Introduction
In this chapter of our series on the Results of our Reconciliation, we will be looking specifically at moving from “death” to “life”. There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding on what the Bible means when it says we are dead in sin, or we are alive in Christ.
Colossians 2:13
And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He nevertheless made you alive with Him, having forgiven all your transgressions.
Being “dead” here is taught as being spiritually dead and being “alive” here is taught as being spiritually alive. While this is in-part true, it’s symbolic in the sense that we are not actually spiritually dead, or actually spiritually alive. It's not that we have a spirit inside us that is incapable of any action because it's "dead".
Dead in Sin, Alive in Christ
Scripture assigns these terms (being dead and being alive) based on our future spiritual state and destination. In other words, being dead means your present future destination is judgement and condemnation (the second death), while being alive means your present future destination is resurrection to eternal life and glorification.
Ephesians 2:1
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins
If you are dead, then you are considered spiritually dead and destined for judgement, wrath, and the second death.
Ephesians 2:5
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)
If you are alive, then you are considered spiritually alive and destined for grace, righteousness, and eternal life.
Romans 6:11
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Here we see that those who are in Christ are to consider themselves (i.e. credit yourself) free from what sin brings (judgment and the second death), and instead consider yourself alive to God (forgiven and destined for glorification). We are no longer slaves to the lust of the flesh, because we have the Spirit. We are to walk by the Spirit and produce fruit of the Spirit.
Slave of Sin, Slave of Righteousness
Similarly, being called dead in sin is uses nearly the same symbolism as being called a slave of sin, and being called alive in Christ through faith is the same as being called a slave of righteousness.
John 8:34
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
Romans 6:16-18
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of [slaves of] sin resulting in death, or of obedience [in faith] resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
We are not literally slaves of sin, where there is nothing that we can do but act in sin. Likewise we are not literally slaves of righteousness, where there is nothing that we can do but act in righteousness.
What scripture means by being a slave of sin is nearly the same as being dead in sin; you are under the result of what sin will bring--judgement, wrath, and the second death. However, being a slave of sin also symbolizes that while we walk in the desires of our flesh, we can only produce what sin produces--unrighteousness.
The reverse is also true; being a slave of righteousness is the same as being alive in Christ; you are under the result of what faith brings, grace, righteousness, and eternal life. Likewise, while walking in the Spirit, we can only produce righteousness. This is why it is critical for believers, who have the Spirit, to abide and walk by the Spirit. Believers are still capable of walking in the flesh (1 Cor.3:1-3).
Romans 6:5-7
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
1 Peter 2:24
and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
By faith we are credited as being united with Christ. We are credited as having died, and in doing so, we have been severed from what sin brings (judgment and death). Likewise we are credited with His righteousness, and righteousness brings eternal life (Prov.11:19; Prov.12:28; Prov.21:2; Rom.5:21).
From death to life by faith
The scripture uses two additional symbolic terms to describe the change of being dead to being alive: being born again and being spiritually circumcised. We will be going over each of these in a separate study.
We move from death to life when we repent and walk by faith.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Today I invoke heaven and earth as a witness against you that I have set life and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore choose life so that you and your descendants may live! I also call on you to love the Lord your God, to obey Him and be loyal to Him, for He gives you life and enables you to live continually in the land the Lord promised to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
This is the simple message of the gospel – we all know that our sin deserves God’s judgement, and He will judge us and condemn us under His wrath. We also know that He loves us, and He will forgive us and give us blessing and His grace should we repent, call upon His name, and walk by faith. Therefore each of us has life and death before us. Our future eternal destiny is either death or life, and the Lord wants us to choose life. This is the entire reason for our lives; He made all of us in order that we would seek Him (Acts 17:24-31).
John 5:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
This is one of the clearest pictures of moving from death to life. When we hear the word and believe it, we are credited with eternal life, and we pass from being regarded as dead to being regarded as alive. Again, this is the gospel, to hear the voice of the Lord, repent, and trust in Him. Because of His love, the Lord has sent His “voice” to all from the very beginning (see studies, What God teaches all mankind; The Universal Witness of the Gospel).
Isaiah 45:22
“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
Ezekiel 18:32
For I take no delight in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
The “death” here is speaking of the second death coming at the judgment. The Lord wants us to repent and turn back to Him so He can credit us with eternal life (1 Tim.2:4; 2 Pet.3:9).
Ezekiel 33:19
But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them.
