“[God] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:9-10)
When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, his goal was to abolish slavery. To emancipate means to set free, and President Lincoln wanted to set the slaves free from the rule of slavery. So he signed a new law to abolish the slavery way of life.
To abolish something means to do away with it, or to destroy it. Abolishing is the idea of wiping away something that has been going on for a long time. Can you think of any rules that your family used to have but do not have anymore? If your parents abolish a rule, they are getting rid of it once and for all.
Before Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, death had the victory. No human being had ever been able to raise someone from the dead by himself (whenever there were miracles, it was God Who gave the supernatural power, not man). Jesus was the only Person Who ever raised Himself from the dead in the history of mankind. Because He lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay for our sins, and rose again, He showed the world He was totally God and totally man. He proved that He has the power to give eternal life to those who believe on Him. He abolished the rule of death.
If our trust is in the Savior Jesus Christ, our bodies may die, but our souls will have eternal life with God, because Jesus has the power to do away with death and to give eternal life. Back in the nineteenth century, President Lincoln made a new law to set slaves free from the bondage of slavery. But long before that, Jesus Christ did away with the rule of death and made it possible for sinners to be set free from the bondage of sin and from the punishment of eternal death. Single-handedly, our Savior abolished death and made possible the gift of eternal life.
Our Savior Jesus Christ did away with the power of death and made it possible for us to enjoy eternal life.
My Response:
» What do I think about the Savior Jesus Christ?
» If Jesus abolished death and set me free from bondage to sin, how should I be living?