But God, The Great Divide

You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God

Being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him. (Ephesians 2:1-6, ESV 2016).

My Musings – There are many things that divide us. Democrat versus Republican. Liberal versus conservative. Pro-choice versus Pro-life. Democracy versus dictatorship. Capitalism versus socialism. This race or ethnic group versus another race or ethnic group. The “haves” versus the “have-nots.” I could go on-and-on, but you get the picture. But the one that seems to divide us the most is Christianity versus all other religions. This is not to be unexpected.

“I [Jesus] have come to turn [divide] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:35–36, NIV 1984).

Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before [and after] Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep [do] not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved.” At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” (John 10:7-9 and 19-21, NIV 1984).

“But God.” The God who set time in motion sent His Son to divide time. We can change the nomenclature from B.C. (ante Christum natum, before Christ was born) and A.D. (Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord), to BCE (before common era) and CE (common era), but the dividing line is still Christ.

“But God.” Time is not the only thing God sent His Son to divide. Before Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection (nominative resurrectio, rising again from the dead), there was only death. All were “children of wrath.” “Sons [and daughter] of disobedience…dead in [our] trespasses and sins.” Because of His resurrection, like the veil in the Temple was torn in half, God divided death and life. Real life. Making those who believe “alive together with Christ.” “[Raising] us up with Him.”

My Advice – The “Great Divide” is defined as the boundary between life and death. That boundary is Jesus Christ. Without Him, there would only be death. “But God,” in His abundant and amazing grade placed a boundary that divided life from death. A boundary not marked with an “X,” but rather a cross. Which side of the divide are you on? You need to choose life. You need to “cross” over from death to life.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good [believed in Him] will rise to live, and those who have done evil [rejected or ignored Him] will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:24 and 28-29, NIV 1984).

Inspired by Pastor Kevin Rutledge’s (teaching Pastor at First Baptist Church of Sycamore, Illinois) Easter sermon. https://www.cometofirst.com/