You Already Lost your Life Because of Jesus
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25 WEB)
Many times, the verse above is used to encourage serving God through self-sacrifice.
Although service to God is needed and rewarding, it is a fruit of our salvation and believing rightly in the Gospel. We must be careful not to interpret this verse with a works-based mentality as if to earn justification by works.
I’m going to share what the Holy Spirit just showed me about this verse.
The words translated as “for my sake” in the Greek is actually “heneken emou” which also means “because of me”.
Did you know that you already lost your life because of Jesus? You are a person who has died already.
When you placed your faith in Jesus as Lord, you shared in His death, burial and resurrection. This is what water baptism symbolizes.
“Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him; knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him! For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:3-11 WEB)
Going into the water represents sharing in Jesus’ death and burial, whereas emerging from the water represents sharing in Jesus’ resurrection.
Water baptism reflects the inward reality of what has already happened to you through faith.
Your sinful spirit was crucified with Jesus at the cross, buried with Him in the tomb, and raised from the dead to eternal life, and is now seated with Him in the heavenly places. You are completely identified with Him.
You already lost your life which was in Adam, and your spirit is now living eternal life in Christ. Hallelujah!
I believe this is the primarily what Jesus meant by “whenever loses his life because of Me (heneken emou) will find it”.
Those who desire to save their lives refers to unbelievers who refuse to entrust their lives to Jesus. They are still people who haven’t died yet, but they will surely lose their lives—not once, but twice.
They will die once when their mortal body expires and descend to Hell. Then at the final judgment called “the Great White Throne Judgment”, they will be raised to mortal life to stand before Jesus for judgment.
Unbelievers will be declared guilty of sin and sentenced to eternal torment in the lake of fire. The angels will then cast them into the lake and they will die again, and the apostle John calls it “the second death”.
Like I shared a few times before, first on 18 December 2019 in this post: https://www.facebook.com/1017300681622700/posts/2917764198242996/?d=n
those who are only born only once will die twice, but those who are born twice will only die once.
“Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom.” (John 3:5 WEB)
We who believe in Jesus have been born twice. Once through our mother’s womb (the birth of water), and again through the Holy Spirit when we believed and confessed our faith in Jesus as Lord (the birth of Spirit).
Be conscious of this truth that you are a spirit-being who has already undergone a death—at the cross with Jesus. You are now forever alive to God, never to be separated from Him!
There is only one part of our redemption that we are waiting for: the transformation of this mortal body into a glorified body like the resurrected Christ. That will happen when Jesus returns for His church. We will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and be instantly caught up to meet Him in the clouds. Then we will join Him in the heavenly kingdom.
“Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54 WEB)
Dear brethren, the time for that blessed event is very near. The signs of the times are in place. Live wisely and let your life be a fragrant drink offering, poured out in service to God—this has promise of great rewards!
Understand the truth about eternal rewards, how to maximize them, and how judgment before Jesus’ throne is an extremely good thing for you and nothing to be afraid of at all: http://bit.ly/sandcastlesdontlastforever
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