Here again we see repentance (turning from wickedness) and walking in faith (practicing justice and righteousness). By repenting trusting in the Lord, we practice righteousness through faith and we are credited with [eternal] life. We move from death to life.
By obeying the word of God through faith, we receive life. There are further shadows of following the Lord in faith, and receiving the promises of “life”, “blessing”, and the “promised land” (Deut. 4:1, Deut. 5:33; Ps. 119:76-78; Ps. 119-115-117; Prov. 1:33; Prov. 4:4; Ezek. 18; Hab. 2:4).
Numbers 21:8-9
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
Christ references this passage in His speech to Nicodemus (John 3:14-15). The Israelites that were bitten by ‘serpents’ were under the penalty of death (i.e. without God's gracious gift, they were destined to die), and if they looked upon the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up, then by their faith they would be removed from the future penalty of death and live. All who trust in God and believe in His word will no longer be regarded as dead, but alive.
Reconciled with God
When scripture says we are “alive in Christ”, this is not some mystical, supernatural experience, but is a relationship that has been reconciled with God. One of the clearest passages to understand this symbolic principle is in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
The son had been set up to be an heir, and he received an inheritance, but he left his father by his own accord. The son was enticed by the world, and lost everything his father had blessed him with. But the son turned back from his love of the world, and humbly went back to his father and asked for forgiveness. His father was eagerly waiting for him, and when he saw his son, he said:
Luke 15:24
for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
The son had been away from the father, and squandered away his inheritance. He had no relationship or blessings of his father. It is this state of separation that he referred to when the father said that his son was dead; this is a clear symbol of our spiritual death. The son was separated from the father and his blessings and inheritance because he was enticed by his own desires. Likewise we are separated from the Heavenly Father because we are enticed by sin through our flesh. We are removed from God’s blessing and inheritance, and instead are on the road to condemnation and eternal death.
When the son recognized his sin and humbly returned seeking forgiveness, the father said his son was alive again; this is a clear symbol of our spiritual life. The relationship was immediately restored and the son was no longer spiritually dead, but was alive once more. The son was again was under the blessings and inheritance of the father, just like we are when we have put our faith in the Lord.
We see this restored relationship (spiritual death to spiritual life) in numerous passages (Is. 60:15; Is. 62:12; Job 33:26; Ps. 23:3; Ps. 51:12; Ps. 80:3; Is. 38:16; Lam. 5:20-21; 2 Cor. 4:9).
This is the perfect picture of the universal plan of God. We are born in sin, but that sin is not imputed to us while we cannot yet discern between good and evil. We are under God’s grace and blessing, and are still alive. When we become mentally aware of God, sin, and the consequences of our choices being death or life, we die. Our realization of our sin and choices separates us from the Lord, and we are considered spiritually dead. By repentance and faith, the Lord will forgive us and credit us as alive again. We are reconciled with the Lord through His grace.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
By being in Christ, we are considered new creatures, in the sense that we can now produce true fruits of righteousness. Prior to faith and being in Christ, there was nothing that we could do to produce righteousness. Even a Christian, however, must walk by and obey the Spirit in order to produce fruits of righteousness. Believers still have a sin nature that they must contend against.
The call to eat, drink, and live
Psalm 22:26
The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!
The afflicted here refers to all those who are under the condemnation of sin. We are afflicted with sin and spiritual death. Those who eat of Him (referring to faith in the Lord, the bread of Life, the word of God) will have new hearts that live forever. By faith in the Lord and His word, we are no longer under the law of sin and death and we are considered spiritually alive.
Isaiah 55:2-3
“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good [the bread of life], and delight yourself in abundance. “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David.
The Lord is telling them to come to Him; heed His call of the gospel to salvation. They spend all their efforts on things that cannot truly satisfy them, when He has the free offer of the bread of life leading to forgiveness and eternal life. Listen to the word of God and heed it (by faith), so that you may spiritually live, for He has promised (made a covenant) that all those who put faith in Him will be forgiven and inherit eternal life.
Nehemiah 9:20
“You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, Your manna You did not withhold from their mouth, and You gave them water for their thirst.
This passage is speaking of the Israelites time in the wilderness. The Spirit of God was with them to instruct them and the Lord provided what they needed to live, just as He is in the world today trying to lead us to the Promised Land.
God provided them manna and water. While this manna and water here refers to literal manna from heaven and literal water, it is symbolic of God providing them the bread of life (Christ’s atonement to cover their sins) and water of life (the word of God that we receive by faith that gives us life).
