I've always been a fan of Matt Maher's "Christ is Risen". We sang it yesterday in church, and as we did the painting you see above came to mind. I purchased this piece from an artist on the left coast named Chase Tafoya. I've been impressed with his work for a few years now and presented with an opportunity to buy an original piece, I bought.
As I sang the chorus of Maher's song, which is taken from 1 corinthians 15:55, it hit me how perfectly the painting represents the biblical principal of life from death. While we were never programmed to taste death in the physical, we are all born spiritually dead. Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1 all speak to this truth.
When Paul penned these words he was explaining the resurrection of the body from death to the Corinthian church, a church known well for their debauchery. Read the letters to the Corinthians and see for yourself the things that were going on, yet Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:2 that he desires to present this sinful church to Christ as a "pure virgin".
How does that happen?
It's actually quite simple. Death, and from death comes life. The Corinthian church would have to "put to death the deeds of the flesh", and just like the Corinthian church we are to do the very same thing. We are called explicitly to "deny ourselves, take up our cross" and follow Jesus. Take up your cross an instrument of death, that in the economy of God, brings life, and follow Him.
We are sinful people. We need a savior. Period. People tend to think that they're inherently "good". People would like to think that in the end there is some sort of cosmic scale that measures the good and bad done in life, hoping that the good outweighs the bad, and that whatever higher being there is would accept them based on their merits. This is not how it works. There is a God in Heaven who is righteous and just and loves unconditionally, and because He is all these things He must judge sin.
God "desires that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance", to be aware of their need for the redemptive work of Christ on the cross and to receive the free gift of salvation through grace by faith! This is the good news of the gospel. Jesus loves you, there is no way to escape this fact. He sent his only Son to die for you, so that you might live.
From death comes life.
When I first saw Chase painting this piece it immediately resonated with me. I don't know what Chase's motivation or inspiration for this piece was, but to me it spoke volumes about the scriptural principle of life and death. I hope as you read this you will consider the reality of sin, judgement, redemption, life, love and death. It is appointed for man to die, then the judgement, . We will all meet God one day, whether you meet Him in your own righteousness, of which apart from Christ you do not have, or clothed in the righteousness of His Son, is up to you.
Grace and Peace
Chris
