It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
It is a dependable promise that those who have died with Christ will also live with him. Dying and suffering with him is the way to live and reign with him, requiring believers to endure trials and not shun the cross just as he overcame. Being dead with him means true conversion by the Holy Spirit, with mind and will brought into captivity to him and self denied, his humiliation and reproach shared, and the world with its pomp and pleasures given up. Those who so die, even dying for the Word as he himself died, will be where he is to dwell with him forever and rejoice with him in his glory and in the joy of souls saved. That hope makes dying for the Word a light thing and gives courage to remain faithful, while refusing his humiliation while professing godliness denies him and forfeits the training that prepares a person to share his glory.
Words and Setting
It is a faithful saying holding the promise that those who are dead with Christ will also live with Him. To die with Him is the stated condition for living with Him. That life with Him is life hidden with Christ in God, the minister's needed condition for laboring faithfully through discouragements.
The promise belongs to Paul's charge to Timothy. That charge joins enduring hardship for the sake of the elect with obtaining salvation in Christ with eternal glory. Endurance for the elect's salvation and life and eternal glory in Christ are thus bound together in the same charge.
Being dead with Christ in order to live with Him is connected with being God's children and heirs with Christ. It is connected likewise with the hope of being glorified together with Him. The verse stands in a chapter that turns people away from speculative questions and human inventions to plainly revealed Scripture. Salvation does not depend on side issues.
Sharing Death and Life
Dying and suffering with Christ is the way to live and reign with him, requiring believers to overcome through trials and sufferings just as Jesus overcame, without shunning the cross or the suffering part of religion, with the language of the heart a desire to know the fellowship of his sufferings and to suffer with him in order to reign with him. Sharing his sufferings through self-denial and cross-bearing leads to sharing life and joy with him. Sharing in his life and glory is joined to fellowship with him in service and acceptance of his cross, and rejecting that fellowship rejects the training that gives strength and nobility of character and prepares a person to share his glory.
Being dead with Christ is true conversion by receiving the Holy Spirit instead of the wine of Babylon, bringing mind and thoughts into captivity to Christ's will and bearing his mark, being changed from glory to glory and from character to character by beholding him, standing in humanity under God's control, speaking God's words, and falling upon the Rock and being broken so that Christ's power is felt. Being dead with him is sharing in his humiliation and suffering by being Christlike, following his divine example in all things, denying self and counting it joy to suffer for his sake, and enduring correction and chastening as sons. It is to bear the cross, endure humiliation and reproach, and become dead to the world by giving up its pomp and pleasures in order to share his glory.
Those who die for the Word pass through what Christ passed through, for Christ himself died, and dying for the Word is a light thing and no loss, for they will be where he is and live and dwell with him forever, a promise that gives courage to remain faithful when facing death. Those who so die shall live with him and rejoice with him in his kingdom when his glory is revealed, sharing his life, glory and joy, including the joy of missionaries who endure hardship in seeing souls saved in the kingdom of glory. God tests and proves his people by bringing sacred truth close and cutting to the heart, purifying and trying faith like gold until all dross is purged away, so they can be presented without spot or wrinkle.
Courage and Daily Service
The promise that those dead with Christ will also live with him gives courage to remain faithful when facing death. Dying for the Word is a light thing because Christ himself died for them. Those who pass through what he passed through in suffering and death will be where he is and will live and dwell with him forever, so sharing his death leads to life with him and is no loss.
Sharing in his life and glory is joined to fellowship with him in service and acceptance of his cross. Rejecting that fellowship rejects the training that gives strength and nobility of character and prepares a person to share his glory. Refusing to share his humiliation while professing godliness denies him and will cause him to deny such persons when his glory is revealed. Christians fail to enjoy the strength provided for them because they refuse this Christlike suffering. Life hidden with Christ in God is the minister's needed condition for laboring faithfully through discouragements.
Being dead with Christ and living with him must be brought into practical life in a time of special evangelistic effort. This means self-examination, confession and repentance of sin, perfect harmony, clearing the King's highway, helping with means, and attending the meetings armed and equipped for service. It means readiness to speak to any who are interested, prayer for the work and for lost sheep, and watchfulness against a self-satisfied, indifferent, backslidden condition. It means daily prayer even while going about daily duties, drawing strength from Christ, deep gratitude that the Lord is working, and laboring together with him to sustain the work being done.
