FROM DEATH TO MATURITY (LIFE)
Romans 5:21
so that just as sin reigned in death, GRACE might reign through righteousness UNTO ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through righteousness, grace reigns as king resulting in eternal life through Christ.
Grace is the empowerment to grow up into Christ through the free gift of righteousness.
The Definition of Grace
2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that through His poverty you might be rich.
Grace is the fact that for our sakes He was rich and became poor that we might become rich. But becoming rich comes “through His poverty”, meaning, our participation in obedience to the Word of God/sharing in His sufferings/conformed to His death.
The Definition of Rich
RICH: (Olive Tree Enhanced Strong's Dictionary) g4130. πλήθω plēthō; a prolonged form of a primary πλέω pleō; (which appears only as an alternate in certain tenses and in the reduplicated form 4091a) to “fill” (literally or figuratively (imbue, influence, supply)); specially, to fulfill (time): — accomplish, fulfill.
A good English word to express this concept is charged or charging; as a storage battery receives a charge of electricity when it is charged up. Once the power has been used, the battery will need re-charging.
Our English word plethora drives from this word.
Plethora: a large or excessive amount of something.
Jesus became poor that we would become charged with dunamis. This charging happens primarily by the everyday lifestyle of obedience to His commands and sharing in his sufferings. This is the process of grace: through His poverty, we become rich (in Him).
Christ’s body was broken and poured out as grace towards us from the foundation of the world. His poverty (obedience unto death) has brought us righteousness that we could be made rich (mature).
The purpose of his grace is to cause us to be conformed into the fullness of him in every way (that the offering of the gentiles might be acceptable)
We become rich through His poverty by being conformed to His poverty, or “being conformed to His death”.
Jesus talks about this using multiple phrases including “eat my flesh and drink my blood” and “if you abide in me”. Both of these phrases speak of the same “poverty” that we must share in.
Abounding in grace is being conformed to His poverty (death) that we could become rich (growing up into Christ in every way-the measure of the stature of His fullness).
2 Corinthians 9:8-9
God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that you, always having enough of everything, may abound to every good work. As it is written:
“He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor;
His righteousness remains forever.”
Grace causes us to abound in every good work. We abound in zoe life and that life in abundance.
Going Forward, We Will Reference Grace According Christ Becoming Poor for Our Sake that We Could Be Made Rich.
2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, “My grace
(Christ becoming poor for our sakes that we could become rich through our participation in His poverty)
is sufficient for you, for My strength
(gk word is dunamics: miraculous ability)
is made perfect
[“is made perfect” is from the word telios. Meaning dunamis (miraculous ability is brought to a complete state) through the sharing of his sufferings. We become charged (rich) with dunamis unto the measure he is filled with]
in weakness
(miraculous ability abounds as strength through sharing in His sufferings).”
Therefore most gladly I will boast in my weaknesses, that the power
(dunamis: miraculous ability)
of Christ may rest upon me
(I welcome and push myself even more to labor in this gospel that through becoming conformed to His death, I would manifest Him fully/that His dunamis would rest on me).
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace
(Christ becoming poor for our sakes that we could become rich through our participation in His poverty)
toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Grace works for us because it is cause and effect. We conform to His poverty that we would also benefit from His richness. We become like Him in His death that we could also know the power of His resurrection life.
Galatians 1:15-16
15 But when it pleased God, who set me apart since I was in my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, 16 to REVEAL HIS SON IN ME
(the purpose of Christ becoming poor is to make you rich which is the REVEALING OF HIS SON IN YOU, providing that you share in His poverty),
that I might preach Him among the nations, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
Galatians 2:9
When James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, understood the grace
(Christ becoming poor for our sakes that we could become rich through our participation in His poverty)
that was given to me (they saw the RICHNESS OF CHRIST in Paul towards the gentiles), they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
Galatians 2:20-21
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
(Paul by participating in Christs poverty, becoming rich)
And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God (Paul obeying Christs commands) , who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God. For if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain.
Paul is dead, Christ lives instead. This is grace working through righteousness to make Paul rich in Christ, or “to cause His son to be revealed in him”.
The law does not produce righteousness, therefore grace to participate in his poverty that we would become rich is not possible.
Galatians 5:4
You have been cut off from Christ, whoever of you are justified by law; you have fallen from grace (you are no longer benefiting from participating with Him in His poverty, you are trying to get grace to work through the law).
Ephesians 4:29-30
29 Let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for building up, that it may give grace to the listeners. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you are sealed for the day of redemption.
We can impart grace to the hearer that they could become rich in Him. This works only when we have shared in Christs poverty (sufferings) causing grace to abound to us. The bearer can be empowered to maturity in a relative sense through OUR grace (Christs poverty making us rich in Him). See next verse.
Philippians 1:7
It is right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonments and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers of my grace.
Grace was abounding to Paul making him rich in Christ because of sharing Christs sufferings (poverty): in imprisonments, in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Sharing in His poverty also makes us abound in grace to in singing and by the nature of things, speaking.
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you should answer everyone.
Again, the hearer being benefited by the grace working in our lives through his poverty/sufferings.
2 Timothy 1:9
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not by our works, but by His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Tying in the overarching purpose with this grace at work (him becoming poor that we could become rich).
2 Timothy 1:10 (MEV)
10 but is now revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
Death has been abolished and life (zoe) AND immortality have been made a available through GRACE which is: Christ becoming poor for our sakes that we could become rich through our participation in His poverty.
Hebrews 13:9-10
Do not be carried away with diverse and strange doctrines. It is a good thing that the heart be strengthened with grace, not with foods, which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. We have an altar from which those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat
(eat my flesh and drink my blood is the poverty that we partake of-communion-that we could become rich from Him. THE EATING OF HIM is the participating in the empowerment through obedience by which we grow up into the fullness of His richness).
HE BECAME POOR THAT WE COULD EAT OF HIM AND BECOME RICH THEREBY. We eat of Him by sharing in his sufferings/obedience that we could share in his resurrection life.
When I say no to sin, I am eating of Him.
When I obey his commands, I am eating of Him.
When I share in his sufferings, I am eating of Him.
When I lay my life down for others, I am eating of Him.
When I renew my mind, I am eating of Him.
When I overcome, I am eating of Him.
When I do what pleases him, I am eating of Him.
When I take every thought captive, I am eating of Him.
When I exercise self control, I am eating of Him.
As I eat of Him, I grow strong in His grace (the empowerment to become rich, MATURE in Him because of His poverty-SHARING IN HIS POVERTY-the fellowship of his sufferings).
When I make this about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it is a living communion, that causes me to mature in Him, causes me to be charged with dunamis.
John 6:3 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life (zoe) in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood HAS eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Being empowered by grace made available through his becoming poor to the end result that we become rich like him means that we also must share in his poverty in every way.
Abiding in Christ means the same thing here as John writes later: keeping His commands. Therefore, eating his flesh and drinking his blood IS keeping his commands/sharing in His suffering/dying a death like His.
1 John 3:24 (ESV)
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Romans 8:17-19
and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed on us. The eager expectation of the creation waits for the appearance of the sons of God.
2 Timothy 2:11-12
11 This is a faithful saying:
If we die with Him,
we shall also live with Him.
12 If we endure,
we shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, so that you may rejoice and be glad also in the revelation of His glory.
Philippians 3:7-10
7 But what things were gain to me, I have counted these things to be loss for the sake of Christ. (His poverty for our richness) 8 Yes, certainly, I count everything as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in Him (His poverty for our richness), not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God on the basis of faith, 10 to know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, (Christ becoming poor for our sakes that we could become rich through our participation in His poverty)
Philippians 4:11-13
11 I do not speak because I have need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. 12 I know both how to face humble circumstances and how to have abundance. Everywhere and in all things I have learned the secret, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things because of Christ who strengthens me
(sharing in his sufferings to share in his life)
The secret to Paul’s contentment is in always having fellowship with/sharing in the sacrifice of Christs poverty-eating his flesh and drinking his blood- this is his food of contentment and how he stays rich in Christ/strengthened by grace/strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
This is how we have dominion. We share in His poverty that grace would abound, that the power of Christ may rest on us. This is why the Spirit of grace had to be provided through His suffering, that through sharing in His suffering the Spirit would also be provided to those around us in the same measure that it was provided through him.
