July 11
NEVER SEPARATED FROM GOD
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?" John 11:26
Yes, Lord, we believe it; we shall never die. Our soul may be
separated from our body, and this is death of a kind; but our soul
shall never be separated from God, which is the true death -- the
death which was threatened to sin -- the death penalty which is the
worst that can happen. We believe this most assuredly, for who shall
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? We
are members of the Body of Christ; will Christ lose parts of His body?
We are married to Jesus; will He be bereaved and widowed? It is not
possible. There is a life within us which is not capable of being
divided from God: yea, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and how
then can we die? Jesus, Himself, is our life, and therefore there is
no dying for us, for He cannot die again. In Him we died unto sin
once, and the capital sentence cannot a second time be executed. Now
we live, and live for ever. The reward of righteousness is life
everlasting, and we have nothing less than the righteousness of God,
and therefore can claim the very highest reward.
Living and believing, we believe that we shall live and enjoy.
Wherefore we press forward with full assurance that our life is secure
in our living Head.