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The Two Gospels, A Comic Tragedy
by gonzodave coulon Rom 5:12 For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. KJV 1 Cor 15:21-22 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. KJV Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many: and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without [apart from] sin unto salvation. KJV ________________________ Life is a short airplane flight. It is impossible that the pilot will discover a fatal hidden flaw in the wing of her single seat plane. She is flying over a vast oceanic world inhabited by sharks. A parachute is available. This is the gospel message on the pilot's radio: "Jesus Christ says, 'All pilots were born to die and go to perdition because of a fatally damaged airplane;1 He will save and regenerate "the spirit and soul and body" of all living men who jump without a parachute and trust Him for salvation because He came and died to defeat all the sharks.'" Another gospel radio transmission is: "Jesus Christ says: 'All pilots were born to die and go to perdition because they do not fight sharks; He will reward the souls of all dead men who have become good shark fighters and trust Him for salvation, and, this because He is the great example who came and died to show mankind how to fight sharks.'" A pilot may either wake-up to this false dilemma, or not. The awakened pilot realizes that through no fault of her own, she is going to die, but more importantly, her everlasting fate is immanent. By faith she is required to take a leap and leave the safety of a terminally flawed airplane. But she must leave before it is too late. The end of this analogy is: pilots and shark fighters alike, become eternal sharks in the sea of lost mankind; but, those who believe and act in trust that Christ defeated all the sharks will live with Him in a regenerated spirit, body, and soul. _________________________________ 1) See Rom 5:12-17 _________________________________ The above illustration to a true decision of faith may be exemplified in the "enigma" of the following verses. Which may only be clarified by the different Greek words and meanings which underlie the one English word "life" used in the KJV and other translations. Mtw 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it. NET Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. NET John 12:25 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. NET Copyright 2007 David Coulon. All rights reserved. Use witth credit. ______________________________________ LIFE Excerpt from "Vine's Expository Dictionary" (vines.mike-obrien.net) ______________________________________ Life, Living, Lifetime, Life-giving ------------------------------------------------------ 1zoe (Noun) (Eng., "zoo," "zoology") is used in the NT "of life as a principle, life in the absolute sense, life as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself, and which He gave to the Incarnate Son to have in Himself, Joh. 5:26, and which the Son manifested in the world, 1Jo. 1:2. From this life man has become alienated in consequence of the Fall, Eph. 4:18, and of this life men become partakers through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Joh. 3:15, who becomes its Author to all such as trust in Him, Ac. 3:15, and who is therefore said to be 'the life' of the believer, Col. 3:4, for the life that He gives He maintains, Joh. 6:35,63. Eternal life is the present actual possession of the believer because of his relationship with Christ, Joh. 5:24; 1Jo. 3:14, and that it will one day extend its domain to the sphere of the body is assured by the Resurrection of Christ, 2Co. 5:4; 2Ti. 1:10. This life is not merely a principle of power and mobility, however, for it has moral associations which are inseparable from it, as of holiness and righteousness. Death and sin, life and holiness, are frequently contrasted in the Scriptures. "Zoe is also used of that which is the common possession of all animals and men by nature, Ac. 17:25; 1Jo. 5:16, and of the present sojourn of man upon the earth with reference to its duration, Lu. 16:25; 1Co. 15:19; 1Ti. 4:8; 1Pe. 3:10. 'This life' is a term equivalent to 'the gospel,' 'the faith,' 'Christianity,' Ac. 5:20."* [* From Notes on Galatians, by Hogg and Vine. pp. 324,325.] Death came through sin, Ro. 5:12, which is rebellion against God. Sin thus involved the forfeiting of the "life." "The life of the flesh is in the blood," Le. 17:11. Therefore the impartation of "life" to the sinner must be by a death caused by the shedding of that element which is the life of the flesh. "It is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life" (id., RV). The separation from God caused by the forfeiting of the "life" could be removed only by a sacrifice in which the victim and the offerer became identified. This which was appointed in the typical offerings in Israel received its full accomplishment in the voluntary sacrifice of Christ. The shedding of the blood in the language of Scripture involves the taking or the giving of the "life." Since Christ had no sins of his own to die for, His death was voluntary and vicarious, Joh. 10:15 with Isa. 53:5,10,12; 2Co. 5:21. In His sacrifice He endured the Divine judgment due to man's sin. By this means the believer becomes identified with Him in His deathless "life," through His resurrection, and enjoys conscious and eternal fellowship with God. for a full featured article see http://blogs.christiansunite.com/gonzodave 5.19.08 ______________________________________ Post Note #1: 5.31.08 For a "Prairie Home Companion (NPR)" style insight into English Lit see http://www.drslewis.org/camille/2007/10/21/the-drama-of-grace-a-pentadic-analysis/ Visit my pages @ http://www.webook.com/member/gonzodave http://www.koinoniaofgrace.com http://members.christiansunite.com/members/blog/gonzodave htttp://stores.lulu.com/gonzodave Copyright 2007-2008 by David Coulon. Registered and released under CC license 3.0 2007-2008. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |