Category Archives: Life

Bible, Eternity, Glorify, Glory, Heaven, Life, Scripture

LIVE TO GOD

ROMANS 6:10

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”

It’s funny how your life changes from season to season. I’m talking about seasons of life. When I was younger and single, I lived for Carl. All I thought about was doing what was good for me. I wasn’t a horrible person, but my priority was ME. When I got married and had children all that changed. Now, my priority was to my family. I worked to provide for them. I lived to protect them, to teach my children and hopefully live a life worth imitating in the eyes of God. Priorities shift, don’t they?

Jesus’s priorities never shifted. Before He came to earth, He lived to give glory to God. As a man on earth, He lived a life that pointed every to God. And now that He is in heaven, He still lives to point everything to His Father. Talking about consistency! Paul tells us in today’s verse, “the life that He lives (meaning now in heaven at the righthand side of the Father), He lives to God.” He points us all to the glory of the Father.

APPLICATION

Barnes has a wonderful explanation of Jesus’ life now and what that means for us as Christ’s followers. “He seeks to promote his glory. The argument of Paul is this: Christians by their profession are united to him. They are bound to imitate him. As he now lives only to advance the glory of God; as all his mighty power, now that he is raised from the dead, and elevated to his throne in heaven, is exerted to promote his glory; so should their powers, being raised from the death of sin, be exerted to promote the glory of God.”

Do you measure your plans and decisions against that metric? Are you seeking to give glory to the Father? It is so easy to make our plans and decisions and then ask the Father to bless them. Instead, we should be going to the Father first and ask Him what His plans are. Do you recall Jeremiah 29:11? “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

Before you make a list of New Year’s resolutions, consult the Lord. He may change your path drastically. He may point you toward someone you need to disciple. But whatever you do, be like Jesus and point it all to God. Give Him the glory for all He does in and through you.

Father God, You have ordained my days and given me a path to follow. I want to stay close by Your side each and every day.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Cross, Death, Eternal Life, Jesus, Life, Promises, Scripture

DIED ONCE FOR ALL

ROMANS 6:9

“knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”

As a lifelong Baptist I have heard the whole debate about crosses verses crucifixes. A lot of my Baptist friends will argue that since Christ is alive and was resurrected, we should not have a symbol of Him remaining on the cross. My Catholic friends see the crucifix as a reminder of the sacrifice of Christ on that cross. They know He is alive and resurrected. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with the crucifix. To me it’s no different than watching a movie about the crucifixion each year. Let’s just agree to celebrate His sacrifice. Amen?

Paul knew that Christ had been raised from the dead. He had spoken to Him on that road to Emmaus. He knew Jesus’ shed His divine blood once for all mankind. He knew He had defeated death and the grave. Today’s verse is a reminder to us all of the supreme sacrifice and our promise of eternal life with Him one day. Understand this – for a follower of Christ the dominion of death has expired.

APPLICATION

Two of the verbs in today’s verse need to be explained. “Is…to die again” is in the Present Indicative Active. That verb tense is an ongoing action of the verb. Paul is saying that Christ is no longer dying constantly. He is not suffering for us now. He is advocating for us. He’s at the right hand of the Father. He died ONCE for all.

The other verb to look at is translated as “is..master.” It literally reads in the Greek “no longer rules over.” It’s the Greek word kurieuó and is also in the Present Indicative Active. Strong’s defines it as “have dominion over, exercise lordship over.” Death is not ruling over Jesus. Just the opposite, in fact. He defeated death. When He was resurrected, death saw its last day of dominion over mankind. Those who follow Jesus walk in that victory.

Where are you today in regard to Christ’s death and resurrection? I pray you have made that decision to follow Him. If you have, walk in that victory that is yours through Jesus. There is absolutely no reason to feel defeated. Trust Him to show you each day how to handle those situations that test you. He wants to see you living victoriously, not defeated. Remember, He died and arose again for you. This is an eternal promise from the Father.

O God, I praise You that I have victory of sin and the grave because of Jesus’ shed blood and His victory over death.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Eternal Life, Life, Promises, Scripture

IF HE…THEN WE

ROMANS 6:8

“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,”

One key parenting skill is teaching our children cause and effect. You can do that by saying to them, “If you do this, then this will happen.” For example, if you clean up your room, then you can have some extra video time. You get it. It’s important, though, to make sure if they do what you ask them, then you have to follow through with the “then.” Promises made equal promises kept.

