9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead,
“Knowing” is self-evident truth. It is common knowledge that once Christ was raised from the dead He will never die again. This is an obvious fact that no one disputes. The Christian life always rests on knowledge, upon fact. We must know something before we can live the Christian life.
dies no more.
The resurrection of Jesus means no more death both for Him and His followers. The event of Christ’s resurrection and our association with it is irreversible. This can never be undone.
Ac 2:24, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
Death no longer has dominion [mastery] over Him.
Death rules human beings but it did not rule Jesus; He defeated death’s power by His resurrection. Christ supremely put death to death. Although death is a power, it was defeated in Christ’s death and resurrection. There is no more death for Him or for us.
PRINCIPLE:
The death and resurrection of Jesus is the key to Christian living.
APPLICATION:
Walking in a life that originates in the risen Christ is conduct that pleases God. Jesus ever lives presently in heaven interceding for us.
He 7:24-25, 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
We daily fellowship with the Lord by confessing our sin. When we do this, Jesus makes intercession for us. He pleads His own blood as adequate justification for our forgiveness. This is fellowship.
1 Jn 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 Jn 2:1-2, 1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [One who pleads our cause as an intercessor] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation [He satisfies God’s holy demands] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Grant, your use of the phrase "He pleads His own blood" struck me, as I often hear Christians praying, "We plead the blood of Christ." Where does this prayer originate, and is it valid–or is it Christ who does ALL the "blood-pleaing"?
Deb,
I am not sure where this originated. It may have been from Re 12:10-11 but these verses do not teach that we overcome Satan by pleading the blood of Christ. We overcome Satan by believing the sacrificial blood satisfied God’s demand for justice (Ep 1:7). Christ’s blood continues to cleanse believers from all sin (1 Jn 1:7). Pleading the blood implies that God is reluctant to forgive us when Jesus fully met that demand on the cross already.
This question and answer was helpful. Thank you both for the wisdom it provided me. I was always troubled by praying by the blood of Jesus.