Wednesday Devo

Sick or Dead? I think it is pretty safe to say that none of us enjoy being sick. That is particularly true for me today. I have had a sore throat the past few days but wasn’t too worried until I started to lose my voice yesterday. We have two concerts this weekend so I thought I better not wait to the last minute to go to the doctor. I went to the doctor Tuesday morning and was diagnosed with a virus. All I can really do is go home, rest, drink plenty of liquids, and take it easy. You know, all $50 dollars worth of advice! I really got to thinking last night about being sick and remembered an example that an evangelist once used for a conference. He showed a picture of a man lying in a hospital bed with a respirator, IV, the whole works. He said that this man is the perfect picture of those who are non-believers. He said we are all spiritually sick and will die if we do not come to Christ. At the time it seemed like a pretty neat illustration. But after becoming more familiar with the Word of God I must say, I disagree. I believe the evangelist had good intentions, but bad theology. Ephesians 2:5-9—even when we were dead in our trespasses (God) made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. According to Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus we are dead in our sin, not sick. Sick people can help themselves to a degree. I can go to the doctor. I can pick up my prescriptions. I can take my medicine. I can seek help. Being sick does not mean I am totally unable to take care of myself. It just means I need some help. The bible is very clear that we are not just sick. We are dead!!! A dead man can’t do any of the things I just described. The evangelist I referred to earlier has also come to this conclusion and has since changed his illustration. He now shows a picture of a man in a coffin. You may ask, “If the point is that we all need Christ to be spiritually well, then why get so hung up on whether some folks believe we are sick instead of dead?” If a man were spiritually sick (not dead) and believed on Christ, then this type of salvation would be grounds for the man to boast. He would have assisted Christ in his redemptive work. The efforts required would be divided between the man and Christ—and the glory too. But if a man was spiritually dead (not sick), and raised to life by Christ, then this type of salvation (which is the only type) would not leave any room for man to boast or glory in himself. This is what makes grace so amazing! The fact that we were totally dead in our sin and only the grace of God brought us to life. We played no part in our spiritual resurrection. I can’t save myself and you can’t either. Only God can do that. It is not a result of any work. Dead people can’t do works. It is imperative that God receive all glory in your salvation. If we could do even the smallest of things concerning our salvation, we would have something to boast about. We could say, “With the help of God I was able to save myself.” The fact is if we are saved, it is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We cannot assist God in saving us. I remember a true story about a guy one time that tried to take glory from God. Now he is commonly referred to as Satan.