davidbowerkingwood

The Crucifixion Changes Everything!

There is a popular concept circulating in the Christian community which concerns itself with the “brokenness of the Christian man or woman.

The Bible mentions the concept of brokenness in several places in the Old Testament but not in the New Testament. When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, he paid the penalty for the sin mankind had inherited from Adam.

“For God caused Christ, who himself knew nothing of sin, actually to be sin for our sakes, so that in Christ we might be made good with the goodness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 J.B. Phillips Translation

When a person is born again by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, they become a new creation. This is explained in 2 Corinthians 5:17 where it is written:

 “For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.

This new person is no longer broken, they have been given the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ himself and made good with the goodness of God!”

Broken People All Around

When people are born, today, they are born broken! When one is born spiritually dead, I think it is safe to say that person is seriously broken. It is only when one receives Jesus Christ as Savior, that one becomes healed from their brokenness!

All who do not have Jesus Christ as Savior are indeed broken! The new birth brings healing from God and that healing is eternal and non-reversible. The world is populated today by two types of people, those who are broken, spiritually dead, and those who are healed, spiritually resurrected from the dead.

During the mortal life of every Christian, they find themselves housed in a mortal body that is broken. The Bible refers to the body as a tent, a very good name for a temporary dwelling that must return to the dust from whence it came.

While the immaterial part of each Christian has been resurrected from the dead, the resurrection of the Christian’s body must wait for the Rapture of the Church. While Adam’s spirit died instantly when he disobeyed God there in the Garden of Eden, his physical body continued to live for hundreds of years before physical death occurred.

So we too, who have received Jesus Christ as Savior, have had our spirits resurrected from the dead by the power of God, the Holy Spirit when we received Jesus Christ as Savior, but are collectively waiting for the resurrection of our bodies at the Rapture of the Church.

We now function at both a spiritual level and a physical level. In Ephesians 2:4-10, the Bible explains the reality of our spiritual position:

“⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

“But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. By his own wish he made us his own sons through the Word of truth that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of his new creation.” James 1:17-18, J.B. Phillips Translation

God, in his infinite wisdom, chose to leave his adopted children on the earth and in their mortal bodies which are impacted with a sin nature inherited from Adam. At a time known only to God, each of his children will be called home when their appointed time comes for them to return to their heavenly home.

We will continue our study of God’s gifts as we consider the gift of righteousness.