Christ Conquers Death – Lesson 7

TEXT: Luke 23:5-END; Luke 24:1- 9
MEMORY VERSE: ACTS 2:24 “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

INTRODUCTION

Death, whether physical or spiritual, was never part of God’s original plan for humanity. When Adam disobeyed God, the penalty of death fell upon him, and through him, upon all people (Romans 5:12).

Spiritual death, meaning separation from God, results from sin. Physical death is a common experience for all humankind; the rich, the beautiful, the literate, the illiterate, young, and old all die.

However, spiritual death prevents humanity from fulfilling God’s purpose for which they were created. Therefore, God Himself decided to provide a way for humanity to overcome death. Since death entered through human disobedience, it would also require a man who would obey God and conform to His eternal plan to conquer death and grant humanity eternal victory over it. When God searched the world, no such man was found. Therefore, God Himself had to take on human form to redeem humanity and conquer death for them (Hebrews 2:9, 14, 15).

OUTLINE

1. God’s plan in creation
2. Origin of death
3. Meaning of death
4. Need for Jesus
5. Christ conquers death
6. Implication on man

GOD’S PLAN IN CREATION

In Genesis 1, we find the record of how today’s world came into existence. After God finished creating everything else, He decided to create humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:26). Humanity became the pinnacle of God’s creation—beings made a little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5). They were to replenish the earth and have dominion over every other creature (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8:6). Furthermore, God desired that humanity have fellowship with Him and live in obedience to Him (Genesis 2:16, 17, 2:8). Thus, humanity was created to have fellowship with God. Death was never part of God’s original plan.

ORIGIN OF DEATH

In Genesis 2:16-17, we read of God’s instruction to Adam: he could eat from every tree in the garden except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately, Satan, who has always been jealous of God’s plan for humanity, came and persuaded Eve to disobey. She ate the fruit (Genesis 3:1-7) and gave some to her husband, who also ate. Immediately, they experienced spiritual death—separation from God and His ways. This is evident in their act of hiding from the Lord’s presence (Genesis 3:8). They were now separated from God. Spiritually, they had died, though physically they remained alive.

MEANING OF DEATH

In Scripture, the term ‘death’ as applied to humanity signifies separation or being cut off from fulfilling God’s intended purpose. Scripture recognizes three types of death: physical, spiritual, and eternal.

• Physical Death: This is the separation of the inner person (soul and spirit) from the outer person (the body). At this time, the body returns to dust (Genesis 3:19; James 2:26). The soul and spirit are immortal and, at the moment of physical death, are either dead in sin or possess eternal life in Christ.
  • The souls and spirits of the righteous go to heaven to await the resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-22; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 6:9-11).
  • The souls and spirits of the wicked go to hell to await the resurrection (Luke 16:19-31; Isaiah 14:9; Revelation 20:11-15). Therefore, physical death is an experience common to all (Hebrews 9:27).
• Spiritual Death: This is the separation of humanity from God due to sin (Genesis 3:8; Isaiah 59:2; Matthew 8:22; Colossians 2:13; 1 Timothy 5:6). A person who is spiritually dead can be physically alive and conscious in their soul and spirit, even in hell. Currently, all those without a personal experience of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ are spiritually dead. Those who have yielded their lives to Him, believing in His atoning sacrifice on the cross, are spiritually alive, even though they may experience physical death.
• Eternal Death: This is eternal separation from God, chosen by an individual who remains in sin during their earthly life (Isaiah 66:22-24; Matthew 10:28; Revelation 2:11, 22:15). It is also referred to as the second death or second separation from God, which is the lake of fire (Revelation 2:11, 20:14, 21:8). This eternal death will occur after the millennium.
• The Need for Jesus: The Lord Himself declared in John 10:10 that He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. The Bible further declares that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was manifested to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Therefore, for humanity to enjoy the fullness of life, both in this world and the world to come, the basic enemy of humanity—death—must be dealt with. Thus, we infer from Scripture that Christ was manifested to destroy sin and its consequences, which are all works of the devil. In doing so, He experienced physical death and overcame it, so that all who believe in Him will pass from death to life. As part of God’s great redemption plan, His Son was manifested to save humanity from sin and enable them to live in God’s presence forever.  On several occasions during His earthly ministry, the Lord demonstrated His authority over death by raising the dead (Luke 7:11-18; John 11:43-44). Thus, we clearly see from the Bible that Jesus conquered death on behalf of humanity.

CHRIST CONQUERS DEATH

Because humanity was under a sentence of death as a result of sin, Christ had to take on human form to deliver them from this sentence. The Lord tasted death for everyone. He did this so that through death, He might destroy the one who holds the power of death, that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:9, 14, 15). Thus, when He was crucified on the cross, He truly tasted death for all. Though His physical body was dead, the Bible tells us that He was alive in the spirit. He went to set free those saints who were being held captive by Satan (Ephesians 4:8-10; Hebrews 12:23). Though they had died before Him, His blood was made available for their acceptance into heaven.

IMPLICATION ON MAN

Through His death and resurrection, the Lord conquered death for humanity. Therefore, humanity does not need to live in fear of death. Anyone who believes in Christ is made spiritually alive in this world (John 1:12; 3:1-7; Romans 8:16; John 5:24; 1 Corinthians 15:54-55). Thus, through Christ’s death and resurrection, the believer has overcome physical death and will be resurrected with a new and immortal body. Finally, there is no eternal death for the believer because, through faith in Christ, they enter into fellowship with God on this earth, which will last throughout eternity. However, anyone who refuses to accept Christ’s sacrifice and genuinely repent, turning to Him for salvation, remains under the bondage and sentence of death, both in this world and in the hereafter.