Friends or Enemies

Posted on by korgrocker

“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.”
Romans 5:10 NLT
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, having been reconciled, that we will be saved [from the consequences of sin] by His life [that is, we will be saved because Christ lives today].”
Romans 5:10 AMP

Two different translations of the same verse today. The NLT comes from the angle that through Jesus we become what we always should have been – friends of God. The Amplified (and NIV) versions bring the thought that all people are enemies of God by default, and it is only through the death of His Son, Jesus, that we become reconciled to God, and are not His enemies any longer.

We all know why people are God’s enemies. I bang on about it often enough. Sin, the product of evil and wickedness, appeared on Planet Earth, sullying God’s perfect creation. And we see its impact all around us. I often think, as I meander around the West Fife woodlands near my home, that the beauty I see around me, the plant growth, the birds and small animals, even the occasional deer, is after its corruption from sin. And yet every year, during the Spring, I watch as the vegetation, now largely rotting away through the long winter months, somehow starts to burst into new life. Surely a prophetic statement of what is to come when God finally deals with sin and wickedness, releasing all creation from its bondage and death.

But we see most dramatically the impact of sin on the behaviour of our fellow men and women. If we read a newspaper, or log into an online media site, we will find reports of the consequences of sin. Lots of them. A quick glance at the BBC website this morning revealed that 10 out of the top 13 news stories were a direct consequence of sin-influenced problems. It’s no wonder that God considers those who reject Him and His ways as His enemies. 

Those of us who live in a relatively peaceful place, such as a Western society, will perhaps struggle to find any enemies that affect them. We may have enemies in a more abstract way, such as a hostile foreign power, but we couldn’t name an enemy we know personally. We might think of an enemy as someone who wants to do us harm, but in God’s view, an enemy is someone who rejects Him. Someone who refuses to even accept that He exists. 

The Amplified version ends Romans 5:10 with the declaration that Christ lives today. He has to be really, because God raised Him from the dead. He was resurrected long ago on the Easter Day. Jesus said, and as recorded by the Apostle John in Revelation 1:18, “I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave“. Jesus has been alive for a long time, and will continue to be so for all eternity. He lives within us, if we let Him, by His Spirit. And because of that we will be saved, enemies of God no more.

Can we pilgrims feel the Spirit of Jesus within us? If not, we must ask Him into our hearts. He is more than willing to oblige. Jesus said to the Laodicean church, as John wrote down in Revelation 3:19-20, “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends”“. We will know Jesus’ voice when He speaks to us, and He wants to share a meal with us, as friends. Isn’t that amazing? How could we ever refuse?

Dear Lord Jesus. We thank You for considering us Your friends. We are truly grateful. Amen.

The Keys

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
Revelation‬ ‭1:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If we ourselves suddenly came face to face with Jesus, in the way John did, would we too fall at His feet as though dead? You see, with the limitations of our human minds and imaginations we would be totally unable to grasp and discern an other-worldly vision of the Son of God. John lived with Jesus for a few years and that was enough for him to know who the Person amongst the lampstands was. But we have never known a physical Jesus, as He was all those years ago in His mission to His people, the Jews. I think in reality, we would know Him, because we know Him through our prayers and encounters in times of worship. We would know Him through the love He has for us. So I’m sure I would fall at His feet. What else could I do, coming into such an encounter with my God? There would be that moment of total vulnerability. Perhaps a feeling within me that everything was suddenly exposed under His gaze. And fear would be a dominant emotion within me somewhere I’m sure.

John was prostrated before Jesus, as though dead. But the first words Jesus said to him were “Don’t be afraid”. There’s something about an encounter with God that induces fear. Remember the occasion when Jesus was walking on water? The disciples in the boat were not shrinking violets, scared of their own shadows. They were mainly fishermen, afraid of little in their lives, but when they saw Jesus the first thing He said to them was “Don’t be afraid”. There were other times recorded in the Gospels, when Jesus had to tell those around Him to not be afraid. And it wasn’t just Jesus’ presence that could make people afraid. The Roman soldiers sent to guard the tomb became as dead men, when the angel turned up, rolled away the stone and then sat on it.  Human beings are reasonably secure and unafraid in their own time-space world, but when something unexplained happens, a natural emotional reaction is to feel afraid. So John would have connected with Jesus telling him not to be afraid – he would have remembered the times when Jesus had said that before – and he would have been reassured.

We also read in the verse that Jesus laid His right hand on John. Oh, what a great place to be, to feel the physical touch of our Saviour. The hand that was so compassionate, even to the point of touching someone with the dreaded disease, leprosy. How John would have been enthralled by that touch. It was also interesting that John recorded that Jesus touched him with his right hand. There are several Scriptures that record the significance of God’s right hand. For example, we read in Psalm 44:3, “They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them“. In the Bible, when we see a reference to God’s right hand, we immediately know that the Scripture is telling us how great and strong God is. 

After telling John not to be afraid, Jesus then went on to assure him of His status. He said that He had been around for ever, and that he was alive, even though He had once died, and would be with us, alive for all eternity. Jesus finally told John, in this verse, that He held the keys of death and the grave (other translations say Hades). In other words, Jesus was saying He had the power to control when death would happen, and when it could be reversed. Jesus had the power over His own life and death, as we read His words in John 10:17-18, “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded“. And He also has the power to release us from death as well. We saw Him doing just that when He called Lazarus out of the tomb (John 11:43). 

There’s a lot in these verses today. And we can only marvel about this wonderful God we serve. The God who created the universe and all in it, but also cares intimately about you and me. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for this glimpse in Your word, of the meeting that John had with You all those years ago. We thank You that You are alive and waiting to set us free from death when the time comes. We praise and worship You today. Amen.