Paul tells us in today’s verse that if we are dead to our sins because of our trust in Christ, then we shall live in Him. That’s a pretty good promise, isn’t it? In Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible there is this commentary on the last half of today’s verse. There was a lot more, but I chose to just include the following. “and are therefore under the greatest obligation, whilst here on earth, to live, not in sin, but to righteousness, and to his praise and glory; with whom they are now dead to sin, and with whom they not only hope, but believe they shall live throughout the endless ages of eternity.” That’s a wonderful explanation.

APPLICATION

How shall we apply this verse today? One is so clear in the first part of the verse. We must die with Christ daily. We must give up all our wants and desires to Him. We have no rights as crucified followers of Christ. All our rights are nailed to the cross. Does that mean we are powerless and helpless? Far from. It. Look at the second part.

Paul says, “we believe.” Don’t read that and just blow right past it. That is critical. So many believers make the decision to follow Christ but fail to believe in in His promises. We have to trust. We have to believe. We have to have faith in what He says is true.

Finally, Paul says, “we shall also live with Him.” That’s incredible. Paul is not referring to our future life with Him in heaven, though that is true. He is talking about our daily walk with Him now. We can live with Christ today. We can live for Him now. Every decision we make needs to flow from the Master. Every step we take is to be taken with Him.

You have to walk pretty close to someone on the beach to follow their footprints because the waves come in and wash them away. The same goes with Christ. We should be right on His heels every step. If He says something, we do it. If He guides us somewhere, we go. If – Then!

Father, I want to do whatever, whenever and however You lead. If You say it, then I will do it.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Christ, Life, New, Renewed, Scripture, Walking

WALKING IN NEWNESS

ROMANS 6:4

“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.”

I have shared many times in this blog that I am a walker. Most mornings I get up early before sunrise and walk about three miles in my neighborhood. Every morning is a fresh walk, brand new to me. I may walk the same path every day, but I see different stars or planets in the early morning sky. I may see different cars in our neighborhood and even a new “For Sale” sign in front of one of the houses. My walks never get old. They are new every morning.

Paul uses a word for “newness” that is only used one other time in the New Testament. We’ll see that later in the next chapter of Romans. The word is kainotés. The Topical Lexicon says this about the use of this word here. “Kainotēs here describes a life sourced in resurrection power, characterized by freedom from sin’s dominion.” Our newness is directly tied to Christ’s resurrection power in our lives which gives us that victory over sin’s power. Hallelujah!

APPLICATION

This verse reminds me of Lamentations 3:22-23 which read, “22 The LORD’S acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Isn’t that a great promise from the Lord? God’s compassions do not fail. They are brand new every morning. Now, technically God’s compassions have been around for a long time and will continue into the future. But the particular compassion or mercy He gives you today is new to you and is designed just for you.

So, when the Lord tells us in today’s verse that we are to walk in newness of life, He means just that. Embrace the newness of your life in Christ. Enjoy the freshness of it. Each day when I step out my front door to begin my walk, I look up into the night sky to see the newness that greets me. I should also approach my walk with Christ each day. Instead of worrying about my future, I should step out in the newness of it, knowing that Christ has my back.

Look back at our verse. The first part tells us that we have been buried with Him through baptism into death. We have died to our old self and have been resurrected anew in Christ. The old things have passed away, right? If the old is gone, that leaves us the new. Today, walk in it. Walk in Him knowing all things are new in Christ. Amen?

God, I thank You for the newness I have in Christ that allows me to walk each day with fresh, spiritual eyes.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Eternal Life, Grave, Life, Scripture

WE ARE DEAD!

ROMANS 6:2

“Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

Death is final or is it? For a believer we believe that death is simply a portal from this life on earth to eternal life with Christ. For the unbeliever, their physical death also leads to an eternity of their choosing, one of eternal separation from God and His light. Their end is not as precious as the believers. But we all will die one day unless the Lord returns in our lifetime. That would be fine with me.

Paul makes a great theological point in today’s verse when he writes “we who died.” This verb is in the Aorist tense which means it happened in the past. In regard to this verse and this verb, Lightfoot writes, “that they are not, and cannot be, their former selves—and that it is a contradiction of their very being to sin any more. It is the definiteness, the absoluteness of this change, considered as an historical crisis, which forms the central idea of St. Paul’s teaching, and which the aorist marks.” (Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers). That’s a powerful statement.

APPLICATION

Let’s think about this for a second. When you die, the affairs of this life cease for you. You will no longer have to worry about money, work or even losing weight. All those things are dead to you. You died a physical death which released you from all earthly concerns. The same is true for us in regard to sin. Once we surrender our life to Christ, we are dead (a one-time event) to sin. So why do we struggle with it every day?

Barnes says, “All Christians are thus in fact dead to sin. They do not live to sin; nor has sin dominion over them.” That is the key. Sin no longer rules our life. We have power over it through Christ. We simply yield to His commands daily and sin is avoided. We see sin clearly and we steer ourselves away. That’s being dead to sin.