The Lord gave them everything they needed to ‘live’ on their sojourn to the Promised Land, just like He offers everyone in the world everything they need to sojourn on this foreign land and enter the Promised Land. The Lord’s Spirit is there to direct us, and the Lord has provided the manna for our atonement, and the Lord continually offers us the water of life of His word that by faith will give us eternal life.
A new heart and spirit
By following the word of God in faith, we are regarded as “alive”, and we have a new focus in this life. This is only possible through the work of the Spirit that is testifying the truth to us. By the Spirit abiding with us, He is able to witness to us, and direct our path. By walking in the Spirit (by faithfulness) we produce righteousness.
John 14:16-17
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
While the personal indwelling of the Spirit is new since the ascension of Christ (John 7:39), the Spirit was still abiding with all the Saints of the past. By this measure, the scripture speaks of us having new hearts and new spirits. The Spirit gives us direction, through conviction and teaching us the will of God. By us following the Spirit’s direction (i.e. we walk by faith and follow His word), we have renewed principles, values, morals, and purpose.
Acts 13:22
After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’
Just like David, by listening and heeding the word of God in faith, we will produce love and faithfulness (see study, Faith produces love). We turn from following the desires of our flesh, and instead follow the Spirit’s will that testifies of God’s will. By heeding His words, we will live. By following Him, we are people ‘after God’s own heart’ who have hearts and spirits that do desire to do His will:
Ezekiel 18:30-32
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord God. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”
This is God calling Israel (and Israel is always symbolic of the people of the world) to repent from their disobedience and sin and put their trust back in the Lord through faith. This is a call to the gospel. Repent and turn from sin, and put faith in Him, so sin will not be a stumbling block to you that leads you to ruin.
God tells them to make for themselves a new heart and a new spirit. This is speaking of moving from spiritual death to spiritual life. God wants them to repent and follow Him in faith so they will not die, for He has no pleasure in anyone dying. He emphatically ends this passage with repent and [spiritually] live.
Numbers 14:24
But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.
Caleb was selected to enter the land (i.e. symbolic of the Promised Land, eternal life) because he had a spirit that followed God. Caleb had faith in the word of God, and through his faith he was credited as being righteous and no longer under condemnation. He wasn’t serving the sin in his flesh, but was serving the word of the Lord testified by the Spirit of God. He thus had a new purpose and his will was not following the will of God.
Numbers 27:16-19
“May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is such a spirit, and lay your hand on him; and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight.
Moses asks God to appoint his successor, and provides qualities of the man who will take over leadership of the people. This man will be their shepherd. God tells Moses to pick Joshua, a man who has such a spirit. The Hebrew could mean “has such a spirit”, which would only come by following the Spirit, or could mean “a man in who is the Spirit”. In either case, the takeaway is that Joshua had a spirit that was after God, and following God, and thus Joshua was a man of faith who was spiritually alive.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
This psalm is about David seeking God in repentance after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. David had turned from the Lord, and gone after the desires of his flesh. He now seeks repentance and forgiveness, asking the Lord to “create” in him a clean heart. This figurative phrase here means to shape and form by the word of the Lord. Likewise David asks God to renew a steadfast spirit within him. This means to repair, or resume after an interruption, a spirit secured in the right direction or the right focus. David was changing his ways (repenting) and asking God to help keep his heart and spirit focused on the Lord.
This new heart and spirit that is after the Lord is also prevalent in the New Testament:
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
2 Corinthians 4:16
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
Colossians 3:10-11
and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
Be heeding and following the will of the Spirit in faithful obedience, we renew our own spirits to be conformed like Him. The Spirit guides us in our walk with the Lord.
Summary
Through faith, we are reconciled to God. We are no longer regarded as dead, but regarded as alive. We have restored the relationship with the Lord and now are under the inheritance and blessings associated through the Him. By being spiritually alive, our sins have been forgiven and we are no longer tied to the result of the sin of our flesh. We are credited as righteous (Rom. 1:17; Rom. 3:22), credited as children of God (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1), and set apart for eternal life and inheritance (John 3:15-16; John 3:36; Eph. 1:10-14)
Colossians 2:13-14
When you were [spiritually] dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you [spiritually] alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
1 Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy to be eliminated is [the second] death.
1 Corinthians 15:54-55
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
As believers, we are reconciled to the Lord, and by enduring in faith to the end, we will pass from being judged and condemned to the second death to being forgiven and glorified into eternal life.