold Of Eternal Life

When we live a righteous physical life, it enables us to lay hold of eternal life:

But you, O man of God, … follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith. (in order for you to be able to) Lay hold on eternal life, to which you are called and have confessed (expressed) a good confession before many witnesses. (1Tim 6:11-12)

We are able to lay hold on eternal life only if we fight the good fight and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.

Such a life produces the fruits of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control… which is also what it means to follow the example of Christ in letting his mind be in us.

Christ abolished death, because he made it possible for us to follow him and become immortal: the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2Tim 1:10)

But, why was he who abolished death, required to die in order to actually abolish death!?

Who was responsible for his death?

Why didn’t God stop it?

Surely there was another way?

We will examine these important questions in detail in the third article in this series.