June 26, 2011
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7 PM Midweek Service
We welcome Pastor Todd Nibert this morning.
Put to Death in the Flesh, Quickened by the Spirit
1 Peter 3: 18-22
In a world of sin and suffering, the apostle Peter says to every believer, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” At the end of verse 18, the Spirit gives us a word that is full of soul refreshment. Christ Jesus was “put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
The Declaration by the Resurrection
Christ Jesus is declared to be the Son of God in the resurrection because by the Spirit of his divine Godhead, he quickened himself to life (Romans 1: 3). We worship one God in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. In scripture, each person in the Godhead is declared to have had a part in raising Christ from the dead, which declares the oneness and unity of the Godhead together in Christ Jesus. But had Christ been raised by God the Father and God the Spirit apart from Christ himself having also done it, then his resurrection would not have declared him to be the Son of God with power. Many have been raised from the dead and shall be, but only Christ is the Son of God who raised himself (John 2: 18-21; 10: 18). Peter further declares his eternal Godhead when he says “By which also”, that is, by the Spirit of his Divine Godhead, Christ preached through Noah, even as the Spirit of Christ was in all the prophets (1 Peter 3: 19; 1: 11). The declaration of this glorious act of Christ quickening himself by his own eternal power and GODHEAD declares that Christ Jesus is God the Son.
The Glorification of the Resurrection
In heavens glory, the human nature and body of the Son of man, which the Son of God joined with his divine nature, is glorified. All God’s elect died in Adam and were born with a corrupt nature in bodies which are dust and shall return to dust due to sin. Christ took the nature of his elect children in a body like ours that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God in delivering his people from bondage to eternal life through his own death and resurrection and that he might be able to comfort his brethren (Hebrews 2: 14-18; 10: 5-7). When he walked this earth, Christ Jesus the Son of man was holy in nature and body, but then his body was a natural body. Now, though the same in substance, it is a spiritual or glorified body (1 Corinthians 15: 45-46; Luke 24:39; Acts 1: 9). While on earth, though he possessed all authority as the second person of the trinity, as the Son of man he subjected himself. He subjected himself to the infirmities which his people suffer due to sin, being made of a woman, though he had no sin of his own. Christ subjected himself to the law, being made under the law. As the Son of man, he subjected himself to powers and principalities as instruments to nail him to the cursed tree. Christ subjected himself to sin on the cross when he bore the sins of his people in his own body. He subjected himself to death. Paul says sin and death had “dominion over him”; he was “crucified through weakness” (2 Corinthians 13: 4); as our text says “put to death in the flesh.” But through this perfection of humility, Christ triumphed over all which he subjected himself unto. Christ glorified and wrought satisfaction to God for his people in all that he subjected himself unto. Wherefore God has also highly exalted him. He is raised in glorified human nature so that in the risen body of Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead together with the fullness of glorified Man (Colossians 1: 18-19; 2: 9). Sitting in glory is the GodMan who is, for all of his redeemed children, the perfection of wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and liberty from sin and death (1 Corinthians 1: 30-31). Having subjected himself while on earth, in glorification the Father gave the Son of man Authority over all, so that those which he subjected himself unto while on earth, are now forever put in subjection under him (1 Peter 3: 22; John 5: 26-27; Romans 6: 9-10).
The Edification by the Resurrection
How do his people benefit from Christ’s glorious resurrection? Peter speaks here of the ark in Noah’s day as a figure of the baptism and resurrection of Christ which is the salvation of the believer (Read 1 Peter 3: 21 without the parenthetical expression). When Christ was immersed in the rain of divine judgment on the cross unto death and then arose, so too, every individual elect child which makes up his body was baptized and arose in him (Ephesians 1: 19-23; Colossians 2: 11-15). In time, each one is made alive in regeneration and brought to believe on Christ (Ephesians 2: 4-10). So then when the believer is baptized in water, we do not put away the filth of the flesh, but it is the answer of a good conscience toward God. That is, when our conscience is washed by the Holy Spirit in regeneration, we confess publicly in water baptism that we believe the filth of our flesh was put away when we were baptized with Christ into his death and that by his resurrection we were raised when he came out of the grave (John 11: 25-26; Colossians 2: 9-10).
Sinner, believe on Christ and confess this glorious good news of his death and resurrection in baptism and you shall be saved (Mark 16: 16). Believer, “Sanctify the LORD God in your hearts” knowing that even as we are now complete in Christ, so every soul-keeping and consoling comfort we need shall be given us by the Holy Spirit through the Authority and Power of Christ Jesus (Colossians 3: 1; Hebrews 2: 18; 4: 15-16). Christ Jesus truly is our incorruptible, undefiled, inheritance, reserved in heaven for us (1 Peter 1: 3-5). When we die, the spirit which he has created new within us shall be with the Lord immediately without any alteration needed. And in the last day, our bodies which are yet corrupt shall be raised incorruptible like unto his.
We shall be satisfied when we awake with his likeness! (Psalm 17: 15).