It is a dependable promise that those who have died with Christ will also live with him. Dying and suffering with him is the way to live and reign with him, requiring believers to endure trials and not shun the cross just as he overcame. Being dead with him means true conversion by the Holy Spirit, with mind and will brought into captivity to him and self denied, his humiliation and reproach shared, and the world with its pomp and pleasures given up. Those who so die, even dying for the Word as he himself died, will be where he is to dwell with him forever and rejoice with him in his glory and in the joy of souls saved. That hope makes dying for the Word a light thing and gives courage to remain faithful, while refusing his humiliation while professing godliness denies him and forfeits the training that prepares a person to share his glory.
Words and Setting
It is a faithful saying holding the promise that those who are dead with Christ will also live with Him. To die with Him is the stated condition for living with Him. That life with Him is life hidden with Christ in God, the minister's needed condition for laboring faithfully through discouragements.
The promise belongs to Paul's charge to Timothy. That charge joins enduring hardship for the sake of the elect with obtaining salvation in Christ with eternal glory. Endurance for the elect's salvation and life and eternal glory in Christ are thus bound together in the same charge.
Being dead with Christ in order to live with Him is connected with being God's children and heirs with Christ. It is connected likewise with the hope of being glorified together with Him. The verse stands in a chapter that turns people away from speculative questions and human inventions to plainly revealed Scripture. Salvation does not depend on side issues.
Sharing Death and Life
Dying and suffering with Christ is the way to live and reign with him, requiring believers to overcome through trials and sufferings just as Jesus overcame, without shunning the cross or the suffering part of religion, with the language of the heart a desire to know the fellowship of his sufferings and to suffer with him in order to reign with him. Sharing his sufferings through self-denial and cross-bearing leads to sharing life and joy with him. Sharing in his life and glory is joined to fellowship with him in service and acceptance of his cross, and rejecting that fellowship rejects the training that gives strength and nobility of character and prepares a person to share his glory.
Being dead with Christ is true conversion by receiving the Holy Spirit instead of the wine of Babylon, bringing mind and thoughts into captivity to Christ's will and bearing his mark, being changed from glory to glory and from character to character by beholding him, standing in humanity under God's control, speaking God's words, and falling upon the Rock and being broken so that Christ's power is felt. Being dead with him is sharing in his humiliation and suffering by being Christlike, following his divine example in all things, denying self and counting it joy to suffer for his sake, and enduring correction and chastening as sons. It is to bear the cross, endure humiliation and reproach, and become dead to the world by giving up its pomp and pleasures in order to share his glory.
Those who die for the Word pass through what Christ passed through, for Christ himself died, and dying for the Word is a light thing and no loss, for they will be where he is and live and dwell with him forever, a promise that gives courage to remain faithful when facing death. Those who so die shall live with him and rejoice with him in his kingdom when his glory is revealed, sharing his life, glory and joy, including the joy of missionaries who endure hardship in seeing souls saved in the kingdom of glory. God tests and proves his people by bringing sacred truth close and cutting to the heart, purifying and trying faith like gold until all dross is purged away, so they can be presented without spot or wrinkle.
Courage and Daily Service
The promise that those dead with Christ will also live with him gives courage to remain faithful when facing death. Dying for the Word is a light thing because Christ himself died for them. Those who pass through what he passed through in suffering and death will be where he is and will live and dwell with him forever, so sharing his death leads to life with him and is no loss.
Sharing in his life and glory is joined to fellowship with him in service and acceptance of his cross. Rejecting that fellowship rejects the training that gives strength and nobility of character and prepares a person to share his glory. Refusing to share his humiliation while professing godliness denies him and will cause him to deny such persons when his glory is revealed. Christians fail to enjoy the strength provided for them because they refuse this Christlike suffering. Life hidden with Christ in God is the minister's needed condition for laboring faithfully through discouragements.
Being dead with Christ and living with him must be brought into practical life in a time of special evangelistic effort. This means self-examination, confession and repentance of sin, perfect harmony, clearing the King's highway, helping with means, and attending the meetings armed and equipped for service. It means readiness to speak to any who are interested, prayer for the work and for lost sheep, and watchfulness against a self-satisfied, indifferent, backslidden condition. It means daily prayer even while going about daily duties, drawing strength from Christ, deep gratitude that the Lord is working, and laboring together with him to sustain the work being done.