Your Inheritance through Christ-Freedom from Death

August 6, 2024

Your Inheritance through Christ-Freedom from Death

There is one thing that we need to completely understand and that is that the love of Christ put Him on the Cross at Calvary for the sin of the entire World. What that did was give us the free gift of Salvation and eternal life which in turn allows us to gain an inheritance as heirs of God. What does it actually mean when the Lord states that we are co-heirs with Christ?

The perfect passages of Scripture that disclose exactly what the Lord means by inheritance are found in Romans 8:16-17. It states, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

So what these verses are telling us is that because of the atoning sacrificial work of Jesus Christ which was: His death, burial, and resurrection on the cross at Calvary we have been given an inheritance as co-heirs with Him. One of the most important parts of our inheritance is freedom from death.

What exactly does that mean? In order to completely understand what this means we need to take a look at when sin and death entered the world through the first man and woman ever created. Genesis 3:3 details, “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

God gave a direct commandment not to eat of the tree or they would die and Adam and Eve blatantly disobeyed. This did not mean a physical death but a spiritual one. Not only did they die spiritually, this introduced sin into the world which in turn introduced premature death. Genesis 6:3 makes it clear when the Lord states, “And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

Before our lifespan was cut short people lived for hundreds of years, Methuselah was 969, Genesis 5:27. What created this significant change? The wages of sin is death and there is no getting around that fact, Romans 6:23. The sin that Adam and Eve committed solidified the fact that every other person that was born from that moment on was born with the sin nature with the proclivity to sin.

The sacrificial atonement which was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ took away the power of sin and gave us the opportunity at eternal life. Before Jesus died on the Cross at Calvary every believer of God went to what is known as Abraham’s bosom which was a special place separated by a great gulf from where hades was located.

Luke 16:22-23 reveals, “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” Here we can see a direct contrast from a person that was a believer of God and where that person would go after death versus a non-believer.

The reality was that in that time before Jesus redeemed all humanity, the children of God were not able to go to heaven. It wasn’t until after Jesus completed His atoning work on the cross that the people that were being held in Abraham’s Bosom were actually able to go to heaven with God.

Revelation 1:18 gives us a description of what happened to the hold that death once had on a believer as Jesus states, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Our Lord now possesses the keys to death meaning that when a Christian dies, they gain the gift of eternal life as a result of what Jesus did on the cross.

Freedom from death

Romans 8:2 gives us another detailed depiction of how Jesus Christ has given us freedom from death. It details, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” The Spirit of God which is life to our bodies has made us free from sin and death. Or in other words, the moment that you become saved the Holy Spirit comes into your heart to help guide you through the sanctification process.

Other passages of Scripture that give us even more confirmation regarding the overcoming of death in the life of a believer is found in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57. It specifies:

“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here we can see that the Apostle Paul is asking the question death where is your sting? Or in other words where did the potency of death go? Then we receive the answer to the question, our victory is through our Lord Jesus Christ reserved for God’s children!

It truly doesn’t get any better than that but the unfortunate reality is that a lot of people refuse to believe that Jesus is Whom He says He is and reject the gift of salvation and eternal life. As a result, they miss the chance at living for eternity with our Heavenly Father as joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

It doesn’t stop there, God is very specific pertaining to our Christian life and how our mortal bodies overcome the law of death. John 11:25-26 reveals, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus is clearly letting us know that those that believe in Him will defeat death and live. However there is more to it than just believing in Him. As John 14:15 depicts, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Jesus is providing us with a requirement: to keep His commandments. It isn’t enough for one to believe in Him and think that there is nothing more that needs to be done.

We must die to our old self daily: the things of the flesh and what our flesh desires, and we must renew our carnal mind and tame our human nature that wants to live in sin. When we fail to do so, we remain in the spirit of bondage. How does a person die to their old self and embrace their new life in Christ?

The best way that a person can ensure that they are abiding by God’s laws and living upright in the eyes of the Lord is by renewing their mind through the Word of God, Romans 12:2. God’s Word is your Spiritual weapon that you must sharpen on a daily basis. When you pair that with the leading of the Holy Spirit, Whom will guide you into all truth (John 16:13), you will be able to crucify your flesh.

Romans 6:18 reveals to us some very vital information as it states, “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” The Apostle Paul is making it definitively clear to us that in order to ensure your freedom from the spirit of slavery which is sin and death, you must become a slave to righteousness. The words “you became slaves” being used is the Greek word “douloō” which means: give myself wholly to one’s needs and service, make myself a bondman to him.

One thing that we need to make sure that we never overlook is the fact that the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23. That is why it is so important that we live a life of righteousness striving to be better every single day pressing towards our goal of one day living eternally with our Lord and Savior. We are heirs of God and that is not something that we should ever take for granted.

The will of God for every one of us is that none should perish but that we would all live eternal lives, 2 Peter 3:9. In order to make sure that you don’t perish prematurely or even worse die eternally lost you have to follow God’s law found in the Holy Bible. The love of Christ for each and every one of us put Him on the cross to die as a perfect Sacrifice for you and me.

He is now seated at the right hand of God because He accomplished everything that He needed to do in order to redeem all of humanity back to the Father. Now it is up to us to do our part and attempt to live our lives being more and more like Jesus Christ every single day.

Conclusion

One of the greatest benefits that Christians receive as children of God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ is freedom from death. Yes, we will all die one day but the good news is that to be absent from our bodies is to be present with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:8.

The main thing to take into consideration concerning this amazing inheritance is the fact that we need to do our part to live upright in the eyes of the Lord. We can’t assume that all it takes to inherit eternal life is to just accept the free gift of salvation. There is much more that needs to be done.

Romans 6:20-22 breaks it down perfectly and it states, “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Your Inheritance Through Christ-There is no Condemnation

Your Inheritance through Christ-Justification

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

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