Colossians 3:3 tells us, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” If we are hidden with Christ in God, sin has to penetrate Christ to get to us. That’s just not possible. Why? Because He defeated sin and the grave at Calvary. We are standing on shouting ground, believer. Rejoice and claim your authority over sin today.

O God, I am so thankful that sin no longer rules over me. I have the power through Christ to defeat sin in my life.


If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Christ, Death, Eternal Life, Grace, Life, Scripture

DEATH REIGNED

ROMANS 5:14

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

You may have heard the expression “There are two absolutes in the world – death and taxes.” That is true. We will all face a physical death one day. I had that discussion recently with some family members. As a believer and follower of Christ, death does not frighten me. Now, the way in which I die can cause some anxiety, but not the actual death part. I am certain where I am going afterwards. I know death will come for me one day.

The word translated “reigned” is the Greek word that means exactly that. It means to rule, to reign, to have dominion over. Paul knew the finality of death. He was there when Stephen was stoned to death. He had witnessed some of the other early martyrs being killed for their testimony. And he knew that behind all that death was sin. Sin had entered mankind through Adam and has traced its way through the centuries.

APPLICATION

Did you know we can ward off the sting of death? Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, “55 WHERE, O DEATH, IS YOUR VICTORY? WHERE, O DEATH, IS YOUR STING?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; 57  but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Death’s reign has been defeated by Jesus Himself. Praise God!

In direct contrast to the reign of death is the reign of Christ. Look at what the angel Gabriel told Mary about her unborn son when he brought her the news about the immaculate conception. In Luke 1:33 it says, “‘and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.’” The day Jesus burst forth from that sealed tomb, death’s reign ended.

But…until you have given your life over to the reign of Jesus, you remain under the penalty of death because of your sins. Do you understand that? If you do and you have given your life to Him, don’t waste any time telling everyone around about Him. Physical death is coming for everyone, but spiritual death can be averted through the blood of the Lamb. Are you ready?

Lord, I am thankful that I have been purchased by You and my future is sealed.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Eternal Life, Jesus, Life, Scripture, Sin

CONTAGIONS

ROMANS 5:12

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned—”

How could we ever forget Covid-19? It was a worldwide epidemic that cost many lives. It doesn’t matter which side of the vaccine mandate you were on, we all knew people who lost their battle with this flu-like disease. It was very contagious and easily passed from person to person. Masks were mandated everywhere. Churches emptied, many of which held online services only. It was a scary time for many.

Paul tells us in today’s verse just how contagious sin is. Because of Adam’s and Eve’s original sin, all mankind was “infected.” The end result of that infection is death. It’s a terminal disease. The only cure is Jesus (we’ll see that later in this chapter). The Greek word translated “spread” is dierchomai. The Topical Lexicon gives this picture. “The entrance of death is pictured as a relentless traveler moving through humanity.”

APPLICATION

The same word is used in Hebrews 4:14 to describe Christ’s movement into the heavens. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.” Of course, Christ’s passing through the heavens is a lot better than sin passing to us, isn’t it?

The word is even used by Jesus to describe the movements of unclean spirits (demonic spirits). In Matthew 12:43 we read, “‘Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest and does not find it.’” We need to know how to stop this movement, don’t we? Well, we must be born again by the Holy Spirit. Where the Spirit dwells, evil cannot. The Holy Spirit fills us completely. We can be oppressed and fall under the influence of demonic forces, but they can never indwell us again.

Listen, your sin is contagious. Your actions have ripple effects. Fathers, your sins will affect your children. Mothers, your sins will also. We are not held responsible for our father’s or mother’s sins, but we can feel the consequences of them. That is why we must be very careful to guard our hearts and our lives. Let’s pass on the good stuff, not the bad.

Lord, keep me spiritually sanitized from the strains of sin that so easily comes against me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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WHO WOULD DIE FOR?

ROMANS 5:7

“For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die.”

I would not hesitate to give my life to protect my family – any of them. I love them that much. I even have some friends who I would die for. I pray I never have to make that choice, but if I do, I pray that I would not blink an eye. After all, death for a believer is just a portal into an eternal life with Christ. I am not in a hurry to die, but I am also ready to go whenever.

Paul isn’t trying to paint a morbid picture of death. He is setting up a thought which we will see in tomorrow’s verse. He does give us something to think about, though, in today’s verse. Would you die for “righteous person” or a “good person”? Albert Barnes says it well. “It is an unusual occurrence, an event which is all that we can hope for from the highest human benevolence and the purest friendship, that one would be willing to die for a good man. There are none who would be willing to die for a man who was seeking to do us injury, to calumniate our character, to destroy our happiness or our property. But Christ was willing to die for bitter foes.”