Sharing in his poverty/sufferings is the means by which we sit down at the altar of this covenant and eat of him (share in his sufferings) and are made rich (mature).
Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table (grace: Christ becoming poor for our sakes that we could become rich through our participation in His poverty)
before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (rich in Him, charged with dunamis)
In the loneliness of the path, we eat of him and are made rich/strong.
Taking up your cross is eating of him.
Denial of the flesh is eating of him.
The shame and ridicule of preaching the truth is eating of him.
Suffering for the gospel is eating of Him.
We share in his suffering, we share in his life because grace
(Christ becoming poor for our sakes that we could become rich through our participation in His poverty)
abounds
In this way we grow by grace (poverty to richness) until the power that rests on us is equal to the power we have seen resting on Christ.
Now these verses have real meaning and practical application:
John 6:32-35
32 Then Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life (zoe) to the world.”
34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:47-51
47 Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in Me has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. The bread which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
John 6:53-59
53 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. And I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on Me also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers ate manna and died. He who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum.
John 6:32-35 (MEV) 32 Then Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.
What is Jesus saying here? This…
John 6:53 (MEV) 53 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
By eating His flesh and drinking His blood, we abide in Him.
Abiding in Him is keeping His commands. Therefore, eating His flesh/bread is keeping His commands, humbling ourselves to become obedient to His commands to the degree that the threat of death or even unto the death will not stop us.
1 John 3:24 (ESV)
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Obeying His commands causes us to become sharers in His grace which was given so that we could become rich in His life.
We become rich in His life by “eating of Him” meaning, obeying His commands, sharing in the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death.
Through His poverty (obeying His commands, fellowship of His sufferings), we eat of Him, and we become charged with life, dynamics, miraculous ability.
Matthew 26:26-28 (ESV) 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
The communion table, “the alter at which we eat” is the road map for discipleship. It shows us that by “eating of Him” in His poorest state, the poverty of death (sharing in His sufferings, obeying His commands, in the proclamation and defense of the gospel), we are being charged with his dunamis/life/miraculous ability and that it is brought to a state of completion/fullness as we do this daily-which IS the original invitation to “take up your cross and follow me”.
Romans 6:8
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him
Live: g4800. συζάω syzaō; from 4862 and 2198; to continue to live in common with, i.e. co-survive (literally or figuratively): — live with.
Romans 5:21
so that just as sin reigned in death, grace might reign through righteousness UNTO ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Believing leads to obedience.
Obedience leads to righteousness.
Righteousness leads to grace that reigns.
Grace that reigns defeats the law of sin and death and leads to co-living with Christ in resurrection life.
This resolves the problem of heart issues. The heart that chooses to share in his sufferings is a heart/mind of humility. This is the act of denial of self. This is the act of laying down your life for others. This is the act of love, to know the fellowship of his sufferings that you may know the power of his resurrection. This is why we must be conformed into his death, so we can be charged (made rich) with His dunamis.
Conformed into his death (sharing in his sufferings/obedience) is the path to being conformed to his resurrection.
This is the narrow path to life and becoming AS THE MASTER.
Zechariah 4:1-9 (MEV) 1 And the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me up like a man who is roused from his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?”
And I responded, “I see a completely gold lampstand and a bowl at its top, with seven lights on it, and seven pipes on it for each lamp in order to light them. 3 And there are two olive trees next to it, one on the right of the bowl and one on the left.”
4 So I answered and I asked the angel speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
5 Then the angel speaking with me responded, “Do you really not know what these are?”
And I said, “No, my lord.”
6 And he said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
7 “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will be made level ground, and he will bring out the top stone amidst shouting of ‘Grace! Grace to the stone!’ ”
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have established the foundation of this house, and they will even complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to all of you.