VIII. THE SON OF GOD HAVING
ABOLISHED DEATH AND DESTROYED SATAN
WHO HAS THE MIGHT OF DEATH
The Son of God has abolished death and destroyed Satan who has the might of death. Second Timothy 1:10 says that the Son of God has abolished death, and Hebrews 2:14b says that the Son of God has destroyed the devil who has the might of death. These two verses give us a clear vision that after the Son of God came, He abolished death and also destroyed the source of death, that is, the devil, who has the might of death.
IX. THE SON OF GOD HAVING RELEASED LIFE
AND IMPARTED IT INTO GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE
The Bible reveals that the Son of God released life and imparted it into God’s chosen people. John 12:24 speaks of Christ as the one grain of wheat who died to release His life to produce us as the many grains. In John 19:34b, not only the blood but also the water came out of the pierced side of Christ. This means that life was released through His death. Second Timothy 1:10 says that the Son of God has brought life to light; this means that He has released life and has manifested life. First Peter 1:3b says that through the resurrection of Christ, God has regenerated us. This means that after Christ released the life within Him through His death, He imparted His life in resurrection to God’s chosen people.
X. CHRIST HAVING BECOME THE LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT
Christ has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). After Christ released His life through death and imparted this life to God’s chosen people through His resurrection, He Himself became the life-giving Spirit. So 2 Corinthians 3 says that the Spirit gives life (v. 6b) and that now the Lord is the Spirit (v. 17). He came as life. Then on the cross He destroyed death and the source of death, and He released life to God’s chosen people. Finally, in resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit so that He may impart Himself as life into us, enter into us, and live within us.
XI. GOD HAVING SAVED US BY ENLIVENING US
God has saved us by enlivening us. Ephesians 2:5 says that we have been saved by grace. Christianity has misused this verse. They use this verse for salvation by the death of Christ. Actually, Ephesians 2:5 refers not to the salvation by Christ’s death, but to the salvation by Christ’s life. This is because Ephesians 2 tells us that we were saved by being made alive together with Christ and by being raised up from the dead (vv. 5-6). Thus, Ephesians 2 reveals a salvation not by Christ’s death, but by His life. It was the resurrection life which God used to save us, not from sin but from death. Romans 1 tells us that we are under sin and that we are sinners. But Ephesians 2 tells us that we are under death and that we are dead persons in sins. When we were dead in sins, God made us alive; that means God enlivened us by the resurrection life of Christ. Thus, it is the salvation of life, not the salvation by Christ’s death.
(Basic Lessons on Life, Chapter 6, by Witness Lee)