APPLICATION

It is important to explain what Paul meant by “righteous person.” He was not referring to someone made righteous through Christ, but rather one who is righteous in his own eyes. They may be moral outwardly and do what is “expected.”. Perhaps Paul was thinking about the Pharisees he used to be a part of. They seemed righteous on the outside, but inwardly they were just rule keepers.

“A good man” referred to someone who as Gill describes as “a liberal and beneficent man, who was very bountiful in his charitable distributions to the poor, and very liberal in contributing towards the charge of sacrifices, repairs of the temple, &c. and did more this way than what the law obliged to.” Paul says by chance someone might die for that man.

The whole point of this verse will be revealed in the next verse (which we will see tomorrow). Laying down our life for someone is a big decision. Some people are easier than others to die for. Let me ask you – who would you die for? If giving your life for a perfect stranger meant that person coming to Christ, would you do it? Christ did!

Lord, I lay down my life for You. Take it and use it however You think best.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Eternal Life, Life, Promises, Scripture

AS GOOD AS DEAD

ROMANS 4:19

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;”

When you hear the phrase, “You’re as good as dead,” what do you think about? I think about as kids when you are out playing and you jokingly say that to a friend who just “one upped you.” Maybe you’re shooting hoops and they just went up on the score. So, you issue that challenge “You’re as good as dead” meaning you are about to take them down. It is never meant that you wish them harm in any way. It’s just a phrase.

But in Abraham’s case, it was true. His chance of siring offspring was pretty much nil. He was “about a hundred years old” and his wife Sarah wasn’t far behind. If he told his buddies he was about to become a father, they would have probably just laughed at him. The Greek word used here is only found two other times in the New Testament (Colossians 3:5 and Hebrews 11:12). The word is nekroó, and it means to view something as a corpse, lifeless. That doesn’t give much hope for a child, does it?

APPLICATION

“The same God who began Israel with a barren couple later raised Jesus Christ from the tomb; in both cases death or deadness only highlights His sovereignty.” (Topical Lexicon) You see, a lifeless corpse doesn’t mean God can’t do something. Think about the miracles in the Bible where someone who was dead was brought back to life. I won’t begin to list them all here. Do a study on your own and you will see that time after time, God intervened and brought life back.

God gave Abraham and Sarah a child, one born from parents who should not have able to be parents. Life belongs to God. He determines who has life. Every breath we take is a gift from God. He gives us life. Don’t ever think someone is without hope if God wants to give them life. Now, He doesn’t always give life here. Sometimes He wants to give life eternal. Isn’t that better anyway? For a believer, it is.

I want you to take a minute and give God thanks for the life He has given you. It may not be the life you had planned for yourself, but it is still life. God has a plan for this life. He has a plan for a future life also, if we will accept it. Have you? Have you taken ahold of the life that is truly life? Only God can give that. One is awaiting you.

Father of life, thank You for giving me life here and the promise of life eternal.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Death, Eternal Life, Life, Salvation, Scripture

LIFE TO THE DEAD

ROMANS 4:17

“(as it is written: ‘I HAVE MADE YOU A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS’) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist.”

Some people have a super green thumb. What do I mean by that? They can take a plant that looks completely dead and can bring it back to life again. They feed it and water it and nurture it back to life. Those are plants that I toss in the garbage can, but to the eye of the trained green thumb, they see life where there is no life. They don’t give up on it.

Today’s verse has a phrase that we need to look at. It’s towards the end of the verse. It says, “who gives life to the dead.” What in the world was Paul referring to? We will see more about this in verse 4:19, but to put it bluntly, there was no way Abraham and Sarah were going to have a child at their age. You may know someone who got pregnant in their 40’s or even 50’s. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? But nothing is too difficult for God.

APPLICATION

And we were dead before Christ. Ephesians 2:1 and 5 tell us that pretty clearly, “1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins,…5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” God took us off of death row when we gave our lives to Christ. We were doomed, damned to an eternal hell (and yes, it is real).

We are told in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. It goes on to say that no one will get to heaven unless they believe in Him and follow His commands. Death to life! It’s hard for our finite minds to comprehend. How can He do that? Because He created us in the first place. He knows every single molecule of our bodies. He can refire us into brand new creatures in Christ.

In John 5:24 Christ says, “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.’” From the very mouth of God the Son. We have to hear. We have to believe, and we have to follow. Where are you right now? Are you still dead to Christ? Turn to Him today and gain new life in Him.

Father, I am so thankful for my new life in Jesus. Praise Your name.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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