SENTENCED FROM DEATH

READING: COLOSSIANS 2:11-15

Verse 13: “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made us alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,”

Following is a scene which, with many variations, has occurred in much fiction literature. The convicted criminal, who is actually innocent, is about to be executed. At the last minute the execution is stopped. Due to the unrelenting persistence of someone who cared, the truly guilty person was found and confessed to the crime. New life was given to the person for whom death had been pronounced. The conviction was dismissed! This common drama also represents reality for every Christian. Even though we are guilty, we still have been delivered from our death sentences and have been given life. Colossians 2:13 & 14 are verses that lay it all out before us. In the Contemporary English Version of the Bible, these verses are as follows: “You were dead because you were sinful  and were not God’s people. But God thru Christ made you alive when He forgave all our sins. He wiped out the charges that were against us.” That scripture is not fiction and it is not literature. It is the greatest of realities for all mankind. For everyone who accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord, the conviction is dismissed. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. If you lived out the fiction scenario described above, how would you respond at the time of reprieve?

2. How does that response relate to your spiritual reprieve?