“Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him.”
II Timothy 2:11
My Bible footnote shares that verse 11 of II Timothy, chapter two, is the first line in what is most likely the lyrics to a song sung by the early church. (Read verses 12-13 for the full stanza!)
When the early church sang “died with him,” they were looking back to the Cross. When we accept Christ as our Savior, our old sin nature is crucified with Christ. Sin’s debt – the result of my sin and yours – was paid in full at the Cross.
The power of the Cross is supernatural, divine, and too wonderful to be fully comprehended.
We must meditate on it.
We must marvel at its implications.
We must remind ourselves of the eternal significance of dying with him.
Do not allow that marvelous truth to become stale! Seize hold of it! Remind yourself to remember it, sing it, proclaim it, and rejoice in it!
The Cross changes everything!
At the moment we receive Christ, sin is gone. It is evicted from our hearts and its consequences deleted. We are forgiven.
The Cross was an historical event, but its power reaches forward in time, bringing eternal consequences. The timeless result of this event is perfect atonement for my past, present, and even future sin.
Let that truth settle in. Even if you embraced the Gospel years ago, ask God to stir your affections today. Ask Him to keep your heart tender to the reality of the Gospel. Express gratitude for your salvation. Let it amaze you. Every. Single. Day.
The benefit of walking with Jesus for many years is that maturity brings a greater awareness of the depth of our depravity. We can sing with another hymn writer:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!
The Gospel is marvelous. It is wonderful. And it flows to us all because of our Savior’s great love.
Aren’t we grateful it is indeed a trustworthy saying?
The old Laura – and the old you – died with Him. But that means that from those ashes arose a new Laura. One indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Because the old Laura died with Him, the new Laura gets to live with Him … and she gets to live for Him! Her life is no longer defined by hidden shame. No more condemnation. No longer weighted down by the guilt. She gets to live FREE of it all because she gets to live LOVED.
What does it mean to live knowing you are loved?
- It means freedom.
- It means no holding back.
- We can follow His prompts.
- We can take risks to reach out.
- We can release our time and treasure.
- We can forgive those who have hurt us.
- We can lay down our fear.
- We can live a little like Teflon – accusations and insults don’t stick to our hearts!
Today, let’s worship Him with grateful praise! Let’s unite our voices with our first century brothers and sisters as we, too, sing aloud the glorious truth of II Timothy 2:11.
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
Friends, let’s start living with Him and for Him!
Five times in Scripture Paul wrote, “This is a trustworthy saying…” He shared four of those with Timothy and one with Titus. In our Friday video devotional this week, Laura unpacked another one of these. You can view her teaching from I Timothy 1:15 here:
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