Length: 5 Minutes
Do you believe that Jesus is the only way for us to receive from a holy God? If you do, you will love this article. Of course, we don’t deserve God’s grace by our works, but Jesus paid the price so that we could receive it! That’s Christianity 101. Many people think that they already believe those statements, and perhaps you do, but you’d be surprised at how many Christians contradict this.
There are many, many people that have been raised from the dead, especially in the Bible. Now, when you see someone being raised from the dead, healed, or receiving a miracle in the Bible, how did they receive these things? Pay very close attention to this question, because it determines a lot about you:
When you see a resurrection in the Bible, did those people receive that through the provision of Jesus or through some other way? Think about that for a while…
Ok, I’ll give you the answer. If you see someone being raised from the dead in the Bible, it’s because they received it through the provision of Jesus. Romans 5:2 makes it very clear that Jesus is the only means, through faith in Him, that people can receive grace from God.
Romans 5:2 (NKJV) through whom [through Jesus] also we have access by faith into this grace…
Despite saying that we believe Jesus is the access to God’s grace, when we see miracles like the resurrection of the dead in the Bible, we assume it just happened by God’s sovereignty, because God can do anything. We see them as fluke, localized miracles that God did, simply because He chose to at that time, and not something that Jesus paid for and provided for everyone.
We see people receiving miracles and resurrections in the Bible, but we don’t take a moment to realize that they could not have received those miracles, except Jesus provided it at the cross, because He’s the only way to receive from the Father. There is no other way (John 14:6). And most Christians claim to believe this.
Unfortunately, Christians only acknowledge Jesus as the only way, when it comes to their initial salvation. But Jesus is not only the sole way to receive salvation from Hell, but as Romans 5:2 says, He is the only access to receive any of the grace of God. Therefore, there is no man that is living, has lived, or will ever live, that has ever received anything good from the Father, except that Jesus paid for it at the cross and someone believed it. That is what it means for Jesus to be the only access. He’s not just another access. He’s the only one.
It’s either, Jesus paid for it, or no one can receive it. Jesus is the only access into the grace of God. And guess what? That includes the resurrection of the dead. So many people have been raised from the dead, and none of them could’ve received it unless Jesus provided it. How do I know? He’s the only way.
Think about this for a second: If there was only one way to get to your house, and someone showed up at your door, you would know how they got there. That is, if you truly believed there was only one way. And if Jesus is the only way to receive God’s grace, and we see someone receive grace from God (like power to be raised from the dead), then you should already know how they received it. That is, if Jesus truly is the only way.
Why is it so vital to understand that any resurrections from the dead that you read about in your Bible were received through faith in Jesus? Because if they received it through the sacrifice of Jesus, then you can receive it too, because Jesus died for the whole world, not just a select few (1 Timothy 4:10 and 1 John 2:1).
On the other hand, if it was some fluke miracle, then who knows? Maybe God will do it again and maybe He won’t. But that’s not how men receive from God. If you see someone receive from God, it happened through Jesus, through faith in Him. Every time. No exceptions. He’s the only way.
Some may still maintain that people can receive purely from God’s sovereignty, but if the resurrections from the dead that you read about in your Bible, happened simply by God’s sovereignty, and not because Jesus provided it, you are saying that mankind can receive grace from God, apart from Jesus. And in that case, Jesus is not necessary.
Apparently in our minds, undeserving men can receive grace from God through Jesus, or alternatively, just because God felt like it. If you didn’t realize it, that’s two ways of receiving from God, not one way. And while you are entitled to believe what you will, you can no longer say that you believe Jesus is the only way to receive grace from God.
The truth is, Jesus died the physical death that was owed to every man because of sin (Romans 8:10 and Hebrews 2:9). That’s why He died in a physical body. It’s for that reason that men have been able to be raised again from the dead, all throughout scripture.
Resurrections are not localized miracles that happen whenever God chooses. God already chose to provide resurrection to all of humanity, when He sent his Son to die our death. Receiving your dead back to life is not too good to be true. It’s good and it is true. Jesus provided this, so that you (yes, you) can receive it. And we will take the time in this handbook to explain just how He pulled that off.
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