Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Personal Study
Thread: New to the Bible – God’s Plan of Salvation
Post Topic: Conquering Death
Post in Thread: #3
Previous: The Sacrificial Blood of Christ
Next: Meaning of John 3:16
Scripture: John 11:25-26; Romans 8:31-39
Key Verses:
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Key Verses:
Romans 8:37-39
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Note on this series of posts
This post fits within a continuing series meant for readers who are less familiar with Scripture; specifically those searching to understand how to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. All of the posts in this thread are necessary to understand the steps in God’s plan.
If Jesus had simply died on the cross and that was the end of the story, would that have been sufficient for salvation? Considering that the wages of sin is death, Jesus needed to more than simply die. He also needed to conquer death.
This page introduces John 11:25, where Jesus states that he is the resurrection and the life. It also introduces Romans 8:38-39, which talks about how nothing will be able to separate us from the love God in Jesus. This is a beloved verse of the Christian faith.
Observations
Context – John 11
- One of Jesus’ closest friends, Lazarus, died four days ago, and is still in the tomb.
- Lazarus’ sisters are questioning Jesus, not understanding why he didn’t prevent this death.
- Jesus already knows that he will raise Lazarus from the dead, but first, he holds this conversation with the sisters Martha and Mary.
Notes – John 11
- Jesus starts the sentence with the words “I am.” Not “I am like” or “I am the road to.” But flat out, “I am.”
- I Am is a claim of divinity from the Old Testament.
- These are the words God used to describe himself to Moses, denoting the one who has always existed, and in whom everything exists.
- Jesus is the resurrection.
- Jesus is life.
Context – Romans 8
- Paul continues one of the themes in this letter to the church at Rome regarding how they’re being persecuted.
- He talks about how our present suffering is nothing compared to future glory in heaven.
- This sets the stage for talking about how Jesus conquered death, and that can give us hope for that future glory.
Notes – Romans 8
- If God be for us, who can be against? (v31) Reminds me of a song we sing in church…
- Because of his desire to cleanse us from our sins, God didn’t spare his own son (v32-33).
- Jesus died and rose again (v34).
- He is now at the right hand of God, interceding for us.
- Who can separate us from the love of Christ? (v35-39)
- Not trouble, hardship, persecution, or famine.
- Not death or life.
- Not angels or demons.
- Not any powers.
- Not anything else within the heights or depths of all of creation.
- Through Jesus, we are more than conquerors. (v37)
Interpretation
The Resurrection and the Life
- Jesus proved he is the resurrection by raising Lazarus and then by raising himself from the dead.
- This demonstrated his power over physical death.
- That he now sits at the right hand of God proves that he has the power over spiritual death. Remember, spiritual death is defined as separation from God.
- Jesus is the life – he is the giver of life.
- Jesus has utterly conquered death. And through him, we too can be more than conquerers.
Imagine…
Martha’s brother has just died. She knows Jesus loved Lazarus, and she knows he’s capable of healing, even from a distance. So why did he allow this to happen? Why would he heal all those strangers, but allow this to happen to Laz?
She asks why, and Jesus uses the word resurrection in his response. Surely, he isn’t talking about Lazarus? Now? No, it must be about the resurrection of his soul. Still, she feels a twinge of hope…
Correlation
- Isaiah 25:8 – Long before Christ, the prophet Isaiah predicts that God will destroy death forever.
- Hosea 13:14 – Another prophet poetically describes God’s eventual victory over death: I will deliver the people from the power of the grave… where, O death are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?
- I Corinthians 15:54-56
- Death is swallowed up in victory!
- Paul quotes Hosea – Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?
- I Corinthians 15:17 – If Christ had not risen, our faith would be in vain, and we’d still be wrapped in our sins.
Application
Generic Applications
God did not create a world filled with death. It was Adams’s sin that brought death into God’s perfect world. Death, both physical and spiritual, is the penalty for sins.
Therefore, for us to have life and reconciliation with God, death had to be overcome. Conquered. This was accomplished through Jesus Christ.
Personalize it
Are you hungering for victory over death? There’s only one path to eternal life.
Keep Reading!
So how can I receive this gift of eternal life? What’s so big about the verse John 3:16 that Christians seem to flash everywhere?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.